AD Boivin ZX2 Durability & Performance Log

[rxrider]

Yes I had. I belive it won't move around at the bottom when it's fixed on the top shaft. If needed I will install the fix on the lower shaft as well, will watch it when I start riding and report back.

 

[Shane]

I too hope to try cranking down on the preload upfront and see what it does. If I do I will report back as well. I have Ohlins shocks so I wonder just how far I should go?

 

[kinger]

7,000 miles on the skid. I was running down the trail and I started to ratchet real bad out of the corners. Something was wrong. Stopped to take a peak at the skid and track. The front swing arm bolt on the right side that connects to the rail was gone. Just as many have reported here. Luckily I was only 30 miles away from home. Turned around and took her easy back home.

I can not locate any metric grade 8 bolts here. I had to settle for stainless and the only bolt that would work was an inch longer on the non threaded part of the bolt. So I stacked an inch worth of washerers inbetween in order to make do. I may end up ordering two new bolts from AD so I can keep a spare with my tools.

It was kind of strange as I was just looking this bolt over a couple weeks ago as I was surprised others had this issue and I have not. I have never removed this bolt so it lasted this long from the factory.

Edit: Can anyone find me replacement bolts? AD wants $36.40 for two bolts shipped!

Well put me on the list I had the right side swing arm on the rail bolt come off this weekend on our bagger trip as well. I removed the front inner idler wheels to use a bolt from that to get me back the last 150 miles. Snow conditions were perfect so hopefully I still have some slides left. My skid has 2500 miles and I never touched those bolts they were installed from AD bolvin so I guess I will have to pull the skid out and re-loctite everything before my next trip

I think the bolt is a 10mm with a 1.5mm fine pitch thread. I'll look around for some online for the rest of us to carry as spares.

 

[STAIN]

I lost the left side bolt out of my revolver---owner error as I loosened it mistakingly and didn't GREEN locktite it back in. Tried new bolt with red loctite and it keeps loosening. I am going to get a long bolt and just run it all the way through the shaft

 

[mdkuni]

kinger, the bolt is a 10x1.5 and is 68mm in length (including the head). I believe bolts are measured not including the head. So a 60mm bolt worked for me.

840 miles this weekend and I ran the whole weekend with almost every single one of my track clips gone. The hyfax are still good even without track clips!

8,000 miles on the skid. The revolver pins will not stay in . Same side (left side). I lost the transfer pin that I replaced with the pin from Home Depot. I then lost the coupler pin the next day on the same side. I carry one spare so I was able to replace the revolver pin when I was 140 miles from home on Sat. Sunday I noticed the revolver pin gone later in the day so I will replace it tonight. I am tired of losing pins. Looks like I will have to go with some stainless bolts and nylon lock nuts. It will not look as good or be easy to change but at least they will stay in. I do not have any reason to change the position anymore anyways.

 

[kinger]

I was coming out of a pit stop and noticed my pin half way out with big ol ice chunks hanging off of it. I beat the ice away and secured them and they lasted the rest of the trip. Ss bolts with nyloc nuts would be a better fix. Your right I haven't adjusted mine since the first time out!

I'm getting pickier as I get older and will be looking for a revalve to make the stutter bumps disappear I dont like that about the skid now. Although big moguls and ditchbanging is actually fun but if that degrades a little I'm ok with it because 80% of the miles are on trails.

I'm going to have to pull every bolt and re-locktite it I guess. Thing was perfect last year with 1800 miles and now I'm fianlly starting to have issues. My limit strap didn't move last year but did this year.

Why do we care if its off to one side?

 

[rxrider]

Ice on the revolver pins is a problem. I have made it a habit kicking the ice off the pins every now and then. I looks like they will pull out if the ice chunk grows big enough.

If you have found your sweet spot and don't need to adjust it anymore I would suggest bolting it like said earlier.

