HowTo: Installing BajaRon 3-piece sway bar in 2014 RT

[UtahPete]

I recently installed the new version of the sway bar into my RT. This is about removing the old bar and installing the new, not about the benefits of the sway bar itself.

The kit from BajaRon comes with all the parts needed to completely replace the old bar and links with the new bar and links. My kit came without the steel wedges and dowel needed for the install, so first check to make sure those were included before you start. If not, contact the vendor and they will send them asap. Also, you should be comfortable removing the necessary body panels, bolts and clips to gain access to the front engine area.

Most of the work can be done at a comfortable level of lift - about 12" off the ground at the frame. Only the 5 minutes needed to wiggle the old sway bar out of the channel it's in requires lifting the bike's front end a full 24" off the ground. After that the bike can be lowered to the original work height.

The following tools and materials will be needed, in addition to the jacks for lifting and securing the Spyder;

• 10mm and 13mm socket and open end or ratcheting wrenches
• 4.5mm or 3/16" hex (allen) wrench
• torque wrench (compact)
• blue lock-tite

 

[UtahPete]

Unbolt OEM sway bar

The sway bar fits inside a U-shaped channel. It passes thru a portion of the frame and is held in place in the channel by two plastic blocks. In some bikes, there is also a pair of retaining pins, but my bike did not have those. The end of the bars bends and connects via the links to the A-arm. The links need to be unbolted and removed, the blocks and retaining pins (if any) need to be unbolted. The blocks will drop out once the sway bar is wiggled loose from the channel.

 

[UtahPete]

Lift Spyder and remove old bar

The increased height is only needed to swing the old bar down through the hole in the frame. After that, the original working height is adequate to complete the job.

This shows the plastic block and the bolt holding it in place. In this shot, the sway bar has been removed for illustration purposes.

Once the bolt is removed the plastic block will be loose. After both plastic block bolts are removed, the bar should be loose enough to remove the plastic blocks (slide them toward the wheel)

See the flat spot on the sway bar in the lower right corner? This needs to be aimed toward the ground when the Heim links are secured, so follow Ron's instructions for orienting the bar. Also, those flats needs to be equidistant from the plastic blocks on the inside of the blocks before tightening the block bolts back down.





The bar is hanging down at this point. Once the bike is jacked up high enough, it will just fall out.



In the center of the picture you can see the frame member above which the sway bar passes through.

 

[UtahPete]

New sway bar and end arms

The new bar is 3 pieces; the bar itself and the two end arms which replace the bent OEM bar. The end arms fit tightly over the ends of the new bar and must be prepared by using the wedges to spread the slit in the arms so they will fit over the hexagonal bar ends.

 

[UtahPete]

The new sway bar and heim links

The sway bar must be perfectly centered or else the Heim links will not be parallel to each other AND reassembling the radiator grille will NOT go well! One side will be impossibly tight. So, before tightening the blocks holding the sway bar, make sure there is equal distance on each end of the sway bar. The BEST way to do this is to look for the flat spots a few inches in from the ends of the sway bar and make sure they are each equidistant from the adjoining block.

The Heim links provided in the kit need to be installed correctly. This isn't difficult except for the fact that the new links are narrower at the bolt holes than the originals, so must include the spacers provided on each side of the link bolt holes. To hold them in place while inserting the link top end into the bracket on the frame, Ron provided a dowel. If this is missing from the kit, you can use a piece of pencil or as I did 1/4" aluminum rod; cut it 3/4" long.

 

[Peteoz]

Thanks very much for taking the time to create these detailed install instructions, Pete:2thumbs:

Pete

 

[UtahPete]

Okay, I said I was going to make this all about the install, not the performance of the new sway bars. But ... I just broke the bike out of hibernation finally and got onto the local twisties. I can't exactly objectively quantify the difference in the way the bike handles but it FEELS much more secure in the tight corners (or any corner taken at speed for that matter). Whereas before, going into a tight turn at speed I would feel the suspension loading and unloading, leading to a sense of understeer, then oversteer, now that feeling is gone. Just gone!

 

[FrogmanDave]

Nice write-up Pete. Thanks for taking the time to take pictures as you went along. Man there sure is a lot more 'stuff' to take off a pre 2020 to get to that sway bar.

 

[AndysF3S]

I installed the Bajaron original sway bar on my 22FS3 and the process is the same other than the end links are different.

Parts all included and instructions are good but my trike has the two retaining bolts with spacers. To access the backside of the retaining bolts remove the black plastic shield (2) forward of the crossmember and one each side; they are held on by one torx bolt on the outer side of the shield and 3 push pins that you access from the bottom.
The mud deflectors(2) that attach to the bar running back from the crossmember are attached with 4 torx bolts and 1 push pin on the top inside (shown on the instruction sheet) have to be removed and reinstalled after the bar is replaced.
I drove the trike up on the ramps for my trailer and secured it; giving me a good view of the bottom of the trike, easy removal and installation of the new bar as it goes through the center section but a more awkward working position. Overall a straight forward install.
Performance evaluation will have to wait until next Spring since we now have an inch of snow on the ground.