'13-'14 TYMFC *Mileage Quest*

[Mileage Quest]

Hey all I am new to the forum but not new to Yamaha or snowmobiling... I posted an intro thread to introduce myself properly http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php? ... 73#1110173

Picked up a new 2012 Vector LTX March of 2013


Put on 313 mile with the old man before it all dried up

And so the fun began last weekend again!!!

***EDIT lost a few pics with the site improvements***

 

[Mileage Quest]

12/13-14

First time in years that I can remember riding the trails before the 1st of the year


Here is a pic of my dad's apex clock (he will have more miles then I as I work every other weekend)

Friday we took it easy and rode the trails near the cabin... seeing which ones were groomed the best (my dog loves to bomb photos)


We got a dusting of snow and had an overnight low well below 0 degrees Ferinheight:


Mine wouldn't start the next morning... Code 43 was reported... Call back home to internet service... Had a buddy look it up on this site!!!
THANKS TY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pulled it in to the shop, fired up the stove and took it a part... checked the battery leads, put the battery on a charger, cleaned the ice out of the intake box and fired up the spare sled:


We went in to grab a bite and wait for a buddy to show up... when he did my dad helped him unload and they grabbed a few pales of feed to put out for the deer... during this time I put the Vector back together... And she popped right off HOORAY!!!!


We stopped here for a bite and to fill up as it was nearing the half way point:


Parked her on the trailer with 505 on the clock and no gas...

Good thing to because she was dead again the next morning

This trip clocked 192 miles
Current miles on ODM 505
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 192

 

[Irv]

Great pics and story Mileage Quest

I asked in another post but will also ask here about your front shocks.

I was just curious how you liked them and if you know if they are serviceable and/or rebuildable?

Like I also mentioned, your exact sled has been on my radar since they first came out.

Have a great season.

 

[Mileage Quest]

Worked over the holiday

Great pics and story Mileage Quest

I asked in another post but will also ask here about your front shocks.

I was just curious how you liked them and if you know if they are serviceable and/or rebuildable?

Like I also mentioned, your exact sled has been on my radar since they first came out.

Have a great season.

Thanks for your interest Irv!!! Funny you ask questions about the shocks... they are the standard Yamaha KYB's which I believe are rebuildable... as for how does it handle/ride... well that is one of the things I am current adjusting before the next ride... I packed on the OT at work over the holiday and in between I tinkered with my Vector... Been cold here so lets heat up the garage a degree or two:



I softened the front shocks a bit:

Set the rear shock dampening to its softest setting... Tighten the limiter strap to the second from the bottom... Tighten the track... Checked the hyfax (wear seems extreme but that may have been due to many factors):



Back to the Code 43 situation... Thinking back the dealership sent us out the door without a fully charged battery which I had signed off on... So I wired in a Battery Tender Jr... and charged it up:

It was about time to check the chain tension and belt condition... But while I was peeking around in there I noticed this:
Clutch side:



Brake side:



Freed it from rocks and dirt so I can see if it accumulates there again:



Has anyone seen this??? I didn't ride more than 12-15 miles on any dirt last year nor has it ever been trailered while not covered... Could this have been in a flood??? Say in Japan or the east coast... I'll feel better if I see it happening again I think :/

Figured I better get legal for my New Years ride (may attempt a Mille Lacs to Duluth if things fall into place):



Happy Holidays!!!

 

[Mileage Quest]

12/28

It's above freezing for the first time in days... So we waited until later in the day to start our ride... Looking to get 225-250 on... Hope the trails hold up... Picked this guy up at the end of our dirt road:



We broke trail across the lake/river thing bypassing a rough part of the trail:



Before we got to the trail center Mr. F800 over heated his clutch (after 15 miles his day was done)... we got him to the road and arranged a pickup... We headed to town to until his ride showed up...

