Snowmobile Repair: Snowmobile suspension, denniskirk, sleds

Question
I have a '97 ZL 440 with a very "soft" rear suspension. When I sit down on the sled ~50 percent(or more)of the travel is used up. My weight? 200#. When riding, it will bottom out on any aggressive terrain. The suspension will also not rebound fully to the limiter straps when I get off the sled. Where do I start troubleshooting?

Answer
Hello Dave,

  Seems alot of sleds after 5 years or so will do that. It's caused my the charge in the gas shocks being depleted. Eventually, their isn't enough gas to push the shock all the way up. Some gas shocks are rebuild-able. I would imagine you have a RYDE FX shock in the back, which is rebuild-able. If you decide to go the rebuild route, most large dealers will do it. You can also get OEM shocks here: http://www.brownsleisureworld.com/Parts/SNOWMOBILE/1997/1997ZL440(97Z4B-1997)/  or here:  http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/MMYSkuDisplay.jsp;jsessionid=HH5G4...  .  Pro-Gold shocks are much cheaper, but are not available for your machine. If you want to really go to the maximum suspension set up, a M-10 suspension made by team FAST would be ideal. Hope this helps you. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck with the sled! --Arcticatman