Timbersled 2018 vs 2019 vs 2020

[ai2ik]

Wondering if there were huge advancements on the Timbersled Aro from 2018 vs 2019 vs 2020? (Google isn't offering me much advice)

The 2018's are highly discounted, but considering snowbikes are so new, I'm wondering if tech has really changed?

Also, is a TSS a must have? Or will my YZ rear shock do?

Thank you.

 

[CB-BLR]

x2

Chris

 

[Robster]

I have owned 4 different Timbersleds (2011-15) and every year they claimed it was a game changer. Only once there was a difference that matttered and that was when they started selling their own ski (first one) if you do not count that the quality went down every year until Polaris bought them. Then I went to Tedesled and have never looked back.

 

[Lachoneus]

Tedesled I will say my personal experience/opinion -- great custom hand-buit kit, but who in the U.S. actually has their hands on one? Who has one in Canada? I put in some serious inquiries last year and.......it did not ever feel like it was do-able time-wise, price-wise or otherwise. But if you've got one, you're one of a very fortunate select few.

 

[cbc76am]

There isn't any difference really... get the 18 kit, but try to get an LE with the upgraded shocks. TSS is mandatory. You can't use the YZ shock. it's either a metal rod that is fixed or the TSS. The difference is huge on the ARO and the bike feels night and day different in a good way with the TSS. (you can always add it later if you are short on cash... but have to buy a fit kit with the fixed strut and waste that money up front.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Couple of thoughts on your purchase, buy the 18 standard setup. Regardless of the shock model they all have too soft springs if you weigh over 180 lbs. Better performance and less money to buy two $50 springs than pay 400 and up more money for the shock upgrade, which is not a shock upgrade, its just gives you two setting to restrict oil flow in your shock, which on discounted kits will only get you about 1/3 of the way to where you want to be. Every body I know with this " upgraded shock" rides it in the full on 3rd position, and then they had to buy stiffer springs to make it work.

Go with the fixed strut. Save your money for gas and riding time. Lots and lots of the the Fox TSS sitting on shelves and can be bought for 1/3 the price and less. Anyway, thats the experience of the 1/2 dozen bikers I visit with out there in the deep and steep.

 

[cbc76am]

I and the folks I ride with completely disagree on that one... That's a first for castle and I. Generally agree with most of your posts. Tss is life changing. 1 ride on the riot and I'm all set with the fixed strut and will be buying another tss.

I change the clickers on the aro le kit often on rides. Whooped road, vs climbs, vs carving. I find them useful to adjust to the terrain. Everyone that used to ride fixed and switched at the ama snowbike series to tss won't race without one either. The bike pogos, and steps out in chop and whoops when you are on the gas without tss. Riot included.

My 2 cents... Do you put around or run it hard?

 

[needpowder]

I and the folks I ride with completely disagree on that one... That's a first for castle and I. Generally agree with most of your posts. Tss is life changing. 1 ride on the riot and I'm all set with the fixed strut and will be buying another tss.

I change the clickers on the aro le kit often on rides. Whooped road, vs climbs, vs carving. I find them useful to adjust to the terrain. Everyone that used to ride fixed and switched at the ama snowbike series to tss won't race without one either. The bike pogos, and steps out in chop and whoops when you are on the gas without tss. Riot included.

My 2 cents... Do you put around or run it hard?

I and the folks I ride with completely disagree on that one... That's a first for castle and I. Generally agree with most of your posts. Tss is life changing. 1 ride on the riot and I'm all set with the fixed strut and will be buying another tss.

I change the clickers on the aro le kit often on rides. Whooped road, vs climbs, vs carving. I find them useful to adjust to the terrain. Everyone that used to ride fixed and switched at the ama snowbike series to tss won't race without one either. The bike pogos, and steps out in chop and whoops when you are on the gas without tss. Riot included.

My 2 cents... Do you put around or run it hard?

I know you guys haven’t had a ton of snow yet this year although that looks like it’s about to change. I wonder if that’s why your experience with the riot seems a bit different. Do you have the clickers? I can’t remember. When we had minimal snow, I remember thinking the forks were a bit much stiffened up with .62 springs and a bit of air. Now that we are in the deep, they seem just right. My TSS made a huge difference on my mountain horse, but my riot at least in my opinion rides pretty awesome with the fixed strut. I will be interested to hear your thoughts in more conditions and setup changes. I am definitely with you on shocks. On used kits, the price difference is minimal. Get a kit with the best shocks you can!

 

[cbc76am]

My concern is regardless of snow depth, you can't ride in western WA without fireroads in the mix. (unless going off grid) The sleds whoop them out and every powder field requires some hard pack to get to. I'm still playing with settings but mainly strut length and fork height being the untuned factors.

 

[needpowder]

One thought I was just having about the TSS though. The last day I rode was super deep and I had the rear shock clicker cranked to the stiffest. This is the way it works the best in deep light snow on flat or going uphill. Occasionally though, when hopping on a packed route back uphill the kit is harsh with the shock locked out like that. Didn’t really notice it in the deep snow but on the trail out at the end of the day i sure did! Maybe the TSS with X tune would soften some of that up while allowing that clicker position setting. I don’t know. Sounds like the X tune is set up way stiffer than normal TSS which makes sense.

