- Joined
- Jun 1, 2004
- Messages
- 7,728
- Location
- sudbury on
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2016 apex xtx
2011 apex xtx
2009 phaser rtx/x
1997 et410t/r
1988 vk 540
try a full 5gallon can in the rear carrier if you find a sled nose heavy. works great for me with my et410 as it is nose heavy and tends to submarine in the powder when i dont have at least 3 gallons back there.
also means you will have gas to sell to the other brands when they run out
also means you will have gas to sell to the other brands when they run out
mrrestless
Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2003
- Messages
- 42
ski boots req'd
The VK Pro really needs the 11 inch ski-skins, completely different machine in the deep stuff...
R
The VK Pro really needs the 11 inch ski-skins, completely different machine in the deep stuff...
R
wayne
Extreme
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Messages
- 67
where would you get the 11 inch skins?? Does yamaha carry them???
Tom Lee
Extreme
Meant to post here
Just got back from a 12 day hunting trip on the VK Pro. Put on 1400 kms during the trip and now have 2658 kms on it. Got about 200+ kms per tank of gas when hauling the hunting kometic. Used it in these conditions throughout the trip: deep snow, rain with deep slush, on the hills and with 1500 lbs in tow at times. The mechanicals performed flawlessly in typical Yamaha fashion. Now to the performance.
Deep snow: The machine doesnt nosedive at all as was rumoured by some. Even in the deepest snow the skiis always were higher than the track. The power in these conditions must be used judiciously (not above 5000 rpm) or it will overpower the track and spin in powder but not bad in wet snow at all.
Rain with deep slush: When towing a heavy load it performs similar to other widetracks, with the exception that it can easily provide too much power to the track and spin out. Low gear would be beneficial here to allow slower machine speeds at higher engine speeds. When not towing it can go over slush at higher speeds due to the excellent power available without even sinking down to the bottom. At 75kms it then comes up on top and reminds me of the narrow tracked high powered regular sleds.
On the hills: It can go straight up many steep hills with or without a load in tow when the power is turned on before the approach. It was a little tippy at first however side slopes werent a problem when the front shock springs were set to the stiffest setting. A sway bar would come in handy if one were available.
Riding two up and towing 6 full 5 gallon gas cans plus all the gear needed for this trip in the kometic you can easily hit 100 kph. I didnt go any faster or hold that speed for long for safety reasons.
Overall this machine performed better than I suspected and very much better than other people had been telling me. Tightening the front ski shock springs made this machine very much better to handle, and I recommend anyone who ownes one to try it. Next years model will have low and high gear with reverse and possibly the sway bar, and will be very hard to beat at almost any task.
Quit playing for fun and turn PRO.
Just got back from a 12 day hunting trip on the VK Pro. Put on 1400 kms during the trip and now have 2658 kms on it. Got about 200+ kms per tank of gas when hauling the hunting kometic. Used it in these conditions throughout the trip: deep snow, rain with deep slush, on the hills and with 1500 lbs in tow at times. The mechanicals performed flawlessly in typical Yamaha fashion. Now to the performance.
Deep snow: The machine doesnt nosedive at all as was rumoured by some. Even in the deepest snow the skiis always were higher than the track. The power in these conditions must be used judiciously (not above 5000 rpm) or it will overpower the track and spin in powder but not bad in wet snow at all.
Rain with deep slush: When towing a heavy load it performs similar to other widetracks, with the exception that it can easily provide too much power to the track and spin out. Low gear would be beneficial here to allow slower machine speeds at higher engine speeds. When not towing it can go over slush at higher speeds due to the excellent power available without even sinking down to the bottom. At 75kms it then comes up on top and reminds me of the narrow tracked high powered regular sleds.
On the hills: It can go straight up many steep hills with or without a load in tow when the power is turned on before the approach. It was a little tippy at first however side slopes werent a problem when the front shock springs were set to the stiffest setting. A sway bar would come in handy if one were available.
Riding two up and towing 6 full 5 gallon gas cans plus all the gear needed for this trip in the kometic you can easily hit 100 kph. I didnt go any faster or hold that speed for long for safety reasons.
Overall this machine performed better than I suspected and very much better than other people had been telling me. Tightening the front ski shock springs made this machine very much better to handle, and I recommend anyone who ownes one to try it. Next years model will have low and high gear with reverse and possibly the sway bar, and will be very hard to beat at almost any task.
Quit playing for fun and turn PRO.
rxrider
Jan-Ove Pedersen
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2003
- Messages
- 7,355
- Age
- 59
- Location
- Lakselv - 70N & 25E
- Country
- Norway
- Snowmobile
- 2014 Phazer XTX, 2013 Phazer RTX, 2008 Apex RTX, 2007 Warrior, 2006 Attak
I don't have a VK but I will post anyway. I find the sled easy to ride, it pulls strong, and it turns around on a coin or just as easy as an Attak. LB are right in his toughts on this machine, it does need a gear reduction for pulling the really heavy loads. For 2006 it is geared more like a mountain sled, low on gears but not low enough for towing the heavy stuff around.
