My thoughts on shocks that came with my AXYS-mtn.

[Uncle Bob]

This is just my opinion here, but i think it needs to be thrown out there so it is not forgotten in your personal comparison. I am new to polaris this year rode cats for 25 years but wanted to try something new and i am enjoying the axis so far. But my number one complaint so far is the shocks on this sled. the basic shocks are junk, the upgraded clicker should be the base package and pro snow checks should have something far better like every other brand. Having said that when changing ski stance it most definitely changes shock performance. i pulled my sway bar off and liked the feel as it is a more familiar feel to me but there is no way the shocks can be adjusted properly to work with out a spring and valve change. so dont forget the shocks,just my two cents

 

[mountainhorse]

Bob,
moved your post to it's own thread to keep the other on topic.

When you say "junk" what are you referring to?

What aspects of them, specifically, do you not like?

What do you weigh?

What kind of riding do you do?

Where do you ride/live?

How much whoop-bashing and trail riding do you do?


.

 

[CO Powder]

I could definitely feel a difference between my '14 Pro and the '16 Cat demo with Float Evol 3's on the hard spring snow.


On soft snow I just live with the stockers, they aren't that bad, and once in the pow I don't think it really matters much.


It isn't a big enough difference for me to justify thousands extra for a shock package YMMV

 

[Falcon1772]

I swear I already blew out my rear shock on mine, I dont do big jumps or anything like that. track rarely if ever leaves the snow. Dealer took it apart and said it wasnt blown but it feels so soft and weak now. I wish I could afford a full set of shocks.

 

[tbeaton]

first let me say I know nothing about shock tuning. I'm on my 4th rmk, 3 with stock we and 1 with piggy backs. I'm in new England and we ride more trail than most to get to spots. I ride whooped out **** all the time and pound them like I did on my shorty without issue. I don't even touch them out of the box for the most part. I'm sure if I had a clue of how to tune a shock I would prob throw the stocks out, but honestly i throw everything I have at these things and have not had any issues since 2012. I'm 225 no gear.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Bob,
moved your post to it's own thread to keep the other on topic.

When you say "junk" what are you referring to?

What aspects of them, specifically, do you not like?

What do you weigh?

What kind of riding do you do?

Where do you ride/live?

How much whoop-bashing and trail riding do you do?


.

Ya no problem, i thought it was an important point when changing the entire dynamic of how the front end works and not adjusting shocks, but i can see how it might steer the topic off course. anyway im by no means a shock pro but i do know enough to be able to take advantage of adjustable shocks. I do weight 230 plus gear and most of my riding areas are extremely rough on the ride in and out.
So my main complaint with the front end is for me it stacks up in the whoops. the only adjustment for this is spring pressure, but too much of this and it will push back too hard on a side hill. the rear end is a far bigger problem with my weight. i can feel it fade every mile, and soon bottoms on every whoop and i dont even have the jerry can on yet, so whats the option, spring pressure, now it kicks on the trail and trenches in the powder. And believe me i know with my weight and riding style im just at the limit of the stockers. i could have got the upgraded WE clickers but thought for the money i will put it into premium shocks. Now i realize the other three brands offer different levels of shocks but all the others especially anything with fox can be made compliant in stock form for heavier more aggressive riders. I jut feel this is one area that gets overlooked on the rmk, the rest of the sled is alot of fun but there is big gap between the factory option shocks and 3500 worth of burrant shocks that they could be taking advantage of. Polaris riders deserve better.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

