Whenever a sled is so radically changed and altered, it’s difficult to provide feedback based on one week’s riding.
We made a special effort to put in as much seat time as possible with the new AXYS platform and came away with some strong vibes.
First, this sled is light. You can feel the difference from the original RUSH immediately and the ride and handling are noticeably affected by it.
Second, the new 800 2-stroke is a winner! This mill rocks and may set the standard for every other 800 out there.
Comment: “This 800 feels like a great big 600 – it even sounds cooler and its throttle response at every power level is immediate and urgent.”
Some of our testers even claimed this was the fastest 800 they’d ridden – ever. We’re not sure and can’t verify this at sea level, so we’ll just say this is a very strong 800 and, wait for next year.
Rear suspension: One thing we noticed is the new AXYS suspension is way less sensitive to adjustment than the original RUSH. This is a very good thing and makes the sled way easier to set up for individual riders.
There’s plenty of alternatives with settings and everything is easy to get at to fine-tune the back end. Front end handling is much flatter and linear than the former RUSH and when the rear suspension is correctly dialed, the sled handles like it’s on rails.
We suggest all owners regardless of their weight or riding style dial back the clickers to “0” and adjust upwards as required. Start with lower spring preload and then work the clickers upwards gradually to harder settings.
We could go on with the slick electronics on this sled (the color dash display is awesome!) but there’s just too much to say about the AXYS.
We’ll give you more feedback soon.
