to sway or not to sway

[ATV PRO #11]

I was out today, sway still off and hitting some rock hard drifts close to my place today. Just had to get out and play abit. Huge difference with the bar off and jumping off camber take offs. Landing flat, sideways and way off kilter with no problems at all. Landing on hardpack crooked in the past would pretty much rip the bars outa my hand. Not at all today and I spent an hour just hitting stuff quicker and quicker!!
Conditions were significantly harder today than my last post. Better Carbides and bar off I may have to sacrifice blitzing the one way tight twisties.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

Did you test with the GYTR shocks on? I find there is no compromise with the bar off. My trail speed is the same and trust me I ride agressive.

 

[ATV PRO #11]

Did you test with the GYTR shocks on? I find there is no compromise with the bar off. My trail speed is the same and trust me I ride agressive.

No. Got lazy. Tomorrow I'll pull off my old 07 and give them a try. But I did look at them lol.

 

[ATV PRO #11]

Ok. Despite the lack of inthusiasum with no snow this season I swapped out shocks today.
Yamaha should be very embarrassed with the shocks they put in the xtx. I was shocked at the amount of play there was between the undersized bolt/steel bushing AND between steel bushing and plastic spacer bushings. Un freaggen real for a new sled with 1200kms. I've heard the clunking long before 1200. Scary thought. I've broke shock bolts before. Doing 80 on the face of a 70'jump. Preloaded for jump and snap. Worst crash ever!! I change yearly now, no matter what.

Having ranted about that, my 07FX GYTR shocks have no play in tops or bottoms.
Installed in xtx and tested in drifts.
Yes there is a difference. Rebound at 7 away from full and comp 11 out. Even standing on sled doing the side to side body roll it doesn't roll over as much. I will say, medium sized bumps and jumps they didn't feel the best. Corning was better despite worn carbides. Did feel same body roll but did not adjust spring. Hitting heavy bumps, hard jumps and landings was a huge difference. I was even purposely landing on one side with weight on that bar and nothing. Just landed smooth. I really like it!! Tried doing the 1ski in the air drive, not more than a second and she rode flat. I'm going to assume worn carbides cause it would not one ski at all. Lol.
Sleds backed in the mancave. Going to install new tuner carbides and duponts. Won't be coming out until some significant snowfall. I will post results once adjusted and get some tight treed trails in.

 

[ATV PRO #11]

Also, I'm surprised at the difference in shock length. I've heard you can't run gytr nytro shocks because there shorter than the fx Phazer ones. I dunno about that now.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

I think the best shocks to run are the GYTR shocks when removing the sway bar. You can control the shock better than the floats or the standard shock.

 

[ATV PRO #11]

Well after 400kms of having sway bar off i've bolted back on. From low snow trail to 6-8" of fresh stuff and playing with comp/reb on the FX shocks I still can't go into a corner confidently. Did a 8" powder run on the river yesterday and pretty much blew every corner. Just too much body roll. With the body roll the track would tilt causing the huge push and just digging into the soft stuff. It messed with a pile of riding positions as well and just not heavy enough to bring the high side back down. 170+gear+backpack. I even tried slowing first and powering through the corner to enable some good track spin but those 1.5 lugs like to really put the power to the ground and not break free. 91% of my riding is treed trail system with many turns and some pretty tight twisty stuff. SO for me i'd have to day if I pick a jumping day, playing in the drifts i'd probably have to unbolt it and play. I would also have to add this is totally different than my 07 121" as that track would spin and be short enough to break free around a corner allowing you to counter steer slightly to maintain a nice smooth corner. XTX is a totally different beast so just wanted to kinda put that out there for those with long and short tracks. Sway off on a shorter one could be much better.

 

[MikeWalters]

If you're keeping sway bar I see Schmidt bros have a new swaybar on their site, cheaper than their original $500 kit

 

[Voda2000]

Did anyone ever make a quick disconnect kit like on the Ski-doo's?

