setting up your suspension

Betheviper, have you ever tried removing the transfer rods and allowing the rear spring to react without involving the center spring? Just wondering since you are the suspension guru. thanks Al
 

I have not but have seen what overextending the rear rods will do to the side arms. if you do this, you should add a strap or something to keep the rear of the skid from dropping out too far when jumping. I think if you do a search, it has been done. They call it a transfer enhancement kit, comes with spacers for the upper arm and a strap for the rear arm to keep it from going too far.
 
Just wanted to say thank you BTV. Got to put some miles on the sled after the rebuild. I followed all your steps in rebuilding and setting up the front and rear suspension. Between the repairs, setup, ohlins all the way around, curve skies this sled handles like a rocket ship. I had to only make one adjustment after the initial set up and that was to give it more transfer. Also for anyone looking to put Ohlins in the rear skid I would recomend it. They soak up all the bumps that you could definitaly feel before.
 
I've been going through the suspension setup procedures.
I've performed the tightening procedure earlier this fall. I've also watched the Proaction Tuning video.

I'm a little confused about how to set my control rods. I don't want a sore back at the end of the day but I still want a fairly responsive sled for moderately aggressive trail riding in the tight twisties.

I know my gaps are supposed to be set 50/50 when I'm on the seat. What I don't understand is how to use the adjustable control rods properly. Do I want them set with a larger or smaller total gap?

I can't find any specs for the control rods in my manual. Does anybody know what the specs are for the total gap? I think it is set at 18mm now from the previous owner.

Also, I go about 225# dressed, do I want the FRA set to low or middle for the best ride? It is set on the middle right now from the previous owner who was about 185#. I think I need to set this before I adjust rear spring preload based on what I've read here.

I have no interest in lifting the skiis, nor do I have an interest in drag racing. My sole objective is to make the sled ride as soft as it can while still handling well in the turns. I need to keep up with guys on Doos with SCIII suspensions and still be able to walk at the end of the day.

Keep in mind this sled is new to me and I have not had it out on any groomed trails yet so I really don't even have a base to build on.

Thanks for any help.
 
]I've been going through the suspension setup procedures.
I've performed the tightening procedure earlier this fall. I've also watched the Proaction Tuning video.

I'm a little confused about how to set my control rods. I don't want a sore back at the end of the day but I still want a fairly responsive sled for moderately aggressive trail riding in the tight twisties.

I know my gaps are supposed to be set 50/50 when I'm on the seat. What I don't understand is how to use the adjustable control rods properly. Do I want them set with a larger or smaller total gap? 14-16 is what I recomend. Set them to this to start, then adjust from there, after you try it.

I can't find any specs for the control rods in my manual. Does anybody know what the specs are for the total gap? I think it is set at 18mm now from the previous owner. 18mm is a setting for more transfer, this does not mean it will hook up better but will make you feel like it is.

Also, I go about 225# dressed, do I want the FRA set to low or middle for the best ride? It is set on the middle right now from the previous owner who was about 185#. I think I need to set this before I adjust rear spring preload based on what I've read here. Loaded question as I am not sure what shock your sled has. I would start in the middle setting first.

I have no interest in lifting the skiis, nor do I have an interest in drag racing. My sole objective is to make the sled ride as soft as it can while still handling well in the turns. I need to keep up with guys on Doos with SCIII suspensions and still be able to walk at the end of the day. The sled will not ride as good as an doo skid, that combined with the viper seats being hard make it a daunting task. A tightened up skid with revalved shocks will ride very good though. IF you want a cloud, install a m10, they work amazing.

Keep in mind this sled is new to me and I have not had it out on any groomed trails yet so I really don't even have a base to build on. So what your saying is, your not unhappy with the ride so far??????

Thanks for any help.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I will leave my FRA at medium, and set my Control rods to 15mm for starters.

Are there markings or anything on the shock that I could look at to tell what shock I have?

I am not unhappy with the ride yet, but i'm going to the UP in less than a week so I wanted to get it set up fairly close while the skid is dry and warm so I don't have to do any major adjustments in the parking lot. After that trip I'll know how it performs and I can dial it in, but without any snow for testing it makes fine tuning around home a bit difficult, so this is kind of a "poke and hope" setup to get me through my first trip.

Thanks again - I've come a long way towards understanding these skids by reading your articles.
 
Hey BETHEVIPER, just wondering if you could let me know when my clutch cover is sent and if there is a tracking number, that too. Thanks

ps your inbox is full
 
ok so if I ride my sled like its a motocross bike how should i set up my transfer rods? i'm about to put viper shocks in my srx stock skid. do i need to purchase new transfer rods also? and i already know that i need the longer limiter straps. thanks
 
I believe on that sled, you have the long straps, you just need to use a different hole in the strap to let it out.
As for riding style, just try what I have suggested for initial setup, you will be surprised how well it will handle, then adjust from there for your preference.
 
