My father-in-law has an 09 RMK Shift and would like to improve sidehill performance. What set-up would you advise?
James
James
Sidehill
- Thread starter jamead
- Start date
How good of a rider is your father in law and what shape is he in?
I have not seen a magic part that will replace practice and fitness. ... I have seen that chassis do amazing things in the hands of a good rider.
You might just want to treat yourself to a riding clinic with Dan Adams at [URL="http://nextlevelclinics.com/"]Next Level Clinics[/URL] ... and save your money on the equipment. You will learn more about letting the machine do the work and throttle control than you can believe.
Hands down the absolute single best mod... Improve your athletic capability and endurance.
There are some other good Riding clinics out there as well... Like Amber Holt and Bret Rasmussen
Good luck
I have not seen a magic part that will replace practice and fitness. ... I have seen that chassis do amazing things in the hands of a good rider.
You might just want to treat yourself to a riding clinic with Dan Adams at [URL="http://nextlevelclinics.com/"]Next Level Clinics[/URL] ... and save your money on the equipment. You will learn more about letting the machine do the work and throttle control than you can believe.
Hands down the absolute single best mod... Improve your athletic capability and endurance.
There are some other good Riding clinics out there as well... Like Amber Holt and Bret Rasmussen
Good luck
Last edited:
Practice! If you can't sidehill on that sled it probably won't happen.
My wife's sled is a rmk shift 600 and i can sidehill that thing from coast to coast with no problem and it is stock out of the box.. Maybe he should try wrong foot forward and counter steering... Those shifts just lay over so nicely and what is even sicker is that my New Pro is soooo much lighter... So lets see some SSSSSSNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOWWWWWWW......................
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I will assume your father-in-law has minimal experience. If he has been out a while, so be it.
I find it best for a new rider to practice side-hilling on flat ground. Get them on the left side of the sled with their correct foot forward (left), and the incorrect foot behind (right). Now lean the right knee into the seat so you have in effect 3 points of contact on the sled without hanging on. At very slow speeds, <5 mph, lean away from the sled and turn away (right) and get the sled to start to lean up on its side. I'm thinking the sled may only be at a 20-30° angle, but for an inexperienced rider it can feel intimidating. Now the rider can start steering by turning, (sounds simple, but the natural tendency is to let the sled set back down) as the sled will tend to veer to the left. If the rider can practice getting the sled up on one ski and riding for a distance, then have them try the other ski. I believe this helps them build confidence that they can control/guide the sled at an angle other than flat.
Next is my theory and I'm sticking to it.
Picture a long skewer running through the length of the sled entering and leaving at the mid point of each bumper. Assume the roll center is exactly at this point so that if the sled was picked up by this skewer it could easily be spun like a pig on a spit and not have a heavy side. Now, picture your sled on a treadmill with the skewer anchored. To get the sled to roll to the left, you need to turn right, to in a sense, roll the sled underneath the roll center (skewer) and bringing the handlebars closer to you (again assuming you are on the left side of the machine). If you were on the right side, you would steer left to roll the sled under its roll center again. This action of turning away from the direction you really intend to go is called the counter steer. I also believe that as speed increases, you don't need to add as much counter steer input to make the machine respond. I think this is where beginners get uncomfortable again because the machine responds so quickly to too much input, and catches them off guard. Now as the rider gets more saddle time, they will find that more counter steering may be required as the side slope increases (beyond the 20-30° angle that they got comfortable with on the flat ground).
As they get experience and take on steeper or longer runs, they will have to learn where to place their weight on the boards. On steeper runs, the rider should be watching the sled angle in correlation to travel direction. If they are too far back on the board, the rear of the sled can wash out and not be very responsive. If the rider is too far forward, the inside ski may bury too deep and tend to roll the sled into the hill more than necessary and therefore start to loose traction/ground speed.
Now, at the end of a good ride, have them show you how well they can ride on one ski on the flat. I believe these two ideas are related.
