The worst thing a dealership can do is sell a sled to a new rider and not help them with suspension set up. It’s very bad for the industry and I have no idea why the manufacturers don’t pressure the dealerships to do this. Make them email a suspension set up with customer signed certification or something for an extended warranty. I’ve seen more guys give up on the sport the 1st season including myself because we don’t understand the importance of snowmobile suspension. There is a ton of riders over 220lbs that will wrestle with the sled around corners for a season then say this sucks and sell. Thankfully I had a good friend that talked me out of selling it and helped me set it up. 1000% different experience. This season I bought 5 new sleds for my family. Thanks for the info.
Stoked on your videos, very informative! Like to see another snowboard guy turned sledder, I am a Sun Valley Snowboard team alum and know Dan had coached and influenced a lot of friends and well known snowboarders. Keep it up!
Great video Dan! So much useful info. Are you planning a Part 2 so you can get into the more advanced tuning with adjustable(clicker) shocks? Keep up the great work!
Jack did talk a bit about compression dampening in this video. Here is some more information from Polaris that goes into more detail about compression dampening. snowmobiles.polaris.com/en-us/self-help/article/KA-01221/
Great Video Dan and thank you Jack for giving us some sound advise. I love the gang at Carl's and Dane Finney being the best salesman there. Go see him for your next sled.
Ya I just got the 18 axys 163 brand spanking new only put 10 grandma miles on it but once its broke inn I'm wondering if I should take the sway bar off or not I just spoke with a guy here at sandpoint Polaris and he took his off and he said its badass but his buddy said he can careless so I'm not shure what to do
I have tried it both ways. If you remove one of the nuts on the plastic pice one one side it effectively un couples the sway bar. And if you don’t like it, only a matter of minutes you can hook it back up. P.s l like it removed. But try it for your self and see the difference. ( I found that un coupled needs a little-more pre load on the spring.
He's probably asking about the hi/low adjustment on the velocity shocks. Should he leave those settings alone and send his velocities into Jack for revalving
I would like to see a video on buying a used sled. What to look for what to avoid. I'm worried of buying a sled just to have the engine blow up 300 miles later or some other expensive repair as a novice I wouldn't have seen coming.
The rider weights you are referring to, no mention of gear weight on top of that, should these weights be added when making adjustments, or is this factored in?
You should specify this is for mountain riders. I'm looking for trail riding. I have a brand new 850 VR1 and I'm curious if my dealer set it up for 185#s or for someone heavier. The rear torsions are at medium. I would go to low, but the turning performance was poor. I only road last weekend and there rain and 33F all weekend. I'll need some cold before I pass judgement. This suspension though, is a dream!
Great video again Dan. Gave me some good tips for trying to change things up on my 16 AXYS SKS... can you go over how to set up handle bars?? Might sound weird but what angle do you find works best? Ive had sled since new but only been on her 4 times this yr & its just feels odd.
So the video is about preload on the spring and valving. What about clicker settings. I own an xcr so I have low and high speed adjustments. Would of liked to hear about that.
US OLD GUYS JUST GOT BACK INTO SLED RIDING LAST YEAR 8 OF US BOUGHT MID 2000 SLEDS, WENT OVER THEM AND CHANGED OIL AND RECHARGED ALL OUR SHOCKS, EXCEPT MY BROTHER HIS 2005 POLARIS CLASSIC FRONT SHOCKS ARE NOT REBUILDABLE. JUNK!
Still over my head . This is too technical for me and don’t understand what does what . What’s Preloading. The only thing I got out of this is I am 240 pounds with clothes and packs so I need a different spring. I dart even with duallies . What adjustments would you do.
Man I run custom suspension on my dirt bike and know what I want. Don't even know where to start on my sled.....been running the stock set-up for 400 miles...lol.
Is the spring load in reference to tipiness a mountain rider concept? I adjust spring preload to get the right amount of sag for my weight. I have never adjusted for tipiness before or ever even heard of such a thing. Thanks.
George Safford yes, more applies to the mountain rider. Spring preload for trail riding is more based on your weight and how hard you are hitting the bumps
I ride a summit 850 with stock shocks. I Weight about 138 punds without gear on. Is there any point to uppgrade? I only do Mountain riding and no jumping.
Hey guys Thanks I bought sled off guy that weighs 230 and was set up to him. I’m 180. I use tool and set it for about 190-195 cuz I’ll have gear on and stuff. How many clicks from soft should I be clicking for stable front end. And how many clicks from soft on back? Thanks Btw it’s a 2011 rush pro r 800
Awesome topic! Question: I have a stock 15 pro rmk and I want to get more lift on the skis (I want it to act more like the new Khaos) how do I go about this Dan? Im hearing adjusting the existing suspension wont make a noticeable difference. Do I get a longer limiter strap?
I'm not Dan, but you want stiffer in front skid and/or softer in rear skid. Limiter all the way loose. If you want to climb, you'll have to find a happy medium.
