Glad to be on a Yamaha !

[kviper]

The crank problem on the SRX was a minor issue as far as the owner's were concerned. Most of them ran the first season, Yamaha fixed them and then most of them ran dependably for a long time in fact I would bet the average 98 SRX motor ran more mile's than tha average ISO bearing DOO motor's will. Earlier in the season there were a few 600 E-tec's, A but load of 800E-tec's and a 500SS (do the 500's have ISO's?) with crank bearing's gone with low mile's that I heard of at the dealer. The dealer also says doo's have a lot of electrical problem's after a couple year's due to cheap wiring harnesses. You can say what ever you want, Doo has a good riding and handling sled and that is as far as it goes. Yes they all have there misceLaneous problem's but dependable motor's are vital and Doo is at the bottom in that category. If you go brag up Doo's over on Doo talk you may make one of the 800 E-tec guy's waiting for part's feel better. This is Totallyamaha!

 

[driftbuster]

Does anyone see the fun in that? It looks like a lot of work.
Maybe the point is to knock down as much plant life as possible?

 

[kviper]

Paw, You do not have to change track's and run high temp slide's to solve the slide wear problem on a Yamaha. Marginal snow wheel's in the proper area's and don't replace the hifax till you can get a 10 mm wrench over the edge of the slide, They will last thousand's of mile's. If you have very extreme condition's just run scratcher's and slide and over heating problem is gone and they are cheap. On our annual club ride (18 sled's in one group) we had very cold hard snow condition's. The only sled that had cooling issue's when we had to run along a road for a distance was a new 800 E-tec.

 

[Mad Russian]

I put excell whell kit and the hyfax problem is 100% solved. I now got 2,200 mi on the same hyfax and they still look great!

 

[CaptCaper]

My Vector LTX is bone stock and slides are still in good shape with 1400k on them.
Back to OP.. I've ridden with lot's of other brands these past few years and all of them except our Yamis have had issues. Issues that leave them on the side of the trail.
It may be coincedence or luck but damn.. No overheating,electrial issues,blown motors. These have been on Polaris's,Doo's,Cat's. It really makes me believe Yami is the most reliable built. That's why I got the wife the RSVector LTX.
I only had the Ypipe issue and after 6k miles a few wheels. Big deal. We now have 8k on Vmax,Attack and 1400 on Vector. I'm a huge guy and don't ride that easy on them.

 

[Mad Russian]

Thats is my point, why work on them and worry about being stranded on a trail if you can solve those problems by simply buying a yamaha! My last yamaha was a 2007 attak 7,200mi problem free. I had all the other brands and now i am back on a yami. Learned my lesson the hard way!

 

[Mooseman]

After having blown 3 Doo engines this season, I can testify that it is no fun not being able to ride, especially when the weather was not cooperating this season. Only once, for 20 minutes, did our family ride together, before two of them decided to crap out. One limped home while I towed the other one. That's all I was doing this season... towing Doos and fixing them. And I'll be crazy enough to fix them all for next season because I can't afford to replace a whole fleet of machines at the same time. I'd love to get everybody on Yammis but Donald trump I'm not!

 

[Ronder]

My Dealer says a HYfax might be coming out on the Yammys in 2012's that will last the life of the track. Plus a new track clip configuration Yep, that is what he said!

 

[spike337]

After having blown 3 Doo engines this season, I can testify that it is no fun not being able to ride, especially when the weather was not cooperating this season. Only once, for 20 minutes, did our family ride together, before two of them decided to crap out. One limped home while I towed the other one. That's all I was doing this season... towing Doos and fixing them. And I'll be crazy enough to fix them all for next season because I can't afford to replace a whole fleet of machines at the same time. I'd love to get everybody on Yammis but Donald trump I'm not!

Oh man, that's terrible! I hope you get them sorted out.
Were they 800s? The 600 E-Tec i hear may have issues too, but not near as bad as the 800. Guys have to remember, they have 2 four strokes, a fan, and a couple carbed ones that are suppose to be good, it's not like you can't ride a Doo without blowing up a motor every weekend. lol.

 

[Mooseman]

One was a 503f, another a 550f and the last a 377f. All had the PTO side piston blow chunks.

 

[pwa]

The crank problem on the SRX was a minor issue as far as the owner's were concerned. Most of them ran the first season, Yamaha fixed them and then most of them ran dependably for a long time in fact I would bet the average 98 SRX motor ran more mile's than tha average ISO bearing DOO motor's will. Earlier in the season there were a few 600 E-tec's, A but load of 800E-tec's and a 500SS (do the 500's have ISO's?) with crank bearing's gone with low mile's that I heard of at the dealer. The dealer also says doo's have a lot of electrical problem's after a couple year's due to cheap wiring harnesses. You can say what ever you want, Doo has a good riding and handling sled and that is as far as it goes. Yes they all have there misceLaneous problem's but dependable motor's are vital and Doo is at the bottom in that category. If you go brag up Doo's over on Doo talk you may make one of the 800 E-tec guy's waiting for part's feel better. This is Totallyamaha!

