sway bar. run it or remove it.

[wje_153]

I made the switch to a 2012 Polaris RMK 800 this year and this is my first sled with a sway bar i've rode Arctic Cat M sleds since i started riding so I've never had to deal with sway bars. All my buddies who ride Ski-Doo and Dragons have taken they're sway bars off but i'm curious as to what everyone riding the pros are doing with the sway bar. I ride tight technical trees for the most part not much of anything else any input would help thanks.

 

[richracer1]

Ride it a few times with it in and then decide. Also, be aware that if you remove it, your shocks won't be set up correctly as they are valved to work with a sway bar. Some will tell you to just increase spring preload, but that just a band aid.

 

[Pooroo]

I asked the same thing, below is the link.Some helpful comments and opinions in there-good luck

http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289684

 

[ryan_625]

I have been running mine. IMO it doesn't need to come off, it works awesome with it. Only reason I would run without one is on an Assault with the wider front end, but they dont come with a sway bar anyway

 

[gcmci]

You can have it both ways
http://www.teddunlimited.com/Tedd_Unlimited/Welcome.html

 

[m8sandman]

You can have it both ways
http://www.teddunlimited.com/Tedd_Unlimited/Welcome.html

a bi sway bar!!! i used to work with a guy who said if you were bi you had twice the chance of getting laid on a saturday night. i told him i'd just stick to my 50% chance

 

[mountainhorse]

Here is my take on the subject. (copy/paste from other thread)

MY OPINION>>> there are others that ride without that prefer it... Which is OK too.

This is IMO...

Here are some things that I learned that worked for me and made for less effort riding for my style of riding. I was excited to to learn this and thought I would pass on an experience that made my riding better. There are many better riders out there than me... many of them have a different style all their own that works very well for them.

Keep it. On the Pro... definitely.

Here is an adaptation of a post I put up a while back.

Before you may get all riled up… I do believe that you can get good performance from the sleds without a swaybar… but your shocks will need to be re-sprung/valved. I've had a PRO with my dialed in $1500 Fox EVOL-X's on it and I did like it... but that is an expensive shock with a lot of time in the 5 different adjustments those shocks have.

This conversation is for the "Average Joe/Josephine" that does not have upgraded shocks or years of riding experience.

With the PRO Chassis ... With stock shocks...with the sway bar out... for the most part…. you are really not getting the sled "on edge" even though it may feel like it...You are compressing the front shock and flexing the track.

Many people have this misconception…. I Did too (until I worked with Dan Adams on my technique)

When the shock is collapsed, there is little travel remaining to deal with rough terrain or crusty snow. Even more evident on a steep side hill when the body panels are riding deep in the snow and want to push you back down the hill…much less evident on a PRO RMK than the Previous models.... usually resulting in a roll over or requiring that you turn down the hill and going, usually, where you don’t want to go.

Truly getting the sled "on edge" DOES require more effort (to learn) and balance... It takes a practice to get comfortable with it... but the efforts over a few days of riding will, IMO, transform your riding. Once you "get it"... there is not much effort to the tequnique and you don't get tired on long sidehills.

With the proper swaybar OR new shocks that are valved and sprung for no swaybar... the sled will get up on edge well and hold a line without the shock collapsing on a steep sidehill... and kept the travel in the shock to deal with terrain and not get bucked back down the hill...Nor buck you off when doing powder carves in a meadow.

Yes, you can throw it around easier without the swaybar out...BUT... this is a dead-giveaway that you need to work on your riding techniques...In most cases.

I had the same misunderstanding and needed to work on it. This is the key to better riding on a Mountain sled IMO.

Cranking up the preload on the spring or putting more air in the shock is not the answer either as you can get into coil bind or the air-shock does not want to compress fully and gets super stiff… especially in the standard floats. Plus… this throws off the engineered balance of the sled as it increases the ride heigh of the sled... though some people adapt to it.

In the end... it boils down to practice... get into a packed out field and spend the day getting and keeping your sled on edge in left and right turns. Throttle control is important here too. Sometimes, like for me, it took an hour of literally walking next to my sled with it on edge and controlling the throttle, skis and balance of the sled before I could ride it that way.

You should be able to ride on one ski indefinitely, with little effort, once you have perfected the technique.

My 2 cents.

Have a look at this video...