I figure we lost 1.5 hours to the delay... From there we head south toward warmer weather and a decreased snowpack... But our advantage was we had seen what that part of the trail looked like as it follows a high major highway we use... From there we headed west toward one of my favorite things on the trail... The warming shack:



As the sun set it started to get foggy... So we stopped and let the fog freeze off... From there we continued southwest...

We stopped here to confirm there was gas at the end of the next trail:

Stopped in town... Got gas... We got spoiled the last half our ride!!! He was coming in as we were going out!!!



Stopped by my fishing hotspot on my way home (it's a dam):



Parked it on the trailer for the trip to the cities:

This was the first time this year my dad and I swapped sleds for considerable amounts of time... With the new adjustments and EPS this thing is amazing(he agrees)!!! No effort needed to steer and the rear sucked up all the stutter through mid/large bumps (I don't really need to jump anything)... I don't think I'll change a thing until the shocks soften up...

See you next year!!!

This trip clocked 173 miles
Current miles on ODM 678
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 365

 

[Irv]

Re: Worked over the holiday

Great pics and story Mileage Quest

I asked in another post but will also ask here about your front shocks.

I was just curious how you liked them and if you know if they are serviceable and/or rebuildable?

Like I also mentioned, your exact sled has been on my radar since they first came out.

Have a great season.

Thanks for your interest Irv!!! Funny you ask questions about the shocks... they are the standard Yamaha KYB's which I believe are rebuildable... as for how does it handle/ride... well that is one of the things I am current adjusting before the next ride... I packed on the OT at work over the holiday and in between I tinkered with my Vector... Been cold here so lets heat up the garage a degree or two:


I turned the front shocks down a bit:

I have mine set to as low as they can go. (springs) so my a-arms are as flat as they can possibly be, and I really like them there as I find my front end, with the GYTR's does a great job.

No idea on the dirt/rock issue you're seeing, that is a strange one for sure!
I would take a shop vac to every area I could get to, mainly under the engine etc just to see how much you get out of there?

Good luck with everything.

Edit: As I, and someone else said before, I would not be raising the front of my sled up that way.
I replaced my bumper once due to a gouge that bugged me and truthfully they are not remotely close to being strong enough to do that imo.
I use a floor jack with a piece of flat wood on the lifting plate and go under the engine.

 

[Mileage Quest]

New Years and the following weekend !!

New Years eve day we were leaving the cities for the lake home... We noticed the truck wasn't shifting out of 2nd gear... Called my neighbor who works at a local TSI... He said swing by and he'll pull the codes... TPS is what he suggested... Went to the local Auto Zone and picked on up... Installed it outside in below 0(F) temps!!! That seemed to fix the problem so we headed north to pick his APEX up from his "racer" mechanic guy... While we were there I picked his brain a bit... I mentioned that I have been on the interwebz broadening my 4stroke knowledge... At one point he asked are you getting this from racers or are you just a reader :/ I told him it doesn't hurt to be informed!!! We arrived at lake home some time mid-day... We unpacked, got the sleds off trailer and I made a huge batch of my famous spicy chili and corn bread:

We decided to say in for the night so I decided to be a bit productive... I needed a key chain that wouldn't scratch my sled so I googled Para cord key chain... A 3 foot piece of cord and 10 minutes later... Bam!!!

Around dusk I took the dog out to play... Found a great photo opportunity... So I took it:

Late New Years Day we headed out for a little trip... We ended up just doing this:



As the temps got colder we encountered a little problem... The Apex wouldn't start... Oh my dad was ticked!!! I told him I thought I knew what it was... He called "racer" guy... Mr. guy had no clue when I mentioned that I didn't hear the fuel pump engage... Wait what he didn't know about the common fuel pump relay freeze up problem!!! Funny thing is... It was one the last things I read about on TY4S before I left home... I didn't get a chance to see where the relay was located before I left and Mr. "racer" thought it was under the head light somewhere near the fuel rail... luckily the restaurant had WIFI so I pulled up the exploded view... There she was... Above the left foot well:



Next place same problem:

