CMX vs ARO 3 vs Riot
- Thread starter kinneyt
- Start date
Im in the same boat. Was all set on a new CMX but now im not 100% sure anymore. Unfortunately not that many people ride CMX. and out of those how many have ridden a riot or an ARO 3 is even smaller. Maybe none. So any info we get is just educated (or uneducated) guesses. We just have to wait and try them out...
I was looking at an ARO 3 and was pretty dissapointed in the clearance for the 3" track. It rubs on the frame. I find that unacceptable
Right off the bat I see some for sure mods to the Riot ? I have most of the parts already sitting on the bench for mine. CMX ? Always good reports, not far from my house, could drive over and take a look, I have watched their product for 4 or 5 years, all good...............revolutionary product..........no. Good but not life changing. Its snow we need and better bikes.
CMX is a premium kit for a premium price so not for everyone. General benefits over ANY TS kit is belt drive, better ski, better spindle, build quality, and more forward mounting position. The CMX is playful like a Riot but also has less ski pressure when off the throttle because of the further forward mounting of the skid/track. The CMX also has a lower approach angle which reduces tranching and deep pow performance. The ARO 3 is going to be the best deep power kit with the 3" lug but is going to take the most power to run good. The Riot is limited in being a 120 only and despite being fully uncoupled with good weight transfer it's mounted further back than the CMX which is an important factor. Another thing to consider is the incredible customer service by CMX vs. the poor customer service and parts availability with Polaris/Timbersled.
Riot = playful value kit
ARO 3 = deep pow performance - needs the most HP
CMX = Best combination of deep pow and playfulness in a premium build quality
Riot = playful value kit
ARO 3 = deep pow performance - needs the most HP
CMX = Best combination of deep pow and playfulness in a premium build quality
For my Riot when installed:
move kit forward and eliminate the primary chain tension-er and its excessive drag
new tension-er in chain case
new gearing to go with the mods above
new low friction DID o ring chain
heat exchanger in tunnel
useful rear bumper
fuel can mount
I will ride it and begin working on shock revalving and new springs, there was quite a bit of room for improvement on the TS and ARO kits with better shock setup, far better trail manners.
Front spindle and ski ? I am running the same now, remains to be seen how much better it can work with adjustements when running the Riot susension.
move kit forward and eliminate the primary chain tension-er and its excessive drag
new tension-er in chain case
new gearing to go with the mods above
new low friction DID o ring chain
heat exchanger in tunnel
useful rear bumper
fuel can mount
I will ride it and begin working on shock revalving and new springs, there was quite a bit of room for improvement on the TS and ARO kits with better shock setup, far better trail manners.
Front spindle and ski ? I am running the same now, remains to be seen how much better it can work with adjustements when running the Riot susension.
I don't have any insight on the CMX as I've never rode one but got to spend a little time on a demo in the mountains on an ARO3 and RIOT. I've only owned TS kits, 13 and 17. I've rode a bit on a Snowtech MX and MotoTrax just to give a little background.
The first thing I noticed was the RIOT on the trail, it seemed to be so much more planted, less teeter totter. It took less power to take off and seemed to be able to maintain track speed better. The drivetrain overall seemed more efficient.
Jumped on the ARO3 and it did pull some lines and seemed to do well all around. Although I'm not sure if it was just the FX450s they had demos on or it was that track but it was underwhelming power wise. Could have been the bike but I do feel like that track is going to need a lot of power to turn.
The RIOT had a new feel compared to snowbikes I've rode of the past, I ended up snowchecking one. Twiddling my thumbs till it gets here
The first thing I noticed was the RIOT on the trail, it seemed to be so much more planted, less teeter totter. It took less power to take off and seemed to be able to maintain track speed better. The drivetrain overall seemed more efficient.
Jumped on the ARO3 and it did pull some lines and seemed to do well all around. Although I'm not sure if it was just the FX450s they had demos on or it was that track but it was underwhelming power wise. Could have been the bike but I do feel like that track is going to need a lot of power to turn.
The RIOT had a new feel compared to snowbikes I've rode of the past, I ended up snowchecking one. Twiddling my thumbs till it gets here
Boondocker99 has got it right!