​

Rasmussen at :50 and Whelpton at 1:39

You can see that the sled is on edge as compared to having the shock compressed on that side... This allows the shock to still have travel to do work if you hit irregularities in the snow.

It is more work to learn it... but worth it IMO.

Have a look at this one...

​

at :28 , :48 1:13, 1:18 ... you will see that on the extreme sidehill... the uphill front suspension is basically still fully extended... the sled is on Edge... not "squatted" on that side.

THEN, FINALLY HAVE A LOOK AT THIS ONE...

Bret, at 1:54 seconds... "bumps" the tree on an extreme sidehill... the shock/suspension absorb the impact and then extends agian... If the shock was "squatted" on that side.. there would have been effectively no travel left to deal with that obstacle and he would have been bucked down the hill.... Pretty amazing move!!

​

​

,

.

 

[Jaynelson]

Just leave it in.

If you can't sidehill a Pro with the SB in....you either need a different suspension setup or a different weekend activity....

 

[m8sandman]

i'd say take it out, if you need it in you should retire and maybe take up knitting

 

[flying frenchman]

I'm with Sandman take it out. If your too old to ride without it then take up x coutry skiing. In 1997 the XLT RMK came without one, I've been swaybar free since then, and enjoy every minute I ride my sled.

 

[Mentzel]

Leave it in... That sled is going to body roll so bad going down a trail without it! And you will go down a trail eventually. Good luck keeping up trying to get to the hills!

 

[trestlecreek]

Ummmm correct me if Im wrong, but in that video at 1:18, thats an M-sled.... My M doesnt have a sway bar...... Maybe I'm wrong....

 

[cascadesnowjunky]

You are going to get a million opinions on this, and they are all just that OPINIONS!!!!!!!! Ride it both ways and leave it how it feels best for you. It is not like you have to cut it or it is hard to take out, it takes all of 5 minutes to remove.

 

[highmark289]

Leave it in... That sled is going to body roll so bad going down a trail without it! And you will go down a trail eventually. Good luck keeping up trying to get to the hills!

Um lol we r talking about a mtn sled... Who cares about trail performance, if you own a mtn sled and r worried that a good mtn setup is going to mess with ur trail performance, then you must have messed the boat somewhere

 

[flying frenchman]

Performance on the trail sucks with the swaybar out. Nope, only when you don't tighten your springs. Someone said they are not valved for no swaybar but you have to be an expert suspension Guru to know this , There's not valved for a swaybar either, that's why so many people send their shocks away to get revalved. Most of the time my skis are in the air.As long as they don't bottom out you'll be fine.
Exactly who cares about trail riding, if you wanted to trail ride than get a RUSH. I river ride most of my winter on the river and there's no problem with my swaybar out to keep up to the short track sleds.

 

[mountainhorse]

Ummmm correct me if Im wrong, but in that video at 1:18, thats an M-sled.... My M doesnt have a sway bar...... Maybe I'm wrong....

You are absolute correct... your sled does NOT have a sway bar... but it is sprung and valved for that AND it is no where as near rider fwd as a PRO RMK (or proclimb for that matter).

If you remove the swaybar on the pro... re spring it and get the valving setup for that...

The vid of Rasmussen "bonking" the tree was to show what happens if the suspension is "squatted" on that side... which is the result of removing the swaybar.

 

[yep]

Just leave it in.

If you can't sidehill a Pro with the SB in....you either need a different suspension setup or a different weekend activity....

I agree. If you cant lay one of these sleds over you need to work on your technique. Sometimes I almost think they lay over too easily. And yes we all beat down a trail every once in a while.

 

[rmscustom]

MH, great explanation and examples above in post 7.

 

[HenkeEdge]

MH, great explanation and examples above in post 7.

Yeah, thats was a good one.
Plus God speaked to me ..on facebook after commenting a video.

Me:

"Nice riding =)

And a question: Got Evol R front-shocks for my Pro RMK -13 whats the opinion about the Sway bar, toss or keep?"

God:

"Keep the sway bar Henrik. /Chris Burandt."

 

[balljr]

Pro-RMK Sway bar or not?

I have a 2013 Pro-RMK 155 and have really been considering unhooking the sway bar. Looking for input before I do away with it completely. I really don't care much about trail manners and thanks to the awesome glued A-arms the front end has been replaced with Timbersled 39" arms completely and kashima fox air shocks. Just curious what other people are doing with the sway bar. Thanks!