If you put a longer limiter strap on the stock skid, you may have a problem with the front of the skid grabbing the track as the approach angle of the skid will not be steep enough anymore
From 6-12 minutes in this video has some great information on adjusting your existing rear suspension for more ski lift. But as you say this will only get you so far. The Khaos has a longer front track shock and a different rail profile to steepen the approach angle. We haven't tryied but it may be possible to retrofit a similar system with aftermarket parts. You could try calling Carls and talking to someone in parts.
The worst thing a dealership can do is sell a sled to a new rider and not help them with suspension set up. It’s very bad for the industry and I have no idea why the manufacturers don’t pressure the dealerships to do this. Make them email a suspension set up with customer signed certification or something for an extended warranty. I’ve seen more guys give up on the sport the 1st season including myself because we don’t understand the importance of snowmobile suspension. There is a ton of riders over 220lbs that will wrestle with the sled around corners for a season then say this sucks and sell. Thankfully I had a good friend that talked me out of selling it and helped me set it up. 1000% different experience. This season I bought 5 new sleds for my family. Thanks for the info.
Dan and Jack, thanks a ton for this vid. I've been riding a long time and learned a lot.
Thats what we like to hear, thanks for watching Eric
Me too
Great information!!
Glad to know what services Carl's Cycles provides here. Excellent resource.
I've popped in to Carl's Cycle a few times when visiting Boise. It's awesome store for sleds and bikes.
Tks Dan for this vid, I was one of the many that asked for a vid on shocks.
Jeff
Your welcome Jeff, thanks for watching
Stoked on your videos, very informative! Like to see another snowboard guy turned sledder, I am a Sun Valley Snowboard team alum and know Dan had coached and influenced a lot of friends and well known snowboarders. Keep it up!
Thanks Jeremy, good to hear from a fellow snowboarder. Thanks for watching.
Jack is an amazing Guy. Love dealing with Carl's Cycle, Copy that Jack!! New sled every year
Easy solution to sled maintenance! 🤣
@@garetwhitney760 haha
You asked a lot of questions that was extremely helpful. Much appreciated sir
First time here interviewer did a fantastic job driving the conversation on topic. Good info too
You asked some great questions I would have never thought about Thanks not to mention the great breakdown
One of your best videos Dan - Just bought a couple of SKS's this year and I am going to apply the basics of this video to these. Excellent work.
Congrats on the SKS's, we have several of those in our fleet. They are great sleds. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for this video and really appreciate that you made it not a Polaris video but focused on the suspension!!!
Great info and questions...i wish there was some discussion on how the rear torsion springs factored into all of this.
Great video Dan! So much useful info. Are you planning a Part 2 so you can get into the more advanced tuning with adjustable(clicker) shocks? Keep up the great work!
Jack did talk a bit about compression dampening in this video. Here is some more information from Polaris that goes into more detail about compression dampening.
snowmobiles.polaris.com/en-us/self-help/article/KA-01221/
Great video but the next one show the adjustments like you would a child. A lot of us are dumb contractors and need picture instructions
Lol I'm a contractor too ha ha
Great Video Dan and thank you Jack for giving us some sound advise. I love the gang at Carl's and Dane Finney being the best salesman there. Go see him for your next sled.
1st time sled owner here; great video and information. Can't wait to start tweaking preload!
Best suspension video on UA-cam
Very good episode Dan. Thanks a lot and keep them coming!!
Thanks for watching Rob
Learned a wealth of info from this video. Thanks guys!
Glad it helped. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video!!
Very good reference to at least start at. Thank you!👍
Awesome thx just bought a 2020 and I’m a big guy it seems to be too soft so a great bunch of tips to start setting it up
The sway bar removal is a huge topic , some people swear by it and some say leave it alone .
Ya I just got the 18 axys 163 brand spanking new only put 10 grandma miles on it but once its broke inn I'm wondering if I should take the sway bar off or not I just spoke with a guy here at sandpoint Polaris and he took his off and he said its badass but his buddy said he can careless so I'm not shure what to do
I have tried it both ways. If you remove one of the nuts on the plastic pice one one side it effectively un couples the sway bar. And if you don’t like it, only a matter of minutes you can hook it back up. P.s l like it removed. But try it for your self and see the difference. ( I found that un coupled needs a little-more pre load on the spring.
D Tudor great tip, thanks!
@@dtudor4152 sweet tip ima check it out right now
Can you do a video on the velocity shocks.
Everything that Jack talks about in this video would apply to the Velocity shocks
He's probably asking about the hi/low adjustment on the velocity shocks. Should he leave those settings alone and send his velocities into Jack for revalving
awesome info!
Thank you very much Dan solid video 😁
Thanks for this vid. You read my mind!!
Haha thats what we like to hear
I would like to see a video on buying a used sled. What to look for what to avoid. I'm worried of buying a sled just to have the engine blow up 300 miles later or some other expensive repair as a novice I wouldn't have seen coming.
Great video, thanks for the info!
Thanks for watching
Great info! I'm picking up a used sled. If the previous owner is 300lbs I'm going to need to make some changes because I'm 155lbs lol
Great information!!!! Thank you!!!
The rider weights you are referring to, no mention of gear weight on top of that, should these weights be added when making adjustments, or is this factored in?
