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ZX2 TWO RIDES AND ALL I CAN SAY IS HOLY @#$%^&*!(#^$%!

Shane

Expert
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
387
Location
Niskayuna, NY
Website
www.fa.ml.com
Country
USA
Snowmobile
2014 YAMAHA VIPER LTX SE
2015 Ski-Doo 800 XRS Renegade
2012 Ski-Doo 600 ace
2010 Ski-Doo 600 e-tec GTX Limited
2007 Polaris Dragon 120
Absolutely 10000000000% EXACTLY what a Yamaha needs! :Rockon: This thing is SICK BOYS! I have now ridden it all. Groomer smooth, stutters, G outs and dips and rises you can make into small jumps with less than desireable landing zones (i.e. divits and bumps). This thing soaks it all like there was nothing there. On the hard pack the stock settings transfer weight perfectly for trail riding. Skiis come up just enough and it hooks!

I have had to tighten the track a few times but that is to be expected since I am in the initial 1,000 miles where it does stretch. At 70 degrees in the garage don't be afraid when there is less than what you would normally expect for sag. The suspension does in fact shrink some on the colder air and after tightening the track clunk went away instantly. The only adjustment I made from stock was on pre-load by following the manual.

I have installed Pilot 5.7's with 6 inch Woody's on the outside and middle. I am waiting for 8 inch Bergstrom Triple Points for the center. I have also installed Ohlins shocks up front and have preload on springs set as follows. I lifted the sled on my lift, loosened the pre-load adjusting collars all the way and then snugged them to the spring by hand. I believe I counted 26 threads showing above the locking ring to the top of the shock tower. The sled does still push in the corners and sometimes will lift the inside ski. I have the 13mm sway bar installed as well. I am hoping that with the Bergstroms (whenever they arrive probably not before Xmas) that some of the steering issues will go away. I have found that on really hard pack with proper body english it will rail. Any loose snow and you really have to "set" the sled into the corner by letting off the gas to get the front to bite. I am thinking of turning up the front clickers a touch to see if that helps in the corners.

The ZX2 has such amazing weight transfer that when you add throttle in the corners with loose snow you have to be careful that the skiis don't come back up off the snow. This "problem" as I have described it, is a MINIMAL trade off for the superior performance of the ZX2. I have also added the Ulmer Stage 3 Clutch Kit and cannot say enough about it as well. Nice low engagement, and pulls like a freight train all the way to the top. I hit 112 on the dream-o-meter yesterday and she was still pulling!

Overall I absolutely LOVE this set up! Is it a mogul masher like the REV? Nope. Not meant to be. But if you ride groomed trails and don't think you are the next Blair Morgan, this motor and suspension combo is as good as it gets. :-o

I rode the Rev XP 800 yesterday for a while. It is one hell of a sled. It really is. If I can get my ATTAK to turn with the same precision, I don't think that for trail riding purposes one can say that the new REV has anything over the ATTAK. I don't know what all these people are talking about when they complain about weight in the ATTAK. If set up correctly, it is not at all noticeable on trail conditions. Maybe if you sink it in 6 feet of snow, but then ANY sled is heavy! :ORC
 

Rode yesterday put on another 100+ miles on the ZX2. I followed the manual and moved the coupling pin one position to reduce the coupling effect and it now RAILS! I can only imagine with the 8 inch Bergstroms it will rock! The trails got bumped up and this skid ate it right up. Ran with a modified F7 and a new Rev 800 XP and the Rev and I were DEAD EVEN and the F7 was no where to be found! Thank you Mr. Ulmer and Mr. Boivin for making this sled everything I wanted!
 
I did the same thing as you, I switched the pins to position #5 and it brought my ski lift on the trails to a minimum. I still have a bit of lift in the corners, but I attribute that to the conditions today. Put another 200km on my ZX2 this weekend and really appreciate in the stutter bumps.

I am very happy about my purchase too. ;)!
 
