2007 Venture Lite?

[yamahas]

My parents are looking at getting another snowmobile and i saw a 2007 Venture Lite for 6500. It has 750KM on it. Are their any problems with it how does it ride compared to a ACt660 touring?

Thanks for the info

Justin

 

[Totallyyamed]

Venture Lite

Not a lot in the power department and a bit on the high CG.

 

[yamahas]

CG?

 

[rrxx-1]

CG= center of gravity........

 

[SledderSteve]

I did a search of Venture in the Phazer General Talk forum and came up with 202 matches.

http://www.ty4stroke.com/search.php?mode=results

This link just gets you to the search, you have to type in Venture and set the forum yourself.

 

[Wertles]

I have a 2009 and we absolutely love it. Not a single problem with it yet. It handles very predictably. Just a slight push in the corners when driving hard but i now have two buddies jumping on that sled instead of my SXR 700. I don't find it to have a high center of gravity at all. The motor is snappy but don't look to go faster than 73. All in all I think it would be a great sled for your parents.

 

[yamahas]

73 kmph or mph? They have a t660 touring is it comparable to it?

 

[Yamaha205]

he's talking mph

 

[Mooseman]

I just bought a 07 Venture Multi Purpose with 600Km last fall for $7500.

PROS: Great ride, comfortable with forward rider position that helps keep back straight, plenty of power to haul 2 adult riders, good fuel economy

CONS: Fast slider wear, loud for a 4 stroke, ice accumulation in the tunnel, finicky reverse, high center of gravity makes it tippy

When I bought mine, the slides were already worn to paper thin so I modded mine by adding and changing wheels. So far, no wear.
http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=79773&highlight=
It uses half the gas my old Safaris uses even though they are lighter with smaller (377) engines. Even though the Venture has to use Premium fuel, it is still cheap to run it. There are some updates (cold weather start) and recalls (steering and airbox snow ingestion) on it so check with the dealer (I had good luck with Ottawa Yamaha). The rider forward position is great, even for a 6'2" guy like me with a bad back. It forces you to keep a straight back but it does take a while to get used to it. And hauling myself (300Lbs.) and a passenger is no problem, plenty of power for a 500cc 4 stroke 2 banger. Reverse is very finicky unless the drive chain is adjusted perfectly. Because of the exhaust heat, ice tends to build up in the tunnel on cold days while riding.

All in all, with a few mods, it's a great sled. The Lite may be also good for trail breaking but probably not quite as good as the MP. It is not for carving corners but will be a comfortable trail ride.

BTW, the differences between the Multi Purpose and the Lite are:
MP has 16" wide track (Lite 15"), wider skis from the VK, a wider front bumper, a rear hitch, lower gearing. The MP did not come with the 2up seat, rear heated handles and mirrors which are standard on the Lite.

So at $6500, I think it's great deal!

 

[yamahas]

ThannksMooseman thats the kind of thing im looking for!

 

[BombaPolaYama]

Good review there Mooseman. The tippiness and control issues can be helped by adding wider skis and lowering the frontend as much as possible. One thing I would note is that the VL bottoms out too easily with two riders, even with the two-up blocks up and the spring adjusters on high. I don't know if the MP has better (heavier duty) springs but I did notice they have different shocks with more adjustability. BTW, if you shop around you may get last year's (09) model at a very reasonable price. My dealer sold a VL this year at $1200 less than I paid two years ago.

 

[Mooseman]

Also read about moving the skis more outboard but moving a spacer inboard but this may be a bit harder on the balljoints. Also read about removing the sway bar and readjusting the front strap up two holes to help with steering.

I have heard that having dual runners will make the sled push in corners. I have to replace my original skags and I'll be going with Woody's TrailBlazer IV 6" single carbide. The darting wasn't too bad before so I'm hoping the better carbide will improve cornering even more. Had good luck with them on the Safaris.

BTW, just noticed in your sig "homemade ski savers". What are they? How do they work? Any pics?

 

[BombaPolaYama]

Also read about moving the skis more outboard but moving a spacer inboard but this may be a bit harder on the balljoints. Also read about removing the sway bar and readjusting the front strap up two holes to help with steering.

BTW, just noticed in your sig "homemade ski savers". What are they? How do they work? Any pics?

I did the spacer relocation thing with the stock skis but I wouldn't do it with the PH because I didn't want to put them off center and put extra stress on the ski; plus they are not as sturdy as the Yamaha ski and like you said it may cause extra wear on the components.

I made the ski savers from 3/8" thick teflon that is used locally for sleigh runners. It can be easily cut, shaped, and drilled with a table saw, bench grinder. and drill. Basically, they go between the carbide and the ski to protect the ski keel from wear. I guess as well, they make the ski somewhat more aggressive as it adds more thickness to the keel. They worked well for me last year with probably over 3000Km before they wore through. This year I made two sets as it is fairly labour intense to do all the cuts, etc. The Slydogs are good for this fit because the inverted triangular shaped keel is nice and flat on the bottom. These are also available from Bergstroms at a reasonable price. I have lots of pics of the how-to and may get around to posting sometime. BTW, I find the Studboy shaper bars to have excellent wear; the wear on mine was barely noticeable from ~ 3000Km last season.

 

[Mooseman]

Ah, so basically a ski skin just for the keel. I should look around for something similar here. I just took my skis off today and my skins were worn through. One was completely worn to the keel and the ski got beat up a bit. The problem is that we have a lot of road runs and crossings on the trails here so the runners and skis get really abused.

I'm working on something I saw once... adding a wheel to the ski. Nothing like those retractable wheels currently available but one that basically stays down all the time. This wheel is basically just a steel disk attached to the ski bolt. The only thing though is this requires cutting a notch on the side of the ski and a slit in the ski skin (which is OK since the skin is thrashed). Still in the early stages and I will take some pics of this project.