Raptor
New member
If you missed my first post, here it is, just for review purposes!
I installed my Sway Bar this afternoon. All in all it was not a bad job at all; I found it to be a good way to get to know my Spyder alot better. The directions that came with the bar were very well written. There were only a few variations.
One was that they didn't mention the Skid Plate. No biggie though; 6 screws and off it came! Also, be very carfeul with the air temp sensor and don't lose the foam for the air sensor. And don't forget about the trunk latch! That takes care of the trunk.
One other thing was that the stop bushings (not the frame bushings; you get new ones with the new bar) that mount on the original bar will not fit with the stock hardware because the new bar is so much fatter, so I had to come up with an alternate mounting solution. But that too was no big deal as I had plenty of hardware laying about.
hyea:
Of course while I had stuff off I cleaned all the suspension parts, adjusted my shocks, topped off my coolant etc. When I got everything cleaned up and sat on the bike, I could tell right away there was a difference; The bike didn't bounce like it usually does when I got on before. And of course, the big test; she fired right up and threw no codes! I'M TOTALLY STOKED NOW! :yes: It's time to take her out for a test. See ya when I get back!
__________________
OK, so I am back from my test ride. And all I can say is... HOLY COW!! That was money well spent for sure. Between the bar and the shock adjustment etc., the machine behaves completely different. I was even going to engineer some spring rubbers but right now I don't see the need. Here is what I experirnced thus far:
When I first took off, I followed a familiar route to see how it handled similar bumps. I still feel the bumps but the bike settles a bit quicker than before. Simple turns are now effortless with no rotation. Very good tracking and very true steer. So far so good.
I then got her on the freeway. rolling on throttle hard used to make the bike buck up really hard. Not so hard any more, much smoother getaway. Manuevering is very sweet and again the high speed track is amazing. I looked down and I was at 117! It did not feel that fast. This I can't explain other than the stability is even better than before.
Now on to the twisties. This brought the most surprising reults of all. The tendency to over-rotate is gone. The bike now attacks turns in such a way that I had to adjust my normal line a bit, inspiring much more confidence. I found that the stupid Nanny was kicking in a bit more. I found this odd until I looked down and realized that I was taking turns waaay faster than before. In fact there was one instance where I got too aggressive, hit a bump and got BOTH fronts off the ground! Wild man! That was a mistake on my part, but the bike held it's line and I powered out OK. I then proceeded on and took a smoother more relaxed line and got great results. I didn't have to work as hard to achieve good cornering. Very impressive!
I know this sounds dramatic but this is true. Remember, this was a Sway Bar replacement, a schock adjustment, I hit all the grease fittings and cleaned/inspected and firmed up every suspension component. I also went higher on tire pressures. I am now at 23L, 22.5R and 31Rear. Better spring rates from the side walls reduces tire flex.
This was a great excercise and produced a great result. I can't wait to get on her tomorrow!hyea:
I installed my Sway Bar this afternoon. All in all it was not a bad job at all; I found it to be a good way to get to know my Spyder alot better. The directions that came with the bar were very well written. There were only a few variations.
One was that they didn't mention the Skid Plate. No biggie though; 6 screws and off it came! Also, be very carfeul with the air temp sensor and don't lose the foam for the air sensor. And don't forget about the trunk latch! That takes care of the trunk.
One other thing was that the stop bushings (not the frame bushings; you get new ones with the new bar) that mount on the original bar will not fit with the stock hardware because the new bar is so much fatter, so I had to come up with an alternate mounting solution. But that too was no big deal as I had plenty of hardware laying about.
hyea:Of course while I had stuff off I cleaned all the suspension parts, adjusted my shocks, topped off my coolant etc. When I got everything cleaned up and sat on the bike, I could tell right away there was a difference; The bike didn't bounce like it usually does when I got on before. And of course, the big test; she fired right up and threw no codes! I'M TOTALLY STOKED NOW! :yes: It's time to take her out for a test. See ya when I get back!
__________________
OK, so I am back from my test ride. And all I can say is... HOLY COW!! That was money well spent for sure. Between the bar and the shock adjustment etc., the machine behaves completely different. I was even going to engineer some spring rubbers but right now I don't see the need. Here is what I experirnced thus far:
When I first took off, I followed a familiar route to see how it handled similar bumps. I still feel the bumps but the bike settles a bit quicker than before. Simple turns are now effortless with no rotation. Very good tracking and very true steer. So far so good.
I then got her on the freeway. rolling on throttle hard used to make the bike buck up really hard. Not so hard any more, much smoother getaway. Manuevering is very sweet and again the high speed track is amazing. I looked down and I was at 117! It did not feel that fast. This I can't explain other than the stability is even better than before.
Now on to the twisties. This brought the most surprising reults of all. The tendency to over-rotate is gone. The bike now attacks turns in such a way that I had to adjust my normal line a bit, inspiring much more confidence. I found that the stupid Nanny was kicking in a bit more. I found this odd until I looked down and realized that I was taking turns waaay faster than before. In fact there was one instance where I got too aggressive, hit a bump and got BOTH fronts off the ground! Wild man! That was a mistake on my part, but the bike held it's line and I powered out OK. I then proceeded on and took a smoother more relaxed line and got great results. I didn't have to work as hard to achieve good cornering. Very impressive!
I know this sounds dramatic but this is true. Remember, this was a Sway Bar replacement, a schock adjustment, I hit all the grease fittings and cleaned/inspected and firmed up every suspension component. I also went higher on tire pressures. I am now at 23L, 22.5R and 31Rear. Better spring rates from the side walls reduces tire flex.
This was a great excercise and produced a great result. I can't wait to get on her tomorrow!
hyea:
Last edited:
opcorn:
