Suspension setup for mountain riding

[villain]

01 rmk 151" snow check with fox shocks

Went out yesterday to play, and this thing is like trying to turn over a tank. I still need to remove the sway bar, but does anyone have recommendations for how to setup the suspension. It keeps bottoming out on bumps, and I'm sure it would climb better if it was setup right. Thanks guys!

 

[go high fast]

Tunings the suspension for bumps and hill climbing are different. For hillclimbing its all about "weight transfer". Make sure the Limiter Strap is set to provide the most travel. Try dialing more preload into the rear/front spring and start with a medium or soft setting on the torsion spring preload. Fat Boy torsion springs are usually not good for weight transfer so make sure you have the medium of soft spring. I also find a bit more preload on the front shocks helps with weight transfer. Bottoming out doesn't sound good so you may want to see if you need a shock rebuild. The Fox shocks are rebuildable. last item.....make sure your rear skid is thoroughly greased and in working order.

I would leave the sway bar in.

one last thought....if you have an aggressive keel on your ski it will always be like turning a tank.

 

[sno*jet]

For hillclimbing its all about "weight transfer". Make sure the Limiter Strap is set to provide the most travel. Try dialing more preload into the rear/front spring and start with a medium or soft setting on the torsion spring preload. Fat Boy torsion springs are usually not good for weight transfer so make sure you have the medium of soft spring. I also find a bit more preload on the front shocks helps with weight transfer. Bottoming out doesn't sound good so you may want to see if you need a shock rebuild.

I would leave the sway bar in.

one last thought....if you have an aggressive keel on your ski it will always be like turning a tank.

thats a setup for romping around with your skis in the air not hillclimbing.
i would loose the swaybar and bump up the front springs. consider the HD rear springs if you bottom the rear out, or have too much weight transfer when climbing.

 

[the fix-it guy]

Definitely loose the sway bar on that chassis, Make sure front skis are set to narrow position. I ran powder pros on mine and loved them. Better boards are a big help in keeping your running boards cleaned off.

 

[villain]

Didn't have a problem with snow and ice build up on the boards. Do have powder pros, gonna pull the sway bar, narrow the ski stance, and tighten up both the front and rear for this next weekend. I am kinda a fat boy at about 220 with gear on.

 

[villain]

Pulled the sway bar out and Narrowed the ski stance up. Found 2 rod ends that that are seized in the tie rods. Both sides. Kinda bumbed, but ordered them in. While I was pulling the old ones I found a couple torn motor mounts. This thing is becoming a money pit for me. A little annoying especially when I was told that it was a good clean sled and the po took "impeccable care" of all his machines. With all the crap that I have fixed I'm into this machine for a little over 3k. When should I pull the plug and cut my losses and move onto a better sled???

 

[villain]

Things fixed on sled

Hi fax completely worn through
Chain case was completely out of oil
Speedo cable was broke. ( shows 2k miles but who knows really how many miles are on it)
All lights but one were burned out
Ignition switch was missing
Voltage regulator was bad
Clutch was way out of balance
Seized up tie rods
Broken heim joints
2 torn motor mounts
Clutch needed rebuilt
Track is missing 3 lugs
Shocks need rebuilt


Am I being picky? Is this normal things to replace on a $2300 sled? And I know about the crank problems and am planning on having the engine rebuilt over the summer if it makes it that far.

The thing starts on the second pull every time, warm or cold, runs like a raped ape, and climbs like a billy goat.

Should I just suck it up, or should I look into my options? Need advice. Don't want to miss out on this season, especially now that I have been bitten by the bug.

 

[sno*jet]

yeah id say you were a little had and paid too much, but all of that stuff wrong is going to be pretty standard for a well used old mountain sled. if you havent yet, pull the exhaust manifold off, chances are that things leaky anyway, and look up through the exhaust ports with a bright led flashlight and see how bad the scratches are in the pistons. that would be the real slap in the face, but the brightside is they are easy to rebuild and wisecos work just fine.
a broken speedo link is often an indication of a bad bearing on that side of driveshaft. if youve already fixed all that stuff, i would just keep going, sounds like the body and stuff at least is nice. e-bay is your friend for parts

 

[Jay]

IMHO thats pretty normal for a 2nd hand machine of that vintage. Make sure your clutches are in good shape and go have fun. Around here thats a good price for that sled.