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3.7K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  Backfire1  
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#1 ·
Hey guys, I am a new Polaris owner. I have owned Honda most of my life and I just traded in a 2016 Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe on a 2018 HL 1000XP. I have learned a ton about these machines from this website and youtube. I only have put a couple of miles on the HL, but honestly I am a little disappointed in the suspension. I expected it to be much smoother than my pioneer, but I think it is stiffer. I know one of the issues is probably the Outlaw 2 tires, which are going to be short lived on this machine. I have done some reading up on the tender springs, all 4 of mine are completely compressed, which from what I understand, they are what absorb the initial shock on terrain.

Look at the pics..is this normal?

I have read some of the stuff on Shock Therapy and some of the front spring swaps.

What say you?
 
#3 · (Edited)
HL springs are stiffer than xp to compensate for heavy mud clinging. Start by turning your clickers all the way soft and then back towards hard 2 clicks. Jack up at chassis and let the suspension drop, easy way is to do one at a time.Clean above collars so they are dirt free and lube with a little WD40 mark the collars and loosen 5-10 turns, drive and see if you are any better with your normal load of full tank,passenger,tools ,cooler etc. You might end up all the way soft in the front and take the same amount of turns in the rear.
you will loose some ground clearance but they sit high anyhow. If you are not happy after the above then different springs might be needed. Its free and worth a shot.Measure where you start out you can always go back.
 
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#4 ·
Yes those pictures are normal. I bet you are loving the HL over the pioneer. I would love for Honda to come out with a real sxs, but they have not done anything interesting. I am a Honda dirt bike guy, that owns a HL.

Here is a couple of pictures of mine new and after I put Shock Therapy stage 4 kit on it.

As already posted Polaris cranks the tender springs down from the factory to get max ground clearance. The problem is this turns the shock into a single rate (main spring). The smaller tender spring on top is supposed to compress on the smaller bumps and the main spring for the bigger bumps. With the tender spring totally compressed it is doing nothing.

With the Shock Therapy kit I picked up 2 more inches of ground clearance without a lift kit, just in the suspension. And not the tenders can actually work. Look how much more travel you can pick up. Honestly it’s night and day difference how it rides now.

I know you shouldn’t have to dump money into a new machine like this, but the fact is Polaris stock springs are junk and sag within 6 months of use.

Search the forum. Most guys say suspension is the first thing they upgrade on their rzr. Not just the HL. It’s money well spent.

Happy to answer any specific questions about the setup.

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#5 ·
That is a ridiculous difference in the springs. I am going to try the adjustment previously mentioned and then go from there, I would definitely love to do the Shock Therapy, but I have other priorities right now. I want to change the tires before I do anything else, I hate these Outlaw 2's. If you were racing someone in a mud pit, they are probably the best, outside of that, not so much. I also intend to add fender flares, either the mudbusters or Rokblokz.....Thanks for the information...
 
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#8 ·
Ok, I apologize for my ignorance, but want to make sure I do it right. I am assuming you are talking about turning the silver ring at the top of the tender spring. If so, is there a tool in the standard tool kit to adjust or do I need to buy something? Thanks for your patience....
 
#11 ·
The spring rate is linear so the rate won't change unless actually remove enough preload so the upper spring is no longer fully compressed at ride height. Removing that much preload will absolutely effect ride height. But, you are certainly correct that it is free to remove preload so by all means.....
 
#12 ·
The HL uses the higher weight capacity 4 seater springs in order to hold the height once it gets caked with mud. The top spring is just a 'tender' spring meant to keep the main bottom spring seated at full shock extension. It is not meant to actually carry weight like in a two stage spring setup, like the Shock Therapy spring kit with a crossover ring.
 
#20 ·
On my HL ditching the Outlaws had a major effect. Those tires weigh like 10-ish lbs more each than your average all terrain and likely 1/3 of their mass isn't flexible (lugs). That's a LOT of extra unsprung weight. Mine rides quite nice running pro Armor attacks with damping set at around 4-5.

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#23 ·
Also a simple one to check. Tire pressure. I got a 900s w OL2’s and previous owner had like 20+ psi in each. Took them down to i believe 10 and it helped for sure.
Still went with rt pro springs in a dual rate setup which had more effect than psi but every bit helps.


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