'06 Venture RS Handling - think I might be buying an Arctic Cat

[NaughtyPines]

Do you use a bungee cord to keep inward pressure on the skis while adjusting them?


Where are your transfer rods set?

My transfer rods are almost all the way out - "third line" according to the manual, which would be at their greatest extension. Doing that helped my issues quite a bit. Like you predicted, these adjustments made the steering a bit heavier, but it is a good price to pay to make it handle better in my opinion. Guess that's why they put EPS on the later machines.

 

[4strokeluvr111]

My transfer rods are almost all the way out - "third line" according to the manual, which would be at their greatest extension. Doing that helped my issues quite a bit. Like you predicted, these adjustments made the steering a bit heavier, but it is a good price to pay to make it handle better in my opinion. Guess that's why they put EPS on the later machines.

I don't remember if "all the way out" on those skids means minimal transfer but whatever. BTW -- EPS doesn't really cure the problem....it's a band aid IMO.

I AM glad that CatMan was here and able to get you squared away.

Now get out there and ride!!!

 

[theCATman]

Here's another .02, whether or not it's right or wrong, but we'll never get these new rider forward sleds to handle like the good old days of #*$&@ to grass... or snow, chassis sleds.

It's a necessary trade off from 6" of travel, stuck to the trail handling of trailing arm suspension, where your back & hips ARE the suspension, to sitting tall & proud 12+" of travel riding on a cloud, but a tippy feeling & wondering if you're gonna make the next turn.

Again, my .02....

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[4strokeluvr111]

Here's another .02, whether or not it's right or wrong, but we'll never get these new rider forward sleds to handle like the good old days of #*$&@ to grass... or snow, chassis sleds.

It's a necessary trade off from 6" of travel, stuck to the trail handling of trailing arm suspension, where your back & hips ARE the suspension, to sitting tall & proud 12+" of travel riding on a cloud, but a tippy feeling & wondering if you're gonna make the next turn.

Again, my .02....

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100% true. Man you could hang off the side of those trailing arm sleds and get them to rail around corners! Sometimes I miss those days!

 

[theCATman]

100% true. Man you could hang off the side of those trailing arm sleds and get them to rail around corners! Sometimes I miss those days!

Damn straight. My best handling & power to weight ratio was my '00 XC600SP. Most powerful 600 to date & was stuck like glue. Nothing could touch it. At radar runs it would clean up 600 stock classes, & with out trying could leave buddies in the dust on the trails.

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[NaughtyPines]

Damn straight. My best handling & power to weight ratio was my '00 XC600SP. Most powerful 600 to date & was stuck like glue. Nothing could touch it. At radar runs it would clean up 600 stock classes, & with out trying could leave buddies in the dust on the trails.

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Funny you mention that. I'm looking at a '03 XCSP 600 for exactly that reason. My better half is selling me on a mid-oo's AC F6. Rode an edge chassis once and was impressed. Haven't ridden an F6.

I was considering one of the newer Phazers which seems like riding a tall motocross bike, which really appeals to me, but having to use body English around every corner doesn't really appeal. I do like the older chassis machines in terms of sitting low and not having to move around a lot to combat tipping. Yamaha motors have always appealed to me a LOT, having owned a couple V-Maxes (including one with the chain drive conversion), an FZR1000, an R1, FZR400 (mostly a track bike), an FZR250RR grey market, RZ350 and TZ250. Yamaha motors always have delivered for me in a reliable fashion and I always loved the howl of the liter 5-valvers. Plus distant valve adjustment intervals were a nice feature - the oldest FZR1000 (1990) needed one tiny shim out of 20 at 27,000 miles (!!!!!).

Right now, a buddy of mine who is snowbirding in FL this year lent me his '99 AC 600 Powder Special (154" track I think) and I find it to handle fantastically. Smelling like a heavily used chainsaw when I step off the thing and feeding it $40/gallon oil is not appealing.

Any experience with the Phazer as a mostly trail machine on trails that are very twisty, narrow and usually not groomed all that well?

Thanks!

 

[4strokeluvr111]

Funny you mention that. I'm looking at a '03 XCSP 600 for exactly that reason. My better half is selling me on a mid-oo's AC F6. Rode an edge chassis once and was impressed. Haven't ridden an F6.

