ZX2 vs well set up Mono

[Shane]

The Snow D.O.

I would like to learn a little more about what you did to your mono. I weigh about 230 in street clothes and ride a diverse set of trails. From long over night rides in Canada that are velvet smooth to the weekend stutters and G-outs of Lake George and Old Forge. I found the mono to run incredibly well in the stutters but the big stuff just crushed it and my back.

The ZX2 is no where near as good in the stutters but inthe big stuff it rocks. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Shane

 

[apltx08]

The Snow D.O.

I would like to learn a little more about what you did to your mono. I weigh about 230 in street clothes and ride a diverse set of trails. From long over night rides in Canada that are velvet smooth to the weekend stutters and G-outs of Lake George and Old Forge. I found the mono to run incredibly well in the stutters but the big stuff just crushed it and my back.

The ZX2 is no where near as good in the stutters but inthe big stuff it rocks. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Shane

Get your shock RE-VALVED, it makes a big difference, people tend to OVER spring and not calibrate their shock and you end up riding a KICKING donkey and BOTTOMING HARD! check your SAG it should be between 40-45mm see attached doc. I'm roughly your weight and installed a 6.5 spring, cam set at 4, "C" clip in 1st position and re-valved to my riding style and what a nice ride I now have...I also cut back a bit on my transfer rod (less) and pulled the limiter strap up 1 hole, I also bougth a set of CLICKERS for the front skis and got them shimmed/shortened 5/8" to bring the front end down +/- 2" she RAILS in corners!

 

[jzack]

I also bougth a set of CLICKERS for the front skis and got them shimmed/shortened 5/8" to bring the front end down +/- 2" she RAILS in corners! [/quote]

Unless you ALWAYS ride smooth trails, I never really undestood the logic of shortening your front shocks. Couldn't one just find a good multi-rate spring with a lower "ride-in" but same finish rate? That way you wouldn't lose travel but still have a lower ride height. You know, have your cake and eat it too so to speak?

 

[apltx08]

Unless you ALWAYS ride smooth trails, I never really undestood the logic of shortening your front shocks. Couldn't one just find a good multi-rate spring with a lower "ride-in" but same finish rate? That way you wouldn't lose travel but still have a lower ride height. You know, have your cake and eat it too so to speak?

 

[ahicks]

I also bougth a set of CLICKERS for the front skis and got them shimmed/shortened 5/8" to bring the front end down +/- 2" she RAILS in corners!

Unless you ALWAYS ride smooth trails, I never really undestood the logic of shortening your front shocks. Couldn't one just find a good multi-rate spring with a lower "ride-in" but same finish rate? That way you wouldn't lose travel but still have a lower ride height. You know, have your cake and eat it too so to speak?[/quote]

I don't think throwing away suspension travel that I just paid a ton of money for is a good plan either. We're in agreement. You control ride height/sag with your springs. A lot of guys have their sleds "railing" in the corners using full stroke suspensions.

"Slugging" has nothing to do with ride height anyway. It can only control the extended length of the shock. Most would agree there are not many guys setting their sleds up to run around on shocks that are fully extended all the time? Running at least SOME sag is a much better plan. If the shock is not fully extended, the "slugs" are not in play..... IMHO

 

[STAIN]

By adding spacers you can adjust the amount of extension your shock gets. Just imagine going around a corner--the outside shock compresess and the inside one extends. Now add spacers to make that inside shock "extend" less, effectivly giving you less "ride out". You can get less body roll and some flatter cornering with this type of set up. I am not saying I agree, I just see how it works.
I have the pioneer front end on my 05 RX1 and it is the best thing I have done to it. It gives the front end more "sit in", lowering the front end about and inch and a half. It is now 1 of the flatest cornering sleds I have ever ridden.
Limiter strap adjustment also has a big effect on body roll--cornering flatness?-- under power. It is almost the same idea as shock spacers only done with a strap .

 

[kinger]

Its ironic I run my front suspension at almost max preload on every sled we have and it almost eliminates body roll, each sled carves turns very nicely on the trail. I dont just adjust one thing though its a set up with the rear as well. It takes a long time to dial each one in, but once set just ride and hold on!

 

[ahicks]

By adding spacers you can adjust the amount of extension your shock gets. Just imagine going around a corner--the outside shock compresess and the inside one extends. Now add spacers to make that inside shock "extend" less, effectivly giving you less "ride out". You can get less body roll and some flatter cornering with this type of set up. I am not saying I agree, I just see how it works.
I have the pioneer front end on my 05 RX1 and it is the best thing I have done to it. It gives the front end more "sit in", lowering the front end about and inch and a half. It is now 1 of the flatest cornering sleds I have ever ridden.
Limiter strap adjustment also has a big effect on body roll--cornering flatness?-- under power. It is almost the same idea as shock spacers only done with a strap .

I play hard in the twisties. Technical woods riding. I run the front end of my sleds on the low side, paying close atttention to valving to prevent bottoming and provide ride control. For one of my sleds to extend the inside ski to its full length - even if slugged - I'd be running an incredible amount of body roll. Not acceptable using my setup.

Kinger says he likes his machine to run near the top in front. Agreed, slugging may be of some benifit under those conditions. Still hard for me to imagine though...

For one reason, running your front end on the tall side (extended) does not allow the sway bar to work properly. To work, the outside ski MUST be allowed to collapse enuough to transfer the body roll to that inside ski - lifting it effectively - to keep the front end flat. If you aren't going to allow the outside ski to collapse in the corners, you might as well remove the sway bar....

The other thing you run into with a tall (stiff) front end is way early inside ski lift. Scary at best...

None of this a big deal at all if playing in the corners isn't a priority. FWIW

 

[STAIN]

Agreed. I also run in some pretty tight stuff---and some high speed stuff. If your front end is too stiff then inside ski lift becomes a big concern, too soft and body roll get out of hand. There is also the balance of spring pressure and cornering effort and driveability. I am constantly changing spring pressure day to day to compansate for snow conditions, soft, hard, loose, groomed etc. In a nutshell your front end has to "work" and getting it right for each individual takes time

 

[kinger]

We couldn't get either vector or the RX1 to handle at all with the preload say at soft or medium, they would just roll and roll and roll like a mafia caddy. I ran the 13mm sway bar on mine too. Once I dialed the front shocks up to compensate for the ZX2 added height but softend up the compression on my Clickers it got real predicatable and it would fly around corners. I agree though; I got in a pinch once and the simmons really bite and that inside ski was about 1' in the air but I made the turn, missed the oncoming sled and didn't roll it, other then that it stays planted.

I may try again playing around with softening up the front this year since it seems to work for so many. I do adjust the clickers almost daily when riding to account for the different riding conditions. I love those things.