Camso suspension?

[Misha Subo]

To believe fake news or not?

It seems to me like some of these posts (not saying which) sound a little like the manufacturer's agents are trying to rally the troops for next year's purchase? I'm not a conspiracy theorist but it would seem like if that were the case then many of these posts are what I'd expect to hear.

The simple truth is: all the kits have their pros and cons but if you look at their respective websites you begin to get a feeling for who has the funding and man/woman power (me too) to still be around in a few years to keep that development up to pace. After all, in this day and age the web is the way to convince your market. Some of the manufacturer's websites are pathetic, no?

 

[byeatts]

It seems to me like some of these posts (not saying which) sound a little like the manufacturer's agents are trying to rally the troops for next year's purchase? I'm not a conspiracy theorist but it would seem like if that were the case then many of these posts are what I'd expect to hear.

The simple truth is: all the kits have their pros and cons but if you look at their respective websites you begin to get a feeling for who has the funding and man/woman power (me too) to still be around in a few years to keep that development up to pace. After all, in this day and age the web is the way to convince your market. Some of the manufacturer's websites are pathetic, no?

Too funny I have every brand kit here to ride, and own multiple brands ,I Ride the best working kit out there , If there is a better kit I will be on it, ,If ewer intelligence excludes you from comprehending the benefits then so be it. Back to the topic the Camso does have a decent approach angle but lacks suspension which is contributing to the cracks in the tubular frame and side panels. The weight is also a drawback when floating in deep powder, the track is great.

 

[Misha Subo]

Ewer?

I knew it, fake news!!

Definition "ewer":

a pitcher with a wide spout. 2. Decorative Art. a vessel having a spout and a handle, especially a tall, slender vessel with a base. Origin of ewer.

Hey, that's just like the Camso side panels...

 

[ravenous]

Too funny I have every brand kit here to ride, and own multiple brands ,I Ride the best working kit out there , If there is a better kit I will be on it, ,If ewer intelligence excludes you from comprehending the benefits then so be it. Back to the topic the Camso does have a decent approach angle but lacks suspension which is contributing to the cracks in the tubular frame and side panels. The weight is also a drawback when floating in deep powder, the track is great.

As each day passes, I feel like my intelligence slips away a little more. If only I had ewer intelligence, maybe I could make more logical decisions, and I too would be riding the best working kit out there.Oh well.

 

[M5-]

OK, OK back on topic. Lets face it the suspension is pretty average. That said I hit a just buried log this weekend that clipped the aluminum tunnel tube HARD. The bike enoed and I went out the front door. The way it hit would have destroyed a Yeti tunnel no question and I'm not sure my TS would have survived either.

The Camso suspension is basic no doubt but the kit is tough. The spindle is tough, the ski is tough and so are the side panels the way they are built. Since installing the two new panels on two kits we have over a combined 60 rides on them with no cracking issues so maybe that one is licked. If not Camso overnighted me the new panel which took about an hour to install. That's the sum total of the maintenance I have done on the kit.

Where the maintenance begins is with the bike itself. Our riding group lost 2 FX's in the last 2 weeks. One at 110 hours and a second at an amazing 180 hours. Last season a third went down at 100 hours. The pics are from the 180 hour bike. 94 octane and a stock map.

If you are going to ride more than 30 days it takes 2 bikes to go without any interruptions. My YZ is coming up on 100 hours so it needs a piston basically right now. The 500 has a brand new top end so I may just ride it.

Most of the kits are really good and quite reliable with one notable exception. The problems almost always come from the bikes. If you hit $hit its not really the kits fault. I'd rather fold a spindle than buy new forks etc etc. Its no big deal to put on a new chain at 50 hours so on and so on.



M5

 

[dooman92]

Kits

M5 what were the issues that took out the fx's? Piston or crank issues? Thanks

 

[ravenous]

Sorry I got a little off topic with the "ewer" thing. Very juvenile of me. I find that for deep snow mountain riding the suspension is totally adequate. It doesnt matter if your an expert or a novice, its more about the type of riding you're into. If you want to take huge air and big hits on hard snow you will find it's limits pretty quick.But a seasoned expert will love it in the steep and deep and it will hold together just fine.So the idea that it's an "entry level" kit is wrong in my opinion. But of course there is room for improvement. Last year I broke everything on it, frame,side panels,limiter cable, and bent the shaft for the front idler wheels. All covered under warranty with no more than a four day wait for parts.The spindle and the ski seem indestructable. This year everything is holding together fine on the '18 kit,so far. I totally agree that the bike is usually the weak link as the hours add up.

 

[M5-]

That's pretty much it. Not glamorous at all but functional. Ravenous I think you are right the spindle and ski seem indestructable. As I've said before I am sold on the monorail layout to the point that I'm not interested in any kit with conventional rail spacing.