I know at least two 600 SRX of 98 and one 700 who grenaded when lake racing. If I dont remeber this all wrong it was a bit costly for them. But when a Yamaha blows its a minor issue? Last year a friend of mine blew two primary clutches and one engine in a DOO 800 R... but that is just a minor issue. As I say it... if I would to buy a SRX it would be a 2001 or a 2002. First of all more HP and a perfect two stroke. I would not buy a 1998 because it was a crappy engine. Why do you need to defend a construction that Yamaha abandoned later on.

This has nothing to do with Ski-Doo, I was just pointing out that the irony of the towing was made by the SRX of -98 with the crappy engine.

 

[pwa]

pwa, for your information i did not know the crank was bad until the end of the season. I do know that was one of the best two strokes i have ever had the pleasure to own. And another point is the engine was never in danger of destroying itself. The motor would just show increased vibration. When the sled was taken to my dealer for it's 500 mile service. they checked the run out and yamaha repaired it . So call me STUPID!!!!

I thought that you knew about the issue and still were driving... my mistake. I dont say that you are stupid I was saying that driving with a snowmobile with a bad crank is not smart.

Come on, 98's glued crank was not a good crank. Yamaha abandoned that construction in the later models of the SRX. And YES they blew, not all of them but to many. If you compare it to the SRX 700 from 2001 with at least 145 hp out of the box and reliability... I choose the more powerful and way better built 2001.

 

[pwa]

Paw, You do not have to change track's and run high temp slide's to solve the slide wear problem on a Yamaha. Marginal snow wheel's in the proper area's and don't replace the hifax till you can get a 10 mm wrench over the edge of the slide, They will last thousand's of mile's. If you have very extreme condition's just run scratcher's and slide and over heating problem is gone and they are cheap. On our annual club ride (18 sled's in one group) we had very cold hard snow condition's. The only sled that had cooling issue's when we had to run along a road for a distance was a new 800 E-tec.

I ride with lots of different models and burning hifax is a typical Yamaha problem. Not because that the machine is poorly built. I have no ice scratchers on my cat. Never had a problem with burning hifax.

Why does the XTX? Because half clipped track (bad choice) IMO.

The overheating problem is not a Yamaha problem, I know lots of M's, Lynx and Doo's who have that problem. That was just an example of things you have to change and things that cost money.

I dont know about you but if I buy a Yamaha Nytro for real money they would have to include a full clip track and some high temp hifaxes for free or I would not buy it. Why buy a machine with a flaw.

Same if I would buy a Doo 800 e-tec... I would demand they geared it down and see so it doesnt blew very expensive belts (the belts are very expensive). But the belt problem seems to continue for the BRP guys.

 

[pwa]

My Dealer says a HYfax might be coming out on the Yammys in 2012's that will last the life of the track. Plus a new track clip configuration Yep, that is what he said!

If they do I'm glad for every XTX buyer. I dont see that it fits Yamaha who spend so much time to perfect an engine to be cheap on the track. I know they try to save some weight but I think that is not the way to do it.

Just my opinion.

 

[kviper]

Paw, You do not have to change track's and run high temp slide's to solve the slide wear problem on a Yamaha. Marginal snow wheel's in the proper area's and don't replace the hifax till you can get a 10 mm wrench over the edge of the slide, They will last thousand's of mile's. If you have very extreme condition's just run scratcher's and slide and over heating problem is gone and they are cheap. On our annual club ride (18 sled's in one group) we had very cold hard snow condition's. The only sled that had cooling issue's when we had to run along a road for a distance was a new 800 E-tec.

I ride with lots of different models and burning hifax is a typical Yamaha problem. Not because that the machine is poorly built. I have no ice scratchers on my cat. Never had a problem with burning hifax.

Why does the XTX? Because half clipped track (bad choice) IMO.

The overheating problem is not a Yamaha problem, I know lots of M's, Lynx and Doo's who have that problem. That was just an example of things you have to change and things that cost money.

I dont know about you but if I buy a Yamaha Nytro for real money they would have to include a full clip track and some high temp hifaxes for free or I would not buy it. Why buy a machine with a flaw.

Same if I would buy a Doo 800 e-tec... I would demand they geared it down and see so it doesnt blew very expensive belts (the belts are very expensive). But the belt problem seems to continue for the BRP guys.

There are much cheaper and better way's to solve the hifax problem than track replacement in fact the track has little to do with it. Been there many times.