True, but subtle changes occurred most years and model to model, springs and shocks being among those.
Piss & Moan Table
- Thread starter Farmergreg
- Start date
According to AI... (take it for what it's worth):
"The 2008 Polaris 600 RMK Shift departed from standard trail IQ chassis designs primarily by utilizing a dedicated, uncoupled RAW RMK rear suspension and a narrower front suspension"
This is from JD Power:
"The 2008 Polaris 600 RMK Shift features an IQ front suspension with an adjustable ski stance of 41 to 43 inches and 9 inches of travel. The rear utilizes an IQ RMK uncoupled suspension with 14.5 inches of travel, marketed on the "RAW" platform designed for deep-snow maneuverability. Further details can be found in the Polaris 2008 Snowmobile Catalog"
https://www.hanseriksson.se/wp-content/uploads/kataloger/polaris/polaris_2008_snow.pdf
Spot on, but that's a suspension architecture difference between mountain sleds (powder) and trail sleds (packed snow). In those years, the front suspension was the same architecture across the mountain and trail models. The rear suspension was very different, though. Coupled for the trail and uncoupled for the mountains. Coupled means the front and rear of the track compress together - a hit to the front compresses the front track shock and the rear track shock, and vice versa. Uncoupled means the two track shocks compress independently. Uncoupled is much rougher on whooped-out trails, but in the powder, it means better traction. That's why we used coupled on the trails and uncoupled in the mountains. That's the simple explanation. Reality is not nearly that simple, and the coupled suspensions had a small zone of "uncoupledness" that was tunable with rotating blocks.
Rear suspensions on snowmobiles blew my mind. They are incredibly difficult to understand, and there were decades of knowledge there at Polaris. I was only there for three years, so I spent a ton of time with the technicians because they were locals who had very few other employment options, so they were lifers (and generational farmers in their time off, so they knew how to figure things out). They were incredibly gifted fellers with decades of experience making things work. That three year period of my life was an incredible learning experience for me.
The extent of my knowledge around the suspension and chassis designs is, the IQ shift was a gigantic leap forward from the '03 RMK Edge Chassis, and then the Pro Ride chassis pushed the weight balance to a position where the rider could easily shift weight from the back to the front with very minimal movement. The Matryx Chassis is just flat out mind blowing in comparison to earlier designs.
Suspension variances between the models within the chassis line ups are not something I can really relate to, as I only have experience on each chassis design with one platform each. Both the 2014 and 2023 550 sleds use the Pro Ride chassis in a cross over design with some subtle improvements to the skis and track design, all the rest are "mountain" sleds. The '22 650 RMK Pro scares me a little, I rode an 800 Dragon about the same time we were using the '08 600 on the mail route and there was a noticeable power difference between the 2 engines. I figured the new 650 would be close to the same as the earlier 800. Oh no... not even close, the Matryx chassis and 650 Patriot engine combination are no joke! I'm not one to jump on a new to me sled and just baby it until I have a feel for it... HUGE mistake on my part. I almost launched the sled out from under me the first time I pinned it from a dead stop. It didn't spin track or hesitate for even a second. It hooked and took off. It carves through turns like a hot knife through room temperature butter, and if you're not on your game, it will toss you right off the side if you lean too much.
HELP! I’ve been transported to a Snowmobile Forum.
Kidding aside interesting stuff.
Kidding aside interesting stuff.
Well, this is the piss and moan thread, so pissing and moaning about all the sled talk is justified!
Over the past 20 months or so I've dropped over 60 pounds. I mention it only because I now need to wear a belt (something I'm neither used to nor fond of) to keep my own jeans from pantsing me in public.
Twice in the past week, while pulling on the Levis with a modicum of haste, I've been ball-tapped by my own belt buckle. I just did it again.
Twice in the past week, while pulling on the Levis with a modicum of haste, I've been ball-tapped by my own belt buckle. I just did it again.
