Yeah, I'm with Ridin High here....
I got the new pro last year. Rode it stock for a few months to learn the chassis (was coming from a Rev chassis) and then I started modding it. I really wanted to FEEL the difference in each modification that I did so I went slowly as much as I wanted to pile it all on there at once!! After a full season of SLOWLY making changes I can confidently say, stock is great but the modifications I made were even better!
Anyway, the first thing I did was step into the TS skid. It was the 2011 skid so not his new updated one. I rode that skid with the exit shocks for another month or more before I made any other changes to the sled. My preferred style of riding is technical mtn riding. Lots of 'boondocking' but on steep terrain and in areas where failure is not really an option!!
What I found MOST impressive about the TS skid was it's ability to soak things up. Transfer was good, ability to get up on top of the snow and actually WORK was wonderful but for me the scariest thing is when I'm side-hilling above some really nasty stuff and I see a transition in the snow. Previously, they were doable but they took a lot of effort from me and every time my heart would STOP while I was doing them. The first time I hit a nasty one on my TS skid I was all sorts of braced and ready for a buck or a slide out... no such thing, she just cruised right through it!!! That right there to ME made it worth it because that is where I can total a sled or stick my line!!
since then I've done a bunch of work to the sled, including a turbo. Again, with a slight geometry change putting it into the coupled position (after adding tunnel stiffeners!) I was amazed at how solid the sled felt!! This season I stepped into the 2012 skid since having the ability to adjust the coupling will be PRICELESS for me having a turbo and going from TIGHT technical trees where some wheely power is good to wide open LONG chute climbs in Revy where I want that nose PLANTED!!
I also stepping into the front end this season with my sled. I had a chance to ride a demo sled of Allen's last season that had the front end done as well and whooo-hoooo was it fun!! Responsive and just plain FUN is the best way I can describe it! And that is for technical, tight trees, small back country hits, general RIDING!
The one thing I did NOT get to test was just the front end configuration. However.... One of my friends who was riding with us on that day Allen had a demo sled out (we were actually demoing the MtnHorse kits and he was short one so we had to take turns on those and his Pro with his full suspension). After one ride on that new suspension my friend went home and started crunching the numbers to step into his front end for this season. She swapped into a new pro and before she even rode it had his new front end on it. I just got feedback that she took it out for the first time a few weeks ago and was AMAZED at how well it worked for her! She is NOT an aftermarket person usually and didn't want to go all out but really wanted a sled that made her life easier when boondocking. The new front end did that for her and she is SOLD on his products!!
So that's the feedback I can give. It's really tough to know someone's riding style and if you're on the same page describing things to them. tough to put things in words when it's really a feel you get on the mtn... different snow conditions can really make certain differences shine too ya know???
I'm stoked I took the time to mod my sled slowly this time around, the last time I did a sled build I pretty much did it over the summer so it was just a whole new machine when the following winter came! Being able to see slight changes each time I did something different was REALLY nice to know what products were working and what weren't.... and I would say, for me, the TS skid WORKED!
Oh, and a slight addition here.... I've had a few people hop on my sled just to take her for a spin and more than once I have gotten GREAT feedback on how she handles. A lot of people don't get into detail for me but they say she just feels good (which she does, she stays under you and working for you rather than against you!) I even had Brett Turcotte a big time jumper and pretty much anything wild kinda guy have to ride it up and around while I ran back and got another sled for him to huck on (I wasn't game to let him huck on my baby!!) and he said she felt really solid and asked me what kind of suspension I had on her!!! So big props from a BIG jumper there!!
