replacing the front Walkers on 800 dragon

I have had both Floats and Zero Pros and I much prefer the Zero Pros. You don't have to worry about checking air pressure. Just ride it. I also like the ride of the Zero Pros better and, best of all, they are cheaper.

I run a Fox air shock and a Fox Air Fork on my mountain bike. If it were not for the weight issue on a mountain bike I would prefer shocks with springs. A couple of pounds difference on a sled is not the same as a couple of pounds on a mountain bike. I have Zero Pros on my 07 RMK 600 and I just took the FLoats off of my 08 D8 and put Zero Pros on it too. Either Fox shock is far superior to the Walker Evans IMHO.

I have yet to see a dirt bike with a Float shock or Float style forks on it. That should tell you something.

I have a set of the Fox Evol X's.... (the upgrade from the Float Evol R's) with all the current valving and setup...

I love my EVOL X's with the DSC but...

I rode a dragon with the full Z-broz setup with the Exit X-0 shocks, compression side piggy resi.... I prefer these to the Floats... $350 less for the X-0's comp to the Evol X's.

Float-2 and EVOL R's dont have increased compression abilities of the remote resi like the X's do.

My 3 cents.

Fox Float 2's (Waaay different than previous years std floats)
Fox Evol R's
Evol X's
Z Broz X-0 and X1
Walker Evans piggyback Coilover

The above shocks are the ones to consider in the IQ RMK's, IMO

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Coilover Walker Needle shocks with adjustable piggyback remote reservoirs on them...
Max and the boys at Tri-City have worked a lot with these after not being able to get the WE Air's to do what they wanted to do.
They have a custom wound dual rate spring that they had made especially for the Dragon mountain sleds... $650 for the Pair including springs.

This is what they look like, clipped from an SP photo.

I also have the Fox Evol X on the front of an 09 and while in everyday general mountain sled riding they are just about the same as the 02 floats. Now also keep in mind only have 350 miles on these shocks but at least 4 times hitting creek crossings with a very aggressive downward angle these big boys sucked it up and I did not launch over the front, get whiplash, or break my teeth which is pretty common with other inferior shocks on super hard hits. You can also absolutely rail down torn up bumpy stuff. Dangerous speeds with excellent control that you will not get from regular air shocks of any variety. Your selected terrrain and budget are obviously critical.

In the past I have written posts where I felt like the walkers were as good if setup properly but that was prior to having the best of the best. I lno longer feel that way for really aggressive multi terrain riding. For off trail deep powder only it really doesn't matter as all you need is light weight and support but unfortunately we all normally have to ride some bumps or rough stuff and it's worth it to have a better shock. We had the walkers rebuilt to personal specs by the best of the best and while they were much much better they still don't compete nor do they hold up as long. A Polaris rep told me that the walker is designed to have a free initial play so that the chassis rolls up easier prior to the shock starting to work. That part flat works because it is easy to roll up on edge but it also creates a wobbler when setting up for cornering and poor response when working through roughed up snow when climbing.

If money is no object get FOX EVOL X or R. Cool stuff that you can do so much with in personal setups. Then I'd look for zero pros (have tons of miles on them and they just flat work great..but you get springs) then the fox airs of either variety. Two's are a pretty significant update as they don't have near the pressure failure that some guys were reporting on the originals. The other choice is simply the cheapo stockers with springs that come on non-dragon RMK's. Reports there are that it's an upgraded for alot of riding conditions over the walkers. Lots of choices but I'm with you that walker airs are not even my first four especially stock ones.

I agree with Rob

AND he has a HUGE amount of seat time on these sleds...REAL-World experience...

The WE airs are a good "Basic Mountain" shock in their tuned up config, but... by Walker Evans own admission... The WE AIR's are a basic shock and don’t compare to the more sophisticated shocks on the market today. Not to be confused with the Needle shocks or other Air shock offerings from Fox

Z-Broz for me, great shocks and service

I replaced the front shocks with Floats and the rears with zero pros. My dragon ridess and handles ten times better then it did with the walkers. But in walkers defense I think the shocks they make with coils are a quality product. Had them on my pro x2 and the ride and handling of big bump and jumps was great.

Suggestions.....

I've ordered the Holz Rear Coil-Over rear suspension kit with the Fox Zero Pro shocks included. It is on the way.

1) For my front suspension, I'm contemplating between Fox Zero Pros or ZbroZ X0 or X1 for my front suspension. I'm 6'4" / 215 lbs and a very aggressive mountain rider. I do not ride the trails. Which one would anyone recommend out of those 3 choices? (Money isn't a factor with those 3 choices.)

2) Also, I'm contemplating between a ZbroZ A-Arm complete front setup or the Holz Racing A-Arm complete front setup. Which one? What size? (I do not ride trails, only mountain powder and sidehill quite a bit.)

