I need some input on how to handle simple jumping. Not talking about major stuff, just like 4-5 ft drops. Rode with a guy last winter who sidetracked the normal trail and found small ledges which with very little approach he would launch off of. I am a cautious driver, only speed when I know what’s up ahead. But being able to hit some stuff appeals to me. Here are my questions: What is the best way to hit a jump? I've heard letting off throttle at base and then punching it, something about loading suspension. I know rotating track will affect the nose, so what is best throttle position in air? How about suspension? As soft as possible or stiffer then normal?
I am riding 04 Polaris 500 xcsp with m-10 (which I will never get again). Like I said, I am cautious and try to learn as much as possible about stuff before I try it.
Thanks in advance!

I don't know if you have one on your sled, but I find this realy helps. Install a risor to get your handle bars higher. You have more control standing up & not bent over. When jumping & you are in the air give it gas to lift the frt of your sled. Know if you find the frt of your sled is to high when you are in the air then apply your brake. :thumbsup:
Install a risor (if you don't have one)well worth the money, find a hill & play. :D

like everything in life crawl before you walk.

i threw a 5.25 inch riser on my sled and it handles like a motorcross bike now... get somthing to keep your feet still on the boards, or your gonna slide all over.. keep your feet in the middle of the boards.. bend your knees a bit and do the thing with the gas and the brake like he said...

just try and absorb the impact instead of fight against it..

Travis

You definitly have to stand up when you jump, so a riser is a good idea.

Since your not doing huge jumping, you won't have to worry about this, but anyways- if you give throttle in the air the nose rises and if you brake the nose dives. Try to keep the landings from getting too hairy- you may bend something.

When you land, keep your knees flexed so you can absord better. Don't have your knees cocked straight so your standing perfectly upright (that might hurt).

As far as suspension, adjust it as needed. You don't want to be bottoming constantly, but you don't want an extremely stiff ride through the trails (that slows you even more).

Thanks with responces folks, Like I said, I'm not plannin on jumpin Snake River, but I don't want to drive around the high spots all the time either!!

Be prepared to crash and fall off.
Also be prepared to buy parts. Jumping is hard on sleds [/b]

there's some advice that's worth its weight in gold eqivalent to the weight of the new parts you'll be getting. :whistling:

When and if I'm jumping my sled, I try to keep the nose of the sled up just a little so that I land with the track first. Not to the point that I land vertical but just a nice incline. IMO that makes the landing much softer. This is the same way that I do jumps on my bike. Never crashed yet and don't intend to.

One bit of advice is don't go trying to be like blair morgan on your first jump. After lots of jumps I can do a full stretch superman and that side kick thingy. I don't do it to be like him, I do it for the fun of it.

With that stunt experience it actually helped me out of a scarey situation once. I came over a hill just a little to fast. My skis didin't touch till I hit the bottom, and when I did hit the bottom it was on a big hard snow drift. My feet just about pased the hood on my sled, but I puled myself back down and into the seat.

If I woudl have fallen off I would've been seriously injured as I was still going verry fast.

Ryan

SWRules Whatever you do when you hit a jump you do not want to land flat!! I learned that the hard way with my old formula. You want to come down on the rear suspension at a slight tilt not 2 much or it will be rough. It is really an art. If you throttle it in the air the track is going to come down fast if you throttle the jump and let of the gas as you come off of it you will float in like a arc rainbow form and if you brake (which i do not reccommend unless it is pretty hairy, I reccommend just letting off the throttle) the nose of the machine will dive. SWRules
I Love jumping my Viper Great sled!! But goodluck with your experience!!

SXVIPERDUDE

you jump a 700 triple triple lake runner?

i guess your jumps are diferent then my jumps.. we jump 4 lane roads 8-10 feet in the air like everyday... ill get some pics.. i couldnt imagine doing that on an sxviper... that would be like juping a honda foreman or a 79 yamaha it400 lol.. if you have a strong motocross/dirtbike background like me, jumping a sled is easy.. you dont have to worry about tipping over or landing in an endo or a wheelie.. just go...

Travis

the viper rear suspension is made for big bumps. It was made to be a big bump sled hell of a hit taker i prolly get 5-7 feet in the air i also got some pics i'll post on my dad's computer and then still gets up and goes on the lake lol. I do get alot of looks when i'm jumpin that beast.

You can jump a snowmobile?????

You can jump a snowmobile?????