I find it best for a new rider to practice side-hilling on flat ground. Get them on the left side of the sled with their correct foot forward (left), and the incorrect foot behind (right). Now lean the right knee into the seat so you have in effect 3 points of contact on the sled without hanging on. At very slow speeds, <5 mph, lean away from the sled and turn away (right) and get the sled to start to lean up on its side. I'm thinking the sled may only be at a 20-30° angle, but for an inexperienced rider it can feel intimidating. Now the rider can start steering by turning, (sounds simple, but the natural tendency is to let the sled set back down) as the sled will tend to veer to the left. If the rider can practice getting the sled up on one ski and riding for a distance, then have them try the other ski. I believe this helps them build confidence that they can control/guide the sled at an angle other than flat.
Next is my theory and I'm sticking to it.
Picture a long skewer running through the length of the sled entering and leaving at the mid point of each bumper. Assume the roll center is exactly at this point so that if the sled was picked up by this skewer it could easily be spun like a pig on a spit and not have a heavy side. Now, picture your sled on a treadmill with the skewer anchored. To get the sled to roll to the left, you need to turn right, to in a sense, roll the sled underneath the roll center (skewer) and bringing the handlebars closer to you (again assuming you are on the left side of the machine). If you were on the right side, you would steer left to roll the sled under its roll center again. This action of turning away from the direction you really intend to go is called the counter steer. I also believe that as speed increases, you don't need to add as much counter steer input to make the machine respond. I think this is where beginners get uncomfortable again because the machine responds so quickly to too much input, and catches them off guard. Now as the rider gets more saddle time, they will find that more counter steering may be required as the side slope increases (beyond the 20-30° angle that they got comfortable with on the flat ground).
As they get experience and take on steeper or longer runs, they will have to learn where to place their weight on the boards. On steeper runs, the rider should be watching the sled angle in correlation to travel direction. If they are too far back on the board, the rear of the sled can wash out and not be very responsive. If the rider is too far forward, the inside ski may bury too deep and tend to roll the sled into the hill more than necessary and therefore start to loose traction/ground speed.
Now, at the end of a good ride, have them show you how well they can ride on one ski on the flat. I believe these two ideas are related.
Question for you James? Are you just using your father-in-law for a front and it is you that can't sidehill? Cuz if you can then why don't you just teach him? Cuz there are not parts per say that make you sidehill better just you knowing how and pushing yourself and your seld to your edge.....
I guess i wasn't clear in my question. my father-in-law is a very experienced and very skilled rider who has been an avid enthusiast for longer than i've been alive. last year he purchased 09 IQ shift and it is a huge upgrade from the old Phazers we were riding. He was wondering if there are any suspension tweaks or tune-ups he can make to help lay the sled over. I can't provide much help since i still ride old school sleds.
james
james
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
It sounds like it is just going to take some adjustment to the nut behind the bars. That sled will almost side-hill without him on it.
If you are coming from a Phazer, there is a definite likelihood that the ski stance is different, as is the overall weight of the sled. If you adjust the ski stance to the minimum (39") you will still be wider than the Phazer ever was (38.6" I believe). I think this was mentioned in the previous responses, but from personal experience there is a huge difference when you go to the narrower setting. So, I guess the best thing to do would be relearn throttle timing to help roll 'er over, take some ephedrine (kidding), and ride-ride-ride. At least he didn't buy an XP to wrestle with
Have fun and safe winter!!
-T
Have fun and safe winter!!
-T
S
sledneck_03
Well-known member
remove the sway bar
C
Clarke673
Somewhere between too dumb to quit and flat earth
Work the throttle and use your hips, counter steer and look where you want to go, not where your scared you might end up. Practice spinning around in a meadow with deep snow. If you are having trouble holding your line, get more of your weight forward and leaning into the hill.
Things NOT to do. The worst is looking where you don't want to go, because you always end up there. 2nd worst is buying a lefty throttle. They are a waste of time, money, and are dangerous.
