hi all. back when i was looking for info on the ez-ryde i didn't find much, so now that i've got a whole bunch of riding time on mine, i figured that i would try to help out the next guy.
i installed this setup to replace the stock skid on my 05 m7 with torque arm relocation and 2 wheel kit.
my ez-ryde is the one that is good for all track lengths from 151-155
on the bathroom scale, the ez-ryde was 8lbs lighter than stock skid. a little less than claimed for the m7, but this ez-ryde had a set of scratchers on it (+lbs), and the stock skid had the 2 wheel kit (-lbs).
installation was a piece of cake. the template supplied made hole layout easy. the skid bolted into place easier than the stock skid. hardest part was working my rivet gun.
1st impressions of the ride was that trail bumps were much less noticeable. very very smooth. but its not a magic carpet. it will still leave the ground if you hit stuff hard enough, but the sled wont pull the nose up, or buck the rear end at all. if you bounce off the bumps, the sled stays perfectly parallel with the ground. very very easy to maintain control and you rarely have to take your thumb off the throttle to hold your line. this is extremely helpful in the middle of a steep climb!!!
i did find that the balance points of the sled had changed a bit. i found that i had to change my body position to throw it around. took me a while to find the sweet spots, but now i find that boondocking and sidehilling is much improved over stock.
the claims that ez-ryde makes about less snow retention in the skid are 100% true. this is dependant on the snow conditions of course, sticky snow being the worst. in sticky snow, my skid stays totally clean and my suspension is still working. everyone else i ride with is carting around a ton of extra weight, and their suspension has zero travel as it slams into the huge ice ball underneath them. check out my attached pics. they look just like the ones from the ez-ryde website!
on the downside, you do lose some of the fun factor of the stock skid. catwalking off of little bumps or the tops of hills is now nearly impossible. it keeps the front end down almost too well. maybe you could get this back if you adjust the preload enough.
also, jumping is affected a bit. i find it to be an improvement on big jumps, as you have more control as you leave the lip, and landings are a bit softer. but its much harder to get the sled to leave the ground on little random bumps that you find here and there. i find that i have to hit stuff much faster. again, playing with the settings might help this out if that is important to you.
not sure how it stacks up to the new skids cat is using, but if the price tag doesn't scare you off, i doubt it will disappoint you.
i installed this setup to replace the stock skid on my 05 m7 with torque arm relocation and 2 wheel kit.
my ez-ryde is the one that is good for all track lengths from 151-155
on the bathroom scale, the ez-ryde was 8lbs lighter than stock skid. a little less than claimed for the m7, but this ez-ryde had a set of scratchers on it (+lbs), and the stock skid had the 2 wheel kit (-lbs).
installation was a piece of cake. the template supplied made hole layout easy. the skid bolted into place easier than the stock skid. hardest part was working my rivet gun.
1st impressions of the ride was that trail bumps were much less noticeable. very very smooth. but its not a magic carpet. it will still leave the ground if you hit stuff hard enough, but the sled wont pull the nose up, or buck the rear end at all. if you bounce off the bumps, the sled stays perfectly parallel with the ground. very very easy to maintain control and you rarely have to take your thumb off the throttle to hold your line. this is extremely helpful in the middle of a steep climb!!!
i did find that the balance points of the sled had changed a bit. i found that i had to change my body position to throw it around. took me a while to find the sweet spots, but now i find that boondocking and sidehilling is much improved over stock.
the claims that ez-ryde makes about less snow retention in the skid are 100% true. this is dependant on the snow conditions of course, sticky snow being the worst. in sticky snow, my skid stays totally clean and my suspension is still working. everyone else i ride with is carting around a ton of extra weight, and their suspension has zero travel as it slams into the huge ice ball underneath them. check out my attached pics. they look just like the ones from the ez-ryde website!
on the downside, you do lose some of the fun factor of the stock skid. catwalking off of little bumps or the tops of hills is now nearly impossible. it keeps the front end down almost too well. maybe you could get this back if you adjust the preload enough.
also, jumping is affected a bit. i find it to be an improvement on big jumps, as you have more control as you leave the lip, and landings are a bit softer. but its much harder to get the sled to leave the ground on little random bumps that you find here and there. i find that i have to hit stuff much faster. again, playing with the settings might help this out if that is important to you.
not sure how it stacks up to the new skids cat is using, but if the price tag doesn't scare you off, i doubt it will disappoint you.