I ran into Jamie and Kevin nee of Yeti riding the other day and both said the same thing, they prefer the narrow rail spacing at 5.5. of the Yeti SS. The problem is that not even those guys know what Camso is going to do with the Yeti kit and whether they are going to produce a 12.5 inch 5.5 spaced Camso track. So unless they are making it and keeping it a secret as it stands now my options are 10.5 SS which seem to go anywhere the 12.5 does or a Camso DTS if you want narrow spacing, which I personally do.

The DTS would benefit from more travel as in 2-3 inches more which would give it a more plush ride and a trip to Jenny Craig wouldn't hurt. I expect that cam deal they have mounted on the rail for the spring for 2019 will help bottoming as its going to make it a progressive spring so theoretically they could go to a softer overall spring but that's all trail stuff anyways so really who cares. In the deep the thing climbs like a goat. Its never going to get a belt drive or really any other updates. IMO its reached the end of its development, it is what it is.

Here's what I want. I want Camso or CMX/Camso to produce a DTS style track in 129 and 137 2.5" x 12.5" punched and clipped at 5.5" 2.86 pitch and I will look after making the suspension myself.

As for the FX's if you look at the pics you can see the piston is cracked in half. 2 of them did this and the third the main crank bearing inner races cracked and started making metal. My theory relates to the FX transmission and being on the rev limiter in second gear all the time vs the YZ which has a longer second and can pull it with ease.


M5

 

[byeatts]

That's pretty much it. Not glamorous at all but functional. Ravenous I think you are right the spindle and ski seem indestructable. As I've said before I am sold on the monorail layout to the point that I'm not interested in any kit with conventional rail spacing.

I ran into Jamie and Kevin nee of Yeti riding the other day and both said the same thing, they prefer the narrow rail spacing at 5.5. of the Yeti SS. The problem is that not even those guys know what Camso is going to do with the Yeti kit and whether they are going to produce a 12.5 inch 5.5 spaced Camso track. So unless they are making it and keeping it a secret as it stands now my options are 10.5 SS which seem to go anywhere the 12.5 does or a Camso DTS if you want narrow spacing, which I personally do.

The DTS would benefit from more travel as in 2-3 inches more which would give it a more plush ride and a trip to Jenny Craig wouldn't hurt. I expect that cam deal they have mounted on the rail for the spring for 2019 will help bottoming as its going to make it a progressive spring so theoretically they could go to a softer overall spring but that's all trail stuff anyways so really who cares. In the deep the thing climbs like a goat. Its never going to get a belt drive or really any other updates. IMO its reached the end of its development, it is what it is.

Here's what I want. I want Camso or CMX/Camso to produce a DTS style track in 129 and 137 2.5" x 12.5" punched and clipped at 5.5" 2.86 pitch and I will look after making the suspension myself.

As for the FX's if you look at the pics you can see the piston is cracked in half. 2 of them did this and the third the main crank bearing inner races cracked and started making metal. My theory relates to the FX transmission and being on the rev limiter in second gear all the time vs the YZ which has a longer second and can pull it with ease.


M5

my opinion is a 12.5 track with 5.5 rail spacing will allow too much track flex and wash out on any set snow and also some in powder on sidehills. Again the CMX turns effortlessly and its due to the forward mount.BTW I also own a 129SS.

 

[Misha Subo]

Camso: second to none for threading the needle!

Wow, has winter past already? It has here out east but unless we can get out to BC again this spring, snow biking is definitely over for us in Ontario in 17/18.

The Camso has performed flawlessly through the trees and on the side hills. Even though the snow was crappy here this winter, I cannot complain at all about the Camso kit. Mounted to our 300 XCWs the single rail allows for a much reduced friction and lets that little pony climb, climb, climb... at a moments notice. Several times last weekend we got caught in a stand-still at the bottom of a steep climb and she just whipped right around and pulled me straight up asap. No shortage of power in the pow either but unfortunately there was not much chance to compare with those fresh snow conditions this winter anyway.

The warm weather is going to allow us to spend more time in the machine shop making brackets etc. to get these kits running with spare tanks, air forks, handle bar heat, thermostat and better lighting (a definite plus with the XCW). For once it's a drag to see the snow melt.

I'm hoping those rumors of frame cracking don't surface on our two kits. So far so good but does anyone know how we can put extra support to avoid the potential of cracking?

Perhaps I could mount my back country skis to the Camso roof-rack and it could double as a frame support?

 

[gdriscoll]

my opinion is a 12.5 track with 5.5 rail spacing will allow too much track flex and wash out on any set snow and also some in powder on sidehills. Again the CMX turns effortlessly and its due to the forward mount.BTW I also own a 129SS.

It's 5.5 at drivers 2.5 rails and 8.5 rear wheels.have not noticed any track flex very solid on sidehills.On the CMX how far is it from the leading edge of track to back of ski.

 

[Fwd55]

I'm hoping those rumors of frame cracking don't surface on our two kits. So far so good but does anyone know how we can put extra support to avoid the potential of cracking?

Perhaps I could mount my back country skis to the Camso roof-rack and it could double as a frame support?

adding 2 link that would go from the pegs pins to the camso structure could help reduce that flex and share the load