Got the Apex home that night... that trip was about 50-60 miles... The next day was really cold so we headed to town to check on the red relay and pick up materials to tile our basement floor... Friday while my dad grouted the new tile we installed the day before I headed south to pick up some of the "extended life" slides... He finished about the time I got back... So to the shop we went:

Afterwards I rode most of the "fun run" again and he stayed in due to freezing rain... The next morning I awoke to my dog acting funny... Peeked out the window to see what all the hype was about:



Today was the day to get the big ride in because the "polar vortex" was about to hit... This was about the halfway point for us:



Stopped at a couple of these along the way:

Trails held up for most of the day:


maybe that's because the snow is knee deep in most places:



Who doesn't love a good sunset:



Look who wanted to ride on the Cadillac toward the end of the day



Back at home:

This trip clocked 278 miles
Current miles on ODM 956
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 643

 

[Murse]

Nice sleds!

 

[Mileage Quest]

1/10-11

Well it just happens to be my birthday weekend... We headed up early Friday morning so we could get our miles on before everyone hit the trails... Just as we left it started sleeting... We decided to head west so we could ride out of the weather... Along the way I spotted this cleverly concealed in the open:


Nearing the halfway point we stopped here to top of our coolant (note the ice build up on the sleds):



The next morning my dad made some lame excuse not to go so the banana and I took off for a short ride... We stopped to check out Babe's winter coat:



From there we headed north for food and gas:



We hadn't hit flat trails all day so we almost called it a day... I made a call and heard the trails were better south... We headed that way... It was a true story so we made it here in no time:



We stopped for a couple of sunset pics on the way home:





When we got home I figured out why my dad stayed home... He set up a surprise B-day gathering (which I forgot to take pics of) and so here's my ODM when I got back:

This trip clocked 369 miles
Current miles on ODM 1325
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 1,012

 

[Mileage Quest]

Pre/Ride 1/24-25

Spent a weekday doing general maintenance on these three:



Carbs on the 500
Hyfax on the Apex
First oil change on the Vector



Friday morning My dad and I took off with a goal of hitting the southern part of the Iron Range... At about 125 miles my dad's Apex shutdown due to lack of fuel... The fuel light had caused the rerouting of our trip... He got it restarted and made the last 4 miles to into town... My Vector is getting 17.5 MPG WOW!!!



We decided to head back home from there... At 220 miles we crossed this which meant home is about 10 miles away:



This was flat out the best day riding I have had in Minnesota EVER!!!! Of the 230 miles less the 7 even had a bump... 80% of that we were <10th person on the trail!!!

The next day a few friends joined us... We had the banana, 2x 500 XP SC (same exact sled as our spare one), 600 ZL, my dad and I... One of the 500s burned down a cylinder (champion plugs :/)

We did a bit of off trail riding also... Man the snow is deep!!!

My sunset photos for the weekend:

My next ride should be a 750 mile weekend including a day with the MN TY ride... Here's where it sits now...

This trip clocked 297 miles
Current miles on ODM 1622
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 1,309

 

[Murse]

Wow MileageQuest Takes the lead! nice pictures. I have been working a lot and busy with hockey and bachelor party......3 weeks no sledding and conditions are good... ugh I have a Quebec trip planned this coming weekend and I told my Father in law I was going through withdrawals so we need to make it a 1000km weekend lol We are planning a leave from home to overnight some where eastern Quebec. Pictures to be added soon. Love the sunset picturess nice machines as well the vector really looks sharp.

 

[Mileage Quest]

TY MN ride weekend 2/7-9

I decided to ride up to the meet from my cabin... My dad and his Apex were going to accompany me half way up there... About 15 miles from the turn around point his chain, chain case, and gears imploded. I towed him 8 miles back to a local watering hole... I waited until he arranged a ride home... Then I continued on and at 266 for the day I met the group for the night... I couldn't take a lot pics due to the cold and the fact that my phone would get to cold and lose it's charge ...

