2012 Ski-Doo rMotion Rear Suspension
Tested by SnowTech Magazine
Ski-Doo has just unleashed its new advanced rMotion suspension on the snowmobile world. The suspension sets new benchmarks in amount of travel, rising rate motion ratio, ease of adjustment and most importantly comfort and control.
BRP engineers challenged themselves to offer everything a performance rider would want; great performance in big bumps, a smooth ride in small stutter bumps, a wide window of performance without adjustment and great cornering performance. Their answer is rMotion, which offers the most rising rate shock motion ratio in snowmobiling and up to 30% more travel than competitive suspensions.
BRP engineers took it a step farther by making it easy to adjust in standard form or even easier with the optional Quick Adjust System, for spring preload and shock compression changes. On the left side of the tunnel at the rear of the running board is a hydraulic dial that adjusts the torsion spring preload, making adjustment quick and easy along with a greatly increased range of adjustment. On the right side of the tunnel at the rear of the running board is a single dial to adjust the rear shock compression damping, both low-speed and high-speed compression simultaneously. Again, the Quick Adjust system is an option for the rMotion suspension package.
SnowTech Magazine recently traveled to Ski-Doo’s remote test facility in northern Quebec to test this new suspension in closed-course comparisons to 2011 models of all brands. The new rMotion suspension delivers a wider performance envelope – it delivers both comfort and compliance in smaller bumps while being able to handle the nasty terrain as well. We were able to cover rougher terrain at higher speeds and in greater control than ever before, yet with no adjustments to the calibration the sled delivered a trail-compliant ride on groomed trails, along with excellent transfer and traction while maintaining ski pressure for balanced handling. It really did exceed our expectations, as the new suspension LOOKS very similar to the SC suspension we’re all used to.
Bottom line, the rMotion provides a true progressive rate suspension without making the sled high-centered or tippy – it gives you a smoother ride and increased capability, with even more adjustability.
While the new rMotion suspension will be available to order on 2012 MXZ X and X RS packages this spring, it is also being released in a small amount of demonstration snowmobiles for the Eastern and Midwest markets through the rest of the riding season. Visit your local dealer to see if they will be in your area.
Look for a complete test report of the 2012 Ski-Doo rMotion suspension in the March issue of SnowTech Magazine!