Changing gears on an rtx

[RTX]

i have a 14 rtx with 2500 miles on it.
From day 1 have not been happy with its top speed. The best i have ever seen on this sled is 94 mph with the wind at my back heading down a hill. Not a joke.

I would like it to be a consistent 95-100 mph sled.
Mods so far are yamaha ecu reflash for hot start issues.
EVO muffler. Cotc clutch kit set for 9000 rpm, Bdx 38/46 helix shimmed .060, wrap at 6/1 with stock secondary spring and 8dn belt, airbox intake mod
1 extra set of idler wheels in the suspension and a 4th wheel kit.
I am happy with the power down low, but after 70-75 its a bit of a dog. It really seems to struggle to get to 90, and anything beyond 90 is just getting lucky

This summer i will be doing the evo reflash stage 4. Stage 4 = for 91 octane,header intake and exhaust.
Although i wont have a header yet, i plan to in the future.

I plan to regear the sled this summer while i am doing my prep for next winter.
My stock gearing is 24/50 with 92 link chain
There has been a lot of gearing talk, but not a ton of results posted.
I dont want to lose my bottom end power. Just want to gain a few mph up top.
I was thinking about trying a 25 top gear with a 49 bottom gear does any one know if i can use the stock 92 link chain with that combination,
Also, do you think that will help me acheive my goal?
Am i correct In assuming this combination will affect my speedometer reading?
Thanks for the help

 

[cannondale27]

Go for it. If you are looking for consistent 95-100mph you may consider the Sidewinder. Depends on what you consider consistent. For me I saw 105,6 stock but very very rarely. Most mods added I saw it more often and saw glimpses of more but very very rarely. The gearing just gave me consistency but sorry to say the consistent speed is still 95 and not 100. Heck last weekend in 65deg and slop I only saw 85mph and in morning with colder firmer trails 105 more than once.Where I like the gearing the best is in the clutching. Its dead nuts on and no worries about using all the clutch. I also believe it helped my low end launch. She really hauls off the line. Gearing does not affect speedo since speedo reads off driveshaft. Changing drivers would affect speedo.

 

[RTX]

Ya. I considered the sidewinder, got a few quotes and even got the wifes approval
Then i rode my apex last weekend and realised i just dont need 200 hp. Do i want it? f**k ya!! Just dont need it. Lol
I came to my senses and remembered both my sleds are in excelent shape and have a ton of life left in them.
theres many many other things i should be using that money for.

I guess maybe i Should just lower my expectations some to a consistent 90 mph sled

So any idea if the 25/49 gears will work with the stock 92 link chain?

 

[cannondale27]

Yes that is the reality. Not saying the mods wont get you more but they wont consistently in my book. Here is a chart. I believe your 92 link chain will work.

 

[weasel33]

Your lucky that you can see 90-95, I've only ever seen 92 once, other than that 77 to 85. In Canada last week I saw a whopping 77 mph. My brother with the same sled but a ripsaw 1 track can now hit 88 mph ( he changed his track this year). My sled gets to 70 real quick but after that it falls flat on its face. I learned to live with it because I'm sick of fiddling and only getting piss poor results.

 

[cannondale27]

Your lucky that you can see 90-95, I've only ever seen 92 once, other than that 77 to 85. In Canada last week I saw a whopping 77 mph. My brother with the same sled but a ripsaw 1 track can now hit 88 mph ( he changed his track this year). My sled gets to 70 real quick but after that it falls flat on its face. I learned to live with it because I'm sick of fiddling and only getting piss poor results.

Did you guys change your gearing and tracks? Have to keep in mind those 15 le's were sno cross sleds not made for top speed.

 

[RTX]

Your lucky that you can see 90-95, I've only ever seen 92 once, other than that 77 to 85. In Canada last week I saw a whopping 77 mph. My brother with the same sled but a ripsaw 1 track can now hit 88 mph ( he changed his track this year). My sled gets to 70 real quick but after that it falls flat on its face. I learned to live with it because I'm sick of fiddling and only getting piss poor results.

Weasel, i thought i remembered reading you and your brother had made some changes to try to get more top speed.
just curious, whats your gearing and mods right now, and what have you tried?

