RichsApex3573
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- 2006 Yamaha Apex Attak
I've got 13.5K on my 06 apex and as far as I know the steering bushings have never been changed. The a-arms are definitely wobbly and the steering is sloppy. This is not a job I have the mechanical skills to take on and the dealer wants $800+ to replace. I've known this for a few years and been driving it as-is given the age and value of the sled. My question is whats the worst that can happen, is there risk they may fall apart completely while I'm driving? The slop doesn't bother me so much I just don't want it to become a safety concern like for example driving with bad ball joints in car or something. thanks in advance.
Macheater
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The cheap stock bushings were probably shot at about 3-4k. Many go with the oilite bushings as a replacement, and are highly recommended. The bushings are the only things separating steel and aluminum. With worn bushings, the steel components (bolts) will eventually wear into the softer aluminum of the front bulkhead and the upper a-arms. The slop you notice will only get worse with time. And as the miles pile up, it will do additional damage.
The steering components (tie rod ends) are not the greatest quality and are only good for a year or 2, depending on how much you ride per year. I tend to replace mine every couple of years. There are several in the steering system but, the ones that seem to wear the fastest are the outside ends that attach to the steering link at the ski shaft. They are easy to replace and should be considered a minimum for maintenance. The links for the sway bar tend to go bad about the same time. They are also easy to replace.
One other thing that needs to be considered are the plastic bushings for the upper and side steering arm. They seem to get dry very easily and when this happens the bars get MUCH harder to turn. This seems to happen very slowly over time and you don't notice till the bars get really stiff and you feel exhausted after a full days ride.
Didn't mean to scare ya or put a dampner on your day but, these are all things that need periodic attention on the Apex's.
The steering components (tie rod ends) are not the greatest quality and are only good for a year or 2, depending on how much you ride per year. I tend to replace mine every couple of years. There are several in the steering system but, the ones that seem to wear the fastest are the outside ends that attach to the steering link at the ski shaft. They are easy to replace and should be considered a minimum for maintenance. The links for the sway bar tend to go bad about the same time. They are also easy to replace.
One other thing that needs to be considered are the plastic bushings for the upper and side steering arm. They seem to get dry very easily and when this happens the bars get MUCH harder to turn. This seems to happen very slowly over time and you don't notice till the bars get really stiff and you feel exhausted after a full days ride.
Didn't mean to scare ya or put a dampner on your day but, these are all things that need periodic attention on the Apex's.
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the job is not that bad to do. i would reccomend doing them with the oilite kit that yamaha and other aftermarket sellers, like ulmer racing, as it can affect the alignment on the sled. good news is that once it has been done, i have never had to replace them on a sled again. never heard of anyone else having failure after doing them either.
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