Long straps came on xtc, xt, venture, sxr, viper and venum, also cam on srx 2000 and up

Though many times, if they have gone through some straps, they might have had shorter ones installed, I have seen many sleds with mixed parts in the rear skid as they uaually destroyed alot of stuff
 
if your sled is, 98-99, you will need front limiter straps.
If your sled is 2000-2002, you should have the longer limiter straps but will need to move the hole. the transfer rods should be changed out for the longer ones and mounted in the rear hole.
 
ok when i get out on the ice/ lake or any flat area and hit it the skis dont really lift per say (unless its a real hard pack where i can actually sink the pics the) it just seams to have no ski pressure fur instance if i run flat out although the sled seems flat i can turn the skis and not turn the sledi have to drop the throttle briefly so the carbides can actually turn the sled.I have tried lifting the limiter straps in the front but with no change so i let the straps back off. i have a 98 srx 700 with the olins package. Just wondering if u have any suggestions where i need to begin .Rear set-up seems pretty sensible only bottom out on severe bumps maybe once or twice on a long haul.also not sure if this is related but on a loose packed trail ,if i just cruise the sled almost feels like it hydroplanes sort of fishtails but if i hit it the sled straightens right out and shoots dead straight then i let off the back slides all over ,****in scary at times i cant count the near head-ons with trees and stuff ive had .I can only say that im glad the sled jumps right to attention when ive had those near fatalities once again ever hear of this with this sled.any ideas u may have to correct either of these problems would be greatly appreciated.
 
if i got a set of drop brackets off a mm or vmax for my 04 viper will i have to change the other mounting points of the skid. i'm not extending just dropping a bit
 
Need help????

I have broken both my Pull rods on the rear suspension and not sure were to start to solve this problem. I have never really worked on this before so any information will help.
I'm riding a 2002 700 Viper SX the track was modified with a 144" Hartman kit before I bought it.
 
blueblood68 said:
ok when i get out on the ice/ lake or any flat area and hit it the skis dont really lift per say (unless its a real hard pack where i can actually sink the pics the) it just seams to have no ski pressure fur instance if i run flat out although the sled seems flat i can turn the skis and not turn the sledi have to drop the throttle briefly so the carbides can actually turn the sled.I have tried lifting the limiter straps in the front but with no change so i let the straps back off. i have a 98 srx 700 with the olins package. Just wondering if u have any suggestions where i need to begin .Rear set-up seems pretty sensible only bottom out on severe bumps maybe once or twice on a long haul.also not sure if this is related but on a loose packed trail ,if i just cruise the sled almost feels like it hydroplanes sort of fishtails but if i hit it the sled straightens right out and shoots dead straight then i let off the back slides all over ,****in scary at times i cant count the near head-ons with trees and stuff ive had .I can only say that im glad the sled jumps right to attention when ive had those near fatalities once again ever hear of this with this sled.any ideas u may have to correct either of these problems would be greatly appreciated.
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sounds like you are riding on the center spring. It would be like riding on a ball, the ball is the front of your rails. too little rear track pressure in the rear. This can be caused by setup, sacked spring or some broken stuff. Usually setup. start at the front and work your way back.
The tracking issue your having is also caused by this. When you have too much front track pressure, it has the effect of shortening the wheel base of your sled, making it want to turn quick and easy. If you reversed this pressure, the sled would track good but wouldn't have alot of traction for lifting the sled or getting a good hole shot(like xtc/xt/venture stock front springs). Your looking for somewhere in the middle. If nothing is broke, you should be able to adjust the sled front to back and fix it. If you find you have to adjust the rear spring a lot to get it correct, it might be sacked though rarely is this the issue.
 
tait89 said:
if i got a set of drop brackets off a mm or vmax for my 04 viper will i have to change the other mounting points of the skid. i'm not extending just dropping a bit
Click to expand...

yes, you will want to drop your fra bolt position. an easy way to find this is to hold a straight edge inside the tunnel between the front and rear mount. Measure to the hole, now hold the straight edge on your new rear mount hole to the front mount and transfer the new measurement.

The next issue it will cause is less front track pressure, you should be able to adjust this out using the front to back suspension adjusting method. You will maybe want to add more center spring pressure to get started.

The next thing this is going to mess up is your carbide pressure. You will need to reset that. lifting the back will push down on the front of your carbides.

the next thing it might mess up is your alignment. you will be putting a little more weight on the front end and if it was dead nuts on before, it will change. If it wasn't, i might make it better, or worse.

One thing this will do is make the sled not handle as good in a corner. You might get a little better off trail getting your running boards away from the snow some but if that is the reason for doing this mod, and you havent changed your skis, I would do that first. Go to something bigger, longer. The more you get the nose in the air, you have less drag to push around and your track angle is better for climbing out of the deep snow.
hope I have helped
 
sparky.99 said:
Need help????

I have broken both my Pull rods on the rear suspension and not sure were to start to solve this problem. I have never really worked on this before so any information will help.
I'm riding a 2002 700 Viper SX the track was modified with a 144" Hartman kit before I bought it.
Click to expand...


so when you say pull rods, are you talking about the rods that run along the rear shock? If so, did someone put drop brackets on it? Did someone remove the transfer rods? If it has drop brackets, did they lower the center fra shaft mount to correct the geometry? If the transfer rods have been removed, did they install a rear strap to connect the lower scissor mount to the upper scissor shaft?
 
No my problem is I just wan the sled to sit higher and also stop it from hitting the tunnel when I rail a huge bump. Ya I definitely need some better skis for floatation but that is a summer project. I'm just trying to keep things minimal and cheap at the moment.
 
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