With an overnight low well below -20F the group assembled at about 11am... We made plans for a back country group to stay close to home while the other group decided to ride toward the North Shore... (I forgot to get a pic of all of us together) Just before we took off on the ride one of the members had the fuel relay problem... He was in luck because I had brought the new red one up just incase...

After seeing Dan ripping it up on his Venture GT... I am wishing that is what I would have picked up... Seemed to have a few thing I am looking for on my long rides... Huge storage space, back rest, and a tall windscreen... I rode Brandon's Phazer for a bit... I like the seating position as I figured my knees wouldn't get as sore... And his fart can sounded kewl!!!

This was about the half way point so we stopped to eat... Great food and fun atmosphere...

This is where we said our good bye's... They turned north toward home and I headed south to a friends house in Duluth... From here on I am solo... Today mileage was around 200 for me and I heard 285 for the other TYers...

The next morning was cold again so my friend and I went to breakfast at the Duluth grill (not accessible by sled but if staying in town and trailering to a drop off point I strongly recommend this place)!!!

The trip home was especially cold... It was all old RR grade... I used the Munger from Duluth to Moose Lake and turned on the Soo Line to Genola... I blew a belt at 2200 miles... which was actually a good thing being I got to warm my hands just by working on the sled... Stopped at a local watering hole to warm the phone and hands... I made a couple of calls and snapped this beauty shortly after I left there...

Got home in record time... I bet the trip from Duluth to my cabin is faster by sled then by car... Now that I'm home I started up the heater in the shop and put her away with:

This trip clocked 620 miles
Current miles on ODM 2242
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 1,929
Canada math ='s 3086KM

 

[Murse]

Nice! we are in a mileage race dude haha! Canada's math good one.

 

[Tyloooor]

great job!! pretty cool thread

I want to do something like this next year!

keep up the great work

 

[Mileage Quest]

2/21-23

Nice! we are in a mileage race dude haha!

I hope you got your running shoes on

great job!! pretty cool thread

I want to do something like this next year!

keep up the great work

Thanks man that's much appreciated... I'm looking forward to seeing your thread next year!!!



We headed up Friday morning again... The night before most of the state got pounded with snow... The freeways were packed with 3" of glare ice... On the way up we stopped to price a held over '13 Apex for my dad... They had sold it 2 days earlier... But there was another reason for the stop...

I was wondering why it wasn't handling very well toward the end of the last trip... We had to plow out the cabin and put the runners on before we could ride... We didn't get started until later in the evening... We picked this guy up at the first stop and he stayed with us until Sunday morning...

The open trails were drifted and the ones that were in wooded areas had 8"+ of fresh powder... The ditches had twice that due to blowing snow... There was a lot of this happening that night...

The next morning we head out the catch the local clubs vintage run... It seemed to be dominated by Yamaha with the old cats coming in second... In the 2 hours we spent there 100 or more snow machines of various years showed up ... http://youtu.be/AVzUGVyV3Gw

Here are a few I liked...

My favorite of the day... It even had the original trunk bag...

Anyone recognize this cover art...

Watch out for this one... It's a sleeper...

We stayed around the local trails because the drifts had been knocked down... The local groomer had run the trails for the clubs event... We were out past sunset so I snapped this before it had a chance...

Sunday morning the orange peel had to head back to ND for work so my dad and I took off for the longest ride of the weekend... The first half had been groomed over night and was set up perfectly... We made it to the halfway point in just over two hours...

We were hungary so we stop here while in Pillager... Great food and great prices!!!

The last half hadn't been groomed and was a majority of badly drifted fields and ditches... It felt like I was riding Lightings brother!!!! (actually seen this in Pillager and knew it would fit somewhere in this post )

We rode along the side of Camp Ripley on the way home... I'm sitting just outside the main gate...

Going to be a long week after that 400 miles of punishment

This trip clocked 400 miles
Current miles on ODM 2642
Previous years miles on ODM 313
YTD miles 2,329