mdkuni
TY 4 Stroke Guru
For the first 10,000 miles see the following post: http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=52958
This report is to give my view on a couple things and also allow people to see what kind of maintenance and repairs are to be expected if you ride aggressive high mileage. Be aware, there are some parts listed that I replaced because there is no point in taking chances with them when you are 100 miles from home. I have noted those parts.
Repair list:
11,530 New Predator fully clipped track (old Predator track delaminated)
11,908 Exhaust donuts and y pipes – broken pipes and worn donuts
12,500 Brake pads – old ones were thin
13,800 Secondary ramps – one broken ramp
14,004 Seat ripped again in same place as before - upholstery shop replaced entire lower black panel and installed heavy duty material.
14,004 New chain – preventative maintenance
14,004 Micro Belmont drive shaft - second drive shaft that was on the sled was still in good shape but I upgraded to Micro Belmont to prevent future failure.
14,004 New drivers – original driver teeth were deeply grooved
14,004 Radiator – mounting tabs broke. Replaced with updated radiator which is reinforced
14,004 New Predator clipped every third - old one had lugs ripped off (Sent track to Camoplast for warranty review. Claim denied. Last fully clipped track I will run)
14,004 All chain case bearings and seals – preventative maintenance
14,004 Driveshaft bearing - worn
14,004 Sway bar bushings – holes are ovaled and need to be filled in and redrilled
14,004 Bulkhead bushings – holes are ovaled and need to be filled in and redrilled
14,004 Primary rebuilt – everything but the spider was replaced. Sheeves and weights were grooved
14,004 Secondary spring – no failure, I just want to keep things fresh.
14,004 Secondary bushings – there was free play
14,004 Bender exhaust donuts - ones replaced were still in pretty good shape but wanted them done before the season started
14,004 Steering post bushings – worn badly
14,004 Exhaust material above and below flex pipes – original material burnt off
14,004 Jackshaft bearing – preventative maintenance
15,035 Bender exhaust donuts - ground down spinning clamps which caused early wear
15,200 Muffler cracked at the 2 into 1 joint – had muffler welded
15,200 Muffler cover that is between the seat and muffler had a cracked mounting tab – had it welded
15,200 Added steel rivets with stainless fender washers for the y-pipe bracket. The holes are worn out and are causing early donut failure due to y pipes moving. This tightened things up.
16,300 Stator Assembly – was replaced to fix failed crankshaft position sensor
16,700 New muffler clamps and bolts (the ones that connect the muffler to the y pipes) – old ones wore out
18,200 Exhaust donuts – one donut was worn out
18,200 Replaced ZX2 shock bushings – worn out
18,200 Muffler cracked at the 2 into 1 joint again – had muffler welded again
18,900 Muffler cover cracked the opposite side mounting tab – had it welded
18,900 New Predator track clipped every third - old one had lugs ripped off
18,900 Drive shaft bearing - worn
19,500 Secondary ramps – one was broke
19,800 Found two mounting cracks on the right floor board exchanger. Exchanger is still structurally sound. Will weld in the off season.
19,800 Coolant pipe in the rear is very loose – will fix with nut and bolt in the off season
20,000 Seat is ripped again in the same place as the last two times - will have it patched again
20,100 Spindle bushings where the ski bolt goes through the spindle are worn out
20,100 Hairline tunnel cracks at rear ZX2 mounting points
xx,xxx I am having a clutching problem with major belt slip when I get back on the throttle in certain situations. I have been unable to find the problem. I am having the mounts and clutching inspected soon and will update when I know something.
Review:
I am not a laid back rider. I am not a UP or Canada flat long trail rider. The majority of my miles take place in lower Michigan on the weekends. This involves hundreds of miles on a bumpy Saturday evening. I ride as hard as I do on flat trails as I do on heavily moguled trails. This obviously is going to take its toll on any machine. Sure, you can put 30,000 + miles (hondo) on a machine in near perfect conditions and experience very little problems on a Yamaha four stroke. That is not where I live and not how I ride so the outcome will be different. I put so much time and money into maintaining my toys by keeping them clean and staying on top of all maintenance. I do not abuse or neglect the things I own. I ride them a lot and ride them hard.
I started doing the majority of my own work this year and this has helped me experience very little downtime compared to last year. I think I may have missed 1-2 weekends this year with a little over 7,000 miles so far. This site is a huge help! So I can't thank you all enough.