 

[kinger]

Do you guys remove the skid to re-locktite everything or leave it in the sled? Do every bolt or leave some alone? Thanks

 

[mdkuni]

Do you guys remove the skid to re-locktite everything or leave it in the sled? Do every bolt or leave some alone? Thanks

The only bolt I had fall out was that front arm bolt. I loctited everything when it was first isntalled and that is it. I do not even reloctite my rear axle bolts when changing track tension. I think it is most important to set the torque each time, then you should be fine.

 

[Jigger]

I haven't had (knock on wood) any problems to date with bolts backing out. Still check them all the time. When I installed the skid marked all bolts and skid with a marker for quick reference. I do have the ice pin issue. Almost lost one last week came out the back plate and was hanging in by the front plate only.

 

[Dano]

Word of caution on track clips. While playing in the deep snow, my track ratcheted bad under throttle. While thinking no biggy, I tightened the track up and noticed a deep sliver gone out of my slider. The whole side was peeled off and also peeled off a bit of the rail off the suspension. Turned out I bent a track clip when the track ratcheted and the bent clip carved its way down the slider and part of suspension. Also noticed I didn’t have my track lined perfect so that may have contributed to the problem. So now I run my track on the tighter side and also take the time to make sure its perfectly lined.

Dan

 

[06vectorgt]

Do you guys remove the skid to re-locktite everything or leave it in the sled? Do every bolt or leave some alone? Thanks

I removed only one bolt at a time, wire brushed off the junk thread locker (see pic), flushed out female threads with brake cleaner then wiped them out with long wooden handle Q-tips and re-installed freshly loc-tighted hardware. Its been over 2,000 miles since then and no issues with bolts backing out!

 

[mdkuni]

Why do we care if its off to one side?

For one it drives me nuts! I also just don't like the idea of the strap not pulling from the center.

Still at 8,000 miles on the skid. I was replacing my exhaust donuts last night and decided to yank the skid and inspect. I am glad I did as I found several problems.

A lot of my wheels are pretty well trashed. They are chunked out bad and this includes ones that are brand new this year that only have 4,200 miles on them. Not happy about this as these wheels are some major bucks from AD.

I pulled my lower shock shaft to inspect the bushings. (This can be a horrible job without an impact) All three bushing were broke. I am hoping i caught it in time. The shocks only made a small lip on the shaft. I took a file and smoothed it out so there would not be a major pressure point on the new bushings.

I then discovered my revolver plates were out of sync by a little over .5". I removed the rear arm all together. I then found the left plate was sticking and was bent. This is the side that my pins were falling out. I removed the plates and the bearing still spun good. I had to heat the plate up in order to get it bent back. I still need to reinstall the rear arm and see if I can get the two sides of the revolver matched up. It may not seem like a huge difference but it really was. It was enough of a difference that you could set one transfer pin at hole one and the other at two and they would hit the rubber bumper at the same time when moving the arm.

I will try and get some pictures together and will post back when I get the arm together.

 

[rxrider]

With the limiter strap off center the sled will drag slightly over to the side. We have seen it from time to time drag racing the old SRX. With the limiter set diffrently on each side it would pull out to to the side at WOT running down the track, not good.

 

[kinger]

Oh yeah mine started doing that this year, on take off when I had the skies in the air, it would lean to the opposite side the strap slipped to and I thought it was just 4 stroke power tq'ing the chassis! MORE POWA, LOL

You know last year my strap never moved and I never lost a bolt, this year my strap is moved and I lost the front swing arm bolt just like mdkuni, wonder if there is a correlation there.

Also mdkuni - I think those wheels are generic doo wheels you could get at dennis kirk or something. Somone posted the bearings on them a while back (maybe you rxrider?), I wouldn't get them from AD.

I am pulling my Zx2 this year when I do low CR pistons and will inspect and report back. Zero maintanence AD claims should be LOW maintenance. I will only have a 1/3 of the miles on mine as you do though.