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Has anyone put a different rear skid in the pro

L

Labrador 0723

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Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
11
Hi,
I have raced the pro in three consecutive Cain's Quest. First two times we have been plaqued by rear skid failure. This year we installed Yamaha modified rear brackets and did some mods on the middle rod ourselves. We install the skid in the lower mounting holes and install a 1.5" lug track which improved deep snow performance enormously.Held up well this year. We did have to ride somewhat conservative to ensure it lasted. We placed 10th. Looking for idea suggestions on how to further improve the skid or change completely. A :flag: Lighter exhaust system may assist with this problem. Any suggestions / ideas
 

Some of the VK Pro owners around here have installed a stiffer rear shock spring when they had the 1.5in lug track upgrade. I don't have the part number but your dealer should be able to help you out.
 
I raced a 2007 model for two years 2006 first. We installed a spring from an older viking on it this for this years race as well. It has 16 coils compared to the the 12 that comes on it. Not sure why less coils on a heavier machine. Appears to be similar diameters and thickness.

We think the spring stops the machine from bottoming out and hitting the slide bumpers and doing damage. IE. it brings up on the collapsed spring before hitting the rails.
 
I have an 06 and have had problem with bottoming out easily so I asked the dealer about a different spring and he is ordering me an upgrade that has almost double the preload of the stock one. I haven't seen it, so I cant tell you how many coils it has.
 
Greater preload isn't going to help you in the stroke guys. It will take more load to get your rear skid to start moving, but once it gets going, it is the actual spring rate that is your deciding factor.

Also, less coils = larger pitch = stiffer rate, not softer. If you found that the 16 coil spring was stiffer than the 12 coil then there was also a difference in the spring base material and the wire diameter. All things being equal, the 16 coil will be softer. Perhaps the spring was longer and your initial preload was higher, thus giving the impression of a stiffer ride.

I really hate the VK rear skid. It's dated and does not support the weight of the rider and the gear that the usual backwoodsman needs to pack on there once the rear seat is removed.

I once had a very frank conversation with Chad @ Yamaha Canada when the VK Pro was first introduced. I was expecting the VK's rear skid to come out as a widened version of the RS Venture TF rear skid since it even had the rear flip-up section. If I had a VK Pro as my personal sled, I would try to get my hands on one of those and fab up my own frt & rr torque arm assys to stretch it out to 20" width. You could use the arms themselves, just the cross tubes would have to be changed out for longer ones to span the wider tunnel.

Yamaha is stupid if they don't at least do that upgrade as an "update" to the VK Pro in the near future. Maybe they'll do that and add EFI at some point. Or maybe I'll just get more acquainted with my welding and fab skills.
 
I dunno Milley, with the rear spring cam adjuster shaft and front W-arm beefed up in the right locations, I think the TF rear could take more punishment.

Even the VK Pro Action c/w the new reinforcement brackets still has that transfer rod "clunk-clunk" slop as it strokes, that ability to build free momentum as the rear skid strokes can create quite the impact.

Still for all, neither is bullet proof.
 
Wondering if fiberglass overload springs could be added

Think we may try installing Cat overloads on the rails to assist the shocks. Still in the thinking phase on this one. Its a shame when everything else is so reliable! Haven't had to touch the front end or engine. You think Yamaha would have a fix???
 
Re: Wondering if fiberglass overload springs could be added

Labrador 0723 said:
Think we may try installing Cat overloads on the rails to assist the shocks. Still in the thinking phase on this one. Its a shame when everything else is so reliable! Haven't had to touch the front end or engine. You think Yamaha would have a fix???
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea. A lot of guys in Southern Labrador have modified Expedition and SUV rear skids to use the Cat fiberglass overload springs. If I recall correctly they actually mount them just like they are on the Cat skids, with the pivot towards the front of the sled, which is the reverse direction of the rear scissors. Apparently it works very well, but I have not managed to get any pictures of a successful install yet.
 
I wonder if you could put a Cat skid on the VK. I ride with a guy who has a Bearcat and even though I have more that double the horses, he can leave me behind if the trail is rough. He and his two sons pound the toast out of that Bearcat. No problems in 4 seasons...grease and go. Same 156x20 track.
 
Interesting. I agree that the Cat skid usually rides quite nicely but they are usually easy to break. No trouble in 4yrs with lots of hard riding surprises me.
 
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