Rear suspension

[vsmpowered]

I think monster performance did his shocks

 

[TestMaster]

Thanks, you hit the nail on the head!

 

[Studroes144]

Yes monster did my shocks, center shock was done with around 1800 miles on sled so I had around 500 miles on the revalved center shock. It was a very noticeable improvement for sure but far from plush. Now with both shocks setup when I jump on it you can feel that initially it is quite soft and then stiffens up quite a bit as it compresses more, almost as tho it's a dual rate setup but it's all just done in the valving. Throughout the season whenever I rode with other vipers or procross cats I always tried to either sit on the sleds or see how the suspensions felt. One thing I noticed on all of them was that the rebound was much faster than what mine was. I always complained that I was getting bucked around on the seat and thought it was rebounding too fast but when in reality the rear shock was too stiff and rebounding too slow so it really wasn't using hardly any of the travel of the shock. The rebound on mine now seems to be pretty fast but you can just feel that it's much smoother. It rebounds quickly but not with a great amount of force if that makes sense. One thing that I'm really anxious to see is how this affects transfer, it has to make for a huge improvement! I always remember with the apex that whenever u wanted to line up with someone to always turn that dial on the tunnel to soft so that you could get the sled to squat and hook up better. A few times I had a buddy get on mine and do some holeshots as I watched and you could just see that the back end would never really squat down and dig in. The way the sled is designed is to keep the track flat on the ground so you always have full power to the ground which mine always stayed flat and planted but when I'd take off you could just feel it wasn't doing what it was suppose to be doing, almost as tho the suspension was way to stiff and not allowing for any traction. As for the turbo I'm thinking it will be around another month or so before I take it to get installed. Dealer had some summer projects to finish up. Already going crazy thinking about next winter lol

 

[Shane]

What torsion spring (Yamaha Part # please) did you install? Thanks

 

[Studroes144]

I've tried going back and finding the part number but can't seem to locate it. Maybe cannondale will chime in or you could pm him. I'm pretty sure he has the numbers right handy. My dealer installed them..took them about half an hour, a puller is needed to pull the upper wheels off on the skid, other than that just basic tools

 

[TD Max]

I've tried going back and finding the part number but can't seem to locate it. Maybe cannondale will chime in or you could pm him. I'm pretty sure he has the numbers right handy. My dealer installed them..took them about half an hour, a puller is needed to pull the upper wheels off on the skid, other than that just basic tools

There is a thread titled torsion springs that rekindled this.

 

[Cc440]

There is a thread titled torsion springs that rekindled this.

Part numbers were from Cat. 1704-354 &1704-355 for the left and right torsion

 

[cannondale27]

Yes. Yamaha didn't offer a optional spring last I looked. Have to use cat. Also all the 14 129 and137 vipers used the same springs. That fact makes it obvious that the big difference in ride between the standard vipers and the Rtx is the shocks.

 

[Studroes144]

Yes. Yamaha didn't offer a optional spring last I looked. Have to use cat. Also all the 14 129 and137 vipers used the same springs. That fact makes it obvious that the big difference in ride between the standard vipers and the Rtx is the shocks.

Yes I really don't think the torsions are causing any issues really..I went softer on mine because it was quick and easy and I wasn't gonna pull my rear shocks out in the middle of the season to get revalved. For anyone considering doing this I'd highly recommend just getting the valving softened up in the shocks and trying it..then if you need softer yet you can buy the torsions and swap them out in an hour.. No sense spending the extra money if it's not necessary. I will say tho that even with both rear shocks revalved and softer torsions springs on softest setting mine has a pretty quick rebound, that is just sitting on the garage floor tho so I'm sure out on the trails it's going to settle in very nicely.