 

[needpowder]

My concern is regardless of snow depth, you can't ride in western WA without fireroads in the mix. (unless going off grid) The sleds whoop them out and every powder field requires some hard pack to get to. I'm still playing with settings but mainly strut length and fork height being the untuned factors.

You posted while I was typing. Pretty much what I’m talking about I guess.

 

[needpowder]

Where I ride a lot of the time I can just unload from the truck and be popping along in the powder. Not such a big deal which is why I guess I was so happy with my 137 mountain horse!

 

[needpowder]

I will be very interested to see where you end up for Settings that work good in the whoops and in the powder at the same time.

 

[cbc76am]

Will report. I've got 3 yz450f with riots to play with side by side as I built all my buddies new rigs. We should find the winning combo pretty quickly.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Where we ride out of Missoula Mt, we can ride from the truck in new snow most days. We seldom ride where the sleds go. 50 years of sledding in Mt I know where they have to go. If I had to ride 5 miles of sled chop every sat morning I might put my TSS on and try it. I Have not ridden the riot on wooped trail yet, It will happen at xmas for sure.

On bikes, trikes, sleds, race cars , sno bike, the first most critical element of suspension is correct spring selection, then you need enough shock rebound dampening to not go over the bars. MX tuners judge spring selection by compression dampening adjustments, if you turn the compression dampening on your YZ in more than half way , 12 or 14 clicks , and it works better, what you really need is more spring, less restriction on oil flow like back to 4 or 5 on clickers.

Any way, not here to argue, if you want better snow bike suspension, its out there.
It took us most of last year on the two ARO kits I ride with to get that suspension up to our old 2015 kits ride quality. Our 15 kits had 230 lb spring in front with no preload and 210 in back with 1/4" of preload. Then more rebound dampening, less compression dampening with ported valves, 140 psi nitrogen. When you make the rear suspension work, you find your ski is not twitchy, you can ride old sleds runner ruts comfortably wot in 6th( we ran ARO skiis and many different runners on the 15 kits). The RULE, KEEP EXPERIMENTING, anyway............ thats how far I got in 71 years.

 

[sledhappy]

Where we ride out of Missoula Mt, we can ride from the truck in new snow most days. We seldom ride where the sleds go. 50 years of sledding in Mt I know where they have to go. If I had to ride 5 miles of sled chop every sat morning I might put my TSS on and try it. I Have not ridden the riot on wooped trail yet, It will happen at xmas for sure.

On bikes, trikes, sleds, race cars , sno bike, the first most critical element of suspension is correct spring selection, then you need enough shock rebound dampening to not go over the bars. MX tuners judge spring selection by compression dampening adjustments, if you turn the compression dampening on your YZ in more than half way , 12 or 14 clicks , and it works better, what you really need is more spring, less restriction on oil flow like back to 4 or 5 on clickers.

Any way, not here to argue, if you want better snow bike suspension, its out there.
It took us most of last year on the two ARO kits I ride with to get that suspension up to our old 2015 kits ride quality. Our 15 kits had 230 lb spring in front with no preload and 210 in back with 1/4" of preload. Then more rebound dampening, less compression dampening with ported valves, 140 psi nitrogen. When you make the rear suspension work, you find your ski is not twitchy, you can ride old sleds runner ruts comfortably wot in 6th( we ran ARO skiis and many different runners on the 15 kits). The RULE, KEEP EXPERIMENTING, anyway............ thats how far I got in 71 years.

I just purchased an ARO I was on the Yeti before. I weigh 225 what spring setup would you recommend. I agree 100% suspension set up is HUGE. I would classify myself as an aggressive rider.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Likely a 220 front, 200 back. You can buy springs off Ebay or direct from.:

SOUTHWEST SPEED
479 646 6988
WWW.SOUTHWESTSPEED.COM

YOU need a springs, 1 7/8" id by 8" long. I have also used 2" id, they work,................. on the older TS kits 9" springs work on the front shock. Best suspension will be longest spring possible with least amount of preload.

I will say, on the current TS kits they are using a lighter weight smaller diameter spring wire with less coils. I have not been able to locate a source for similar springs. The thin wire less coil springs give a somewhat unique characteristic, when they begin to collapse at say their 210 lb rating, then after a little compression they collapse very quickly, very good for racing snowmobile clutch's but not seen or used in the MX suspension world that I have seen.

I have not ridden my own RIOT enough yet to get a feel for spring rate. So far works in soft snow, we will see when we fing firmer footing.

 

[Answ3r]

Tedesled I will say my personal experience/opinion -- great custom hand-buit kit, but who in the U.S. actually has their hands on one? Who has one in Canada? I put in some serious inquiries last year and.......it did not ever feel like it was do-able time-wise, price-wise or otherwise. But if you've got one, you're one of a very fortunate select few.

Look up on the facebook group snowbike Quebec. There's a nicely setupped KTM 380 with a tedesled like kit I built for sale. Been running these kits for 4 years now with GREAT results.