The ZX2 is without a doubt the way to go for any rough trail Apex rider. It is far superior then the monoshock in durability when it comes to riding hard.
The sled still gets a lot of attention and I get asked questions frequently about it. Then when mileage comes up from a other brand sledder, you should see their faces. Most can't comprehend a 20,000 mile sled!
I have demanded a lot from this sled. After 4 years of riding I have been the happiest with the sled this year as I have worked out as many bugs that I could. It is one of the if not the best sounding sleds out there in my opinion. The motor is a beast! I love it.
I am not sure what the life of this Apex holds. I am debating selling or keeping it forever since it is worth way more to me then I could get for it. I have always regretted selling any sled of mine in the past so we shall see.
I am crazy about snowmobiling and it is a HUGE part of my life! With the Apex I enjoy the sport even more! Happy trails!
This report is to give my view on a couple things and also allow people to see what kind of maintenance and repairs are to be expected if you ride aggressive high mileage. Be aware, there are some parts listed that I replaced because there is no point in taking chances with them when you are 100 miles from home. I have noted those parts.
Repair list:
11,530 New Predator fully clipped track (old Predator track delaminated)
11,908 Exhaust donuts and y pipes – broken pipes and worn donuts
12,500 Brake pads – old ones were thin
13,800 Secondary ramps – one broken ramp
14,004 Seat ripped again in same place as before - upholstery shop replaced entire lower black panel and installed heavy duty material.
14,004 New chain – preventative maintenance
14,004 Micro Belmont drive shaft - second drive shaft that was on the sled was still in good shape but I upgraded to Micro Belmont to prevent future failure.
14,004 New drivers – original driver teeth were deeply grooved
14,004 Radiator – mounting tabs broke. Replaced with updated radiator which is reinforced
14,004 New Predator clipped every third - old one had lugs ripped off (Sent track to Camoplast for warranty review. Claim denied. Last fully clipped track I will run)
14,004 All chain case bearings and seals – preventative maintenance
14,004 Driveshaft bearing - worn
14,004 Sway bar bushings – holes are ovaled and need to be filled in and redrilled
14,004 Bulkhead bushings – holes are ovaled and need to be filled in and redrilled
14,004 Primary rebuilt – everything but the spider was replaced. Sheeves and weights were grooved
14,004 Secondary spring – no failure, I just want to keep things fresh.
14,004 Secondary bushings – there was free play
14,004 Bender exhaust donuts - ones replaced were still in pretty good shape but wanted them done before the season started
14,004 Steering post bushings – worn badly
14,004 Exhaust material above and below flex pipes – original material burnt off
14,004 Jackshaft bearing – preventative maintenance
15,035 Bender exhaust donuts - ground down spinning clamps which caused early wear
15,200 Muffler cracked at the 2 into 1 joint – had muffler welded
15,200 Muffler cover that is between the seat and muffler had a cracked mounting tab – had it welded
15,200 Added steel rivets with stainless fender washers for the y-pipe bracket. The holes are worn out and are causing early donut failure due to y pipes moving. This tightened things up.
16,300 Stator Assembly – was replaced to fix failed crankshaft position sensor
16,700 New muffler clamps and bolts (the ones that connect the muffler to the y pipes) – old ones wore out
18,200 Exhaust donuts – one donut was worn out
18,200 Replaced ZX2 shock bushings – worn out
18,200 Muffler cracked at the 2 into 1 joint again – had muffler welded again
18,900 Muffler cover cracked the opposite side mounting tab – had it welded
18,900 New Predator track clipped every third - old one had lugs ripped off
18,900 Drive shaft bearing - worn
19,500 Secondary ramps – one was broke
19,800 Found two mounting cracks on the right floor board exchanger. Exchanger is still structurally sound. Will weld in the off season.
19,800 Coolant pipe in the rear is very loose – will fix with nut and bolt in the off season
20,000 Seat is ripped again in the same place as the last two times - will have it patched again
20,100 Spindle bushings where the ski bolt goes through the spindle are worn out
20,100 Hairline tunnel cracks at rear ZX2 mounting points
xx,xxx I am having a clutching problem with major belt slip when I get back on the throttle in certain situations. I have been unable to find the problem. I am having the mounts and clutching inspected soon and will update when I know something.
