SideWinder LTX-LE Project

[VX1R]

I thought that I'd post up some pictures and descriptions of my SideWinder LTX-LE project that I've been working on the last few months.

I ordered the sled last March from Pat's Motorsports in Greenland, MI. I live in Minnesota but do most of my riding in the Keweenaw area of the U.P. of MI and Pat's is located right in the heart of the best snowbelt in the western U.P. along with having the local trail run right through their property. I'm a firm believer in establishing a good relationship with whatever dealer is close to you or close to your riding area. Even though I live 300 miles from Pat's their long standing relationship with Yamaha and location to where I ride was a no brainer for me when I decided to order a new sled. Kip McIntyre the owner is a passionate snowmobiler himself, and runs a first class dealership which is well known for it's outstanding service department. His shop is also a TY Preferred Vendor.

After picking up the sled in November I started to make some changes to the sled to transform the stock LTX-LE into my version of the ultimate fast trail SideWinder by improving the already great stock suspension. I also wanted to make sure the sled's ergos would best fit my riding style. And lastly I wanted to change the stock looks of the sled into something more unique.

The first things to change were some of the white and red suspension components to gloss black for a cleaner and more aggressive look. I hooked up with Race Coatings in Forest Lake, MN that is owned by Clinton Houle and his shop did a great job on the spindles, a-arms, and skid rails. While powder coated parts aren't exactly the sexiest mods to a sled having the parts done by a professional shop like Race Coatings is worth the long term durability. The finished products turned out to be outstanding without any chipping off this season.

I should mention that I was able to source a new set of Z-Broz 45" wide stance a-arms to increase the ski stance and improve the handling. These a-arms are both stronger and lighter than the stock a-arms. Z-Broz no longer makes these wider a-arms due to lack of interest in the wider stance. They don't come with a sway bar mount, but with my new shock/spring set up the sway bar is not needed and the handling is awesome without the sway bar. I've been super impressed with the added cornering stability and flat cornering with this set up.

Z-Broz a-arms/steering tie rods along with the stock spindles/skid rails before powder coat:

Parts fully powder coated and ready to install back in sled:

While assembling the rear skid I installed some Dupont hyfax along with a J&T 4 wheel axle kit, both for durability and a Racewerx Quick Adjust coupler block for easy and quick weight transfer adjustments. I also swapped out the stock Ripsaw 2 1.25" lug track with a Ripsaw 2 1.5" lug track for a little added traction since I don't run studs. The Racewerx coupler block was a great mod as it can be adjusted for more weight transfer than the stock set up that results in less ski pressure for lighter steering effort than the stock set up. I also really liked the additional traction that the 1.5" lug track provides in all conditions.

To give the sled some added bite on the front to match the increased traction in the rear along with making sure the sled goes where you point it I installed a set of SLP Mohawk skis. These skis are a perfect match for the rider forward ProCross chassis and once you've got the suspension dialed in for the aggressive skis you've got a sled that will handle and steer regardless of the snow conditions with very light steering effort. With a wider width than the stock skis the Mohawk skis will also keep the front end of the sled on top in deep snow instead of plowing through the snow with the stock skis.

I sold the stock Fox QSR3-R shocks to a fellow TY member (Hi Russ!) and replaced them with a full set of Custom Axis shocks from HyGear Suspension. Ross Benson and his crew did an outstanding job of building these shocks. HyGear custom builds the shocks for your weight so they come delivered set up for you instead of a general rider weight range. The wide range of adjustments on these shocks is great for fine tuning for conditions and the ride is just awesome. I was able to dial in these shocks with very little fine tuning and they offer a very plush ride when things get rough without any signs of fading.

