TIME FOR UPGRADES on my 2024 RT-L - which of these do you recommend?

[FROGMAN]

I'm sitting at 9000 miles and the bike is at the dealer to determine the DESS key issue. I decide to let them do the 9000m maintenance, during which they found a leaking water pump! It's on order, 2 weeks. I'm 30 days over my 2 year warranty, I did not get the extended warranty, "My Bad". I've made accessory upgrades, but it's time for tires, shocks, sway-bar, etc. to improve performance. I have read threads here and on other forums about these items, so I decided to ask here for recomendations. I am not a wrench turner, I wish I was! I spent 32 years in UDT/SEAL-EOD, I've been riding for 50 years and know to ask/research and then buy. I was kissed by a deer last May on my 2021 BMW 1600 doing 65 mph, bike totaled, and I used one of my last nine lives. I bought this 2024 RT-L before the accident, it was a more stable platform for two-up than the 2023 BMW or my 2004 HDRK. My riding buddy (Ken) owns a 2021 RT-L and a BMW 1200, he's a wrench turner and has given me good recommendations. Enough background.

1. Rear Tires (fronts are still good) - Vredestien Quatrac 205/60R-15 or General Altimax RT 45 215/60R-15. My buddy runs Quatrac 5, Quatrac are upgrades to the 5's. Both are highly recommended. Fronts will be matched next year.
2. Rear Shock - I ride 80% solo (230 lbs loaded) and 20% two-up (450 lbs loaded). Elka or Wilber (640), yes there is a great price difference. I average 10,000 miles a season (Idaho has a short season). I buy very good equipment, learned that in the Navy. Again, I'm not a wrench turner, so all the plus/minus info goes over my head. It looks like Wilber is more liked/used than Elka???
3. Sway-bar - is it Baja Ron?

Rear tire goes on while at the dealer, maybe a rear shock also (TBD). Sway-bar, front shocks, and tires go on in the Spring, at Ken's garage, I supply the beer!

 

[kbirdsong]

I am very fortunate to live in Tennessee about 200 miles from Baja Ron's shop in east Tennessee. I am a wrench turner so I do as much as I can when I can get my hands to work properly so I had already done Elka shocks on the front and Ron's ultra sway bar the year before, but I hadn't replaced the rear shock and it showed. I needed a new rear tire soon and wanted to upgrade the brakes with the EBC rotors and pads and get the fluid flushed so I ordered the rear Elka from LaMonster garage and packed it into the bike and went to beautiful Greenville Tennessee where Baja Ron's shop is and had them install the shock, do the brake work, put on his belt damper, and all three of the tires he stocks and recommends for the Spyder, Vredestien's on the front, General on the rear. When I rode home the bike felt perfect. I got rained on three times, heavy thunderstorm rain and never once felt anything slip.

 

[FROGMAN]

Understand about hands/fingers not working! Why the switch for the back tire?

 

[kbirdsong]

Understand about hands/figures working! Why the switch for the back tire?

I had about 9500 miles on the stock tire, and although I am a pretty conservative rider most of the time, it was starting to look like the tread depth was pretty shallow. After reading the comments for several years now of people far more knowledgeable than I on Spyders, I did what I usually try to do and followed the recommendations of folks who have vastly more experience with these machines.

 

[LisaMal]

I'm sitting at 9000 miles and the bike is at the dealer to determine the DESS key issue. I decide to let them do the 9000m maintenance, during which they found a leaking water pump! It's on order, 2 weeks. I'm 30 days over my 2 year warranty, I did not get the extended warranty, "My Bad". I've made accessory upgrades, but it's time for tires, shocks, sway-bar, etc. to improve performance. I have read threads here and on other forums about these items, so I decided to ask here for recomendations. I am not a wrench turner, I wish I was! I spent 32 years in UDT/SEAL-EOD, I've been riding for 50 years and know to ask/research and then buy. I was kissed by a deer last May on my 2021 BMW 1600 doing 65 mph, bike totaled, and I used one of my last nine lives. I bought this 2024 RT-L before the accident, it was a more stable platform for two-up than the 2023 BMW or my 2004 HDRK. My riding buddy (Ken) owns a 2021 RT-L and a BMW 1200, he's a wrench turner and has given me good recommendations. Enough background.

1. Rear Tires (fronts are still good) - Vredestien Quatrac 205/60R-15 or General Altimax RT 45 215/60R-15. My buddy runs Quatrac 5, Quatrac are upgrades to the 5's. Both are highly recommended. Fronts will be matched next year.
2. Rear Shock - I ride 80% solo (230 lbs loaded) and 20% two-up (450 lbs loaded). Elka or Wilber (640), yes there is a great price difference. I average 10,000 miles a season (Idaho has a short season). I buy very good equipment, learned that in the Navy. Again, I'm not a wrench turner, so all the plus/minus info goes over my head. It looks like Wilber is more liked/used than Elka???
3. Sway-bar - is it Baja Ron?

Rear tire goes on while at the dealer, maybe a rear shock also (TBD). Sway-bar, front shocks, and tires go on in the Spring, at Ken's garage, I supply the beer!

View attachment 256457

If you really wanna know about suspension, call Ted Porter at his business: https://www.beemershop.com/
He is a suspension expert. I’ve already spoken with him about my Spyder. Most of the time he focuses on BMW’s, but he knows all about Spyders too. He is an importer of Wilbur’s but knows other brands too. And honestly, he’s just a really great guy!
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...=2ahUKEwil34ynrq-WAxUr7skDHfshJg8Q0Qx6BAgWEAE

 

[Jetfixer]

My $0.02 worth. I have a 2025 S2S. BajaRon Ultra bar, Elkas all around, Vredestein's everywhere. Wouldn't trade any of it. I've had the General tires before on other Spyders. They are excellent also, but I feel that the Vredesteins are better in the rain. I installed a Wilbers rear shock on a friends 2026 RTL and he swears by it. Oh, and if there's any cash left over, by all means get the Stage 2 ECU flash from Monster Fuel Injection!

 

[Sundown]

OK, I gotta ask- Frogman, are you a Trident-wearing, BUDS graduated Navy SEAL?