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2008 Polaris Dragon Rear Suspension Sagging

30K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  myvertxcape 
#1 ·
Does anyone have a clue as to why the rear suspension on a 2008 Polaris Dragon is sagging? I pull up on the rear bumper to full extension, let go, and the sled sags down 6 inches. The manual says you should have 5-6 inches of sag WITH the rider seated. I have had the RYDE rear shock rebuilt, I have adjusted the torsion springs and the shocks a hundred times with no change. There is only a thousand miles on the sled and I weigh 170 lbs.. When there is a dolly under the track, the rear suspension stays up as it should?! Why would this be happening? Any advice? And no, I'm not getting a Cat or a Doo quite yet...
 
#3 ·
when a dolly is under the track, it puts all the weight on the back of the track. try setting the sled on flat ground so all of the track is touching. i had the same issue. i have also heard that the stock torsion springs werent up to snuff, so some people buy fat-boys even if theyre not big.
 
#4 ·
Dragon700 said:
when a dolly is under the track, it puts all the weight on the back of the track. try setting the sled on flat ground so all of the track is touching. i had the same issue. i have also heard that the stock torsion springs werent up to snuff, so some people buy fat-boys even if theyre not big.


It does seem like there is more of the rear half of the track touching the ground as opposed to the track being flat. The guy that rebuilt the shock (and rebuilds 'em for Polaris dealers) wasn't sure why the front half of the track wasn't touching the ground. We adjusted the shocks and springs from stiff to light and still it made no difference.
 
#6 ·
James007 said:
Your shocks might be blown?


heshtesh said:
How about extending your limiter straps?
I tightened the limiter straps because the sled was pushing so badly in the turns and then changed them back (loosened) to help the rear shock but it didn't help. So now I have a sled that pushes in the turns and sag's in the rear (sounds like my girlfriend's mother). On these Dragons, you cannot adjust the front shocks yourself because they are Ryde air shocks and the freakin' dealer has to adjust. I figure that would get more ski pressure but still confused with the rear sag.
 
#7 ·
Dragon700 said:
when a dolly is under the track, it puts all the weight on the back of the track. try setting the sled on flat ground so all of the track is touching. i had the same issue. i have also heard that the stock torsion springs werent up to snuff, so some people buy fat-boys even if theyre not big.
I'm 99% sure that the 08' dragons don't have torsion springs. I have no clue why this was the one year that they didn't use walkers on the dragon. GAY!

Doesn't the rear have a remote reservoir??
 
#8 ·
The springs control the sag,not the shocks. I would get new springs,they made 3 different stiffness of springs. The stock springs seem to be setup for a 180lb rider,if you weight more then that you might want to go with a stiffer spring.
 
#10 ·
sledneck1978 said:
Dragon700 said:
when a dolly is under the track, it puts all the weight on the back of the track. try setting the sled on flat ground so all of the track is touching. i had the same issue. i have also heard that the stock torsion springs werent up to snuff, so some people buy fat-boys even if theyre not big.
I'm 99% sure that the 08' dragons don't have torsion springs. I have no clue why this was the one year that they didn't use walkers on the dragon. GAY!

Doesn't the rear have a remote reservoir??


The rear of the sled sags when the sled is sitting on the ground. When I put a dolly under the track, the rear stays up and does not sag. When it is flat on the ground it sags 6 inches and then I sit my 165 pound arse on it and it doesn't sag and there is still shock travel left. The torsion springs should not allow the sled to sag when no rider is sitting on the sled. There is a remote reservoir in the rear shock and I have adjusted from soft to stiff but neither the torsion spring adjustment or the shock adjustment stops the sag when the sled is just sitting there WITHOUT the rider.
 
#11 ·
Sometimes mine sags but not often. All depends on how it's sitting.

However depending where a dolly is placed under the track that has an effect. When it's just sitting on cement with the springs on "medium" it sits almost right at the top.

Not sure what the deal is. I hated those stupid air shocks on mine so I got rid of em.

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That's how it sits.
 

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#13 ·
I would try springs first, but like everyone has said, sit it flat and see what it is like. I played with shocks/springs for a whole winter on my 04 Pro X2 and never really figured it out and just dealt with it.
 
#14 ·
ACG said:
I would try springs first, but like everyone has said, sit it flat and see what it is like. I played with shocks/springs for a whole winter on my 04 Pro X2 and never really figured it out and just dealt with it.
That is my point...Sitting flat on snow or cement, the sled sags 6 inches without a rider. When I sit the track on the dolly, the rear stays up. Where do you suggest purchasing and what kind of springs do you recommend for a 170 lb. madman?
 
#16 ·
Dragon700 said:
no offense, i have them and im 150 lbs, but get some fat-boy springs. hold the back up perfect.

and powersports dealership with snowmobile parts will have them, or your dealer
I just talked to a company that specializes in snowmobile suspension and they said that on the '08 Dragons with the Ryde Fx front NON-FREAKIN adjustable shocks, that the front sits up too high and they recommend a rebuild with "blocking" within the front shocks to take pressure off the rear. They said they have heard this often with Dragon owners and it fixes the problem. Of course they get their $120 for the shock rebuild and "blocking" so just wondered if anyone has gone that route. If you push down and hold the front suspension, the rear should raise and stay up. I have my sled at camp 3 hours away so I can't really do that experiment right now.
 
