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2012 Apex XTX Gearing/Clutching Setup

Joined
Sep 2, 2016
Messages
8
Age
51
Location
Forest Lake
Country
USA
Snowmobile
2012 Yamaha apex xtx
Hi.
2012 apex xtx.
Changed gears to 22/38
Rear skid star suspension kit
Studded track 2-4 pattern equaling 172 studs.
Ulmer Clutch Kit:
The STM 60YS primary clutch weight configuration setup:
6/1 twist and 1 Tungsten and 3 Washers (10 grams) Heel / 3 Washers (3 grams) Mid / 0 Tip.
I'm a trail rider in Minnesota average speed cruising around 30-80 mph, but with my fast riding friends anytime we get to fields or lakes we race!!
All recommendations welcomed to optimize performance???

--------------------------------

Clutch change 02/01/22:
The above setup works well to 85 mph then it starts to level off and by 90 mph it really is slowing down and creeps to 99 mph.
Talk to the GREAT FOLKS at STM.
Recommended Adjustment go from 70 (6/1) to 80 degrees (6/2). This should add about 100 rpms. I've been running about 10,500-10,600.
The primary belt is not shifting out all the way. There is about 3/8 of an inch of black marker displaying on the primary sheves. Hence, I need help getting the belt to run higher to get it closer to full shift out.

Any ideas please comment!!!
 
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Not sure what you can expect with a stock motor.
I have ridden with a 2011 xtx. Stock motor, track, stock gearing and clutching with a Star suspension kit. It ran 100 or so mph.
What rpm are you seeing?
Clutching won't necessarily get you more speed. Clutching is how you get to that mph.
 
10,300 -10,400 rpm is the rpm I'm seeing.
Do you have experience using the STM Heel Clicker Weight Product?
 
rpm sounds dead on.

sounds close to my set up but mine is set weird for out of the hole/low speed performance with drag n flies. works great corner to corner and hits 100 mph in good conditions on the lakes on both the 16 and 11.
 
On your STM YS60 weight, how do you have the grams distributed?


mine are both set 3 grams in heel and i want to say 1 gram in lowest hole but would have to look at my notes at home. helix on the 2011 is a 51/40 dalton. on the 2016, it is a advantage that came with the weights as a kit when i bought it from another site member. still tuning on the 16 as it is not as good as the 11. revs to 10,800 and holds there on the 11 with good traction.
 
It has been proven for 15 years now that clutching on stock Apexes will gain very little if any, and sometimes worse, on the TOP end.
Clutching can get you there quicker with certain set ups, and YES tuning to your set up to get max efficiency helps.
Before guys chime in to argue this, i'm talking STOCK sled with TRAIL suspension set up, stock track & TRAIL studs.

What did stock clutching do?

Lowering sled can help top end, but may hurt ride.
Lower windshield can help, but may freeze your mustache on a long cold day.
Lower track lug height gains mph, but suck in trails.
Stop eating McDonald's helps, but may make you sad & grumpy.

My '07 would run 113 gps at 10,600 every day. That's 124 on speedo. Ice lake saw 119 gps at 10,800, but i cooked the hyfax.
There are a few mph tricks.
Remove some studs. 144'' track should have plenty of traction without them.
Parallel your front A-arms. This could help mph & ride quality if other steps are taken with it.
Raise your limiter straps. Again 144'' track has plenty of traction.
Sheaves can be cut for "over drive", but you'll need your clutch dialed in first.
These things MAY give you 1 or 2 top end MPH, but in general........................you have what you have.

Call Allen Ulmer................he'll help you out
 
Last edited:
It has been proven for 15 years now that clutching on stock Apexes will gain very little if any, and sometimes worse, on the TOP end.
Clutching can get you there quicker with certain set ups, and YES tuning to your set up to get max efficiency helps.
Before guys chime in to argue this, i'm talking STOCK sled with TRAIL suspension set up, stock track & TRAIL studs.

What did stock clutching do?

Lowering sled can help top end, but may hurt ride.
Lower windshield can help, but may freeze your mustache on a long cold day.
Lower track lug height gains mph, but suck in trails.
Stop eating McDonald's helps, but may make you sad & grumpy.

