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rtx skid or monoshock

supercat

Extreme
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
83
I am looking at a new apex for this year. My riding style is not too aggressive, I ride the u.p. trails of MI. However as anyone who has ridden them knows, these trails can get beat to crap in a very short time! Is the rtx suspension really stiff? I have read how great the monoshock is, and I am looking for 200 mile a day comfort with good weight transfer(probably going to supercharge) without being too soft. I know the ditchbangers are going to say rtx, but is it the right suspension for rough and smooth trails alike?
 

I have a new rtx , ran the apex mono last year and found it too soft , love the fox air ! I do like a firm sled fox air's at about 80lbs work good for me, no body roll , a firm but good ride no bottom outs
, so I am hoping the rear will be the match ! No snow yet , to try it out !!!
 
I ride the Western U.P. Trails so I know what your talking about., when you say they get beat up FAST. MY 06 RTX (mono) was awesome in all conditions up there, It was the 1st time I rode any sled for 200+ miles in a day and wasn't sore, I also traded for a day with a buddy who had the 06 Nytro (ck) Same result nice ride and no sore back. You can set up either suspension to get the perfect ride, It might take a little time to get it dialed in but it's well worth it once you find your sweet spot. :yam:
 
throttle,
you got the same results with both suspensions, not sore. If you had to choose one which one would you choose? I have the option to buy a left over 06 with mono for 9000 out the door or a new 07 for 10000 out the door with some clothing.
 
supercat said:
throttle,
you got the same results with both suspensions, not sore. If you had to choose one which one would you choose? I have the option to buy a left over 06 with mono for 9000 out the door or a new 07 for 10000 out the door with some clothing.

Ouch, that is kinda a hard decision you have going for ya. I guess I would have to look at this way, Do you like to hit lots of jumps or just like to beat on your sled (mogul mashing). If so go with the 07, now if you like trail riding/racing and go a little nutty once in awhile the mono will be just fine, I've rode on all types of conditions and launched my 06 off some crazy things and all is good. Good luck deciding
 
If you ride the up trails get the new skid you won't be dissapointed.Plus it's a little funner you can preload the skid and wheelie over bumps or hills.
 
that's beacuae the vector's came with junk shock's.The rtx and nytro skids are totally different shocks and have clickers on them allong with different torsion springs.
 
the 07 is set up just like the nytro,hi handle bars,low windshield(still better than 06 tho) ,geared lower than regular apex(gas mileage) and has a harder seat,just from sitting on the 07 i dont think i would like it as a trail sled,but for bump sled it would be perfect
 
No offense to the Nytro owners but the 07 RTX looks just like one.
Get the best looking Yamaha on the snow, the 06 RTX :bling
 
pro116 said:
If you ride the up trails get the new skid you won't be dissapointed.Plus it's a little funner you can preload the skid and wheelie over bumps or hills.

How do you pre load the skid? wheelies sound fun!
 
I haven't had a chance to ride my 07 RTX yet nor has it been greased yet (not broken in and probably a lot friction stiffening it up).

Right now the rear suspension is extremely firm. Jumping up and down on it it feels like I can hardly move it. On my 05 RX-1 (even with the 6.5 spring and a revalved shock) I can move the suspension up and down by a good 3 inches doing the same thing (the sleds are parked side by side in the barn).

Is the 07 RTX going to be too firm?? I don't know yet. All of the reviews I've read about it say the suspension is not too firm and rides great while still being considerably firmer than the monoshock. It is also quite adjustable with the clicker shock.

The monoshock suspensions have always been both sprung and valved (shock valving) far to soft for me and my riding buddies. If you read through the forums here you'll also find a large number of members with the same comments (too easy to bottom out). Riding the extremely rough trails in the up region I can't imagine being happy with the stock monoshock setup even if your not an aggressive rider (unless you were also 150 lbs or less).

I don't know about you but I'd rather have a suspension a little too firm than too soft anyway and if worse comes to worse the shocks can be revalved. Right now I expect the 07 RTX can be adjusted to work well (the main rear shock is adjustable with a screwdriver).

One thing I am extremely impressed with on the 07 RTX is how robust the suspension looks. Compared to the monoshock the 07 RTX's skid looks like it will be extremely durable. Yamaha even reinforced it over the 05/06 Vector and 06/07 Nitro skid (and these were known to be very durable). Almost all of the guys I ride with (myself included) found cracks in their monoshock suspensions during or after last season (06 suspensions) so durability is #1 on my list for selecting the suspension for this season.

IMO if you're looking for the most durable high performance sled from Yamaha get the 07 RTX.

As far as preloading the skid to launch of bumps I don't really know what to make of Yamaha's advertisements. I hope it doesn't spring you off bumps with too little rebound damping but reading the ads it seems to be sortof what they are saying.

Basically it sounds like they are saying you can push your weight down (stand up) just as you're cresting a bump and "preload" the suspension so it kicks the sled high in the air. Sounds totally undesirable to me that a suspension would be tuned to maximize this and I hope it's just advertising hype.

Here is a thread where we talk about spring options and the durability of the ProActive CK skid:

http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=33062

Either way you go these are great sleds to ride. The motors are super smooth, have great throttle response, don't stink, and get good gas mileage. The riding position is very comfortable and handling is good. Overall they are very nice sleds.
 
Well, I think most of us new buyers this year went through the same thoughts you are. At least I did. After weighing out my riding style (same as yours by the sounds) I elected on an 07 GT. Hoping the rear suspension is a little stiffer than 06 GT reports only makes me wonder if I made the correct choice and I have not seen an 07 GT ride report yet. The few rider reports on the 07 RTX are not real definitive IMO and I wouldn't make a decision based on someone else's feel for a ride...

I am not a big believer in having a stiff suspension versus a soft. I would rather it be a little soft than hard and work my way back to stiffer if needed. I don't believe the RTX was designed to be a trail sled (hence short windshield). They wanted those who ride ditches, take jumps and basically run'um hard over rough stuff to have the right skid. Plus the intial magazine reports I read are not that good on these in comparison to the Rev and Dragon for the designed use. I'd stick with a mono suspension based upon your riding stlye and hope it doesn't bottom hard like I hope.
 
06 GT

I go about 300 lbs. , anybody that has ever ridden with me knows that im not the fastest guy all the time but i like to run the trails fast and hard , the only time i ever had a problem with the gt skid was when the wires broke off the shock and i was hitting 4 ft. moguls back to back at a high rate of speed . when the trail gets nasty and the shock is set on full hard i only bottom out maybe once a day and to me that is perfect !! i know im getting all of my travel , i dont think a skid is set up right if you dont bottom out once in a while on the really big hits , if you dont bottom out on the big big stuff then chances are you not using all you have ...just my .02 .. personally for a all around trail sled i would not trade mt adjustable ohlins for anything , when the trail is nice you go full soft and its like riding your leather couch down the trail , when she getts nasty with the touch of a button you full hard and good to go ...
 
Dont waste your time with the mono. The 07 will be better adapted to spirited riding. The center preload is a big factor the mono can do nothing about. By preloading the center shock spring on the 07 rtx you essentially remove weight from the skiis making it easier to turn, and add weight to center track allowing for max holeshot traction. This will make the sled feel "lively" and lighter. You will be able to adjust it either way. The mono offers darting and a soggy ride. Bent tunnels in some cases.
 


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