 

[weasel33]

Rtx, my brother and I have changed gears on ours, mine is now what a standard rtx runs. No real mods done to either one but clutching( I have cotc ) and joe has ulmers. My brother did get his track changed to a ripsaw1 which did net him around an eight to ten mph gain. But for 16 grand this thing should do 95-100 out of the box. So to all those people that say it's the 1.7 in sno-x track it's not, my bro still can't hit 90 mph consistently. It's hard to imagine that one viper can do 90 easily and the next viper will peek in the upper seventies, maybe it's got something to do with the ecu but I'm tired of throwing money at it to only be disappointed. Thought about doing the air box mod and can but from what I see that's not really a top end changer of speed either. So now I'm just going to ride the sled and be fast in the twisties but last in the straights.

 

[cannondale27]

A stock Viper is not a consistent 90mph sled. Your brother is stock if he just changed track and gearing. Clutching isnt going to do it but helps. Thats why you or in my case I mod for POWER. If modded they are 90mph sleds almost any trail. At least mine is. Just not 100. And 95 is not totally guaranteed but fairly often. 100+ perfect conditions. Reality. Nothing to be ashamed of. Still beat most 2st 600 sleds stock and modded Viper 800's will get a heck of a run for thier $. How does that sound Weasel33? I hope I have never given unrealistic expectations to anyone.

 

[weasel33]

Cannon, I hope you don't think I'm mad at you for advice you have given to me or any others?. I'm not mad at anything that's been posted on here, I'm just disappointed that this sled and the large amount of money I have invested( close to 18 grand) is as slow as it is. Yamaha dropped the ball on this one from the shock fiasco to the top speed to the belt dust that gets all over the sled is just disappointing that after all these years they got this one so wrong. I would have thought that this simple stuff would have been taken care of or if Yamaha would have stepped up to the plate and remedied some of the problems on the sled. I specifically paid extra for the shock package then along comes the sled and you got shocks that aren't anything that they said or showed would be on the sled. They didn't drop the price or even try to explain what happened, they just said " things are subject to change without notice" . As far as top speed I know you need power for high speeds but my nytro would do 90 to 95 in almost any condition, that's on gps not the dream meter.
Sorry for the rant but when a 2001 Polaris 600 passes by me in the straights it a little frustrating getting beat sooo bad.

 

[cannondale27]

Thank you Weasel. Many of us have near the same feelings as you. Sometimes our enthusiasm for even a 1 mph gain can skew actual results. I guess Yamaha has answered with a update. Sidewinder! We will all see how that turns out. While I am still trying mods I fully understand why and when it's time to just say enough. And go ride and enjoy myself. I hope you can find that happiness.

 

[weasel33]

I found happiness, I stay in the woods and the bumps!!

 

[RTX]

Rtx, my brother and I have changed gears on ours, mine is now what a standard rtx runs. No real mods done to either one but clutching( I have cotc ) and joe has ulmers. My brother did get his track changed to a ripsaw1 which did net him around an eight to ten mph gain. But for 16 grand this thing should do 95-100 out of the box. So to all those people that say it's the 1.7 in sno-x track it's not, my bro still can't hit 90 mph consistently. It's hard to imagine that one viper can do 90 easily and the next viper will peek in the upper seventies, maybe it's got something to do with the ecu but I'm tired of throwing money at it to only be disappointed. Thought about doing the air box mod and can but from what I see that's not really a top end changer of speed either. So now I'm just going to ride the sled and be fast in the twisties but last in the straights.

Wow. Sorry to hear that but to be honest, i feel your pain.
I too am really struggeling with this sled.
I find it to be a very comfotrable sled to ride, but the constant tinkering to get inconsistent performance really drives me nuts.
I got to a point this year where frustration took over and i went back to riding my 06 apex. This just added to my frustration because i absolutely love everything about the apex except the seating position

I did a ton of reading and gave it a lot of thought anddecided against regearing the sled because i just cant get a guarantee it will resolve my problems.
Every single post i read has a different result. Then on top of all that,This chaincase with the oil tank attached is such a pain in the #*$&@ to service i just dont want to get stuck trying to swap out gears during the season, i just dont have the time or the facilitys available for it
I will be doing the evo stage 4 reflash (header to be installed at the end of next season)
I figure the evo reflash will help with starting. Clean up the sloppy idle, and eliminate the cough/burp/popping i hear from the exhaust every time i release the throttle. If it also manages to boost performance than thats just 1 more bonus

I will also be removing my COTC kit and installing a different clutch kit.
Up till now, the COTC kit has worked ok for me but it is a pain in the butt adding or changing weight. I want simple adjustability
I have not decided on a clutch kit yet.
I really really really like the kits with the adjustable magnets just for ease of tuning, but am leaning towards the thunderproducts viper kit.