Congrats on the weight loss! Carrying that much extra weight is a burden on the ticker. But knocking oneself in the nutsack is no walk in the park, either...Over the past 20 months or so I've dropped over 60 pounds. I mention it only because I now need to wear a belt (something I'm neither used to nor fond of) to keep my own jeans from pantsing me in public.
Twice in the past week, while pulling on the Levis with a modicum of haste, I've been ball-tapped by my own belt buckle. I just did it again.
Congrats on the weight loss! Carrying that much extra weight is a burden on the ticker. But knocking oneself in the nutsack is no walk in the park, either...
Always dreamed of scoring a hat trick, just not in this manner...
Over the past 20 months or so I've dropped over 60 pounds. I mention it only because I now need to wear a belt (something I'm neither used to nor fond of) to keep my own jeans from pantsing me in public.
Twice in the past week, while pulling on the Levis with a modicum of haste, I've been ball-tapped by my own belt buckle. I just did it again.
How about a nice elastic waist soft skirt? More comfy, and no belt needed! Just sayin'...
"NEGATORY" on that one. While I do have an appreciation for the elastic waist band as an invention, I'm afraid that appreciation doesn't extend to soft, comfy skirts. On me.
Over the past 20 months or so I've dropped over 60 pounds. I mention it only because I now need to wear a belt (something I'm neither used to nor fond of) to keep my own jeans from pantsing me in public.
Twice in the past week, while pulling on the Levis with a modicum of haste, I've been ball-tapped by my own belt buckle. I just did it again.
It's rather interesting if not telling how certain people respond with a look of shock or a laugh...
Can you tell which has "been there" before and who hasn't?
Don't knock it until you've tried it! Come on over to the Dark Side, we have cookies!
No amount of cookies...
Now now, you guys are missing out!I second the motion.
I'm 6' 5", so if I say I weigh 245, most don't think much of it. As well, my body visibly carries excess weight in ways not readily apparent, meaning I don't look as fat as I am. Deceiving. I dropped the weight over a period of about 13 months (been holding under 200 for the remainder of time), going from ~255 to ~195, and doing so only by changing my consumption. I've been dealing with rehabbing numerous injuries over the past few years, so my physical activity kind of fell off a cliff. Over 50, no activity, same diet....fat rolled in, then muscle mass rolled out, replaced by even more fat. Not good, I felt like shit. Even worse, the extra weight was exacerbating some of the injuries. I won't say it was pleasant, I went to bed angry and hungry on more than one occasion, but it can be done.
Not even if I dropped some fecked up AI tab acid...which, quite honestly, is the heavy vibe I'm getting from the posted image.
Every year we go on vacation. Every year it's hotter than Satan's but crack.
I went to Alaska, 85 F. I went to England, 90-95 F no ice in my drink and AC that got the room to 80-85 F. Italy one time, 95 F.
So I'm going to Florida next week.
At least here, all I do is go from house to car to work to car to house. All AC. Now I have to "tourist" in the heat again.
Thinking of a December trip next time.
In a related note Paris shut down today because of the heat. Pansies.
I went to Alaska, 85 F. I went to England, 90-95 F no ice in my drink and AC that got the room to 80-85 F. Italy one time, 95 F.
So I'm going to Florida next week.
At least here, all I do is go from house to car to work to car to house. All AC. Now I have to "tourist" in the heat again.
Thinking of a December trip next time.
In a related note Paris shut down today because of the heat. Pansies.
6'-3" here.
I've been trying to drop weight for 2 years. Get up lift weights, 264. Get up ride my bike, 264. Count calories and work out, 264. Don't work out, stay up late drinking with friends on weekends and eat whatever I want, 264 lbs.
It sucks. I ride my bike 20 miles 3x a week, run every other day. Same weight. 1000 miles riding this year so far and can't lose a pound. Must be an 56 year old thing.
I'm about ready to lift my way to 265-300 lbs and see if my waist goes down. At least I'd have muscle to show for it.
I'm too old to do 2 x a day of cardio and lifting. Can't recover.