Any A-Arm / Shock combination recommendations would be GREATLY appreciated. If you had any experience on anything I've listed, please post your opinion.





Side Note:

I'm getting RID of those frickin' Walker Evans. Walker Evans Corporate Headquarters do NOT stand behind their own products and I HIGHLY recommend AGAINST buying anything that says Walker Evans on it. You're just throwing money down the drain if you buy them. My "beef" overcooked when my rear WE track shock on my D8 blew out on its own and Walker Evans will not even warranty it.

Well I'm up to 800 miles now...about 10 different combos of rate pressure and rebound. THESE FOX Evol X SHOCKS ARE JUST STUPID COOL! Better and better as I learn the variables for my riding and weight. You litterly can go over scary ripped up terrain without concern.

I have nothing more to say sales wise other then simply....

RIDE THIS SLED.... WITH THIS SUSPENSION PACKAGE.... AND IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT YOU'LL HAVE ONE JUST LIKE IT...that is all!

http://www.snowest.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=60724&stc=1&d=1236906825

fox zero pro's

here they are with titanium springs and they work great ,you'll notice the difference

Exit XO shocks have my vote. ( I have them on my 08 D8) Like Rob said about the fox float these shocks can handle scary situations at insane speeds. Just my 2

Had my WE's worked on by Fabcraft at Xmas. Work performed and service was great but I am still not happy with the WE's themselves. So this thread came up at a great time. I wish I had saved the money spent on the revalve and put towards a new pair of shocks. The cost of a new shock is a consideration for me. I prefer to go with a rebuildable coil-over shock. With the research I've done and this thread the options seem to be as follows:

1. Fox Zero-Pro's c/w springs and valving
Carl's Cycle $505 pr

2. WE Needles c/w custom springs and valving
Tri City $650 pr

3. Exit X0 c/w triple-rate springs and valving
Zbros Racing $850 pr

What would be the best compromise keeping in mind money does not grow on trees. Most riding is boondocking. I weight about 265 all geared up. If I missed a shock what would it be?

Works is making a very comparble set for cheaper, I have a contact if interested.

I have the Walker airs on my 07 RMK600, and I am through with them. I've had them rebuilt every year, and by the end of the season, they need it again. 3 winters on this sled, and just a hair over 5000 miles on it. I am not sure what I am going to do for new ones, money is an huge issue for me right now. So, I shall cruise the classifieds, and see what happens. I would love to get a pair of Fox zero Pro's from Carls, hmmm, do they take the Polaris star card? LOL. No, seriously, do they?

Zero Pros

Dragonfire- PM-ed you.

I have the Fox Float Evol R's on the front of my D8. I can't say enough good things about them. They are pricey ($995), but I think it is well worth it. You can adjust the main chamber and rebound chamber as your style/conditions see fit. You can also remove your sway bar because of these adjustments if you choose to do so. The coil over shocks are going to weigh more if that matters to you. I've put some big hits into my shocks and they hold up well.

I did the Zero Pros in my rear skid because I wanted a little more spring for the big hit. Plus, I removed my torsion bars (they suck!) and have a sweet package. The WE's just don't do it. They were built for Polaris to be as light as possible and do OK in the powder. They just don't do it anywhere else.

For a rider that really prefers to ride than ticker on the hill with shock air pressure, compression/rebound settings...I am I then asking a redundant question as to which of the following shocks is the better choice:

Fox Zero-Pro c/w springs from Carl's Cycle for $ 506 US...680 cdn

Ryde FX 9200 c/w springs from shop in Toronto $ 625 cdn

Works spring and remote from Wash State $510 US...690 cdn

WE Needles c/w springs from Tri-City Polaris for $650 US...900 cdn

I am no shock expert by any means. I do know the WE Airs are not doing the job. So what is a shock with a remote resivor going to do for the average guy other than cost an extra $150-200. I really do not want to have to spend the extra money, therefore why should I? Some shock guy please help me out.

Can someone tell me what the center to center is on an 09 700 front shock? I'm looking to get some Fox but don't know what length to order.

Fox Float II's on the front of mine. Simple to install, simple to adjust, and basically no problems. Adjust air pressure and go. I think for the non shock rebuilder guy that just rides, these work real good. Pump, instructions, and everything else you need is in the box. Does'nt get much better than that for most of us.

Latitude 62 said:

Fox Float II's on the front of mine. Simple to install, simple to adjust, and basically no problems. Adjust air pressure and go. I think for the non shock rebuilder guy that just rides, these work real good. Pump, instructions, and everything else you need is in the box. Does'nt get much better than that for most of us.

Click to expand...

I agree with Lat, hard to beat the float -2's..way better ride quality then the WE airs, plus on trail pressure adjustment...I run holz skid with carls valved floats as well and it works much better then stock as well..with unlimited funds I would do the float X's from holz....they are bad to the bone ride wise....you get initial press. adjust, bottoming adjust, compression adjust and rebound adjust.....