Review:
I am not a laid back rider. I am not a UP or Canada flat long trail rider. The majority of my miles take place in lower Michigan on the weekends. This involves hundreds of miles on a bumpy Saturday evening. I ride as hard as I do on flat trails as I do on heavily moguled trails. This obviously is going to take its toll on any machine. Sure, you can put 30,000 + miles (hondo) on a machine in near perfect conditions and experience very little problems on a Yamaha four stroke. That is not where I live and not how I ride so the outcome will be different. I put so much time and money into maintaining my toys by keeping them clean and staying on top of all maintenance. I do not abuse or neglect the things I own. I ride them a lot and ride them hard.
I started doing the majority of my own work this year and this has helped me experience very little downtime compared to last year. I think I may have missed 1-2 weekends this year with a little over 7,000 miles so far. This site is a huge help! So I can't thank you all enough.
The ZX2 is without a doubt the way to go for any rough trail Apex rider. It is far superior then the monoshock in durability when it comes to riding hard.
The sled still gets a lot of attention and I get asked questions frequently about it. Then when mileage comes up from a other brand sledder, you should see their faces. Most can't comprehend a 20,000 mile sled!
I have demanded a lot from this sled. After 4 years of riding I have been the happiest with the sled this year as I have worked out as many bugs that I could. It is one of the if not the best sounding sleds out there in my opinion. The motor is a beast! I love it.
I am not sure what the life of this Apex holds. I am debating selling or keeping it forever since it is worth way more to me then I could get for it. I have always regretted selling any sled of mine in the past so we shall see.
I am crazy about snowmobiling and it is a HUGE part of my life! With the Apex I enjoy the sport even more! Happy trails!
Attachments
woolyviper
TY 4 Stroke Master
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ride on brother.
thephast1
Extreme
Love the updates keep em comin' brother
MCApex44
TY 4 Stroke Guru
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Awesome!!
Yamahammer485
TY 4 Stroke Guru
What type pf exhaust do you have that keeps cracking?
My last bender cracked in 5 different places....
My last bender cracked in 5 different places....
welterracer
TY 4 Stroke God
9000 miles on my sled right now..
Only difference between you and i , is that i hate riding studdered out trails.. Which im sure you ride. living in lower MI . My hands cant take it...
Motor will no doubt last forever.. the chassis however doesnt..
Ride on..
Only difference between you and i , is that i hate riding studdered out trails.. Which im sure you ride. living in lower MI . My hands cant take it...
Motor will no doubt last forever.. the chassis however doesnt..
Ride on..
Yamanator
Expert
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Let me just say that everything mdkuni (Mark) said is true, I was lucky enough to hook up with Mark this year and do some riding with him. I did some real miles with him and he really enjoys the moguls with the ZX2 suspension, I am riding a 07 Attak and am a agressive rider and still could not keep up with him down the long bumpy straight aways. He really does put that sled through its workouts and is not afraid to try and break it. Mark, looking forward to riding with you again and again and again. Keep up the good post and let us know what you decide to do with the sled.
favarcat
Expert
17,860 miles
Nice report on the maintenance. It will give me some areas to look over before next winter.
I'm done for the season. Rode 4,710 miles this year. This is a mix of local bumpy trails and smoother Quebec trails. Total on '06 Attak is now 17,860. Before the season started, I changed the donuts and 2 new y-pipes under warranty, had a crack in the front arm welded, secondary bushings and ramps replaced, primary cover bushing, new drive-shaft bearing, and 6 new idler wheel bearings. Had the oil tank crack this year at 17,100 miles, replaced under warranty. Blew a belt with almost 9,000 miles on it while running WOT on 3 consecutive lakes last week-end. I didn't replace slides to start the year and made it the whole season. They need replacing but have 10,300 miles on them. Track also needs replacing. Will also replace chain and all 4 bearings ( drive/jackshaft), all wheel bearings again, and check bushings in steering,etc. I will be riding it as my only sled again next winter, and still feel it's as dependable as any new sled out there.
Nice report on the maintenance. It will give me some areas to look over before next winter.
I'm done for the season. Rode 4,710 miles this year. This is a mix of local bumpy trails and smoother Quebec trails. Total on '06 Attak is now 17,860. Before the season started, I changed the donuts and 2 new y-pipes under warranty, had a crack in the front arm welded, secondary bushings and ramps replaced, primary cover bushing, new drive-shaft bearing, and 6 new idler wheel bearings. Had the oil tank crack this year at 17,100 miles, replaced under warranty. Blew a belt with almost 9,000 miles on it while running WOT on 3 consecutive lakes last week-end. I didn't replace slides to start the year and made it the whole season. They need replacing but have 10,300 miles on them. Track also needs replacing. Will also replace chain and all 4 bearings ( drive/jackshaft), all wheel bearings again, and check bushings in steering,etc. I will be riding it as my only sled again next winter, and still feel it's as dependable as any new sled out there.
