Shocks or BBK?

[Xero]

do your self a favor and get shocks!!!!!!!!!! then worry about engine upgrades..... 1 thingi lerned is that no matter how fast ur blaster is motor wise, if u dont have good suspension, ull be left so far behind. my blaster mods were stock shocks, fmf, reeds, air lid, and a stock 250 raptor with just a rear shock and muffler creamated me. now if it were a drag, blaster would win.

stock shocks suck. u cant get air without out landing hard, and u cant just rool over them, cause u will be too slow, cant do whoops, and cant corner. and thats all tracks are!!! lol

Agreed! They land so hard with stock shocks :/

 

[best]

Hey, like the 'stash? Last day of season, hard to find snow on the Valley floor.

This is another one of my other hobbies.
That is a 2003 Arctic Cat 660 Touring 4stroke sled. Only makes 50hp, which is pretty small in the sledding world.
I chose that engine because it was the most reliable and most fuel frugal engine in 2003.
I chose this model because it came with the suspension and shocks of the more hi-peformance models.
11" of rear travel, 8" of front travel (numbers sound familiar?) and fully tunable suspension.
Only mod I have done to the engine is a temperature gauge.
For 100 mile treks into the wilderness at -20 degrees I want absolute reliability.

Now that said, I often ride with the big boys, 800, 1100cc 2 strokes making 150+hp. How do I keep up?
Well on straight lake and fire road runs I cannot. My top speed is around 60mph, theirs is 120+, but out in the woods it is a different story. I have raised the handlebars so I can stand up and ride this thing like a motocross bike. I can plant my weight through my feet to corner without rolling and I have the shocks and springs adjusted to jump evenly and balanced. In spite of having twice the weight and half the horsepower of many of the sport sleds I ride with, I can usually hang on the tail or pass on the inside corner on the tight woods trails. In fact, now that the suspension is set up, the only mod I am considering is a horn so I can "BEEP,BEEP,BEEP" to pass as I hang on the tail of those 800cc sport machines!

Any fool can hold the throttle down on a straight. On real off-road about 60mph is about all you really want to do 95% of the time. The real thrill is is running the heck out of it on rough terrain and you have gotta have a suspension for that. Stock Blaster is not so good, but is easily improved. Tire pressure is everything, a good rear shock takes the bounce out, a bit more travel could be used in the front and a better front shock is a must. Any extra power is useless if you cannot handle it.

The LTZ400 (or similar) shock on rear and its travel is plenty for most ride rides. I am happy with it, but the stock front shocks and travel are barely sufficient even with careful attention to preload and tire pressure. I am listening carefully to what you guys suggest here.

Hope I didn't bore you with the sled stuff?
Have a good look at sled suspensions. Most are only about 8" of travel and yet work well. We could learn from them.

 

[brandoz28]

a good set of WORKS would do you a lot better than a big bore kit

 

[Quadrider10]

a good set of WORKS would do you a lot better than a big bore kit

couldent have said it better my self...