I thought the "PRO" steering system was supposed to elminate bump steer and therefore eliminate the need for a damper??

I'm not surprised to hear about power dropping off when going uphill; that seems to be typical of a 4-stroke. The shifter has me wondering, but I bet somebody can make a billet one that'd be just right.

The shocks are too stiff? I ordered the front reservoirs for mine (which are, of course, on backorder) which will allow for adjustable compression. That oughta fix the stiff issue, but I still bet it's softer than my old 400EX.

Still hoping mine shows up soon so I don't end up going psycho and blowing up the dealer... ;-)

Rob

 

I hope the reservoirs will give it enough adjustment because it was way stiff. I am going to look tward a different set of shocks. The PRO steering does stop the bump steer but the thing steers so easy that you find yourself over-steering, maybe it's just me I ride bikes 90% of the time.

 

kinda weird to hear your shocks are stiff... my shocks are pretty soft, but i also have my pre load set pretty low. so flippin cold now that it'll be another three months before i can really get used to it. i'd have to say the pipe will be welcomed, but i'll probably wait for something next summer that's built specifically for it. nerf bars will hopefully take care of the draggin toes in the sand after the big air[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I thought the shocks were stiff when I rode it at the Dealer's show, but I like soft cushy shocks. Backing off on the preload is the first place to start, the Predator development guys liked BIG AIR and the Predator is sprung for big landings. A change of spring may be in order for some of us... The rezzys will add dampening not subtract, that's the way they work, they eliminate emulsion and add dampening by degrees.
....The light steering front end takes only a little to get used to, because it has no bad manners. But If you are used to a stiff front end you may want a stabilizer, it doesn't need it, even if you do......
Bring on The Predator!

 

Hey Rob (snarfblat) I see that you live in Reno, Nevada. Let me know if you want to go riding sometime or PM me.

 

Fourlix:

Are you saying that adding the reservoirs won't allow you to soften the compression dampening, rather only make it stiffer??? Seems to me the shocks oughta be set about midway and the reservoirs oughta let you go both directions. But I don't know much about shocks and external reservoirs so I could be wrong.

If so, then I better save my $175 per rezzy and apply it toward different shocks. BUT... aren't the stockers rebuildable? I suppose then, with the rezzys, they could be redone to do whatever we want...

Rob

 

The one in the Oregon Dunes on Saturday was probably me [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] My son and I went out, and I can say that it took a while to get used to the steering. It steers great, but it is like haveing power steering, and climbing up through trees, you have to be careful not to over-steer. The suspension is great, flew through the woops, and left my son way behind on his Banshee. I have 8 paddle haulers on it, and it does need to be geared down probably 1 tooth on the front...........but nobody makes it yet [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img] My son was riding a 2003 Banshee, bone stock with 8 paddle haulers on it. In a flat drag race, I could leave him off the line and pull further ahead until about 4th gear then he would start to pull on me and as I went to 5th he would pass me, but only by about 2 bike lengths. We then switched riders and had the same results. I am a terrible judge of distance, but in a shorter race, the Predator will win, but in a longer race, the Banshee will win, but I really dont care cause I like climbing, and the trails, not drag racing. The seat really forces you right up to the tank, and longer legged people will have a problem with the shift lever being to high like I did, and you cant move it down a little because on the next spline down it hits the frame. I'm sure this will be taken care of quickly by the aftermarket crowd, as I saw another post already with the same problem. The only problem I had on the first day out was a loose radiator hose clamp, but the Leatherman took care of that because there is no screwdriver in the tool kit. I was disappointed in the tool kit, not even the tools to tighten the chain! A few last notes, to change the spark plug you have to remove the front plastic and the gas tank, and for breakin the manual says to change the oil and filter after the first hour of riding, and to use Polaris synthetic oil but the dealer doesnt even have the oil or filters in yet [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] Well that is my long winded report, still if anybody wants a specific picture of something let me know.

 

I just want more pics!! pics! lots of pics!! saw your gallery already to.

 

Quick shock primer.
1. Rezzys (and floating piston shocks) keep the gas charge separate from the oil. Regular shocks don't, so as you ride, the pressurized gas and oil mix, making an emulsion. The viscosity of the emulsion is less than pure oil, so you have less dampening with the same shock before you add rezzies.
2. When you add rezzys with adjustable dampening, you are adding an adjustable orifice on the rezzy that adds to the dampening force as well as separating the gas from the oil with a bladder in the rezzy. Adding the rezzy does not diminish or bypass the valving in the shock body, it only adds to it. Of course the valving in the shock body itself can be adjusted to decrease the dampening while installing rezzys, which takes a complete shock rebuild/recharge/service to get all the bubbles out anyway.
3. Adding rezzys gives you better heat dissipation, better consistency, longer shock life.
.......I would start by setting the preload to zero first, even different springs. Adding adjustable rezzys has been made very easy on the Predator, and for far le$$ than buying new shocks with rezzys. I'm sure these shocks can be dialed in to perform as well as any on the market. Unlike so many OEM shocks, these are servicable, and have optional adjustable rezzys, which means we can set them up for just about anyone.

 

bmgm37:

Would you post exactly what the manual says about break-in? I read what you posted about changing oil and filter after the first hour... that's wild. I asked my dealer to order me a six-pack of filters with the machine, we'll see if they show up anytime soon. I'm having a really hard time believing that Polaris could be this inept. Between the shipping delays, the apparent lies that they're feeding dealers about when the machines are shipping, and not even having something as important as OIL FILTERS available is just unreal.

Rob