One of the things that lead me to this conclusion was that after each ride I was feeling pretty beat up. I had reached the limits of my stock suspension. Just like the pogo stick I had as a kid, the shocks started out virtually non-adjustable and after a few years, had ceased to dampen the forces placed upon them. It was time for a change. The Search Begins
My favorite riding is composed of hard-pack desert, wind-blown
sand dunes, and an occasional local motocross race. With these
varying terrain types, I wanted something with some versatility and
novice-level adjustability. There are a myriad of choices in
aftermarket suspension components at varying price points. Being
the family man with a child still in diapers, price is always an
issue. Subsequently, I was not willing to spend the $1,300 that
premium race shocks demanded. So I fired up the search engine and
began my quest. I came across http://www.foxracingshox.com. I knew that Fox Shox are widely used in off-road trucks, motorcycles and snowmobiles, but I was surprised to learn that they now had an aftermarket ATV shock.
The Fox FLOAT Airshox is a unique system designed for sport ATVs that does not have the external spring that I am accustomed to seeing. The design is more reminiscent of a stealth fighter - black and mysterious, with all the technology hidden inside. The shocks are adjustable via a pump (included) to suit the rider and the riding conditions. Yes, I know what you are thinking, and no, this is not some crazy revival of those old pump-up high top basketball shoes - this is real engineering. No more spanner wrench or dampening screws; just the handy 13-inch pump to adjust the ride. I contacted Fox Racing Shox to find out more information about how the units worked and where to purchase them. Unlike many of their competitors, Fox has chosen to pre-build and stock their distributor channel with ready-to-run shocks. This prevents the one- to two-month back log you may get from other manufacturers. I was able to have the shocks delivered in under a week. Fox told me that you should be able to expect the same service through your local Tucker Rocky dealer. What's in the
Box
My first impression by the weight
of the box was that I had only received one shock. At a claimed
weight of 2.8 lbs, these shocks will definately help your quad shed
some pounds. Included in the kit are the shocks, HP pump, roost
guards, mounting hardware, oil pillow, manual and stickers. The
product looked great and Fox had clearly given attention to detail,
demonstrated by the finish of the materials.
The Installation Although this is not a complex install, you should always read the manual to familiarize yourself with the proper installation procedures. The manual had helpful photos to guide the process, but your specific application may vary. I started by propping the machine up so the front tires were off the ground and the suspension was at full extension. This allowed me to remove the stock shocks without any surprises or pinched fingers from the preload. The upper and lower bolt assemblies were removed fairly easily using a socket driver and an adjustable wrench. Keep the nuts and bolts, and note whether they were from the top or bottom as they are different. You will be reusing this hardware with the new shocks. I found that it was easier to remove the top mounting bolts first, as this allowed the shock to swing out and up for removal once the lower mounting bolt was removed. With the stock shocks were removed it was time to prep the new units. Included in the kit was the roost protector with clamp and protective spacer. These will provide protection for the shock body from debris that gets tossed your way. Now is a good time to determine the orientation of the shock. The air valve is the top of the shock and it should mounted facing the wheel to provide easy access for the pump. Also included in the kit are eight grommets that mount in the top and bottom of the shocks prior to installation. The bottom shock mount was flush with the a-arm connecting point and was also easy to install. The top mounting slot on the frame required some slight bending to allow enough clearance for the shock mount to slide into place. I viewed this as a positive because the tolerances are so close that it appears that the unit will be very secure and free of "clank and rattle". Thread sealant is recommended so that you keep everything together during your rides. After checking the proper torque on the shock mounts, it was time for initial setup of the shock.
Initial Setup Initial setup consists of setting the recommended starting pressure of the shocks to between 40-50 psi. Remove the valve stem caps from the shocks. Attach the HP pump to the fitting. If done correctly the gauge should display some pressure that the shocks have been shipped with. Stroke the pump several times to reach 40-50 psi. If you need to release pressure you can do so by pressing the button opposite the pressure gauge. This button will allow you to bleed excess air from the shock to fine-tune the pressure setting. The basic concept is that as you increase the pressure, you are increasing the spring rate. You should adjust the pressure in 5 psi increments until you reach the ride that suits your abilities and terrain choices. I weight about 190lbs with riding gear and I settled on 50 psi to absorb hard landings, but still be soft enough for trail work.