 

[Ruggybuggy]

I don't get it? I'm running the same FX shocks, 144 skid and no sway bar and have no cornering issue. Most of my riding is done on sharp treed trails with lots of hills with open lake between and my weight is similar to yours at 175. I take all my corners at the same speed as with the bar. My ride is better on the lake, hitting large snow banks is no longer an issue. With the bar on if you hit a bank at an angle it would push the opposite ski up and want to flip the sled. This is no longer the case. It's strange how too similar sleds can handle completely different withe the bar off.

 

[MikeWalters]

Ruggy how much preload do you have on the springs? And what is your comp/rebound set at?

 

[Ruggybuggy]

Ruggy how much preload do you have on the springs? And what is your comp/rebound set at?

I tighten up the preload maybe 1 1/2 turn over where it was before when the bar was on. Rebound was turned in to 20 clicks of the 32 that are available. Compression was left unchanged, set in the middle position.

 

[ATV PRO #11]

Thanks Mike, but clutching will be next with the remaining kitty. Appreciate the heads up tho on the Shmidt.

Ruggy, I think alot of my problem with confidence is not quite knowing the 144 quite yet. Going from 07 121 to the new one is honestly pretty different.
Racing quads for so many years, of coarse long travel w/Elka's and no bar, I'm used the independant. But I have a bridge to cross with not having a 50" axle width in the rear to stabalize the machine, like i'm used to. After taking the chicklets skating I got thinking I may take another stab at it based on your settings. I never did go that far on rebound. Last thing I wanted is to compound the shock on the outside. Slowing the kickback effect is ultimately what your settings are doing IF the shocks are nice and fresh, valved accordingly and functioning 100%. Slow the rebound and the shock stays compressed for longer, keeping you in a body roll type situation. I may take to Jim and have a quick double check on charge ect. Just to rule out maybe one gone bad. Thinking back, right handers where the ones I pushed the worst. Along with a nasty, almost toss off, kick. Once settled with an off, back on throttle it would be ok. With bar on I may head out tomorrow and test. Close by are some good tight twisties with almost every corner whooped and fairly close to that river run we took. I now I can get 80/85 km/h into those corners with a blast to 90-110 till the next corner. Brake hard and into the next (for 5 miles, LOVE that stretch!! and of coarse its a 1 way. I'm in full blown race mode and soaked when I'm done that stretch) . Partner and my speeds yesterday were in the 70-80's until we hit freezing rain. But sketchy, unconfident speeds. I'll just unbolt one side and try. May get a little tap from bar here and there but should, for the most part, be ok for testing. Naturally conditions play a huge factor but I think it will help settle my thoughts on this. Groomed would be one beast, pounded would be another. I'm basically trying to find that happy medium of both worlds to get the ultimate of everyting I run into out my way in a day. (pits, jumping, pulverising drifts, to jumping) Will I, I'm sure I will. Either on with one shock setting or off with another setting. I just gotta find it.
I'm totally on the same page with the drifts and the way she kicks. Saying that, I've heard the trails in the Westhawk/Kenora area are groomed to a T and some of the best around.
Hopefully this lengthy post and future ones will help the next member decide if he even wants to even mess around with it

Ruggy You have clutch work done?
You able to use the rear end to help slide you out of push using power to break free track ? (I ask seeing you have a 144 as well)
Lastly, My spring is right as tight as it can go. Yours that tight?
Just 2 side thought, here, our trails are heavily used and whooped in almost every corner. (better further you go of coarse) It's a bit of continual timing that whoop just as you crest it to try and stay on the power hard and "blitz" the rest of them (for a lack of better words). I love how the 144 just bridges that gap!! To slow and you feel them all or slide over 1st, throttle through the rest. All trying to maintain that inside ski to stay planted or just up a comfortable amount.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

I have Ulmer's primary clutch kit and running the new style secondary and just bought a 41 helix which I'll try when I get home from Florida. I'm only using about 3/4 of the available preload on the front shocks. Don't recall what my limiter strap is set at. My 144 slides very little under full throttle, hooks up very well. I did adjust the camber by machining the upper BJ's but I don't think it make a huge difference. Also running the tuner skis with 4 and 2 inch carbides.

 

[ATV PRO #11]

Thanks Dave!! I have the "Costco" list from mumzie today so heading to the concrete village early. Make time to get back and hit the trails to test just one more time!!