Inside Ski Lift on a 2009 Polaris IQ Dragon
Dear Ralph:
I’ve been having a problem with my 2009 IQ Dragon wanting to lift the inside ski when going through a turn. Every time I hit the throttle it lifts. So in turn, I have to get on and off the gas. I have the rear scissors block in the full forward position. I’ve tried putting more down pressure on the ski’s but I think this is making things worse.
This sled doesn’t have an adjustable limiter strap. Will shortening the strap help? I have to find a way to keep the ski’s down. And by the way, they are aftermarket skis. Can you give me some suggestions to try? I mostly trail ride in the UP of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Thanks,
Kip Harms
Cullom, IL
This is primarily due by the tall ride height and center of gravity of being a bump sled. As sleds get taller with more suspension travel, the good old flat cornering is more difficult to maintain. There is no single silver bullet, but many things can be done to compensate. You want to lower the center of gravity by relaxing the rear springs, torsion and center, and the front ski springs. If any of these are tighter than need be, the sled will sit taller and it will be more tippy. Also, sharp runners tend to catch and tip the sled instead of sliding, so aftermarket skis will carve more but will tend to add to the ski lift. I guess I should ask what kind of track/traction you have, this will affect it as well. More traction (like a fully studded track) will also lift the inside ski.
This was really brought to light with the new track on the 2012 Yamaha FX Nytro RTX. Here we have a stand-up platform with a fairly high center of gravity, thus a fairly frequent ski lifter. They went with a new track for 2012 that lets the back end slide a bit more, and guess what? The inside ski stays much flatter. Very noticeable.
Back to your sled – We want the sled to squat some, and if anything roll the body slightly before lifting the ski. I would set the ski springs to full soft, get the ride height set to sag the rear as much as possible, verify center spring is not too tight. Try less aggressive carbide runners, but then it will push more. Shortening the limiter will help, but the strap is non-adjustable for a reason as this changes the angle of the rails and coupling timing. I try to stay away from shortening the limiter on the coupled suspensions since it limits front arm travel, so you lose some bump capability. It is all a fine delicate balance of give and take, gain here, lose there. But in the end, you could be fighting the design more than the calibration. There is only so much that can be done with calibration changes.
No comments so far.
Be first to leave comment below.