rider forward opinions needed

[geo]

Very true WHM. Rider forward, rider neutral, rider rearward, when going up or down with and 11-12ft board you need to move.

 

[snowmobiler]

Sound like skidoo wins this topic.you can go farther forward if you want to.

 

[freekweet mods]

Yup, wins this topic in last place.

 

[mtncat1]

Sound like skidoo wins this topic.you can go farther forward if you want to.

do you think it will be good if doo's next chassis should be more forward the same or back off a little foot placement on boards aside

 

[Mountain_Man]

Conditions differ (riding style, snow, and terrain), riders differ (in more ways than one, reaction time, weight and strength being prime actors), you don't have to be forward all the time to make it work. If the sled is over reacting move back and/or reduce your input, if it isn't responding move up (or shift weight to the side, the right one, I mean the correct one) or get more quicker and more assertive with your moves. Experiment and find YOUR balance points for your style and conditions. Learn from others, but learn from yourself too, after all you are riding your sled, not someone else.

 

[Vertical-Extreme]

I'm liking my cat with the c3 post forward kit way better this year. It holds steep side hills much better , is better with downhill turns, and is way more predictable over all. If you line in the spindles with an XM the bars line up perfectly now too, and now with ALT impact making a 36 inch front end for the pc, they will be an awesome machine...even though it's getting close to just being a doo lol. But over all I feel the rider forward is the way to go with the current chassis designs

 

[rulonjj]

I think the biggest thing guys need to learn, is that just because the foot wells are forward doesn't mean you need to stand in them all the time.

I do findmyself on downhill maneuvers wanting to get my feet farther forward. ON the doo, I love that, I can shove my feet up in the little footwell notches and get it to roll into a downhill roll super easily. That being said it took me a minut to realize most of the time I need to stand back just a little as riding around with your feet jammed forward created a very darty sled with too much input from the nose.

Each sled is different, and dont try and say the sled doesnt work because you hopped on it and tried to ride it like your sled. They each take a second to get used too and have their own riding style going with it.

This is what I found on the Xm as well. Going downhill I get way up front as well as some side hill situations. Going downhill and wanting to turn back uphill is real easy with my feet up in the notches. Uphill I stand back just a bit and it makes it so easy to change directions with just a turn of my head pretty much.

 

[boondocker97]

My thoughts from the 36" wide, 2-5/8" forward Cat front end thread: It seems we are starting to hit the point on current mountain sled chassis from all the manufacturers where "rider forward" has diminishing returns without mods like this. Moving the rider forward puts the center of mass closer to the rider and makes it easier to control. The negative is that when you are initially tipping the sled over, you are closer to the wider part of the sled (a-arms) and it takes more effort initially to get it over. Moving the spindle forward and narrowing the stance then makes it easier to tip over. I'm guessing the next thing we will start noticing as the trend continues is that we are making the sled longer, which in turn will make direction changes tougher. Then I imagine the next "revolution" in mountain handling will come when a manufacturer figures out how to move the motor and drive train back and put it right under the rider and shortens the sled back up!

 

[rulonjj]

I agree with the idea that the skis are to close to the rider. They need to put the skis out in front of the engine and rider further. The Xm washes out easier than the pro. A lot of it is the body is to wide but with the skis more under the weight they kinda act as a pivot point for the rest of the sled to swing around or wash out. At least that's my thoughts on it. It seems that moving the rider and engine back a little and leaving the skis where they are would be a good move. At least in skidoos case.

 

[freekweet mods]

If I was a bettin' man I would bet that ski doo has the engine behind the jackshaft on the next mountain platform. 2017?

 

[d1100t]

If I was a bettin' man I would bet that ski doo has the engine behind the jackshaft on the next mountain platform. 2017?

What about above the drive shaft like John deere did in 1972
I can see one of the manufacture's placing the motor above the drive shaft.
Couldn't cats lay down motor design be modified to lay flatter on the front/top of the tunnel and mount the drive train and driven clutch ahead of the motor.

 

[d1100t]

I've got a pic of 1972 John deere but I don't know how to post it

 

[RobertTrivanovic]

I think Doo over did it, whenever I try to do anything on it I feel like im going to go over the bars, I just cant figure out how to ride it comfortably. But saying that, thats just me, different people like different things. I think its great that Doo is really rider forward, I have no desire to buy one but other people do, gotta keep the market open to what everyone likes. Personally im going with a Poo, the Cats are a nice in between option id say. Its all personal preference which is why there is no answer to your question because the answer is different for everybody.

 

[eddy]

Rider forward

A snowmobile will ride like a dirtbike when you get your hips over the CG.
IMHO we have a way to go forward, at least another 2", on the bars and steering post.

Is that one of the reasons snow bikes seem to handle so well?

 

[turboless terry]

My thoughts from the 36" wide, 2-5/8" forward Cat front end thread: It seems we are starting to hit the point on current mountain sled chassis from all the manufacturers where "rider forward" has diminishing returns without mods like this. Moving the rider forward puts the center of mass closer to the rider and makes it easier to control. The negative is that when you are initially tipping the sled over, you are closer to the wider part of the sled (a-arms) and it takes more effort initially to get it over. Moving the spindle forward and narrowing the stance then makes it easier to tip over. I'm guessing the next thing we will start noticing as the trend continues is that we are making the sled longer, which in turn will make direction changes tougher. Then I imagine the next "revolution" in mountain handling will come when a manufacturer figures out how to move the motor and drive train back and put it right under the rider and shortens the sled back up!

I guess i have to disagree. The closer you are to front end and footwells the easier it is to tip up. The closer you are to the main mass of any object the easier it is to move. Imo if you have to move the skis and spindles way forward that is a tell tale sign they went too far.

 

[mtncat1]

I think the difference between a sled and a bike is more to do with engine location rather than rider position . if you were to move the rider forward on a bike I don't think it would improve any thing in regards to handling .