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2018 XTX, ridiculously unstable on moderately slick surfaces.

vx700xtc

Expert
Joined
Jan 10, 2006
Messages
303
Location
west cenrtal indiana
Like packed plowed roads. Anything over 45mph is unpleasant. 150psi rear, 85 ski, 250# rider.
I have seen talk of heavier front skid spring.
Suggestions welcomed.
Have tons of handling experience with the Delta boxes, not so much on the cats.
 

You should not have any issues. Did you ever check your ski alignment? If it is off, it will pitch the sled all over the place.
 
Is it the 137 or 141 XTX? I am running a 2018 137 XTX SE and haven't had any issues on the roads.
 
What are you running for studs and carbides?
 
I have an XTX-LE and don't have this issue at all and I don't run studs.
Your sled must have too much weight/drag on the skis.

Suggestions:
Studding the track would cure this issue instantly
Ensure ski alignment is correct
Run less carbide on skis
Soften front end shocks to reduce ski pressure
Extend from limiter straps
Soften rear suspension shock
You may have to do a combination of all of the above to get it right

JM.02C
 
Is this the sled with the narrower ski stance?

I had a 141 Winder here without studs that had a narrower than normal ski stance and It scared the crap out of me. Very tippy & wouldn't keep the skis on the ground accelerating even with rear shock set on 3 in the hard crunchy snow, yet would not hook at all on the road. Been a long time since I rode without studs and would never even consider it on our trail system.

It was a hot mess handling and ride wise, compared to a normal trail sled with wide ski stance, studs and 137" coupled suspension.

I'd widen it as much as possible, and if you can stud it, do it. The one I had here had a high lug track so studs weren't an option. They are an off trail sled for the snow that is certain.
 
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I think Knapp nailed it with the ski width. Might want to drop the center shock a bit too to add more ski pressure. If you drop the center shock, do it fairly slowly, you will notice that the skis will get harder to turn, you will need to dial it in from there.
 
The other thing to think about are the ski's. The Yamaha skis are different than the Acat skis so I have no experience with them and which carbides to run.

On my Cat, I use dual carbides, lots of studs, 1.25 ripsaw with stock Acat skis. I remember the first year I rode my turbo brand new with no studs. That changed quickly since I did not like the way it handled.

In the old days I would recommend cutting the lug down with the electric carving knife if it is a long lug track and add lots of studs with about 8 inches of carbide. A bad handling turbo would scare me.
 
I always remember the day I added aggressive carbides to my unstudded 1979 440 SRX.
I lined up and did a full throttle max speed "Mach Run" down the Ski Plane airstrip in front of the air service I was working at. When I let off the throttle the carbides dragged so much that the sled went sideways and launched me off the sled in front of all my coworkers.. Fortunately no harm was done other then my ego.
LOL...the guys I worked with never let me forget it.
As I don't use studs on my trail sleds, I have never used aggressive carbides on my trail sleds since as they encourage the back end to pass the front end in certain conditions
 
I put Woody's 6" carbides on the mtx ski on a btx, it would follow every single trail and scared the crap out of me constantly. Threw them on a different btx and they worked fine. Pretty sure it was either the toe in or ski pressure. Ended up putting stock carbides on and never thought about it again.
 
141". No studs, factory skis and carbides.
by unpleasant, I mean you cant keep the skis in front of the track.
Sounds very familiar to me. My 2017 LTX-LE (137”) when New, was downright dangerous on very hard packed trails, and with 2-3”of fresh snow on them, I had to almost stop on long curves because it just wouldn’t turn period. In certain snow conditions those stock skis just would not work at all. By far the worse handling sled that ever had.

Spoke with my dealer concerning those dangerous stock skis, and he told me to put some SnoTrackers under them, but problem was back then, you could not get a set for our newer tuner skis. I opted for a set of Curve skis with a set of Slim Jim (Dual carbides)carbide runners and what a difference. Also recommend studs for your track.

Went from really bad handling, dangerous sled, to a really nice handling sled. No more dangerously bad handling sled and with my set up, I can run way past 100 mph with one hand on my handlebars. No darting just a smooth, fast easy sled for high speed, and no more almost stopping on curves, Ha Ha!

So do something about those Tuner skis and add some studs. That’s my two cents and I hope it helps.
 
Thx, Ill try that. Its got the 1.75 Cobra.
I have an XTX-LE and don't have this issue at all and I don't run studs.
Your sled must have too much weight/drag on the skis.

Suggestions:
Studding the track would cure this issue instantly
Ensure ski alignment is correct
Run less carbide on skis
Soften front end shocks to reduce ski pressure
Extend from limiter straps
Soften rear suspension shock
You may have to do a combination of all of the above to get it right

JM.02C
,
 
Seems like you bought the sled used, no way of knowing where to make adjustments if you don't start from scratch. You have to start with a good basic ski alignment and suspension preload of front, center and rear. Start with the sled on a flat floor, no dolly's, sitting on the floor. Make sure your skis are aligned, 1/8" toe out using the front and rear skeg bolts to measure from. Then start suspension preload.
1. Set the limiter straps on the second loosest holes.
2. Raise the rear on a stand. Loosen the center spring till the spring just starts to rattle by hand, then tighten it up 1 to 2 turns max. Put the sled back down on the floor.
3. Lift the front end up so that the skis nearly leave the ground(top of the travel) take a measurement at the bumper. Put it back on the ground.
4. Put the rider on the sled and measure the front bumper again, you want approximately 2" of sit in...from top measurement minus rider measurement =2" adjust your front preload/ pressure accordingly.
5. Do the same in the back, lift the rear till the suspension it topped up, take a measurement at the rear bumper.
6. Put the rider on the sled and measure the rear again, you want about 3" of sit in with the rider on it. Adjust preload/ pressure accordingly.
7. Bounce the sled some , get off and stand back to the side, the slide rails should be parallel with the floor.
8. The limiter straps should have some slack in them. If you can tighten them and keep some slack do it. If they are banjo string tight, loosen them.
This is a good place to start. You can tinker with shock compression and rebound adjustments(if you have them) to find your preferred ride comfort. Traction products are for acceleration and turning aggressiveness.
Rule of thumb, you want the sled to sag or " sit in" approximately 20% of the total suspension travel. It's worth the time to make those adjustments to start with, the fine tune in small incriminates.
 
I have an XTX-LE and don't have this issue at all and I don't run studs.
Your sled must have too much weight/drag on the skis.

Suggestions:
Studding the track would cure this issue instantly
Ensure ski alignment is correct
Run less carbide on skis
Soften front end shocks to reduce ski pressure
Extend from limiter straps
Soften rear suspension shock
You may have to do a combination of all of the above to get it right

JM.02C
Make certain wear bars aren't bent.
 


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