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Holy Wow! Was my first impression after 5 minutes on the new FAST Airwave rear suspension.
This suspension offers unparalleled trail performance, and a far greater range of comfort and control than any other suspension I've sampled. I didn't have to adjust the sled's speed to suit conditions, or my own preferences. On my first FAST ride I couldn't help but think how much suspensions have developed in a short time. Much of this development is owed to Team FAST.
Where did it begin?Throughout its history, Team FAST's Gerard and David Karpik, have embraced fresh ideas, used a variety of technologies and undertaken development to release landmark products. By using air ride technology and advanced geometry rear suspension, the Airwave surpasses current rear suspension performance by a wide margin. But that shouldn't be a surprise, FAST pioneered long travel suspension technology, rear suspension arm coupling and a long list of other important products that have changed snowmobiling.
For years, FAST has taken a different approach to trail suspensions. While many OEMs offered rising rate rear suspensions, FAST took the opposite approach with its M-10, which used a falling rate on compression and rising rate on rebound. The suspension absorbed bumps through a balance between the rear arm's gas shocks and triple rate springs. The rising rate on rebound made the suspension much easier to tune, and hence, control.
In turn, the M-10 rear arm quickly extended to meet each bump, and the dreaded rear skid kickback was largely dialed out. As a result, M-10 provided superior bump absorption in common 4- to 12-inch trail bumps, and it earned a reputation as a plush touring sled suspension. But with the proper setup and tuning, the M-10 could tackle larger bumps in the nastiest, whooped out terrain. However, the rider had to understand the M-10's settings and how to set a variety of adjustments, which included the FRA (Full Ranger Adjuster), adjustable crossover tube length, spring preload setting, and external shock damping adjustments. Some riders were overloaded with setup options and therefore didn't get the most out of the suspension, especially when trail conditions changed.
FAST recognized the complexity of the original M-10 and realized an opportunity to improve ride quality, save weight and increase efficiency. Enter the Airwave.
Airwave changes the rulesWeight is always a factor in suspension design. the Airwave's air shocks eliminated the coil over shocks to provide weight savings. The rear arm's shock is 11½-inches in length and provides 8½-inches of damping. The air shocks head is completely contained within the air spring, so it's readily protected from debris, dirt and water. Therefore, the shock will not become contaminated and suffer fade like an internal floating piston gas shock.
The front and the rear arms retain equal length, and use the same basic architecture as the original M-10. The front arm is made of 4130 Chromoly while the rest of the skid is primarily made of CNC machined billet aluminum.