After I got the front/rear suspensions put back together and installed it was time to bring the sled to the Racewerx shop for them to design a bumper for the new SideWinder front clip. Doug Matejcek, the owner of Racewerx is a former Yamaha race mechanic on the Yamaha SnoCross team when Yamaha still had a factory effort in professional SnoCross. He is a true artist and perfectionist when it comes to designing his products and is the only one in the industry who makes laser cut aluminum bumpers instead of tubular bumpers. I found out first hand just how much time and effort it takes to design a bumper for a new platform. I've currently got a pre-production bumper on the sled and the production bumpers will be available for next season. The new Racewerx design has nicely designed hand holds on both sides that easily allow both hands to lift the front of the sled compared to the stock narrow bumper. It also does a nice job of keeping the snow from building up on the intercooler. I really like the overall design and additional protection.

I wanted to give the sled a unique, clean, and aggressive look so I once again hooked up with Robb Kaiser from Blown Concepts to work with on the sled. I've worked with Robb over the years on many sleds from my VX7R custom Viper, SRX, VX1R's and SnoScoot's. He has a unique gift to come up with a look that is clean and tasteful and not in your face. As with the time it took RaceWerx to design their bumper, this new SideWinder platform has a whole new body design with a lot more angles on the hood and side panels than found on the Viper models. I've got a whole new appreciation for the work involved in designing a graphics package on a whole new platform like the SideWinder after working with Robb on this project. There's a lot of template work to make everything come together on this new platform. Here's a few pics of the before and after look:

I wanted to make sure that the sled fit me and keep me in control so I contacted RoxSpeed FX. I've got their height adjustable handlebar risers that are super easy to adjust, along with their running board grip strips that really keep my feet locked in place and their Design Your Own Flex Tech Handguards to keep my hands warm and protected. I also replaced the stock plastic handlebar pad with a fully padded Rox pad. Their number plate is a great place to install a trail sticker instead of the windshield:

To complete the package I contacted Allen Ulmer from Ulmer Racing to get his latest clutch kit for the SideWinder. I've known Allen for many years and his SW clutch kit came perfectly dialed in for the sled. I was looking for a nice low engagement speed and Allen set me up with an optional primary spring that has worked out perfect for the sled. The lower engagement speed actually gives a better launch without breaking loose the track, but when you put the spurs to her it just gets up and goes. I had a limited amount of time testing a Thunder Products 33-35 reverse angle helix last week and from the short amount of time that I had the helix installed it seemed to give a noticeable boost in the low to mid range acceleration.

One final touch was to get rid of the the red color on the rear panel of the seat using some spray on black dye to give the seat a better flow with the graphics of the sled.

This sled is an absolute thrill to drive and the ride and handling has exceeded all of my expectations. The sled rails through the corners with zero ski lift or body roll and rips through every imaginable trail condition with confidence that I have never experienced before.

I'd like to give a big thanks to Tom aka MrSled and TY for this site. I was able to save a lot of time getting the sled set up by reading other SW owners postings on what works and any potential problems to watch for.

Here's a few pictures of the sled on the snow:

Happy trails and thanks for looking!

 

[Kevin]

Looks Awesome!!!!

 

[orangecrush]

Like what you are doing! Turned out really nice and clean. Definitely one-of-a-kind. How much was the wrap?

 

[Gone Blue]

Another sweet build! G.B.

 

[VX1R]

Like what you are doing! Turned out really nice and clean. Definitely one-of-a-kind. How much was the wrap?

Thanks for your comment. I really like the way it turned out, like you say nice and clean.

Regarding the price of the wrap.......It's probably best to contact Robb at Blown Concepts direct: 612-767-7645. They're located in Circle Pines, MN

 

[DranttelSS]

Excellent work! Turned out awesome!

 

[SXRider7Hundo]

Well does anyone have some towels so I can clean the drool off of my desk?

 

[VX1R]

Thanks for the comments. I'm really happy with the way the sled turned out. Like I mentioned this sled has exceeded my expectations in every respect.

Yamaha/Arctic Cat really delivered a great platform to start with and all of the products that I installed simply made an already great sled even better for my riding style.

If anyone has any questions about any of the mods that I made to the sled feel free to send me a PM.

