My Ryker Rally Adventure Thread

[nightfalcon]

For anyone in the know... I have a question regarding the Final Drive oil Level.

This is my first time changing the oil on a Ryker. I followed the procedure to the letter from the workshop manual and various videos. I had no problems; however, it only took about 250ml of oil and the capacity is 355mls. I expect some oil remains in the gears etc. but I am concerned it's a bit lean? Is this about normal?



Also, I might be due a new rear tire... 11,500klm and it's almost done!

 

[greer]

The particulars of that service escape me, but I bet Ron will be along anytime now. Or ask him here:

Thread 'Answering some common Questions about Ryker Gearbox & Final Drive Lubricants.'

Oct 6, 2026

A customer has asked about changing the Gearbox & Final Drive oil on their Ryker, and I thought I'd answer here, because the Ryker has some idiosyncrasies that might surprise some.

I did address this subject from a different angle some time back in this thread:
https://www.spyderlovers.com/thread...rbox-oil-specs-make-sense.153093/post-1663213

But I wanted to fill in some gaps today.

First, the OEM and BRP recommended lubricants are as follows:
Gearbox - 5w-40 Synthetic Engine Oil or 75w-140 Gear Oil (Approximately 17oz.) Be sure to...

• BajaRon
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Ryker General Discussion

• 
• 

Looks like you got your money's worth out of that tire.

Sarah

 

[nightfalcon]

Can't get much consensus on the final drive oil quantity... However, I have ordered a new rear tyre, so I will be removing the rear wheel again soonish, and I will have access to the filler plug, so I will attempt to add some more oil then.

My theory is that the drive gears will have rotated a bit by then, so if there were any inadvertent pockets inside the drive that were somehow closed off due to their position at the time of the last change, odds are they won't be for the second input.

If it still won't take any more oil, I'll be satisfied that it's at its capacity and relax my worried mind

 

[nightfalcon]

So I've had the rear tyre replaced... not hard to tell the old one from the new ... and had another go at the final drive to see if it would take any more oil given that I've driven it from the driveway to the Ryker shed, maybe 20 meters. I was a bit surprised that it didn't want any further oil, but I am now satisfied it must be full.

So now I just need to refit the rear wheel, do the gearbox and engine oil replacements, and fit the @BajaRon swaybar.

I'm not one to whine about being an amputee, but I have to say it's much easier to ride a Ryker with a leg missing than it is to work on one!

 

[greer]

Ugh. I can only imagine, I know how much I grunt with the use of two. Wishing you the best.

Sarah

 

[nightfalcon]

Completed the oil changes, fitted the sway bar, cleaned the air filters, and repaired some broken tabs on the front cowling. The plastic guard at the bottom of the crash bars has taken a few scrapes, but it's not in too bad shape. I have made a change to the front end whilst it's all in pieces, watch this space for the reveal


- -

 

[nightfalcon]

... throwback to my days of riding oranges.

 

[greer]

That looks mean!

Sarah

 

[Peter Aawen]

... throwback to my days of riding oranges.


View attachment 257730

Wot, like this one??




This Big Orange lives just up the road a bit, a couple of hours away from where me'n the Child Bride live. It was formerly a pretty big tourist attraction (pun intended! ) but it's basically been abandoned since about 2012 - obviously, there's not anywhere near enough who are game to become regular riders... It's not looking anywhere near as healthy now as it does in the pic above, but then, surely we all know that oranges do tend to dry out fairly quickly once picked, and the big ones do that quicker than the smaller, juicier oranges.

Check out the detail here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Orange_(South_Australia)

 

[nightfalcon]

Took the Rally out to see if the swaybar upgrade made much of a difference. My usual route has a good mix of wide and tight twisty stretches... perfect for comparative swaybar testing.

I don't claim to understand the complexity of suspension engineering, or how the physics is supposed to work, but I can say categorically, the stiffer performance bar has made a night and day positive change to both stability and speed through corners... for the cost of it, it should come stock on the Ryker to begin with!!

I didn't venture on to gravel as such so am yet to experience how that might impact the ride on rougher surfaces. Technically, a stiffer bar should make it a little less comfortable, but at my modest pace I'm hoping it won't detract too much.

On the down side... you do notice the TC kicking in a lot more, particularly in the standard mapping. Rally mode a little less, but a bit more than with the stock swaybar... likely due to higher cornering speeds, I guess.

The other thing is that it highlights the limits of the suspension. I think I need to talk to a suspension wizard for some advice on what can be done. There are 4 presets for both the front and rear, but I can't seem to tune them in to my liking... the rear is extremely HARSH on bumps at any setting... mabe the spring is too soft? There's always something to do...

Aside from the minor gripes, the Rally is a blast to ride

-

 

[greer]

...

I don't claim to understand the complexity of suspension engineering, or how the physics is supposed to work, but I can say categorically, the stiffer performance bar has made a night and day positive change to both stability and speed through corners... for the cost of it, it should come stock on the Ryker to begin with!!

...

Exactly. Same goes for the Canyon, the first fast sweeper told the tale.

Sarah

 

[troop]

Took the Rally out to see if the swaybar upgrade made much of a difference. My usual route has a good mix of wide and tight twisty stretches... perfect for comparative swaybar testing.

I don't claim to understand the complexity of suspension engineering, or how the physics is supposed to work, but I can say categorically, the stiffer performance bar has made a night and day positive change to both stability and speed through corners... for the cost of it, it should come stock on the Ryker to begin with!!

I didn't venture on to gravel as such so am yet to experience how that might impact the ride on rougher surfaces. Technically, a stiffer bar should make it a little less comfortable, but at my modest pace I'm hoping it won't detract too much.

On the down side... you do notice the TC kicking in a lot more, particularly in the standard mapping. Rally mode a little less, but a bit more than with the stock swaybar... likely due to higher cornering speeds, I guess.

The other thing is that it highlights the limits of the suspension. I think I need to talk to a suspension wizard for some advice on what can be done. There are 4 presets for both the front and rear, but I can't seem to tune them in to my liking... the rear is extremely HARSH on bumps at any setting... mabe the spring is too soft? There's always something to do...

Aside from the minor gripes, the Rally is a blast to ride

View attachment 257762 - View attachment 257763

Do you have a steering stabilizer installed?

 

[nightfalcon]

Do you have a steering stabilizer installed?

Yes, fitted that a year or two ago. It makes a big improvement on rough roads (especially gravel roads) as it keeps the front wheels from tracking offline. Again, for the added cost in production, the stabilizer and the stiffer swaybar should come standard on both the Sport and Rally from the factory.

 

[Raven]

Ok I am not suspension expert. But here is my take on this.
First the settings on the front shocks are for rebound only. To soft and you get a pogo reaction. to stiff and you get a buckboard and they don't have time to recover form the last bump.
The back shock in for compression only (opposite of the front)
Try increasing the preload on the springs (no this will not make them stiffer) to raise the ride height to get a little more upward travel.
Martin the Vlogger has some progressive rate springs that start out soft and stiffen as they compress that might work for your type of riding.
Hope this helps.
Bruce/Raven