Attachments
Kaz
Expert
Nice report. Thanks for posting.
I'm curious if you are replacing parts with OEM or after market, in particular the:
-Drive chain - (Royal Distributing sell for $70 Cdn, Yamaha like double the price)
-drive bearing (after market $20, Yamaha $48)
-secondary clutch ramps, Yamaha want like $14 a piece, can purchase after market one for like $2 a piece.
Kaz
I'm curious if you are replacing parts with OEM or after market, in particular the:
-Drive chain - (Royal Distributing sell for $70 Cdn, Yamaha like double the price)
-drive bearing (after market $20, Yamaha $48)
-secondary clutch ramps, Yamaha want like $14 a piece, can purchase after market one for like $2 a piece.
Kaz
favarcat
Expert
I've been using mostly OEM. Except for the wheel bearings. I get a good discount from my dealer and I'm still under warranty.
LJ 452
TY 4 Stroke God
Kaz said:
In my expirence DO NOT use the cheap ramps. I had the same thought a few years ago and we got the $2 one for a friends Viper. Two trips later they were gone. Not saying that it wasn't something else but, we luckily had a spare secondary and he finished the year on that. Which by the way had a few thousand miles on it already. It seems crazy to pay $14 for a piece of plastic but if they fail, the clutch is toast, as it will likely snap off a tower. If your lucky you will only destroy the helix.
markddapexgt
Extreme
Nice report - thanks for posting. I see that you are having some problems with the muffler connection and mounting points. I solved this by installing a bracket in the tunnel above the Y junction then fixing the 2 into 1 point of the muffler section to tne bracket with a bolt that could be loosened to assist in movement when changing the donuts. ( same as the Y pipe fixing point).
Since doing this no problems with muffler connection and so far nothing from the donuts.
I see that in the new Apex there is a bracket welded to the 2 into 1 point on the muffler and it is fixed at this point to the tunnel. This of course does the same job. Too late for me though!!!
Since doing this no problems with muffler connection and so far nothing from the donuts.
I see that in the new Apex there is a bracket welded to the 2 into 1 point on the muffler and it is fixed at this point to the tunnel. This of course does the same job. Too late for me though!!!
Budweiser
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Great report!!!
"15,200 Added steel rivets with stainless fender washers for the y-pipe bracket. The holes are worn out and are causing early donut failure due to y pipes moving. This tightened things up."
I experienced the same thing. I used aluminum rivets last year when I replaced the donuts and when I checked this year, all rivets but 2 were gone and the 2 were loose. I used SS screws and steel rivets this time. But the donuts weren't too bad. If I didn't already have it apart I wouldn't have replaced them.
"15,200 Added steel rivets with stainless fender washers for the y-pipe bracket. The holes are worn out and are causing early donut failure due to y pipes moving. This tightened things up."
I experienced the same thing. I used aluminum rivets last year when I replaced the donuts and when I checked this year, all rivets but 2 were gone and the 2 were loose. I used SS screws and steel rivets this time. But the donuts weren't too bad. If I didn't already have it apart I wouldn't have replaced them.
kinger
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Wow I can honestly say I wont ever be able to put that many miles on a sled. I was on a quest for 10,000 on my RX 1 and only made it to 5130 before I got the SC Apex. I do a 1000 miles a year and thought that was a lot!
Nice report for all those miles and has hard as it sounds like you ride the sled has held up good! Its funny to see the same repair come up 2-4 times so at least you know what to expect out of it.
Your going to need to open the motor soon and adjust the valves, I think at 25K you do that?
Looks great man, keep up the posts, I'm looking forward to the "50,000 mile report" LOL
Nice report for all those miles and has hard as it sounds like you ride the sled has held up good! Its funny to see the same repair come up 2-4 times so at least you know what to expect out of it.
Your going to need to open the motor soon and adjust the valves, I think at 25K you do that?
Looks great man, keep up the posts, I'm looking forward to the "50,000 mile report" LOL
yami ryder
Pro
looks like you ride in brimley, michigan quite alot? The trails are always great up there...