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With a running start I can. Just watch out for the risers, they can trip you up. Oh and steer clear of the long tracks :dazed:

the viper rear suspension is made for big bumps. It was made to be a big bump sled hell of a hit taker i prolly get 5-7 feet in the air i also got some pics i'll post on my dad's computer and then still gets up and goes on the lake lol. I do get alot of looks when i'm jumpin that beast.
[/b]

If you think that thing takes bumps good, you need to ride a Firecat, REV or IQ sled (or a ZR,ZX or PRO-X for that matter). Suspension is light years ahead of that viper.

my friend has a 440 ProX and his manager has the new IQ race 440... they race snowcross here in ontario... and they ride adn jump like a dream... so nimble

Travis

I am riding 04 Polaris 500 xcsp with m-10 (which I will never get again). Like I said, I am cautious and try to learn as much as possible about stuff before I try it.
Thanks in advance!
[/b]


just wondering what your issue is with the m-10 or is it the 500 xcsp

SXViperdude is 17, he can do ANYTHING, just like ALL teenagers.

With a running start I can. Just watch out for the risers, they can trip you up. Oh and steer clear of the long tracks :dazed:
[/b]

:lmao:
I started with smaller sleds like a mini Z, now I can almost jump (over)my Gade. :p

One of the most important thing is always be confident, never hesitate. Hesitation will get you in trouble every time. Always approach the jump straight forward, skis straight, standing. If you want distance, approach with speed and keep on the throttle all throughout the take off. If you want more height, approach at a lesser speed, but very heavy on the throttle at the bottom of the jump till you're air born. Always lay off the throttle when you're in the air or your nose will fly up. Start small like the guys mentioned, work your way up, and always, ALWAYS check your landing, plan everything out. Good luck!

i never said i jumped 8-10 feet with my viper lol i said 5-7.

All you guys are jumping the nice new sleds... Take a look at my old iron catching some air. I pretty much got only a few feet though, but it was fun! I would love to try it out on a machine with some serious suspension.

[attachmentid=25312]

Lets see some pics from the rest of you. Back up those big air claims! ;)

[attachmentid=25312]

Lets see some pics from the rest of you. Back up those big air claims! ;)
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Here is a pic from our first trip to Seney this season (who new the second week in Dec would be the peak of snowfall for them :confused: ). Its not real big but its the size I try to stick to :thumbsup:
http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/galleryuploads/1108554865/gallery_4786_179_49312.jpg

Here is a pic from our first trip to Seney this season (who new the second week in Dec would be the peak of snowfall for them :confused: ). Its not real big but its the size I try to stick to :thumbsup:
http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/galleryuploads/1108554865/gallery_4786_179_49312.jpg
[/b]
Clearly in the air! Great picture. Track looks nice there too!

not great by some standards but good enough for me

just wondering what your issue is with the m-10 or is it the 500 xcsp
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Extremely happy with sled, but if you ride packed trails or lakes with little snow 300-400 miles to a hi-fax. Rails not set up for extra bogie and per a forum site loosened track beyond specs made little diff in wear. Now if a machinist out there will cut me in I did mock up bogie blocks for the m-10....

I know that several other people posted the same thing, but start small and work your way up. There is nothing better than a perfect jump, but there are not too many perfect jumps. I have been riding for years and I have broke a lot of machines and body parts from jumps that went bad. I have broken bogie wheels from landing too hard on the back and broken dashboards from nosing too hard and smahing it with my knees. I have even broken my visor on the handlebars from a hard landing. Three years ago, I broke my shoulder from a jump that went bad and I live with arthritis in my shoulder. Jumping and breaking things go together.

For every hundred jumps that go right. One bad one can kill you. I still jump my sled on every hill that I see, and I probably always will, but I wouldn't recommend you trying to get 8 - 10 feet of air for a long time.

Best advice I can give is:

Start slow
Always stand up on a jump
Get to know your sled and how it feels before you go faster and higher
Make a pass and check the landing area and then turn around and try the jump. There is nothing worse than finding out that the landing is washed away when you are in the air.
Don't let anyone push into a bigger jump than you are ready for.

Here's some advice based on experience I gained last week by accident. I inadverdantly did the biggest jump I would ever dream of, too bad nobody had a video camera. Anyways was just ripping down a long straight trail somewhere on the way to Sprucedale from Pickerel lake trying to catch up with my buddy. One of those long straight trails with big rollers, when "all of a sudden" I was flying down into a valley off a steep aproach. I've practised jumping some so wasn't too worried, but I had so much momentum landed on the upslope and bottomed HARD. I had my visor open 1/4 way because it was warm and when I bottomed, my head slapped down, the windshield parted my visor and I got the top of the shield right between the eyes!! LOL, almost knocked me out. Had a great black eye last week cause of it too.

CLOSE your visor!!

Want to thank you for all the feedback!!! Now my next question......
How the heck do I make it snow?!?!? Pretty damn green here in Pa.Any of you snow dwellers want to adopt a 41 year old?I'm good around Wives and pets! JUST WANT TO RIDE.............................................. ...