Long Travel Front End Kit for 2002 Edge RMK

*Increases front suspension travel to 11"

* Remote reservoir Walker Evans racing shocks

* New geometry radius rods

* Balances front suspension with rear

* Only 1" increase in ride height

With the 2002 Polaris EDGE RMK 151” bringing an amazing 17” of rear axle travel to the rear suspension, having only 7.2” of front suspension travel (with bump stopper) seemed like a mismatch. Out on the snow, this difference in front and rear travel felt somewhat unbalanced, so Tri-City Polaris set out to see what they could do about it.

Two seasons ago Tri-City introduced the Walker Evans Racing shock absorbers to the snowmobile community. These custom-built shocks are truly progressive and completely tunable, allowing the shocks to be softer on the initial compression travel, and progressively stiffer towards the end of the stroke. On the rebound stroke, the shock’s progressive rebound valving characteristics are better matched to the energy stored in the compressed springs. They have a tunable valve stack and piston (like the shocks we’re all familiar with) but they also feature two different control needles. A unique tapered tuning needle runs up the center of the shock shaft and controls oil flow for both compression and rebound, working in conjunction with the valve stack. Aluminum bodies and remote reservoirs ensure better cooling and the larger oil capacity provides “fade-free” performance. Maybe the coolest part is that you don’t have to disassemble the shocks to change the needle (valving). Walker Evans Racing shocks will also be found on the new 2002 Polaris XCR 400 race sled.

The project started out as figuring out what length of Walker Evans Racing shocks could be mounted to the new EDGE RMK chassis. They discovered that the stock shocks were really short, and that there was a way to give the new EDGE-based RMK chassis some more travel. How? Take a look at the upper radius rods and it’ll all make sense.

The 11” Long Travel Front End Kit utilizes new geometry radius rods mounted to stock trailing arms to better match the long travel suspensions on the 2002 EDGE RMKs for a better balanced chassis. The stock design was limited in travel by the upper radius rods bottoming on the belly pan. These new radical radius rods eliminate this interference, and allow the use of longer shocks to increase the travel.

According To Max Maxedon, Tri-City’s General Manager, the 4” gain in travel over stock provides a phenomenal plush ride and much improved bump control with only a one-inch increase in ride height. Bump steer is very minimal (only 1/4") for this amount of travel. Maxedon describes the package as, “the most functional front end ever built for deep snow”, referring to the ability to get the sled to turn in the deepest of snow, yet be able to swallow the larger bumps commonly found en-route to higher altitude play areas.

A set of remote reservoir Walker Evans Racing shocks handle the extreme suspension damping. They’re 19 1/4" long and retain the adjustable front-end width (41” to 43”). This provides long travel comfort all the way from the deep snow mountain rider to the aggressive high speed racing terrain. Suspension fall-out is limited by the sway bar, and this set-up does require the use of the sway bar.
The kit consists of upper and lower radius rods, tie rods, sway bar, and the longer Walker Evans remote reservoir shocks. The 11” Long Travel Front End Kit retails for $895, and a set of Walker Evans Racing Shocks for the rear suspension to compliment the front end costs $610. Tri-City is a good source for reliably increasing the performance of any RMK. Contact Tri-City Polaris in Centerville, Utah at 801-298-8081 or visit their website at www.tricitypolaris.com.