chrishall
Pro
Here is my story
Hi all,
I ride a 2005 RX-1ER on beautiful Canadian trails. Just check my rails 3 weeks ago and noticed the exact same crack as everybody else on both of them. I took my suspension in for the rails to be replaced before this thread even started. Dealer said he had never seen anything like this. He contacted Yamaha to have them send them 2 replacement rail, and they told the deal he had to send in the original one first for them to examine. It's now been over a week and dealer still hasn't heard from Yamaha yet. He said that Yamaha has never before requested old parts to be shipped in before new one were shipped out. Something is up.
Hope I didn't jump the gun here by taking in into dealer too soon. If I get the exact same rails as before, they are sure to break. I wish I had waited till Fall to have it fixed. By then they will probably replace the hole suspension like the did with the Viper in 2003.
Cheers,
Chris
Hi all,
I ride a 2005 RX-1ER on beautiful Canadian trails. Just check my rails 3 weeks ago and noticed the exact same crack as everybody else on both of them. I took my suspension in for the rails to be replaced before this thread even started. Dealer said he had never seen anything like this. He contacted Yamaha to have them send them 2 replacement rail, and they told the deal he had to send in the original one first for them to examine. It's now been over a week and dealer still hasn't heard from Yamaha yet. He said that Yamaha has never before requested old parts to be shipped in before new one were shipped out. Something is up.
Hope I didn't jump the gun here by taking in into dealer too soon. If I get the exact same rails as before, they are sure to break. I wish I had waited till Fall to have it fixed. By then they will probably replace the hole suspension like the did with the Viper in 2003.
Cheers,
Chris
No I would say that is good for all of us. At least they are looking at the problem.
rxrider
Jan-Ove Pedersen
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- Lakselv - 70N & 25E
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- Snowmobile
- 2014 Phazer XTX, 2013 Phazer RTX, 2008 Apex RTX, 2007 Warrior, 2006 Attak
BA APEX said:
A pic of my skid would not show much cause dealers tech did a perfect job on welding and repainting, perfect color match on paint job and excellent welding.
My dealer reinforced all weldings in the skid, no extra steel (weight) were added. Small hairline cracks were only found in front pivot-arm else the skid and bushings were in perfect condition. Grease-zerks were installed at 300 miles, guess that made a difference regarding wear of the bushings.
My skid had not broken yet but I guess it would have if it had not been reinforced. My dealer did this job cause Yamaha Scandinavia had told him to take apart all Mono RA, check and send pics and documentation back to Yamaha of what he fould. I take this as Yamaha is looking into this problem... I hope they are cause I want my '06 GT to be perfect... 8)
SledFreak
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2005
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- 5,514
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- Ontario. Canada
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- Canada
- Snowmobile
- Current 2020 ThunderCat. - SOLD!
So do I......
4Fighter
TY 4 Stroke God
COLDONE said:
I hit the trails from my garage in Sault Ste. Marie. I have to ride through a few miles of crap to get to the good parts. Generally, anytime I have ventured to Paradise/Falls area, the trails are shot. I agree, the grooming has been getting better, but conditions in Paradise almost always suck so I rarely ride there. I usually put around 1800 - 2000 miles on local EUP trails too.
Like I said, I've never experienced this sort of problem with any of the Polaris' I've owned in years past. I don't think I should have to baby my snowmobile because it's a Yamaha. It doesn't make any sense to advertise your product as being "High performance" and then expect everyone to drive it like a garden tractor. I'm coming to the realization that my Yamaha just doesn't hold-up as well. Is it too much to ask for, to have a $9,000.00 snowmobile hold-up through one season without breaking a single $150 part? I am patiently waiting to hear what Yamaha will officially say about the issue, now that a qualified/skilled welder pointed out a fabrication flaw.
4Fighter
TY 4 Stroke God
After discovering a cracked front pivot arm on my GT, and searching for re-enforcement ideas, I ran across this thread and it got me thinking:
The original poster has a valid argument for snow cross shocks for those who purposely "abuse" their sleds. He also has a good point that they should expect to be disappointed when they do. However, anyone who rides a trail with 3' moguls, for any extended length of time, could also be said to have abused their snowmobile too. But I also believe the problem, IMHO: can be attributed to involuntary abuse. Here's why:
OEM's continue to put a shock rated for a 150 - 200 lb. rider in a sled, and sell it to a 250 - 300 lb. guy. Yes, even the reservoir setups. They also sell him an extended warranty for piece of mind. Let's assume that said 250 lb. guy loads up his saddle-bags, and goes out for a weekend ride. He puts 500 miles on his brand new sled. Obviously, if the sled was not setup for him properly, he will have experienced several hard hits, and bottoming no matter how he rides.