Ya no problem, i thought it was an important point when changing the entire dynamic of how the front end works and not adjusting shocks, but i can see how it might steer the topic off course. anyway im by no means a shock pro but i do know enough to be able to take advantage of adjustable shocks. I do weight 230 plus gear and most of my riding areas are extremely rough on the ride in and out.
So my main complaint with the front end is for me it stacks up in the whoops. the only adjustment for this is spring pressure, but too much of this and it will push back too hard on a side hill. the rear end is a far bigger problem with my weight. i can feel it fade every mile, and soon bottoms on every whoop and i dont even have the jerry can on yet, so whats the option, spring pressure, now it kicks on the trail and trenches in the powder. And believe me i know with my weight and riding style im just at the limit of the stockers. i could have got the upgraded WE clickers but thought for the money i will put it into premium shocks. Now i realize the other three brands offer different levels of shocks but all the others especially anything with fox can be made compliant in stock form for heavier more aggressive riders. I jut feel this is one area that gets overlooked on the rmk, the rest of the sled is alot of fun but there is big gap between the factory option shocks and 3500 worth of burrant shocks that they could be taking advantage of. Polaris riders deserve better.

All this is true except.
For the last 20 years polaris sleds have came from the factory set up for about a 140# rider. If you ride aggressive and weigh more than that a $300-$500 revalve and or respring is in order.
Polaris builds these things for deep snow, if you ride more rough stuff maybe you should consider a sks or assault.

I weigh 220# and had a local shock guy set up my sled for about $500. It takes the whoops like a champ now.

 

[Devilmanak]

They are soft. Really soft, set up like was said for a light rider I guess. Too bad the majority of Axys buyers are not 140 pounds. My 13 Pro was silly soft also. It would blow through the travel on light hits. Axys seems even worse. Buddy Carl's valved his, loves it now and hated it stock. He is under 200 geared. Just for reference, both my T3 sleds are the same way, soft. I can bottom them on the smallest of g-outs, yet when skipping across the top of nasties it is really good, until I drop into one and bounce across the next 5, lol.
Manufacturers want mountain sleds to go through deep snow, it sells sleds. Stiff suspension doesn't climb on top of snow as well as soft. Polaris isn't going to make trail friendly suspension if it hurts the deep snow performance for magazine shootouts. Freerides and Assaults are the compromise they put out for trail and deep. (Even though they ARE a compromise for both.)

 

[mountainhorse]

Bob,

A set of heavy springs from Raptor or Zbroz... and a revalve would help.

But for your weight... and riding requirements... I don't think you'll be happy until you upgrade to a new set of shocks that are custom tailored for you.


.

 

[Rick!]

All this is true except.
For the last 20 years polaris sleds have came from the factory set up for about a 180# rider. If you ride aggressive and weigh more than that a $300-$500 revalve and or respring is in order.
Polaris builds these things for deep snow, if you ride more rough stuff maybe you should consider a sks or assault.

I weigh 220# and had a local shock guy set up my sled for about $500. It takes the whoops like a champ now.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

Fixed it for ya.

Hey that's great that the stock setup has worked for you.
Not everyone rides hard and fast.
Don't feel bad for yourself, trying to change what other people's opinions are just helps everyone else understand your riding style.
And there's nothing wrong with that!!
I just base my opinions on the 10 or so guys i ride with, and even the 150# guys that are noobs are wanting a little more spring or compression damping.
The more aggressive guys are just that much worse.

 

[RMK935VA]

Hey that's great that the stock setup has worked for you.
Not everyone rides hard and fast.
Don't feel bad for yourself, trying to change what other people's opinions are just helps everyone else understand your riding style.
And there's nothing wrong with that!!
I just base my opinions on the 10 or so guys i ride with, and even the 150# guys that are noobs are wanting a little more spring or compression damping.
The more aggressive guys are just that much worse.

I have the Walker Evans shocks revalved by Carl's. I also have the middle weight rear track shock spring (230). All I can say is that it is a great setup. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying aftermarket shocks too. I ran a similar setup on my 11 and 13. All worked well but this time is way better. I had to increase the preload on the front shocks for my weight, style, etc.

The revalved shocks work better than anything else I have ever experienced. The fast trail ride, bumps, deep powder experiences have all been positive. I agree that the stock valving is too soft for most riders who weigh over 150 lbs. Call Carl's for a good fix at a reasonable price.