Hopefully Father Mike finds these posts informative and not an attempt at a hijack....
I know nothing about revalving or what is done to accomplish it.... What would "stiffen up the valving" do? Make the shock more stiff? Which would???
I know nothing about revalving or what is done to accomplish it.... What would "stiffen up the valving" do? Make the shock more stiff? Which would???
Stubbs
TY 4 Stroke Master
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2006
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- 1,133
- Age
- 44
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- Uxbridge, On, Can.
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- ‘16 Apex XTX with 137” Mono II
+ other gooodies
- LOCATION
- Uxbridge ON
If you’re a heavier guy, or someone who pounds through the chop pretty hard the front arm on the XTX skid will bottom frequently. Star recommended a stiffer spring with valving to match. Shock valving should coincide with the spring rates you’re using and the intended use of the sled, ie slower cruising would have much softer settings than mogul pounding. The really early Monoshock KYB setups had pretty light springs and very conservative valving which led to most guys complaining they bottomed too easy. Sometime along the way the shock valving was updated and they worked much better in a variety of conditions after that. @cannondale27 is the guy to talk to about valving for your specific needs if you’re South if the border.
Apologies to the OP for completely derailing his thread. I still think an ‘11 + Ape is a worthwhile upgrade for all of the small ish upgrades that went into these sleds. They really do work much better in my opinion and there’s no arguing with the fact that they are much easier to maintain if doing your own maintenance is a thing.
Apologies to the OP for completely derailing his thread. I still think an ‘11 + Ape is a worthwhile upgrade for all of the small ish upgrades that went into these sleds. They really do work much better in my opinion and there’s no arguing with the fact that they are much easier to maintain if doing your own maintenance is a thing.
Great explanation... I'm not a bigger guy nor do I pound thru the chop. However, I would like to step it up in the chop rather than crawling thru it.....
I agree about upgrading to Gen 2..... Just a matter of track length. The power steering is worth the price of admission.... Sure saves the shoulders...
I agree about upgrading to Gen 2..... Just a matter of track length. The power steering is worth the price of admission.... Sure saves the shoulders...
I can comment on this, as my wife and I would log 5-6000 miles a season on Apexes. We owned the following apex models:
2006 Apex RTX
2007 Apex GT
2007 Apex MTX
2008 Apex LTXGTs
2008 Apex MTX
2009 Apex LTXGT
2009 Apex LTX
2011 Apex
2012 Apex XTX
2016 Apex XTX
My worst were the 2012 and 2016 XTX, they rode like bricks. In addition the seats on the 11 and newer apexes are higher in the back than the front, and I would constantly slide down to the tank all day. It was very annoying. Oh did I mention the XTXs rode like bricks??
I agree with a post here where it was stated the best riding 11-18 apex is the short track SE. I never owned one, but a Buddy did, and it rode very well. I would rate the SE as the best riding 11-18 apex imo, however I'm under 185 pounds.
My all time favorite apex was the red/regular 09 LTX. This regular LTX rode much better than the GTs I had with the electric Ohlins rear shocks. The 09/10 apex seat foams were denser/upgraded from the earlier models, but was still flat unlike the 11 and newer models. Hence, riding the 09, I did not constantly slide down to the tank like the newer models. Also, 2010 and older apexes ran on 87 octane, which made it the cheapest to operate. The 09 LTXs were the fastest of the bunch, second fastest was the 12 XTX on premium fuel.
Hope this helps!
2006 Apex RTX
2007 Apex GT
2007 Apex MTX
2008 Apex LTXGTs
2008 Apex MTX
2009 Apex LTXGT
2009 Apex LTX
2011 Apex
2012 Apex XTX
2016 Apex XTX
My worst were the 2012 and 2016 XTX, they rode like bricks. In addition the seats on the 11 and newer apexes are higher in the back than the front, and I would constantly slide down to the tank all day. It was very annoying. Oh did I mention the XTXs rode like bricks??
I agree with a post here where it was stated the best riding 11-18 apex is the short track SE. I never owned one, but a Buddy did, and it rode very well. I would rate the SE as the best riding 11-18 apex imo, however I'm under 185 pounds.
My all time favorite apex was the red/regular 09 LTX. This regular LTX rode much better than the GTs I had with the electric Ohlins rear shocks. The 09/10 apex seat foams were denser/upgraded from the earlier models, but was still flat unlike the 11 and newer models. Hence, riding the 09, I did not constantly slide down to the tank like the newer models. Also, 2010 and older apexes ran on 87 octane, which made it the cheapest to operate. The 09 LTXs were the fastest of the bunch, second fastest was the 12 XTX on premium fuel.
Hope this helps!