The Ride For the initial test I selected a familiar designated BLM Recreation Area called "Five Mile Pass" near Toole, Utah. This area was ideal as it provided a good variety of terrain features to test different capabilities of the new shocks. Fast Forward I began my testing with some high speed runs through the relatively flat trails. The goal of this test is was to create high velocity with short wheel travel impacts. The trails were composed of hard clay and every bump at more than 50 mph was enough to work the shocks. The FLOAT Airshox ability to keep the front wheels on the ground and allow for course correction was excellent. I had ridden these trails many times before with the stock shocks and I have had some "oh no!" moments - ones that come compliments of fifth gear and full throttle through rough terrain when the machine becomes unstable. I was pleasantly surprised that the Fox Shox allowed me to blast those trails as they soaked up the rough spots and the ditches left from the last rain storm. It took me a few runs to get used to my new-found confidence, but it was a great feeling to ride without the fear that at any moment I would be abruptly separated from my quad. High speed runs were smooth but with enough firmness to know that I was still on track. Twists and Turns Next, I selected a narrow section of trail that winds through the sagebrush. This trail requires the technical application of weight transfer, braking, and cornering to stay out of the weeds. During this test, I noted that under braking into corners, the suspension stayed firm and prevented the quad from nose diving. Several parts of this trail include natural jumps and drop offs that allowed the Fox Shox to demonstrate impressive transitions during air to ground maneuvers. Another observation was that the extra pounds shed from the front end allowed for easier front end lift. Front end lift is important as sometimes the easiest or fastest path over an obstacle is accomplished on two wheels instead of four. Even in fourth gear the throttle was enough to lift the front end up and over sharp bumps and rocks.Whoopty-do For the third test, I picked out an old railroad bed (void of rails, ties, and trains) that borders the riding area. After many years of rider use, this has become a popular seemingly never-ending "whoops" section. I attacked a 1,000-foot section several times to get warmed up before increasing the speed. These slower runs allowed me to get a feel for the Fox Shox ability to keep the wheels to the ground as I rolled from one bump to the next. The slower runs actually cause the shock to travel more than a high speed run because the quad's front end follows the terrain more closely. During a proper high speed run, the front wheels would merely skip across the peak of each bump as the greater horizontal speed and rider weight over the rear does not allow the wheels to drop into the bottom of each bump. The valving of the shocks is pretty consistent and predictable, which meets well with Fox's goal of targeting a one size fits all approach to the recreational consumer. The slower passes still provided enough force to run the shock through almost the complete travel length. Now that I was warmed up it was time to turn it up a notch. I started on a flat section to build speed prior to entering the whoops, third gear half throttle seemed to be about perfect. With most of my weight over the rear wheels it was easy to stay on the peaks and out of the holes between each bump. The shocks allow me to keep the front wheels in contact with the peaks and keep the quad on course. The key to keeping your speed up is to stay straight through the bumps. This is the type of terrain that will put you over the bars and on your head if you don't have shocks that are up to the task. After a few high speed passes it was clear that the Fox FLOAT shocks had made me a faster whoops rider, with the speed being obtained not through horsepower, but through the additional control gained.
Quads of Hazard It was time to air the shocks out. I picked out several different jumps to test takeoffs and landings. How a shock allows you to set up for the take off is directly proportional to the success of your landing. The tricky part is that there are as many types of jumps as there are varying take off approaches and landings. I started with a long high speed table-top with a gradual sloped face and landing. This type of jump can be very difficult if the suspension and rider are not in proper balance. Too much spring in the front and you nose up, not enough and you nose down and so on. The Fox Shox once again were smooth and predicable with no apparent abruptness in transition. The second jump was a slower speed and shorter distance off-camber jump. This jump would allow me to judge how well the shocks would handle approaches and landings where the wheels do not take off or land simultaneously and the forces are not equal across the four corners of the quad. Even when pitched out of shape several times over this jump the Fox Shox were able to settle quickly and firmly. The rebound was non-existent which kept the ATV in control. Now it was on to a more traditional motocross style double jump. It took a few tries before I was used to new drill of preloading the shock for take off. With the added dampening over stock shocks the delivery of my weight transfer at preload required some timing changes. Once this was mastered, I was sailing evenly over the jump and landing without event on the back side of the doubles. For the final test I had to get to the bottom of these shocks -the best way I could think of would be to land without a landing ramp on flat ground, nose first. To do this I was going to drop down into an arroyo (a ditch), launch out, and end up on a flat landing spot. This was what I had waited all day for, mostly because if I was going to break something this was the test that would do it. With the camera positioned on the other side, I began to drop in and jump out of the bowl. Each time I added slightly more throttle and preload to increase the height of my jumps. If you have ever seen a freestyle motocross step-up contest you are getting the idea. The take off is nearly vertical and as you reach the top of your flight you chop throttle and the nose arcs downward, causing a nose-first landing. I topped out at about eight feet of air, which made for some pretty abrupt landings. It never felt as though the suspension was bottoming out as the Fox Shox absorbed every hit without transferring shock into my shoulders, legs, neck, or back. After reviewing the video and photographs it was clear that the progressive rate of the suspension was doing its job to prevent the feeling of bottoming out, even when the quad's frame was almost touching the ground. The owner's manual dedicates a page complete with a comparative graph showing the benefits of this "progressive spring response". The idea is that as the shock reaches the second half of its travel, the spring force rapidly builds. Fox marketing says that this progressive spring response "virtually eliminates harsh bottoming of suspension and provides a bottomless feel". In the video, I could see that my rear-end never hit the seat upon landing. There was no harsh rebound. Once the wheels hit the ground they stayed there. This is pretty impressive for a shock whose target market is recreational ATV rider. The impression that I got was that these shocks are forgiving and predictable.
The consistency of the shocks throughout the
jumping tests was impressive, especially when compared with the
stock shock experience. Stock shocks are full of surprises and you
never know what will happen next. I measure my fun in knowing I can
count on my equipment to perform at a high level of safety and
control, and the Fox FLOAT AirShox were able to demonstrate this
during my testing. I must say at first I was a bit skeptical of the
marketing materials and how simple these shocks look from the
outside, but I am now a believer in the technology.
If you are looking for a high quality stock shock
replacement with easy ride adjustment, then Fox Racing Shox new
FLOAT Airshox deserve a strong look. Specifications (Honda 400ex)
"Look for hand-crafted FOX Factory Editions on our revolutionary new FLOAT X AirShox to be race-tested this summer by some of the top Pro ATV racers in the country. Over two years of research and development have gone into creating this completely new level of ATV racing suspension technology. In late Fall 2004, you to can get your hands on FLOAT X AirShox for most popular racing ATV applications."
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