What sort of damage is done in that first 250 miles, before the dealer gets it, adjusts it, puts him back on his way, and his suspension crashes hard again? The reverse of that being: An overly stiff suspension for someone lighter than factory specs, may not have enough of the shock working to absorb the impact. Something has to give.
I believe allot has to do with initial setup, and break-in. If you slam your new sled over mogul after mogul, without it being setup for you and all of your gear, the damage is already done. If you never modify the shock to compensate for what the OEM didn't, your specific weight and riding style, chances are you will eventually break something.
The four best examples I have of this are:
Stock RX-1 was too soft after the skid broke in, so I crashed hard on just regular bumps. Went with Ohlins shock upgrade. Spring was said to be too stiff, not enough of the shock was working. So I had Pioneer install a softer spring. Well I couldn't stand it past 3 clicks and I still ended up with a cracked W-arm.
Installed an Expert-X with box-stock shocks. This is designed for aggressive riding. It broke a few cross-shaft bolts, and wore the pivot out on the arm because it also crashed hard on trail.
Attak GT. Worked fine first 100 miles, then got softer and softer. Dealer increased sit-in, while I had my gear on, and it still crashed hard.
So bottom line is this: Make sure your suspension is properly setup for your weight and style, including everything you've added to the sled before you hit the trail. I don't think this is THE cause, but incorrect setup can also do damage.
The original poster has a valid argument for snow cross shocks for those who purposely "abuse" their sleds. He also has a good point that they should expect to be disappointed when they do. However, anyone who rides a trail with 3' moguls, for any extended length of time, could also be said to have abused their snowmobile too. But I also believe the problem, IMHO: can be attributed to involuntary abuse. Here's why:
OEM's continue to put a shock rated for a 150 - 200 lb. rider in a sled, and sell it to a 250 - 300 lb. guy. Yes, even the reservoir setups. They also sell him an extended warranty for piece of mind. Let's assume that said 250 lb. guy loads up his saddle-bags, and goes out for a weekend ride. He puts 500 miles on his brand new sled. Obviously, if the sled was not setup for him properly, he will have experienced several hard hits, and bottoming no matter how he rides.
What sort of damage is done in that first 250 miles, before the dealer gets it, adjusts it, puts him back on his way, and his suspension crashes hard again? The reverse of that being: An overly stiff suspension for someone lighter than factory specs, may not have enough of the shock working to absorb the impact. Something has to give.
I believe allot has to do with initial setup, and break-in. If you slam your new sled over mogul after mogul, without it being setup for you and all of your gear, the damage is already done. If you never modify the shock to compensate for what the OEM didn't, your specific weight and riding style, chances are you will eventually break something.
The four best examples I have of this are:
Stock RX-1 was too soft after the skid broke in, so I crashed hard on just regular bumps. Went with Ohlins shock upgrade. Spring was said to be too stiff, not enough of the shock was working. So I had Pioneer install a softer spring. Well I couldn't stand it past 3 clicks and I still ended up with a cracked W-arm.
Installed an Expert-X with box-stock shocks. This is designed for aggressive riding. It broke a few cross-shaft bolts, and wore the pivot out on the arm because it also crashed hard on trail.
Attak GT. Worked fine first 100 miles, then got softer and softer. Dealer increased sit-in, while I had my gear on, and it still crashed hard.
So bottom line is this: Make sure your suspension is properly setup for your weight and style, including everything you've added to the sled before you hit the trail. I don't think this is THE cause, but incorrect setup can also do damage.
SledFreak
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2005
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- 5,514
- Location
- Ontario. Canada
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- Current 2020 ThunderCat. - SOLD!
Hey Brian, it's Andy... What's up.... Got your sled ready? I called Chris, the other day, but he sounded busy and said he would call me back and never did. Oh well.....
4Fighter
TY 4 Stroke God
SledFreak said:
Hey Andy. I finally got a free minute to get to the sled prep. I've got to address the suspension. Sending the shock to Pioneer for a re-valve. Hopefully it'll be ready when the trails open???
Trust me, he was probably swamped - don't sweat it, he will call you eventually, maybe not because you called a month ago, but he'll call
SledFreak
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2005
- Messages
- 5,514
- Location
- Ontario. Canada
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- Current 2020 ThunderCat. - SOLD!
I'm still working on mine.... Putting some goodies on it this year.
impalapower said:
Ride your what? LMAO
