Rider forward without the work? Pivoting/articulating riser

[thinksnow]

Seat?

Thatspec,

You ride without a seat? That has to suck after a long day?

 

[Bakemono]

Ive got a Powermadd articulating riser with a 2" riser block (total of 4 1/2" of rise) on my '01 Polaris 600 XC and I love it.
I havent tried tilting it foreward yet, right now its right in line with the steering post but its a lot better than stock.
I dont know how much of a rider foreward feel it would give you, because you are still never going to sit as far foreward as you would on a REV or an Apex/Attak.
I cant speak for boondocking (not much of that here in Wisconsin), for rough trails and jumping, tall handlebars are where its at!

 

[AKrider]

I've got the Wildchild kit and would recommend it over risers on the stock post. Initially I tried a set of 2" Rox risers on my stock post and was at the limit of my cables. The risers were comfortable for standing but you could tell that you were even further back on the sled.

The Wildchild kit needs help to keep the fit and finish of the sled to stock standards but it will put you in the same position as an Apex. I raced with the kit and could really feel the sled pivoting underneath me as I more forward. I ordered a T-style post that was compatable with Doo riser blocks since I had several heights on my shelf.

Other things to note are you will not need longer cables since the post is moved forward and gains more slack. The kit is reverseable but you still have to notch your cowling. Depending on rise, you will not be able to run th etall windshield cause the bar interference. I had to relocate my gauge as well. I should also add that with a riser you'll really notice how low your stock seat is (at least on the '05).

 

[Thatspec]

You ride without a seat? That has to suck after a long day?

I rarely have time to go out for more than three hours lately and stand mostly anyway. It would be nice to be able to kneel though. I was using an Apex seat but since I added the the R1 muffler, it doesn't fit right. Can't seem to find the time to mod it.

Here is a better pic of the 8" Powermadd riser. Just bought some Apex bars/warmers/hooks off the classifieds here for a great price (less than the cost of one grip new). I think they are aluminum though so might not use the bars, just the grips/hooks. You need a pretty low rise bar if your going to use a riser this tall (I am close to 2M with boots on).

Would love to try a rider forward modded RX1 or Apex but am pretty happy with this...

 

[givemeaboost]

I raised mine 4'' by making a plate to bolt to the top of the steering post and cutting a piece of inch and a half square tubing at a slght angle so it sits straight up (not angled back like with a riser block) and welded a plate on top to bolt the handlebar block to. I also added 12'' to all the wires so I could hide the connectors under the cowling( thanks to Billings RX-1mtn on this idea). With the 4'' taller seat that I built this is a totally different ride, Ken.

 

[BlgsRX-1mtn]

Fly 8" Riser with aluminum Fly AeroTaper mtn bend bars for a total of 4.5" of rise over stock. SLP Brake line no e-brake cable MPI longer throttle cable all wires splice with 12" more wire to relocate connectors under cowling(your welcome Ken) and wrapped with red 3/8" wire loom.

I found that fingers got cold after installing the aluminum bars. This weekend I bought a pair of Ironclad Tundra gloves and will never buy another brand again. My hands were not only warm all weekend (I could actually feel heat from the grips even @-10 F and 70 MPH speeds) but, they never got wet even after digging out Summit 800s, 700 RMKs several times daily along with the SCRX-1 one time yesterday. This weekend was also the first time I have come back from the hills wearing the same pair of gloves I had on when starting the day.

Jim

 

[Kachess]

Just bought a new, used, sled with a nice articulating riser. After riding only sleds with rider forward for a while the sled felt real awkward as set up so I played with moving the riser forward to see how close I could get it to our set up. Rotating it straight up starts feeling better, but when turning the bend in the steering column feels strange. What I really noticed was that even the bars straight up, they are still a good 6 inches behind where they are located with our "rider forward". Conclusion....they are an improvement over stock, but "rider forward" is definitely worth the afternoon's effort.

 

[Rx1M5]

And thats why Yamaha did it to the Apex

 

[Frostbite]

Here's what I ended up doing for this year's rider forward mod. It's a Powder Madd pivoting bar with a 2" riser. The reason I went this way is there are a bunch of different height risers that can be added later.

I have the bars pivoted most of the way forward moving me and the handle bars closer to a rider forward positon. I know it's not the Wildchild kit but I'm going to try to get used to this setup before going whole hog and cutting up my cowling.


Frosty

 

[Rx1M5]

I don't think that system going to work out too good for ya. Your center of effort is all screwed up like that. The whole point of the rider forward is it moves the bars forward while maintaining the proper axis of rotation for the steering column. Think about having a weight on the end of a stick and trying to move the stick from side to side, now put the weight in the center of the stick and hold the stick by the weight and try to move the whole thing from side to side. Which will be easier. In the sleds case the weight is your motor.

Cowlings and hoods for that matter are cheap cheap cheap on Ebay I bought a cowling for 20 bucks shipped and ended up selling it for 20 bucks. I couldn't get 100 bucks for my stock hood so I gave it to a friend of mine. If you ride in the mountains and stand up, then don't worry about that stuff start hackin.

Rx1M5

 

[Frostbite]

I guess time will tell if i like it or not. I have moved the bars around a bunch and I think I have found the "sweet spot" for me anyway.

I'll play with it some more. I still ride trails some so getting rid of the windshield and gauge pod doesn't sound that appealing just yet. I'll admit I seem to be creaping toward a full mod sled (minus a turbo) but I'm moving more slowly than some.

Frosty

 

[highonboost]

Everybody said the same thing when I did it to my sled. Yes on paper it makes sence, but when riding you can't feel the difference in steering effort etc. Frost Bite has the right idea, and imo his mod is much more aesthetically pleasing then what I've done.

Heres mine.

I don't think that system going to work out too good for ya. Your center of effort is all screwed up like that. The whole point of the rider forward is it moves the bars forward while maintaining the proper axis of rotation for the steering column. Think about having a weight on the end of a stick and trying to move the stick from side to side, now put the weight in the center of the stick and hold the stick by the weight and try to move the whole thing from side to side. Which will be easier. In the sleds case the weight is your motor.

Cowlings and hoods for that matter are cheap cheap cheap on Ebay I bought a cowling for 20 bucks shipped and ended up selling it for 20 bucks. I couldn't get 100 bucks for my stock hood so I gave it to a friend of mine. If you ride in the mountains and stand up, then don't worry about that stuff start hackin.

Rx1M5

 

[ViperTurboPete]

Frosty,

In reference to sled mods, you can't be moving more slower than me!!!

 

[Frostbite]

Thanks highonboost.

I think it will work just fine too! And if it doesn't then I'll buy a different height riser or tip the bars back or forward to suit my needs. That's what I like about this setup. Flexibility!

Frosty

 

[rideblue]

The articulating riser blocks will give you an uneasy steering feel if you roll them too far forward. A few inches are ok. More than that watch out! The Vector SE offset is about as far as you can go before it steering gets funky.

With articulating risers, the bars will swing in an arc instead of a turning in a circle. Tried it a few years ago, and when i got the bars where i liked them the sleds steering became very unpredictable. Especially when sidehilling and going up or down hills that had been tracked up.

Spend the money and time to relocate the steeing post.