Axys Assault vs Axys Pro

The wider front end is not as "tippy" as the PRO, the shocks are valved different to compensate for no swaybar.

The assault is available with the new 2.25 peak track, not much info on it yet.

It will transfer more than the PRO.

The PRO is a mountain specific sled, the assault is better for more back country riding styles.

I would say you should be looking at the assault rmk or the SKS, leave the PRO out of the mix.

If you do a search, there is some good info on this topic. Now I know the info will pertain to the Pro RMK and the Pro Assault but in theory, it's the same information as to what your looking for.

Here's one thread,

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=248439

I have had both the Assault and the Pro. Both are great machines and I like things about each of them, but it really depends on what YOU want to do with the sled and what you expect out of it. I think once you answer that question, it should make it a bit easier to make a final decision.

JMPE, if you haven't set this up already

No. 2 is setup, and/or track, if you're running the stock 5.1. Combo of less front preload, more FTS preload, less RTS preload, chassis is quite sensitive to setup. The 5.1 overachieves when it comes to getting up on the snow, but getting the front light on demand not its forte.

Wood said:

I know exactly what I want out of the sled...BUT, not understanding how the Assault setup changes the dynamics of the riding experience, I can't make an educated decision....herein lies the problem!

Here are my two biggest complaints about the Pro.....

1. Off-camber hillsides in setup snow - not enough 'angle' to cut and hold a sidehill and the result is being pulled to the downhill side. Very tiring and frustrating experience. I think it's a combo of narrow stance and ski pressure. Never had this issue with my SBA, only on the Pro.

2. Not enough weight transfer - hard to unload the front end to get over some obstacles. Great for going up the side of a mountain, not so great for where I ride. Need a happy medium....some transfer but not too much trench. local conditions and terrain dictate that more often than not, some transfer is a good thing.

What is it about each that you like?

Click to expand...

From what your talking about, you may be happier with the Assault???

As far as the Assault, I liked the adjust ability of the Assault suspension, front and back. With the ability to adjust the rear suspension, front mounting hole is nice. You can really change the way the Assault rides, and reacts!!! I spent a lot of time playing with suspension adjustment and asked a lot of questions on here. For me, I got it dialed in pretty good and it worked good for an "all around" sled. If you want, I think you can make the Assault a little more "playful" with suspension set-up. Basically making it pop more, but then you tend to trench more in the powder. For backcountry riding I had it working great, especially with snow that was a little set up. While it worked in the powder, the Pro RMK definitely had the edge.

For a straight up climb, I kinda miss the Assault, as it was more stable and you could really soak up the bumps on a rough climb and not get tossed around as much. Also with regard to jumps and drops, I also miss the Assault. I'm not a big jumper but the assault does fly a little better, ha ha!!

I actually sold my Assault to my brother, so I still get to ride it on occasion, which is kinda cool to compare to my current Pro. Depending on the snow, the Assault can really shine in certain areas.

Now my Pro, is a 163 with an X3 so it's a different animal. It also has Pro-motion, Raptor shocks and a narrow Alternative Impact front end on it, which really changes it. This sled is has a little more of a "planned" feel but in good powder and narrow trees, it's awesome!!! This sled rocks in the trees and is super easy to throw from side to side. In fact my brother jumped on mine recently and went to do a powder turn in a neutral position and laid it right on it's side!!! Funny to watch as he got up, came back over and said HOLY $%^& that things lays over!!! ha ha

Long rough climbs, it does the job but you get tossed around a little more then the Assault. Again, totally different machine and more purpose built for certain riding conditions.

With regard to sidehilling, I've been fortunate enough that with the RMK I've had good snow and it side hills great. Now if it was more set-up snow or plain crappy snow, I know the RMK may "panel out" quicker, which leads to what you were talking about.

I could go on and provide other examples but honestly, there both great sleds and I enjoyed both!!

Assault has solid welded A arms that carry over to 16. They're not going to the forged aluminum like the pros. Mine have dents from trees popping up out of nowhere, so that's saved my bacon once...or three times.
We've got both models in our group, and the Pro trails flatter hence the sway bar. Assault is fun to lift the inside ski on corners sometimes though. Both can be tricky in set up hard snow conditions like this year to side hill. The clicker shocks are worth it. Every time we get a sled without them it's regretted. The Assault will transfer in stock set up with 2.25, fun on trails, trenches like crazy as previous stated. For conditions we prefer to ride I put on 5.1, middle mount on rear skid, climbs and boondocks with the Pro's just fine, slight nod to the Pro because of narrower ski stance, boils down to rider skill there. Belt drive is smoother on acceleration when evaled by swapping back and forth, but for my normal riding I'm not good enough to tell the difference, as well as weight difference, and I prefer the durability of chain case. No belt drive complaints, just break in correctly. Still slightly favor Assault personally, but if I was to snow check this year SKS with clickers would be serious contender. All are fun.

Bringing this back up from the dead...

I have an SKS that I find doesn't transfer enough for the flatland boondocking I do when I'm at home. I just installed a Challenger Extreme 2.5" which was a night and day difference to the stock 2.4".

On the way are some assault rmk rails so I can run the skid in the lower mount and achieve more transfer.

Here's to hoping that the sled becomes more playful like this.

As a side note- if the assault front is too wide you can always swap the entire front end from a pro axys. I put the wide assault front on the lady’s sled and the 37” kit on my assault.

Machine now climbs and side hills like an mtn goat and has the chaincase and assault rear shocks for landing gear.

EBartling said:

As a side note- if the assault front is too wide you can always swap the entire front end from a pro axys. I put the wide assault front on the lady’s sled and the 37” kit on my assault.

Machine now climbs and side hills like an mtn goat and has the chaincase and assault rear shocks for landing gear.

Click to expand...

Or just put off set spindles on, cheaper and faster.

Is there anything in the front end that is built stronger/more robust than the Pro/SKS? (besides the a-arms being steel)

On the shocks....Assault shocks are totally different than the “clickers” that come on a snowcheck Axys pro RMK. Different springs, needle valves, larger diameter shafts, more fluid. They are a much more premium shock...where as the “clickers” just get you more fluid (via remote res.) and compresssion adjustment.