F3T - New front shock or new sway bar first ?

[MagYukon]

Hi,

I know i will probably start a new debate about everybody's preference, but that's pretty much what I'd like to hear. At least, not preference, but real experience...

I put around 11 000Km last year on my 2016 F3T and I always have a feeling that my front could have a better grip on the road. Mainly in curves, it tends to gave me back a feeling that everything is not as stiff as I'd like it to be.

Most of the time, I ride with my wife on the back seat, so I'm more in a "touring" type of driving. But, when I'm alone, I'm a little more aggressive with it and that's where I got that bad feeling in cornering and overall stability at higher speed or in fast acceleration.

After reading almost everything I found here about shock and sway bar, I'm still confused about what I should try first. I know that a better sway bar might helps a lot for cornering, but I'm not sure it will helps in any way for other situation or condition (bumpy roads like we have in Quebec!). That's where better shocks might be more helpful in an overall driving fun.

Actually, I'm not sure that the rear really needs any mods. I rarely bump hard enough to think that I should do anything for the rear shock. But I'd like to hear any real experience regarding the stock F3T rear shock (with air balloon) compared to any kind of upgrades.

Thanks for your experience !

 

[Rob Rodriguez]

Sway bar will keep the front end more "level". I'd try that first since its the cheaper option. Then if that wasn't enough I'd try the shocks.

It still amazes me that these bikes COST A LOT OF MONEY and BRP can't supply decent shocks and sway bars from the factory.

 

[Chupaca]

What to do.....

Here is a good sequence to the front end....air pressure, balance, alignment, swaybar, shocks. BLUEKNIGHT911 has some shock relocators that would be a good try before the shocks. The shocks being the most expensive and in many cases not nessessary for the normal ryder....jmo...:thumbup:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

suspension fix

:agree: with Gene, " Chupaca " ...... your alignment is very critical .... because if that's the cause of your issues .... NOTHING else you change is going to correct bad alignment..... I don't know what brand of tires you have but if they are auto tires 14psi front & 18 psi rear can make a hugh amount of difference ( to the plus side ) ..... the sway bar does things the shock/spring change will not ..... I would try the sway bar after you have checked the ones above .... remember shocks/springs NEED to be TUNED and if you can't do it yourself , you could actually make things worse .....jmho ...... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peteoz]

Gene and Mike have got it right in my opinion, MagYukon.....especially starting with air, balance and alignment.
I have both Ron’s bar and Wilbers shocks (front and rear) on my 2016 F3-L. I put the bar on and noticed a significant cornering “improvement” both in cornering confidence (feels like it is gripping better) that the Chosen One did not feel so much like she was going to be thrown off the backThis meant that I was “happy” also. I only added the shocks because of my size (300+lbs for me alone) and the awful roads out here. (You often see abseilers on the side of our potholes). It could well be that the Wilbers may have made Ron’s bar redundant, but the cost of the bar is negligible in the scheme of things, and it may give you what you want without going to the much greater expense of shocks. This is only a gut feeling, with absolutely no science behind it whatsoever, but I believe Ron’s bar plus the Wilbers shock both work well together and compliment each other in my case.

Mike’s comment re the shocks needing tuning is lessened these days, as Wilbers and others are pretty good at aligning weights, riding styles etc to the Spyder at manufacture time, and seem to get it pretty right. I had to do very little adjusting other than soften them a little as I like my creature comforts. They remain an expensive option however.

p.s. I also replaced the Kendas with car tyres (after the Ron bar addition), and felt this improved the “planted” feel when cornering even further (but that’s very subjective).

Pete

 

[papanorm]

I changed the front tires to Continental Contipro Contac 175/55/15 and was amazed at the improvement so much that i could have stopped there. Then I added Elka Stage 2 up front and a Yokahama S Drive in the rear - poke a fork in me as I am done.:thumbup:

 

[Pirate looks at --]

:agree::agree::agree:Tire pressure is the easiest to control and doesn't cost a dime. Alignment is a minor investment in making sure your ryde is Squared Away! If you are indeed in alignment most places won't charge you to just check, so nothing to lose. Sway bar is a couple to 300 to buy and have installed so if the other options didn't help it's worth the investment. Shocks....now that is a whole other thing and pricey! So unless you are interested in racing you Spyder you should be able to be really aggressive with out a lot of expense.

I keep my pressures balanced at optimal levels before every ryde, I have had my F3L Squared Away by Ann and Joe, and that is it! I ryde solo and I ryde really aggressively.......and by that I mean as fast as I am comfortable!

 

[MagYukon]

Thank You !

Thanks for all your answer.

I really appreciate.

Looks like I will start by new tires as those that I have are not in a super good shape and then I will have it aligned to be sure.

