RX1 shorties can handle!!

[SumpBuster]

After 5 days of adjusting, and comparing to my studded blue RX, my black 03 shorty is now a total blast to ride hard. I posted once before how I was playing with spring rubbers, made from .1" thick stacks of compressable rubber...here's where I am:
Front: 11mm swaybar, 8thds showing above aluminum locknut on springs, a set of .4" and .3" 'wedges' in each part of the progressive coil, .2" shims (rubber) behind the spindle, lodged under the ski saddle for heel pressure.
Rear: Two sets of 'wedges' in the prog. part of the rear shock spring.
Front limiters with 8 thds showing behind lock nut (straps pulled up), transfer rods toward the 'bottom'..less transer. Ripsaw track.
I like this rubber, as it has a rate of it's own, and will compress some. Originally I was going to make a sliding brass shim for ski heel pressure, but made 4 different thickness of shims to try, and they are stuck in there, once you ride for a while, and can be pryed out with a screw driver.
We ride hard on local trails, which are large and short fields, short woods, and a variety of big dips at speed, as well as some mogulled up cowpaths.
My problem has been hookup, braking, and high speed cornering. The ripsaw performs awesome...no side to side motion, and helps with darting. Roll ons against my old Mach z are no contest..(Mach has a new 1" profile paddle track..stock track was .8"). Late breaking is now possible. But under breaking, the front can dart as weight transfers, and when slowing and the ski biting is when the lift occurs. The ski heel pressure solves this. With a stack of 4 shims, I could barely turn the skis at slow speed, but at 90mph through a field, you could literally take your hands off the bars, it was so stable. No deceleration darting either. So after trying each stack, I settled on 2. To make a long story shorter, you can now fly into a corner, pick your line, and accelerate through, with the outside ski biting as much as your right thumb wants it too...need more steering, back off a hair, or punch it to get the back out a hair..both work!!. The rear ride is also better, but will never be f or rev like (which are ok for big bumps, but neither has a stable feeling at high speed), but the control on the RX is now there...and it is plenty soft for me. The rev I rode as a comparison takes bumps nice, but the RX is so much more stable at high cornerning speeds, it is no contest. And on packed trails, with the weight, the RX/ripsaw hooks unreal, right in the meat of the power band. Control is the big thing for me, and this thing now has plenty, with options while riding. And the rubbers can be removed as needed if conditions change. My blue one with studs and a rear Ohlins likes 3 shims in the ski saddle. I then had a doo friend who did not like the RX last year ride it, and he flew through a tight wooded trail, and had that big smile afterwards..you know the kind...he loves it now. Never lifted a ski in the woods...I was on his doo, and it pushed everywhere trying to keep up...snow was wet and packy. (and I'm yella deep down..rode doos for 25 years). This thing is a total riot...didn't go 'anywhere' on our local trails, but racked up over 200 miles testing on each one since friday...on various conditions. And not puppy testing either, as I used 1/4 qt of oil in the blue one, and that one never uses any on normal rides...but constant WOT will do that to you 8) Also tore out one stud. Now it is all melting. :cry:

 

[MR.HAPPY]

So what does this mean to a normal sledder that wants to get his sled handling good through the twists?

How do we put this info to good use for us?

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BR

 

[RX1 Yooper]

buster,
Thanks for sharing the set-up with us.

Will you post the picture again, and tell us what you made the shims out of again?

Thanks

 

[Boston RX1]

Sump, we have to talk. I reread your post and need more information regarding what you did. Where are you located. I think I am close with my sled, but not good enough.

 

[SumpBuster]

Guys, not sure what this all means. :roll: But I figured a soft spring can be made stiffer, so I've been using rubber from a tractor tire tube, which is about .1" thick, and stacking them together, riding the sled, stacking, riding, etc. One at a time. The only problem is I don't know what the equivalent spring rates are (once happy with the rates) if I was to buy them, but the rubber wedges do not fall out and are lasting very well. Cheap, too. The biggest surprise was stiffening the rate of the rear stock shock spring..it rides much better, as it sits higher, and is using more of the stiff rate sooner. I can't seem to get my blue one as good, yet, as it has bigger carbides and an Ohlins rear clicker shock.

 

[SumpBuster]

Boston, I'm just north of Howe Caverns...about 45 miles west of Albany. Each sled with any changes will have to be tried and tested..this stuff works on a black shorty with the mentioned changes. My blue one with the Ohlins rear is not as good.....need to figure out why, but I think it is the ripsaw on the other one...more stable overall in turns. Even the size of the carbides makes a difference in the overall handling, but once you hit the combo, it can be left there. Nice thing about these rubber things is you can put too many in, know you don't like it, and take some out until you do.

 

[Convert]

SumpBuster I'm interested in your ski wedges for extra heel pressure just so i know I got this straight you put spacers made of rubber under the rubber saddle on the back side of the ski right? each spacer was about 1/10 of an inch thick and you started at four ended up with 2 on one sled and 3 on the other. This sounds like a real cheep easy mod so i'm gonna give it a try just wanted to make sure i had my facts straight!

Thanks and Merry Xmas