Cains Quest Viper MTX race sled build

[bleaman16]

Been on ty4stroke now for years. Mostly lurking around, gathering information, new products etc. I figured with the next Cains Quest Endurance Race on the horizon I would share my sled builds with other members.

Some may be familiar with the CQ race, but for those that are not, it is a 3000+ km race in Labrador, Canada. Temperatures during the last race in 2014 dropped as low as -50C. Racers are riding for days at a time without rest, in the remote wilderness, with nobody else around most of the time except for your teammate. www.cainsquest.com

This will be my third attempt at this race. In 2012 I partnered up with a co-worker and we ran Arctic cat 1100 turbo XF's. We had some bad luck, and major electrical issues with one sled and ended up with a DNF.

Then, in 2014 I raced with a longtime friend of mine (who, by the way, bleeds blue more then anyone I know) on our already wore out Nytros. His sled started out as a 2008 Nytro MTX, and my sled a 2010 Nytro XTX. We completely disassembled the two sleds and rebuilt them to take on Cains Quest. They were built using many parts and ideas we found on this forum!

A short list of mods to our Nytros:
-Zbroz A-Arms
-Exit Shocks
-Ice Age rails
-Rear Tunnel Cooler and rad delete from Vanamburg
-Simmons Gen 2 skis
-Custom undertunnel exhausts
-Tunnels reinforced completely with custom made plates
-Clear Trailtanks
-XTX was extended to 159
-Aftermarket oil tanks
-Rollover Valves
-Front subframe gussets
-skinz seats
-Baja Designs LED lights

And the list goes on!

Again, we had some bad luck. My partner hooked a rock and ruined a track, which set us back 12 hours by the time we got a new track, and changed it. Slider issues in low snow areas, (more like no snow at times). And because of time, and being so far behind because of previous issues, we had to scratch and about halfway through the race. The 2014 race was so brutal, only 8 of 26 teams even finished!

So on to 2016!

For the next race starting on March 5, 2016, I will be racing with my younger brother. We have been very busy planning, researching, etc, to be as prepared as possible for the race. We will be running 2015 Viper MTXs as a base platform. The chassis is much more forgiving, and much easier to ride the long hours then my Nytro was. We decided to go with the base model MTXs, simple because there is no point in paying more for shocks that we are going to change anyway.

We have a long list of plans for these sleds, but for this race its going to be more of a keep it simple approach. Less overthinking the build and just try and stick with what works! Right now we are in the process of sourcing parts, finding the cheapest suppliers and such. We are going to try and do most of the things on our parts list, but depending on sponsors, racer discounts, etc, its possible some things may have to be prioritized and some left out.

This is a rough list of mods so far:
-154x15x1.6 ice cobra prestudded tracks Snow and terrain varies so much that I think this would be a good choice
- 2.86 pitch drivers
- Yamaha front bumpers
- Arctic M rear Bumpers
- Ice Age bomber rails and x-brace
- Shocks. Not quite sure which brand as of yet. But they will be exit/elka/fox/axis etc. All depends on price!
- Rollover Valves
- Skis from the new 2016 Arctic Cat Bearcat. Trying to get max flotation here. The Gen 2 simmons are just so heavy steering, it takes a toll on your arms after a few days.
- Hid headlights, as well as some LEDs from Baja Designs. Lighting is a must for the long, fast, night racing.
- 42" A-arms for stability when we are fatigued
- 4 wheel kits
- Dupont sliders

I am sure I'm missing a lot of parts, and ill touch on the smaller things during the build such as wiring, GPS units, windshields, etc. I know this was a long write up and intro, but hopefully you enjoy following the build and the race.

We are always looking for suggestions for build ideas, parts, and anything else that would help us in anyway possible! We have a facebook page which you can like and follow as well. https://www.facebook.com/CainsQuest2014Team82

 

[BigDogrx1]

Eat a lot of chilli before race, and best of luck to you both, takes big wavos to even attempt it.

 

[canadianhunter]

Best of luck.
Looking forward to your build.
I am a Cains Quest fan and will be following you come race time.

 

[stingray719]

Highly recommend this to keep ice off the radiator and steam out of engine compartment.

http://www.barnofparts.com/Viper-Fan-Reverse-NEW.html

 

[kinger]

That race is BRUTAL. Good luck!

 

[TD Max]

Curve skis get rave reviews. My experience with them is limited, but they seem very good to me so far. Curve XSM and maybe a Deuce bar setup? Not sure if junk would get wedged between the dual runner setups.

If you plan to use Hi-lo on your HID's you'll want to travel limit them so as not to shine raccoons on high beam and stabilize the mechanism a bit to minimize rattle. Rocztoyz would be a great one to help with HID kit.

I would probably add the BOP relay/fuse relocate kit to make them accessible.

4 wheel kit I'd suggest the Larson kit with the one caveat being that IF you have to take the axle apart quickly it is more difficult than most.

Upper steering block bushing/bearing

 

[bleaman16]

The curve skis are too skinny for what we need. In previous races I ran Gen II simmons. Max floatation here is key. This race is all off trail, on a heavy machine loaded down with gear. This race I think I'm going to run the skis from the new Bearcat. 10" wide at the tips, tapers to 8" in the middle. I think these may be a better option then the simmons, while they float the best, are just too heavy steering for a week of steady racing.

Rocztoyz is on he list as the go to for HIDS, but during night riding our Baja Designs LEDs are gonna be the main light source. The main reason for the HIDS is he lower wattage draw on the stator.

I fired off an email to BOP yesterday about the fuse relocate and yamaha throttle actually!

I forgot all about the steering block. Now on the list! Thanks! Strange, as on any Nytro I tell people to do the block or relocate block first thing.

I looked at the Larson kit, beautiful work there. Still undecided on our direction here. I do like the simplicity of the add on kits. Saves time pulling skid out for repairs, etc. But the strength is a nice feature of the Larson kit. We ran a add on kit in 2012 on our XF'S. Worked good. Price may end up being deciding factor here.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[TD Max]

The curve mountain skis are too narrow too? I couldn't find a spec.

 

[bleaman16]

I couldnt find the spec either. looks like they are only about 6" wide at most tho

 

[TD Max]

The std Curve XS ski is 7" wide front and rear and taper to 51/2" in the center. I found a print somewhere, but have not been able to locate since. I am not sure if the XSM is wider or if it just adds modular thrusters and stuff.

The curves are said to work great in powder with the design.

 

[R00STER]

The mountain skis are the same except for the cut out sections in the back for sidehilling.

 

[bleaman16]

It looks like those skis just wont be an option, need more flotation. Probably going to go with the cat Prolite 10/8. 10" wide at the tip, tapers to 8" in center. Without the very heavy steering of the simmons I have always ran previously.

 

[bleaman16]

Looks like we will be running Elka Stage 5 shocks all around for the race! Thanks to Elka for coming onboard as a sponsor!

We have started to update our facebook page recently too. I will try my best to keep this thread updated on the sled builds, but follow our FB page for all other updates with the race, and preparation. https://www.facebook.com/CainsQuest2014Team82