I was considering one of the newer Phazers which seems like riding a tall motocross bike, which really appeals to me, but having to use body English around every corner doesn't really appeal. I do like the older chassis machines in terms of sitting low and not having to move around a lot to combat tipping. Yamaha motors have always appealed to me a LOT, having owned a couple V-Maxes (including one with the chain drive conversion), an FZR1000, an R1, FZR400 (mostly a track bike), an FZR250RR grey market, RZ350 and TZ250. Yamaha motors always have delivered for me in a reliable fashion and I always loved the howl of the liter 5-valvers. Plus distant valve adjustment intervals were a nice feature - the oldest FZR1000 (1990) needed one tiny shim out of 20 at 27,000 miles (!!!!!).

Right now, a buddy of mine who is snowbirding in FL this year lent me his '99 AC 600 Powder Special (154" track I think) and I find it to handle fantastically. Smelling like a heavily used chainsaw when I step off the thing and feeding it $40/gallon oil is not appealing.

Any experience with the Phazer as a mostly trail machine on trails that are very twisty, narrow and usually not groomed all that well?

Thanks!

On that Powder specail, unless it has power valves, you don't need to spend $40 on oil. $17/gal. Mystik Sea n Snow will work just fine. On those Cats, the Diamond Drives (aka chaincase) seem to be the weak point and are expensive to fix. Proper maintenance from new seems to be key. Maybe an early/mid 2000's Polaris or Cat 2up would have been more to your liking?

 

[NaughtyPines]

On that Powder specail, unless it has power valves, you don't need to spend $40 on oil. $17/gal. Mystik Sea n Snow will work just fine. On those Cats, the Diamond Drives (aka chaincase) seem to be the weak point and are expensive to fix. Proper maintenance from new seems to be key. Maybe an early/mid 2000's Polaris or Cat 2up would have been more to your liking?

It's just a loaner sled I don't even register and use locally and to break my own trail to the club trails - about 3/4 of a mile. It is a powervalve model, injected, and the owner has had it since new and kept it in really nice shape. About 8,000 miles on it and it has never had the top end done. He attributes it to using only AC oil in it, but who knows. I do know he rides it *hard* and it is very aggressively clutched. Definitely shows its age suspension-wise, but boy is it great for breaking through trails after a foot and a half of snow or more. Does make me smell like a chainsaw shop after a short ride though.

 

[NaughtyPines]

On that Powder specail, unless it has power valves, you don't need to spend $40 on oil. $17/gal. Mystik Sea n Snow will work just fine. On those Cats, the Diamond Drives (aka chaincase) seem to be the weak point and are expensive to fix. Proper maintenance from new seems to be key. Maybe an early/mid 2000's Polaris or Cat 2up would have been more to your liking?

Also, as far as a 2-up goes, I've really enjoyed the Yamaha. Best 2-up I've ever piloted with a passenger on it. I just don't ride 2-up anymore.

 

[theCATman]

I've rode a 2007 Phazer. One word... awful.

It made alot of noise & went no where. They are 80 hp, but didn't feel like it at all. It felt the same at full throttle as it did at 1/2. Just blah.

Next is the I'll handling. Part of it probably was my buddy was too cheap to put a good carbide under it, only had the #*$&@ 4" low quality stockers. But none the less, it pushed horribly no matter how far up on the gas tank you got.

It was comfortable for the time I was on it. It has a very tall narrow seat making it easy to stand, but comfort means nothing when the performance on every level stunk.

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[RobWarrior]

Snow Tracker Carbides.
Align the skis so they are perfectly straight, no 1/8" toe out with these carbides.
Loosen the front suspension spring until the nuts are ready to fall off.
Now you'll have weight on the skis, and carbides that actually work.

NaughtyPines, you didn't seem to listen to this gentleman regarding the SnowTrackers...He is spot on, get a set and you'll have lighter steering and the best handling possible for your Venture.

 

[Roger]

Do you use a bungee cord to keep inward pressure on the skis while adjusting them?


Where are your transfer rods set?

Drive it on hard pack, measure, adjust, drive it, measure again, done!
Bungee cords? That isn't a natural state for the snowmobile to be driven.
I can't believe how complicated most people on this site try to make things.

 

[4strokeluvr111]

Drive it on hard pack, measure, adjust, drive it, measure again, done!
Bungee cords? That isn't a natural state for the snowmobile to be driven.
I can't believe how complicated most people on this site try to make things.

Most people on this site know how to do things the right way and want others to do it the right way too.