#17 ·
i havent ever heard of that. my 07 has Walker Evans Remote. (best shock made for the jump/trail riders) my torsions are getting close to shot though. i would look more into that, otherwise it sounds right. maybe try to loosen up the front springs
 
#18 ·
Dragon700 said:
i havent ever heard of that. my 07 has Walker Evans Remote. (best shock made for the jump/trail riders) my torsions are getting close to shot though. i would look more into that, otherwise it sounds right. maybe try to loosen up the front springs
That's the problem with the Ryde Fx 2.0 front shocks, you cannot adjust them (no springs on them and air only). They also told me to make sure the center track shock is in the front hole.
 
#20 ·
What I don't understand is how can someone say if it doesn't sit right on cement check it on snow... What difference does it make whether it's on snow or cement? A flat surface is a flat surface. This type of misleading information has become RAMPANT on this site.

That and there is an all too common misconception that shocks have any sort of control over ride height. This is not true, shocks absorb and soften rebound of a bump, they do not control the actual rise or fall of the suspension.

Personally I have no input on your problem and because I have zero experience in what your issue is I'm not going to just throw a useless, misleading comment out there. Just felt something should be said. Good luck finding your solution.
 
#21 ·
88400 said:
What I don't understand is how can someone say if it doesn't sit right on cement check it on snow... What difference does it make whether it's on snow or cement? A flat surface is a flat surface. This type of misleading information has become RAMPANT on this site.

That and there is an all too common misconception that shocks have any sort of control over ride height. This is not true, shocks absorb and soften rebound of a bump, they do not control the actual rise or fall of the suspension.

Personally I have no input on your problem and because I have zero experience in what your issue is I'm not going to just throw a useless, misleading comment out there. Just felt something should be said. Good luck finding your solution.
when a snowmobile sits on snow the WHOLE track is in contact with the ground. while on cement usually only had the back half touching because of the limiter straps.

and your talking about useless comments being posted? no imput from that last one of yours. :)
 
#22 ·
^^ His info on the shocks is correct. The shock makes no difference in regards to ride height. Except on air shocks that is.

Also he is also correct in a flat surface is a flat surface. If you park your sled with the front of the skid up against a bump in the snow so "the whole track" is touching all you are doing is messing with your own head to believe you have no sag. But, whatever you have to tell yourself.

As for "blocking" the Air 2.0's that is suspicious. I put around 2500 miles on my Dragon before getting rid of the Air 2.0's and I never had these issues. My buddy also has an '08 Dragon and he's still got his air shocks, he has no rear sag issues. I think you have something that is not adjusted properly.
 
#23 ·
Polaris-Man said:
^^ His info on the shocks is correct. The shock makes no difference in regards to ride height. Except on air shocks that is.

Also he is also correct in a flat surface is a flat surface. If you park your sled with the front of the skid up against a bump in the snow so "the whole track" is touching all you are doing is messing with your own head to believe you have no sag. But, whatever you have to tell yourself.

As for "blocking" the Air 2.0's that is suspicious. I put around 2500 miles on my Dragon before getting rid of the Air 2.0's and I never had these issues. My buddy also has an '08 Dragon and he's still got his air shocks, he has no rear sag issues. I think you have something that is not adjusted properly.
I just can't imagine the torsion springs are cooked as I'm around 165 and like to hammer the trails but still don't think that is the issue. I am sure new/stiffer springs would lessen the sag but I have done every adjustment on the shocks, straps, blocks, springs etc., and still have the back-breaking sag in the rear. Where do the guys with Dragons have the front track adjusted? Stiff, medium or soft?
 
#24 ·
Polaris-Man said:
^^ His info on the shocks is correct. The shock makes no difference in regards to ride height. Except on air shocks that is.

Also he is also correct in a flat surface is a flat surface. If you park your sled with the front of the skid up against a bump in the snow so "the whole track" is touching all you are doing is messing with your own head to believe you have no sag. But, whatever you have to tell yourself.

As for "blocking" the Air 2.0's that is suspicious. I put around 2500 miles on my Dragon before getting rid of the Air 2.0's and I never had these issues. My buddy also has an '08 Dragon and he's still got his air shocks, he has no rear sag issues. I think you have something that is not adjusted properly.
i knew that about shocks, im just saying most cement isnt level, so water runs to a drain.
 
#25 ·
My front track shock is 8 turns from when the spring contacts the retainer from completely loose.
 
#26 ·
Polaris-Man said:
My front track shock is 8 turns from when the spring contacts the retainer from completely loose.
Thanks Poo-man. I have stiffened my front track shock up pretty tight to try to help the sag. I was wondering if I loosen it and then mess with the rear shock and springs if that will help. What's the easiest way to adjust the front track shock so there is less tension while turning (adjusting) that shock? In other words, does it help to put load on the track or lift the rear or just get down and turn the darn thing?!
 
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