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17 RMK Assault trenching..tips for suspension set up?

Killer Time Racing

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I'm eating crow .. Sorry Dan
The rails are definitely different. Just put a Comp Track on my 3" Pro and with just 7 tooth drivers (2.86) it was incredibly tight. I do the same track swap usually on a Assault RMK with 8 tooth drivers and it's a very easy swap .
 
W

Wood

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Dec 7, 2007
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One thing to keep in mind is you cannot buy the perfect sled for every purpose. The RMK Assault is a hybrid mountain sled that excels at nothing. After 4 years on one, I’ve come to understand that it will never climb like a Pro RMK, will never run down the trail like an SBA, will never navigate a sidehill/trees like a Pro and won’t plane out like a Pro. What it will do is find a compromise between multiple sleds and provide some good entertainment if you learn how to tame it. It has a better shock package, offers more weight transfer than the Pro, handles trails better than a Pro and jumps/drops/mogul mashes better than a Pro. The stock Peak track is a trencher but is tough as nails and hooks like no other in anything but fresh. Want more float/soft snow performance, opt for the 2.6 or go aftermarket. You can raise the front skid mount but you’ve just limited the capabilities of this sled and the geometry won’t work well in a lot of situations. You can’t make an Assault work like a Pro and vice versa. You need to understand YOUR needs and buy a sled that offers the least compromise for that application. I chose the Assault and it’s a love/hate relationship...had a Pro and it was a love/hate relationship. Can’t have it all in one package, period.
 

Killer Time Racing

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Feb 12, 2008
996
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Lower Michigan
One thing to keep in mind is you cannot buy the perfect sled for every purpose. The RMK Assault is a hybrid mountain sled that excels at nothing. After 4 years on one, I’ve come to understand that it will never climb like a Pro RMK, will never run down the trail like an SBA, will never navigate a sidehill/trees like a Pro and won’t plane out like a Pro. What it will do is find a compromise between multiple sleds and provide some good entertainment if you learn how to tame it. It has a better shock package, offers more weight transfer than the Pro, handles trails better than a Pro and jumps/drops/mogul mashes better than a Pro. The stock Peak track is a trencher but is tough as nails and hooks like no other in anything but fresh. Want more float/soft snow performance, opt for the 2.6 or go aftermarket. You can raise the front skid mount but you’ve just limited the capabilities of this sled and the geometry won’t work well in a lot of situations. You can’t make an Assault work like a Pro and vice versa. You need to understand YOUR needs and buy a sled that offers the least compromise for that application. I chose the Assault and it’s a love/hate relationship...had a Pro and it was a love/hate relationship. Can’t have it all in one package, period.

I've done both multiple times ..
Assault to Pro = 36" front with Sway Bar , raise skid , gear 19/45 , 7 tooth drivers . Rides just like a pro can't tell the difference !!

Pro -Assault = 45" front take sway bar off , lower skid , gear 22/40 with 8 tooth 23/39 with 7 , Rides just like the Assault on the trail except the front works way better being it is made for trails ..

We ride both on Michigan trails and have not found a sled as fast or precise as one of mine !!!

I used to buy a Assault Switchback and a Pro RMK every year but the new Half-Assault is further from a Boondocker so I spend money on a complete separate setup for each situation, and there are plenty of the old 121 length sleds here. Wonder how long that will last just to make a sled for a few people still wanting the vintage shorty look .. ( Snow Cross sleds are now 136" even )
 
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Aug 21, 2016
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Thanks for everyone's input. for my riding conditions yes the assault is perfect for me. I am just trying to set this sled up as perfect as I can as I am heading to Quebec for some tree riding. Yes I understand the sled is not built like a pro. But since the track upgrade to the CE 2.5 and suspension adjustment for my weight etc I can tell you this sled climbs.. no more wheelie monster here. My gearing is 20/40 should I be lowering my top ger? Next thing I might try is to loosen up the FTS a bit. I just love the adjustability of the shock package this sled offers.
 

Killer Time Racing

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Your gearing is actually 2.33:1 because of the 7 tooth drivers . It appears to be 2:1 but the 7s lower it more

If you want more tree snap !!! Put a 52/40 helix in from a Pro chassis .. and here comes the it will trench more wagon .... I don't have that issue , but I weight 170# and know how to lay into the throttle , not mash it till the track disappears..
 
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Wood

Well-known member
Dec 7, 2007
297
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I've done both multiple times ..
Assault to Pro = 36" front with Sway Bar , raise skid , gear 19/45 , 7 tooth drivers . Rides just like a pro can't tell the difference !!

Pro -Assault = 45" front take sway bar off , lower skid , gear 22/40 with 8 tooth 23/39 with 7 , Rides just like the Assault on the trail except the front works way better being it is made for trails ..

We ride both on Michigan trails and have not found a sled as fast or precise as one of mine !!!

I used to buy a Assault Switchback and a Pro RMK every year but the new Half-Assault is further from a Boondocker so I spend money on a complete separate setup for each situation, and there are plenty of the old 121 length sleds here. Wonder how long that will last just to make a sled for a few people still wanting the vintage shorty look .. ( Snow Cross sleds are now 136" even )

I wasn’t talking about a full conversion by swapping front ends...just referring to changing rear skid positions.
 
The stock comp track that comes on the RMK Assault is really bad in powder. Just swapping to a stock 2.4 track off an RMK is a big help. The shorter lugs are the smaller difference, the track is really stiff.

Getting an RMK Assault nowadays means a little wider front stance (narrow on the Assault = wide on the RMK), chaincase, piggyback shocks, higher clearance and one small brace. The weight difference is made by the track, shocks, and chaincase. The lineup now is muddied by the SKS, the kind of guy (like me) that spring ordered an Assault with the powder track back in the ProRide days would just buy an SKS now.

I loved my Assault, had no problem rolling it up with the wider stance, and never paneled out. And yeah, drill out the RMK hole for the front of the skid and run it that way. Not a crazy change, but noticeable.
What does everyone mean by "front skid"? I'm trying to get my '17 assault suspension dialed in.

Thanks
 

pindallout

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Nov 30, 2007
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51st State Da U.P., eh!
"The Skid" refers to the rear suspension as a whole. That's the rails, front and rear arms, shocks, etc. The "front of the skid" is the front arm and shock from the rails to the front mounting holes in the tunnel. They are referring to drilling out the holes that can be seen inside the tunnel were the PRO RMK "front of skid" mounts to. The RMK assault front of skid is mounted in the lower hole. I hope that clears it up.

Hopefully some one can take a quick picture and post what I am saying. Otherwise, I will try to remember to in the morning.
 
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