 

[SPYD3R]

SWAY

a beefier SWAY BAR will help...

however, are you carrying a lot of weight in your tail & side bags....? if so, when connering at speed, all that weight wants to go straight, and will affect the handling of your F3....
jmho
if no weight back there, then 'oh well'.... i have no clue....
Dan P
SPYD3R

 

[Tazzel]

My 2017 F3T is my 3rd spyder. I added swaybar and front elkas on my 2012 RS and my 2015 F3S but have found that my 2017 F3T is much more stable at stock then my other 2 previous spyders. I don't see the need at this point to add either the swaybar or elkas. Not that it would not improve the handling because it would but I am content for now.

 

[ofdave]

Sway bar will keep the front end more "level". I'd try that first since its the cheaper option. Then if that wasn't enough I'd try the shocks.

It still amazes me that these bikes COST A LOT OF MONEY and BRP can't supply decent shocks and sway bars from the factory.

good point, but, it seems virtually every bike has the same or similar issues
no bike can be built for everyone as an individual, and many have no problem with stock set-ups
that's why there is a strong aftermarket for suspension parts, seats, windshields, etc.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Don’t forget to check the air in the rear suspension when you’re checking your tires. Most people we have seen don’t have any air in theirs.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

new tires

Thanks for all your answer.

I really appreciate.

Looks like I will start by new tires as those that I have are not in a super good shape and then I will have it aligned to be sure.

If/when you get new tires it's very important to have the alignment done before or very, very soon after tire are installed...... If your alignment is off badly the NEW tires can be damaged and that won't be changed by a Correct alignment ...... Mike :thumbup:

 

[pegasus1300]

Thanks for all your answer.

I really appreciate.

Looks like I will start by new tires as those that I have are not in a super good shape and then I will have it aligned to be sure.

You mentioned in you original post that you felt like you didn't have the grip in the turns that you wanted. I think you made the right choice by going with tires first and then an alignment. When you get that done and have ridden it for a little while longer, you will be in better shape to know what if any further mods you need. Have fun making your Spyder handle and ride the way you like,and let us know how each step changed you experience.

 

[Peter Aawen]

If/when you get new tires it's very important to have the alignment done before or very, very soon after tire are installed...... If your alignment is off badly the NEW tires can be damaged and that won't be changed by a Correct alignment ...... Mike :thumbup:

:agree: Anything more than a max of about a couple of hundred miles of wear can see the rubber compound & tread surface compacted & wear started by an existing 'bad alignment' so much that it's almost impossible to correct without significantly reducing the tire's life; AND the initial 'set' of any steel belts in the tire can be compromised for the entirety of that reduced life, so that you get vibrations plus poor steering, ride, & handling to go along with that significantly reduced tire life no matter what you do!! :shocked:

All of which adds up to some VERY good reasons to get a good alignment done before or at the time of installing new tires!! :thumbup:

 

[Peteoz]

Shocks....now that is a whole other thing and pricey! So unless you are interested in racing you Spyder you should be able to be really aggressive with out a lot of expense.

.......it’s not just racing or being aggressive, Pirate. If you ride two up and are a little larger than average, even the newer Spyder F3 rear two-up rear shock won’t do it for you.......and if you’re doing the back, you may as well do the fronts

Pete

 

[Pirate looks at --]

But Pete you have money to burn!:roflblack: And you have NBA vital statistics! For us little guys 5'8" 165 lbs (not sure how many kilos that is) it's great out of the box! Now I decided to take the VERY expensive route to eliminate two up ryding. Instead of shocks I got my wife a Spyder too!:banghead:

 

[MagYukon]

checking the vavle

Don’t forget to check the air in the rear suspension when you’re checking your tires. Most people we have seen don’t have any air in theirs.

I check it once in a while. And I also found that since I had torqued the valve a little bit more, it keep it's aire a lot longer.

 

[MagYukon]

But Pete you have money to burn!:roflblack: And you have NBA vital statistics! For us little guys 5'8" 165 lbs (not sure how many kilos that is) it's great out of the box! Now I decided to take the VERY expensive route to eliminate two up ryding. Instead of shocks I got my wife a Spyder too!:banghead:

I guess a second spyder is not cheaper than some shocks

 

[Peteoz]

But Pete you have money to burn!:roflblack: And you have NBA vital statistics! For us little guys 5'8" 165 lbs (not sure how many kilos that is) it's great out of the box! Now I decided to take the VERY expensive route to eliminate two up ryding. Instead of shocks I got my wife a Spyder too!:banghead:

hmmmmmmmm. Not such a bad idea, Pirate........and you reckon I’VE got money.....mind you, an F3-T out here won’t give you much change out of $40k :shocked:

Pete