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Riot or Aro 3

rmk156

Member
Premium Member
Nov 28, 2007
199
12
18
Edgerton MN
Will the fun factor of the Riot and track speed along with the ski lift make this worthy of a great Mountain ride? Awesome in the trees and jumps Or Does a guy buy the 129x3 and be safe on the deep days???? My current 2015 struggles to lift front ski but it gets me anywhere I wanna go BUT Im looking for RIP FUN FACTOR

Coming off a 2015 137x2.5 timbersled now time to upgrade

another question???? Why is the Aro 129 3 $2500 More ($6900). than the Riot ($4400.)???? Where did they come up with that???? I knew you paid by the INCH......BUT that's $312 per inch for the 8 extra inches......Common TIMBERSLED your kill me here...…. Maybe I need to find a new dealer????

Let me know your thoughts
 

needpowder

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Dec 4, 2007
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I am buddies with my dealer and he said there’s not much wiggle room on the riot price but there is more on the aro. You should be able to work them a little bit at least. I snow checked a riot myself. I am a little worried about deep snow mountain performance but I am a lot excited!
 
B
Feb 18, 2009
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It really surprises me how people can be so blinded by a little marketing *i.e. Timbersled). If you want the best possible DEEP snow performance the ARO 3 is going to the be way to go and if don't care at all about deep snow, just looking for the most economical way to have a very playful snowbike the RIOT is a good choice. If you far anywhere between these two you really should be looking at a CMX! It's mounted further forward and has a fully uncoupled suspension with 120 or 129 options. The CMX's signature trait is to be light on the ski and very playful with lots of adjustability from nose down to wheelie happy! The build quality far exceeds Timbersled and it's lighter! The new ski and spindle are considered the best ski and spindle on the market by most that have tried. The track is also considered to be one of the best tracks on the market.

IMO the best kit for the OP is a CMX 129!
 

SteepNdeep450

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Lifetime Membership
Jan 1, 2014
264
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28
Bozeman, MT
I was able to demo these two side by side late last season, we were on some FX450 Timbersled demo bikes and they seemed down on power compared to my CRF450R. Either way the Riot took off with less power and the rolling resistance seemed better. The track spun up easy, got that track speed in certain situations. The ARO3 seemed to drag the power down so much in our snow. But could have been the bikes too. You notice the extra lug and track length. Could be good in light snow though? I ended up snow checking a RIOT to get off my 2017 RAW kit. I think it will be an upgrade with how the suspension works on the RIOT. Another thing I noticed is it handled whoops way better, less bucking more just skimming over the tops. Felt sooo different.
 
H
Nov 16, 2014
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I have snowchecked an ARO3 to get off my 17 RAW. I'm a little concerned about track speed as I have heard this is a bit of an issue from a few people. May have to do the chaincase resistance mods, hopefully those help. Will also go with a pr2 and mess with gearing to see what gives the best roll out.
 
A
Feb 28, 2009
2
2
3
I personally rode a 2018 ARO LE 120, was happy for the most part but wanted more climbing and deep snow capability. I snow checked a ARO 3 129, I ride a Husqvarna FE 501which had a tendency to over power the 120 track. I rode the Timbersled demo FE 501 with a prototype ARO 3 and really enjoyed the combination. Just my opinion, works for my riding style.
Tried the Riot also but just wasn't for me.
 
S
Oct 27, 2017
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Greybull WY
I have snowchecked an ARO3 to get off my 17 RAW. I'm a little concerned about track speed as I have heard this is a bit of an issue from a few people. May have to do the chaincase resistance mods, hopefully those help. Will also go with a pr2 and mess with gearing to see what gives the best roll out.
What chaincase resistance mods are you speaking of? Sorry for the newb question
 

needpowder

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Deep in the archives (6 threads down)?
 
S
Oct 27, 2017
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3
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Greybull WY

Deep in the archives (6 threads down)?
Doh!

Deep in the archives (6 threads down)?
Doh! Haha thanks. Told you, newb question! I'll try the search feature next time... Looks like it actually works on this new forum!
 

needpowder

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Dec 4, 2007
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All good. Yes the search feature does seem to work way better now. Also, attaching pictures is effortless. Huge upgrade in my opinion. Still getting used to a few things though.
 
N
Dec 18, 2015
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Pasted from another thread I answered...


121.0lbs / 54.9kg For ARO3
117.0lbs / 53.1kg For ARO129

4lbs extra.. all in the paddles as extra moving mass.
Plus added traction.... all that needs power to drive it.

So... It will definitely have an effect.. It will also be rider and snow condition dependent, but there will definitely be times the ARO129 track out performs the ARO3.
The positive or negative balance about which one is better time will tell if its bigger is better spin from the marketing department or a technical improvement from the product development department.

If you think the back of the track collapsing and ski rising up is good for the backcountry and climbing buy a riot!... just make sure you get the LE version as it allows you quickly adjust the rear suspension to stop this. (Last I checked std version does not)
FYI you can achieve a somewhat similar effect on any kit by gimping the rear shock and softening it up, positive is the RIOT LE is the only system you can do this quickly and easily with out tools, so you can show off for a bit and set it back to normal and ride the rest of the day and not get left behind.

Finally there are lighter kits on the market ... lighter as in a 137 track being lighter than a TS 120 Riot.
 

needpowder

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Weight is definitely important. If the price was the same I would’ve went with the CMX for sure. Didn’t consider the camso though because I am looking for a kit to jump and ride fast. If it gets around in the steep and deep as well as the aro 120 then I will be stoked! We have an aro 120 in our group and he always gets to the same place as the rest of us do.
Edit: Also, when I went to the CMX track on my 137 mountain horse I could definitely feel the difference in rotating mass. That track was a really good improvement but I could feel it a bit more. I imagine the 3 inch will be a little bit of the same
 
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