My '07 would run 113 gps at 10,600 every day. That's 124 on speedo. Ice lake saw 119 gps at 10,800, but i cooked the hyrax.
There are a few mph tricks.
Remove some studs. 144'' track should have plenty of traction without them.
Parallel your front A-arms. This could help mph & ride quality if other steps are taken with it.
Raise your limiter straps. Again 144'' track has plenty of traction.
Sheaves can be cut for "over drive", but you'll need your clutch dialed in first.
These things MAY give you 1 or 2 top end MPH, but in general........................you have what you have.

Call Allen Ulmer................he'll help you out

I changed my gearing that will modify and alter the clutching results. The STM weights are the point of the conversation. Have you ever owned or used heel clickers? That's the question nothing else. Thanks.
 
Ok, now it makes sense.
Yes, i've used heel clickers also with gear changes. Did not get the time or snow that year to dial them in.
I lost so much top end, i went back to stock.
It was also a decade ago so i don't remember much & also the XTX is a different animal.

So i've wasted our time and the super knowledgeable boys are gone for the summer.

And because of the summer blues, you may have to go to some older posts on XTX's
There is TONS of old posts with this exact set up
 
10,300 -10,400 rpm is the rpm I'm seeing.
Do you have experience using the STM Heel Clicker Weight Product?
My best results have happen with RPM's 10,800-10,900
 
I have a friends new to him 2012 XTX in my garage and we were talking how it will run against the other 2 Apexes in there.
What is the "normal" top end on an XTX?
Is it basically same or does the track length slow it down on top?
I ask because the XTX's i run with are all "cruisers" with tall tracks & windshields. They barely hit 100.
My bud is asking if it will keep up in Northern Maine with the obvious factors equal.
 
Riding the XTX on trails with terrain that allow for comfortable speeds of 40 to 90 mph; you can't ask for a better machine for that type of riding conditions. Hence, it's not going to do well blasting around tight twisty corners where speeds are 20 to 60 mph. I ride in 3 places, the North Shore of Minnesota, Webb Lake Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Bergland to Copper Harbor), and have two different sleds the Apex XTX and an older 2008 Polaris 700 Dragon.
Wisconsin I always want the short track 700 Dragon. I've found gearing the Dragon down to 1.86 ratios (87 mph top speed gps) studding the tracks with 3 to 4 studs per window and having aggressive C&A Skis will rock... After buying and testing different spring and weight setups in the clutching and dialing it into what I consider a very competitive trail sled. I race guys all the time and stay ahead or equal up to about 55 to 60 mph and then I really don't care what happens because the trails rarely offer speeds of over 60 mph for not more than a few seconds. Anyway riding on wide open trails you can't beat the Apex SE or XTX.
 
I have a friends new to him 2012 XTX in my garage and we were talking how it will run against the other 2 Apexes in there.
What is the "normal" top end on an XTX?
Is it basically same or does the track length slow it down on top?
I ask because the XTX's i run with are all "cruisers" with tall tracks & windshields. They barely hit 100.
My bud is asking if it will keep up in Northern Maine with the obvious factors equal.
I think many of the Apex faithful will agree, that the XTX is probably the fastest out of the box apex. Hard packed lake in Michigan, my 2012 did 113mph on GPS with stock track. I may have lost a little with the 1.6" Ice Cobra, but it's way better than most sleds now in loose snow. And I run ditches more than lake race, so that's fine by me.

My experience is the same. My '07 GT with Ulmer Clutching/Gearing was a beast, but the XTX out performed it off the showroom floor. The big issue was getting power to the ground with the stock 1.25" x144. It was better than a 121 of course, but bigger lug, studs or both made worlds of difference.

For MN trails and open lakes, you will not be disappointed. Corner to corner, the power is there, but you work a bit harder than the 121's around corners. Run it before making changes. You may be very surprised how good it is stock.
 
I have a friends new to him 2012 XTX in my garage and we were talking how it will run against the other 2 Apexes in there.
What is the "normal" top end on an XTX?
Is it basically same or does the track length slow it down on top?
I ask because the XTX's i run with are all "cruisers" with tall tracks & windshields. They barely hit 100.
My bud is asking if it will keep up in Northern Maine with the obvious factors equal.


my 2011 apex xtx would show 105 mph in good conditions on a long run all the time. once my custom trail clutching went in, it would still hit 100 mph but was way more fun corner to corner in the trails. the 1.5" paddle composit i have on it now did not slow it down any.

the 11-15 apex xtx do handle better than the 16-18 apex xtx as the tipped up rails make it handle way better and it is more flickable in the trails. i end up fighting my 146" xtrx way harder in the trails to go the same speed.
 


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