 

[Moravec]

Just got around to pulling my rear shock out to get sent out. For those that didn't catch the topics early in the season I installed softer cat torsion springs on my ltx se because I was experiencing a very harsh ride. With stock springs and me on the sled (230lbs) I had zero sag in the rear suspension. Finally with softer torsions I was able to get two inches of sag with we on the sled. As soon as I got off it would rebound the shocks back all the way. Around 1800 miles my center shock blew out. Sent it to Ian at monster performance here in NY. He is great to deal with and VERY knowledgable about these sleds and how the suspension works. Got the shock back from getting revalved softer and rebuilt. He said it was in terrible shape and there were a lot of worn parts and major signs of moisture in the shock. Anyways I got the shock back on and could instantly tell it was much softer and could tell the suspension was actually working some now. Now I say it was better, which it was, but still far from a plush ride. My rear shock since day one has had a bit of a chuck in the shaft. I could notice this when I pushed down on the rear of the sled and then released and put pressure down again right away..almost as if I were simulating ride fast over little choppys. The play in the shaft was very noticeable! That last few rides of the season I had my dad ride mine and I'd ride beside him and watch how the suspension moved and you could tell there was some movement on the front skid shock but it seemed as tho the rear shock was just drastically holding back the skid from having any suspension travel. I know YamahaTim has mentioned the same exact issue with his ltx se. Well just pulled the rear shock out and it is just like my front one was. It is so stiff that even with all my force I can't get it to come close to fully collapsing..rebound is also very slow. I can get the shock compressed maybe 2-3" at most and it takes 10-15 seconds to fully rebound back. Now with the sled sitting flat on the ground..keep in mind I have softer torsion springs on and the rear shock is out. With no rider the sled has 1 inch sag which is basically how it should be. When I get on the sled it will sag roughly 2 inches still. This is with both torsions on softest setting and no rear shock in. This is more the less just informational for the guys getting the 2015 sleds and those complaining of a harsh ride with your 14s. I got 2300 miles on a pretty harsh riding viper. Granted, this sled riding harsh is still far more fun than my old apex, but I can't wait for snow next year and to actually have this suspension working right. Anyone that is buying a 15 viper and concerned about a stiff ride..I highly recommend that as soon as you get your sled, pull your rear shocks out and send them to a pro that has experience with this chassis and shocks and have them set them up properly for you cuz they are extremely stiff and the sled will ride you all winter long. Hope this can be of some good info to the up and comers with the new vipers. Oh and just for the record..if you send your shocks out when they are new and have them valved softer you should be able to get a real good setup for $150-$200 for both rear shocks..if you wait until they blow out..believe me it gets more pricey lol.

Just sent 6 shocks up to ian last week should see them the end of this week, i had 3000 miles on my shocks no blow out but i agree way to stiff i ride the same trails you i am sure we past each other a time or two. Cant wait to get shocks back on and jump around on it. My buddy had 1500 miles on his and when we tore his apart his center shock was blown out but luckily there was no visible damage to shock

 

[bigdog_mike]

What type of puller is needed to remove the upper wheels so that the torsion spring can be replaced? As I have a new set of torsion springs coming from Hygear along with Custom Axis shocks, I tried to just have the shocks revalved but it was better than stock but it just wasn't what I expected so I went with the full Hygear Axis shocks all around and they also suggested the torsion spring replacement

 

[Cc440]

Be interesting to know what spring hygear is going with on their setup.

What type of puller is needed to remove the upper wheels so that the torsion spring can be replaced? As I have a new set of torsion springs coming from Hygear along with Custom Axis shocks, I tried to just have the shocks revalved but it was better than stock but it just wasn't what I expected so I went with the full Hygear Axis shocks all around and they also suggested the torsion spring replacement

io

 

[Moravec]

as far as i know they dont really make a puller for the wheels just reach in there with snap ring pliers and remove the clip that holds bearing in then tap the wheel off the bearing then you can use a simple puller to get the bearing off. It is a pain but it can be done, by the way if and when you ruin bearing they are available for about 9 bucks

 

[TD Max]

If you go to the link below:

http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/products/modelfeatures/693/0/features.aspx

Click on the little Plus by the rear suspension and the rear shocks. Watch the video and you will see the rear skid in action. Looks to me like it remains pretty static and simply pivots in the middle. This would explain why there is a desire for softer springs.

Also notice that the Cat RR skid has 2 pr of wheels up front, different rails, and possibly a different shock angle.

http://www.arcticcat.com/snow/sled/ZR6000RRTuckerHibbert


It's looking like my LE model is going to be a cross breed with the better shocks on the std skid.

 

[weasel33]

Td, talking to my dealer when I ordered my sled, rtx le like yours, if I can remember correctly he said that he thinks the le comes with the rails that are the same as the cat rr. The le I saw at the sneak peak had two sets of wheels in the front. But, with that being said, he did say that those sleds were only prototypes and things might be changed when they go into production.