Hey can you guys get the suspension to squat when you bounce on it? Wondering if we can make this a dead issue and put a sticky at the top. I just installed mine today and like evryone else its rock hard but I haven't got my engine in yet to ride. If I ride it and its comfortable then maybe I will write a sticky to help others.

Thanks for the reports, I cannot wait!!!!
 
This suspension breaks conventional wisdom in just about every area. According to Boivin it is not supposed to much if any set in at rest. Do not be alarmed or concerned. If you followed the instructions for the installation in your particular sled, I would not be concerned. My sled barely moves when I sit on it, and I have the preload set soft for my weight and I weigh 230 without gear.

Yamaha should follow what Polaris did with M-10 and take it another step further, by making this skid standard on all their sleds. Their sales would skyrocket!
 
kinger said:
Hey can you guys get the suspension to squat when you bounce on it? Wondering if we can make this a dead issue and put a sticky at the top. I just installed mine today and like evryone else its rock hard but I haven't got my engine in yet to ride. If I ride it and its comfortable then maybe I will write a sticky to help others.

Thanks for the reports, I cannot wait!!!!

When I get on board my sled it sets in about 1" (my weigth is about 98 kgs or 215 lbs all dressed up). When I stand on the rear end of the floorboards and rock up and down I get about 2-3 inch of movement. This was with the shock preload at #1 position. I have now set up the skid for my weight and (agressive) riding style. DO NOT WORRY, the ZX-2 skid performs like advertised.
 
Shane - thanks for the review, I've only ridden my sled for 5 miles but that was more that enough to agree 100% with what you have written :) the ZX-2 flat out outperforms all skids I've ever ridden.

I'm happy with it.
 
I went out last sunday and got about 50 kms or 30 miles on the ZX-2.

A week ago, I rode both my '05 RX-1 Mono, and my friends '08 FX Nytro RTX. Last sunday on the same trail, riding my ZX-2 equipped Turbo RX-1 a lot harder than I rode any of the sleds a week ago, I find the ZX-2 to be a superb skid. It is way softer over the stutters and small bumps than the FX Nytro RTX, and it takes the big ones like they where not there at all. The RTX didn't bottom out either on the big ones but it felt a lot stiffer. The ZX-2 doesn't feel stiff at all and it still doesn't bottom out, it feels soft all the way sucking up the nasties with ease.

I didn't ride the FX Nytro RTX past 50 mph over the big ones, at 50 mph the Nytro RTX handled the bigh ones just fine. It will probably take a lot of beating before bottoming out. What I found is that the RTX can take a beating with ease but it feels stiff until you really nail it over the big ones at speed. Slow to medium speed is kinda firm on the FX Nytro.

On my ZX-2 going 50 mph over the big ones were no problem either, no bottoming and if feels a lot smoother and softer over the big ones at speed compared to the FX Nytro RTX. The ZX-2 is soft all the way from slow riding to speeding over the big ones still without bottoming.

My front end Fox Floats are set at 50 lbs at the moment, too soft. I will have to increase pressure up front to match the ZX-2. I think I will go up 10 at the time until I'm happy with it. They did not bottom out one single time, but I feel that they are too soft compared to the rear end, a little too much dive into corners for my likings.

Again, I'm happy very with how my sled performs :)
 
Nice to hear everyone likes it so far........are any of you experienceing rathcheting with this skid or do you still have to run the track like a guitar string??hows slider wear?? Also does anyone know what bearings they ise in those wheels?? TIA
 
justinator - I have Ski-Doo extroverts drive sprockets, but running my turbo at 16 lbs making 280+ HP, I have not had it ratcheting at all. I have my track at 1" sag at +10C or 50F temps. By design this skid calls for a tight track at inside temps. Beyond freeze (0C or 32F) and colder the composite the skid is made of will contract or shrink making the track run looser. My track did not ratchet taking G-bumps at WOT. I don't think it will on a stock sled with stock drive sprockets either.
 


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