at the car wash...

[MCApex44]

Just wondering how most of you clean your Apex/Attack DURING the winter season. We often deal with some mud holes here and there along the trail and the sled gets pretty dirty at times. What solvents are you guys using in and around the engine? If you are spraying/washing the sled with a hose...are you leaving the engine running while you do? On a 4-stroke...where should I 'not' spray any water or solvents?

 

[jds1000]

The only things I will ever use a hose on are the front suspension, skis, rear suspension and track. Everything else I hand wash with as little water as possible.

 

[power valve]

castrol super clean works wonders. spray it on let sit for a minute and hose off.

 

[06RTXTASY]

The only things I will ever use a hose on are the front suspension, skis, rear suspension and track. Everything else I hand wash with as little water as possible.

Why is it you do it this way? I use soap and water on all of my sled and i dont see any issues. Maybe extended time of being wet with the hose may cause problems. Not being argumentative i just haven't heard this before.

 

[The Snow D.O.]

Isn't this engine the same and/or very similar to the engines they use in their street bikes. I hardly think water is going to damage this engine, although I am not a mechanic.

 

[nate007]

As far as the paint goes, don't use a dish soap. It will strip any waxes off of the paint. Car washes would be fine as long as you don't completely blast the holes in the fairings to get water in the engine. The sled is designed to run in less than perfect conditions, and Yamaha has to assume that the sle dmay encounter a creek crossing where water can be splashed around. Just be careful not to completely soak everything, but normal carwashes are fine. I wash my sleds with my powerwasher quite often.

 

[sobfrogg]

Good ole car wash soap is fine. If you use a pressure washer stay away from bearings. You can blast thew water right past the seals. NOT GOOD.
Also regrease where you can after washing to get the water out.
Other than that go crazy

 

[jds1000]

The only things I will ever use a hose on are the front suspension, skis, rear suspension and track. Everything else I hand wash with as little water as possible.

Why is it you do it this way? I use soap and water on all of my sled and i dont see any issues. Maybe extended time of being wet with the hose may cause problems. Not being argumentative i just haven't heard this before.

I don't see any reason to use the hose on anything else. There isn't a reason to. Why would you hose your seat or controls? Why would you hose the area around your clutch, chaincase, brake, engine or any electrical area? The argument can be made that guys hose off their bikes in the Summer, but remember the bike will dry very quickly in the Summer and you don't have to worry about moisture freezing around things like switches and relays or cables like you do with a sled in the middle of Winter. I've seen guys get moisture in throttle cables that never dried out until the off season and during the Winter season they had to deal with their throttle freezing every now and then. I guess you could do whatever you want but the question was asked and I gave my opinion.

 

[nate007]

sobbfrog has a great point about greasing. I hadn't washed my sled but about 4 or 5 times, and as soon as I went to grease the spindles, and the grease pushed a lot of water out!
From now on, I keep a small grease gun in my supply box (Wal-mart?) and if the trails are very wet, or after I wash it, I try to put at least one shot in all of the zerts I can reach. You will learn that some of them will take grease each time, and some won't.
It's definately an extra step, and more to remember, but for the $10k that you have invested, it's worth the effort!

 

[sobfrogg]

WOW,
I just read what I typed last night. WOW I must have been sleepy. It seemed to read fine after I typed it.
Anyway I forgot to add If you have a heated shop or garage to keep it in that will help to get the rest of the water out of the cables and elec. connections.

 

[ultimatewarrior]

I clean the skid with silicone spray. It blasts all the dirt away and leaves a protectant coating. You probably need 2-3 cans to fully clean things. I then coat everything that may rust or corrode (skid, arms, etc)with BoShield T-9 - there is nothing better.

 

[racer765]

ultimatewarrior, what is boshield T-9, and where do you get it from ??

 

[T-Bone]

ultimatewarrior, what is boshield T-9, and where do you get it from ??

lubircating/protective spray developed by Boeing (i think) but sold under the Yamaha name. Get it at your Yamaha dealer for about $12.00 a can.

 

[apex yooper]

I believe the snow that comes in the vents gets on the engine turns to water.

 

[Shivesy]

At the end of last season on my last trip to Ontario. My brother and I took the Apex and loaded it on the back of the Ford which has a flat bed w/sprayliner. We took the sled to the car wash and while the sled was not running I sprayed under the track, the belly area, and the front skis to remove ALL the snow and any salt that might be left when the snow melts. I wiped off the water drops on the painted hood, shield, bar & controls and seat area. After the sled was washed we headed to the barn to unload it. It was colder than all get-out and at night during an ice storm. We placed the ramp on the back of the truck, I jumped up on the flatbed to unstrap the sled and busted my #*$&@. Slipped off the side of the flatbed and landed flat on my back! A good four foot drop but I jumped right up in a split second while my brother was busting out laughing. I'm just glad I didn't get hurt. We got the Apex unloaded and packed it away. I was glad I took the time to clean it, plus the brother got a heck of a laugh out of it. Thats one of the trips "at the car wash"

Ronnie