 

[kinger]

I love it! Also curious how you get along with no sway bar. I love riding without one but man its slows me down in the corners.

 

[VX1R]

I love it! Also curious how you get along with no sway bar. I love riding without one but man its slows me down in the corners.

Kinger........I know what you mean about riding without a sway bar, if you're not set up properly the sled will handle like a tank in the corners. It's all in the set up.

When I first found these Zbroz 45" wide a-arms that was my biggest concern. I contacted them and was told that the sway bar was not needed. The shock mount on their a-arms is located slightly farther away from the center of the chassis to actually increase the leverage of the shock when going through a corner when the weight is transferred to the outside ski. This also requires the front ski shock to be 3/4" longer length than the stock shock. They also told me that the spring rate of the shock is critical without the sway bar. I could either buy their correctly set up Exit brand shock/spring to use with these a-arms or they could provide me with the proper spring rate info.

Since I had decided to go with Custom Axis shocks from Hygear Suspension on the sled, Zbroz was nice enough to share their spring rate info so that Hygear could set the shocks up using the correct spring rate. Their Custom Axis ski shocks actually use a dual rate set up with a separate tender and main spring for fine tuning. Hygear also has a lot of different rates available for both the main and tender springs to try out in case you want to fine tune the spring set up. The springs that came installed on the new shocks were set up perfectly right from the get go for my application.

These new wide stance a-arms along with the Custom Axis shocks has been an amazing combination. With the whole sled now set up properly for my weight and both the front and rear suspensions working like they should the sled actually feels a lot lighter and the handling does a great job of hiding the true weight of the sled when going down the trail or through the corners. The front suspension works great with both skis doing the job through the bumps and corners. I haven't had any issues going through the corners and have yet to experience any inside ski lift through a corner. I'm not a real big guy, but with this set up along with the SLP Mohawk skis this sled goes where I point it, doesn't dart, steers effortlessly and doesn't wear me out.

It's a shame that Zbroz no longer makes these wider stance a-arms. They told me that there just wasn't the demand for them from flat land riders and that mostly oval racers and hill climb and hill cross racers were buying them. Too small of a market I guess. They still make some sweet replacement a-arms for the stock ski stance and narrower stance a-arms for the mountain guys where there's still a big demand. Follow the money I guess.

Sorry for the long rant, but you can probably tell that I like the handling without any sway bar.

 

[kinger]

Cool that helps! I am trying to figure out a way to ride without a sway bar. The fully independent suspension is amazing once let loose without the sway bar holding the sled back. I have floats w/reservoirs and was hoping that I could dial them in since they are somewhat stiffer anyway.

 

[orangecrush]

It looks like you have tried at least 3 different windshields, stock, cat and maybe a viper? which one do you like best?

 

[VX1R]

It looks like you have tried at least 3 different windshields, stock, cat and maybe a viper? which one do you like best?

I like the low Viper windy (if you can call it a windshield) that's currently on the sled (pictures of the sled on the snow) for pure looks. I think a more angular windshield fits the lines of the sled and graphics the best. The stock one doesn't look to bad either. But any of the ones that you mentioned don't work worth a squat for wind protection. I'm glad that I've got a nice warm coat to keep me warm.

I just might give this one a try next year when the temps drop for better protection: https://www.shopyamaha.com/product/details/sidewinder-medium-sport-windshield?b=Search

 

[yamadoo]

Wow how did I miss this beauty!

VX1R again top notch awesome!!!!!

 

[VX1R]

Wow how did I miss this beauty!

VX1R again top notch awesome!!!!!

Thanks Mark. Now you know why I've got one of the VX1R's for sale!

This SideWinder has really exceeded all of my expectations as far as power, ride, and handling. I just wish that Dave from Hurricane Performance along with all of the other power enhancing shops would stop posting their new products. Being that the SW is my first boosted sled I'm still happy with the power output but damn, the temptation is always there to step up the power with the tunes, headers, and exhaust systems available.

What's the old saying......."Too much power is just enough".