Rider weight is to my understanding a fully geared up rider, you would want to adjust your suspension to the actual weight you will be when riding :)
You should specify this is for mountain riders. I'm looking for trail riding. I have a brand new 850 VR1 and I'm curious if my dealer set it up for 185#s or for someone heavier. The rear torsions are at medium. I would go to low, but the turning performance was poor. I only road last weekend and there rain and 33F all weekend. I'll need some cold before I pass judgement. This suspension though, is a dream!
Great info
Great video again Dan. Gave me some good tips for trying to change things up on my 16 AXYS SKS... can you go over how to set up handle bars?? Might sound weird but what angle do you find works best? Ive had sled since new but only been on her 4 times this yr & its just feels odd.
So the video is about preload on the spring and valving. What about clicker settings. I own an xcr so I have low and high speed adjustments. Would of liked to hear about that.
love this videog.ot new polaris rmk 800 I find front end tippie going try stiffen it up to find my sweet spot,Thxs!!
It would be great if we were talking about handling of a trail sled. Which I think is the majority of the community.
Another great vid! Dan, do you take off or disconnect the sway bar on your sleds?
So for more lift on my Pro 800 I would want more preload on the front track shock and a bit less on the rear? Did I understand that correctly?
What would u do for a small lady who likes to try new things in the mountains or trails. On a khaos with clickers.
like the video. i just miss the thing to make the information in to pictures/animated too make it easier to understand
.
Good feedback, thanks Mattias
US OLD GUYS JUST GOT BACK INTO SLED RIDING LAST YEAR 8 OF US BOUGHT MID 2000 SLEDS, WENT OVER THEM AND CHANGED OIL AND RECHARGED ALL OUR SHOCKS, EXCEPT MY BROTHER HIS 2005 POLARIS CLASSIC FRONT SHOCKS ARE NOT REBUILDABLE. JUNK!
No wonder my sled beats me up shocks are 12 years old never work on .
Sounds like your shocks are ready for a service.
Still over my head . This is too technical for me and don’t understand what does what . What’s Preloading. The only thing I got out of this is I am 240 pounds with clothes and packs so I need a different spring. I dart even with duallies . What adjustments would you do.
Man I run custom suspension on my dirt bike and know what I want. Don't even know where to start on my sled.....been running the stock set-up for 400 miles...lol.
Hello! when you say "back off the preload" does that mean make it softer or stiffer?
Yep when you back off or loosen preload you are making it softer. 👍
Think of it more like raising vrs lowering. Less preload means lower or closer to the shocks suspension travel.
Do you guys go all the way soft for whooped out trails?
If air pressure drops in the fox shock absorber and I pump it up with air not nitrogen. What Will happened?
Is the spring load in reference to tipiness a mountain rider concept? I adjust spring preload to get the right amount of sag for my weight. I have never adjusted for tipiness before or ever even heard of such a thing. Thanks.
George Safford yes, more applies to the mountain rider. Spring preload for trail riding is more based on your weight and how hard you are hitting the bumps
I ride a summit 850 with stock shocks. I Weight about 138 punds without gear on. Is there any point to uppgrade? I only do Mountain riding and no jumping.
What about a rider that has a passenger that is 200lbs then a passenger that is 150 plus myself that is 200 lbs?
Where is a good place to get a new snowmobile i like ski doo if that's possible
How about clicker settings?
Would love suspension demonstrations, cause i dont understand shit lol
Hey guys
Thanks
I bought sled off guy that weighs 230 and was set up to him.
I’m 180.
I use tool and set it for about 190-195 cuz I’ll have gear on and stuff.
How many clicks from soft should I be clicking for stable front end.
And how many clicks from soft on back?
Thanks
Btw it’s a 2011 rush pro r 800
So if i want my sled to wheelies more i have to adjust the rebound in the middle suspension? If that made sense im not so good in english
yes more preload(tighten) on front track shock will make it easier to wheelie.
@@SeanB9 thanks
Awesome topic! Question: I have a stock 15 pro rmk and I want to get more lift on the skis (I want it to act more like the new Khaos) how do I go about this Dan?
Im hearing adjusting the existing suspension wont make a noticeable difference. Do I get a longer limiter strap?
I'm not Dan, but you want stiffer in front skid and/or softer in rear skid. Limiter all the way loose. If you want to climb, you'll have to find a happy medium.
@@nt3523 Thank you but I was wondering what would work if I wanted to go one step further. longer limiter strap?
@@jasonmillner6416 I went with a Silber turbo. You adjust ski lift by moving right thumb. Wink
If you put a longer limiter strap on the stock skid, you may have a problem with the front of the skid grabbing the track as the approach angle of the skid will not be steep enough anymore
From 6-12 minutes in this video has some great information on adjusting your existing rear suspension for more ski lift. But as you say this will only get you so far. The Khaos has a longer front track shock and a different rail profile to steepen the approach angle. We haven't tryied but it may be possible to retrofit a similar system with aftermarket parts. You could try calling Carls and talking to someone in parts.
Take a majorment “ 😃
and then you get into haybalers