tshelver
Pro
I was following nhrxrider around on our 288 mile excursion this Saturday.
Impression is that he is a very quick rider, and he definitely does many, many more miles in a year than I do: he probably did more miles last year than I have done in my entire sledding career...
Much quicker than me in really rough conditions as well. But, I could always make up ground in the following corners, and I put that down to the Warrior as much as anything.
My impression following him is that his '03 had a lot more inside ski lift than my Warrior, and also didn't have the same amount of rear traction that I had: where he was on the limit of traction coming out of fast corners, I could put down more power and slowly catch up.
Only place the shorty seemed better was in a sub-5 mph right angle turn around the corner of a field, in ungroomed snow.
Most tight stuff I could keep up fine.
With the Ohlins shocks, big hits that were throwing me offline in corners before didn't seem to have much effect at all.
Here's the catch: my first ride of the season I wasn't sure I had bought the right sled. It had worse push in the corners, and more ski-lift than any other sled I have ever ridden in the last 6 years, except the Cat 660 Touringv we rented in Yellowstone a few years ago...
Bad darting as well. It wouldn't turn: brake and it went straight, accelerate and it went straight.
The sled was in the dealer for a bent front a-arm, and I took the opportunity to have Ohlins shocks installed. They also setup the rear skid too (I think) 30mm on the limiter strip, and 4th bar showing on the control rod. No ski changes or anything.
Well, it's like a totally different sled. Ski lift and push is 90% reduced. Darting is virtually eliminated (must have aligned the skis much better).
I'm still going to put more aggressive skis on (SLP Powderpros with Bergstrom skegs is what the intention is) to nail down the front even more, but right now it really doesn't seem to need them. Unfortunately I ordered the SLPs before riding the new setup...
The selling dealer setup must have sucked, and I suspect these sleds are very setup dependent for good handling. I have to assume that adding a passenger would have thrown your handling way out.
In anycase, I didn't buy the Warrior for max power or handling. I bought it for good tank range (75 - 80 miles on a tank that buddies with Rev 800s are getting would have really sucked on Saturday, as we _had_ to go 100 - 120 miles on a tank), reliability, lack of fiddling with servicing, maintenance, plugs, jetting el al, and a good mix of power, handling and ride.
I was also looking for less smoke and noise, already have enough tinnitus to last me a lifetime.
I tend to keep my sleds for a while (last sled was a 98 Yammie 700 that I was quite happy with until the RX1 came out), and I intend to keep this sled for some time as well.
Is it the best sled around? For the way I ride it, more than likely. The only thing that would run it close for me is the Rev / GSX SDI for riding the tight, bumpy woods trails where I live. Up north I'm more than happy with the Warrior on the smoother, faster trails.
As for being slow or fast, all I know is that we didn't hold up any other riders on Saturday, and caught up to and passed more than a few.
When all the fast Firecats were being recalled last year, I don't think they were passing all the other sleds on the trails...
Not saying it's the best sled for any other rider, totally depends on what you want from a sled.
Tony
Impression is that he is a very quick rider, and he definitely does many, many more miles in a year than I do: he probably did more miles last year than I have done in my entire sledding career...
Much quicker than me in really rough conditions as well. But, I could always make up ground in the following corners, and I put that down to the Warrior as much as anything.
My impression following him is that his '03 had a lot more inside ski lift than my Warrior, and also didn't have the same amount of rear traction that I had: where he was on the limit of traction coming out of fast corners, I could put down more power and slowly catch up.
Only place the shorty seemed better was in a sub-5 mph right angle turn around the corner of a field, in ungroomed snow.
Most tight stuff I could keep up fine.
With the Ohlins shocks, big hits that were throwing me offline in corners before didn't seem to have much effect at all.
Here's the catch: my first ride of the season I wasn't sure I had bought the right sled. It had worse push in the corners, and more ski-lift than any other sled I have ever ridden in the last 6 years, except the Cat 660 Touringv we rented in Yellowstone a few years ago...
Bad darting as well. It wouldn't turn: brake and it went straight, accelerate and it went straight.
The sled was in the dealer for a bent front a-arm, and I took the opportunity to have Ohlins shocks installed. They also setup the rear skid too (I think) 30mm on the limiter strip, and 4th bar showing on the control rod. No ski changes or anything.
Well, it's like a totally different sled. Ski lift and push is 90% reduced. Darting is virtually eliminated (must have aligned the skis much better).
I'm still going to put more aggressive skis on (SLP Powderpros with Bergstrom skegs is what the intention is) to nail down the front even more, but right now it really doesn't seem to need them. Unfortunately I ordered the SLPs before riding the new setup...
The selling dealer setup must have sucked, and I suspect these sleds are very setup dependent for good handling. I have to assume that adding a passenger would have thrown your handling way out.
In anycase, I didn't buy the Warrior for max power or handling. I bought it for good tank range (75 - 80 miles on a tank that buddies with Rev 800s are getting would have really sucked on Saturday, as we _had_ to go 100 - 120 miles on a tank), reliability, lack of fiddling with servicing, maintenance, plugs, jetting el al, and a good mix of power, handling and ride.
I was also looking for less smoke and noise, already have enough tinnitus to last me a lifetime.
I tend to keep my sleds for a while (last sled was a 98 Yammie 700 that I was quite happy with until the RX1 came out), and I intend to keep this sled for some time as well.
Is it the best sled around? For the way I ride it, more than likely. The only thing that would run it close for me is the Rev / GSX SDI for riding the tight, bumpy woods trails where I live. Up north I'm more than happy with the Warrior on the smoother, faster trails.
As for being slow or fast, all I know is that we didn't hold up any other riders on Saturday, and caught up to and passed more than a few.
When all the fast Firecats were being recalled last year, I don't think they were passing all the other sleds on the trails...
Not saying it's the best sled for any other rider, totally depends on what you want from a sled.
Tony