My uncle bought a VK Pro last year, he has owned Vk,s since 1990 I can't remember how many he has owned..Trades them in every 3-4 years..I ride with him almost every weekend to camp on the trails the VK Pro handles very well, not to bad in the slush...overall performance is really good EXCEPT for the really deep stuff.. The VK Pro stays on top of the snow really well but when the sled tips slightly to one side it's a bitch to straighten it out and if you don't she is going to dig in..My uncle is 6'3" weighs 255 pounds so he has the weight and strength to control this sled...The VK 540's were big and heavy but not as bad...The VK Pro is not as good in the deep snow as the VK 540,s,,a lot more weight to maneuver around...But if you are not into the deep stuff too much you shouldn't have any problems...
Adelante
Newbie
- Joined
- May 3, 2006
- Messages
- 3
Handling the Viking
I have driven 1500km this winter and can sum it up like:
Fantastic power when towing various stuff, low gear could benefit if you sneak really slow around trees with load and/or two passengers or preparing trails at under 9-10km/h.
You don´t need wider skiis for floatation of the front, it´s always nose up, but a widetrack can often dip sideways if it starts to, just mount skins and you get a complete new machine, maybe also possible narrow the skiis maximum!
You can climb in mountains but build up speed before it gets too steep.
One or two on it with backbox full, you don´t feel it!
Flip makes it possible to go backwards and extra drag over snowpiles or up the trailer.
With this you can feel safe driving around alone in bad conditions, no need to cruise at higs speeds, you have the float and can always build up speed. If you get stuck, use a showel so your off in one try!
/Arctic Circle Lapland Sweden
I have driven 1500km this winter and can sum it up like:
Fantastic power when towing various stuff, low gear could benefit if you sneak really slow around trees with load and/or two passengers or preparing trails at under 9-10km/h.
You don´t need wider skiis for floatation of the front, it´s always nose up, but a widetrack can often dip sideways if it starts to, just mount skins and you get a complete new machine, maybe also possible narrow the skiis maximum!
You can climb in mountains but build up speed before it gets too steep.
One or two on it with backbox full, you don´t feel it!
Flip makes it possible to go backwards and extra drag over snowpiles or up the trailer.
With this you can feel safe driving around alone in bad conditions, no need to cruise at higs speeds, you have the float and can always build up speed. If you get stuck, use a showel so your off in one try!
/Arctic Circle Lapland Sweden
Maybe its the rip saw that makes it suffer in deep snow??
Adelante
Newbie
- Joined
- May 3, 2006
- Messages
- 3
Higher Lugs
The length of the lugs on a ripsaw is maybe 32mm, but rest of the "cam" is less, have anyone seen a track with higher lugs and 50x396?
/All snow gone now
The length of the lugs on a ripsaw is maybe 32mm, but rest of the "cam" is less, have anyone seen a track with higher lugs and 50x396?
/All snow gone now
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Re: Higher Lugs
The BearCat Turbo listed a 1.5" x 20" x 156" track in the early season brochures, not sure if it made it to production or not. I was very surprised to see a 1.5" lug on a 20" wide track when the brochure first surfaced.
The following link says it came with a 1.25" lug:
http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/enthu ... Code=22925
I can't access A-C's website due to my Firewall and lack of Flash, but I'm fairly sure that the sled ended up coming with a 1.25" track.
Adelante said:The length of the lugs on a ripsaw is maybe 32mm, but rest of the "cam" is less, have anyone seen a track with higher lugs and 50x396?
/All snow gone now
The BearCat Turbo listed a 1.5" x 20" x 156" track in the early season brochures, not sure if it made it to production or not. I was very surprised to see a 1.5" lug on a 20" wide track when the brochure first surfaced.
The following link says it came with a 1.25" lug:
http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/enthu ... Code=22925
I can't access A-C's website due to my Firewall and lack of Flash, but I'm fairly sure that the sled ended up coming with a 1.25" track.
Tom Lee
Extreme
I spoke to my dealer today about the hi/lo/reverse gear box.
He said he will be looking for some info from yamaha canada on that as well as the possibility of a sway bar setup for the vk pro.
He also said that there will be two different widths ski skins to choose from for this model. Ill update as soon as I have more.
He said he will be looking for some info from yamaha canada on that as well as the possibility of a sway bar setup for the vk pro.
He also said that there will be two different widths ski skins to choose from for this model. Ill update as soon as I have more.
That was some funny reading powder muncher and LB thanks for the laugh.
Tom Lee
Extreme
My dealer informed me yesterday that a kit for hi/lo gear is very unlikely to be available for the VK Professional. We were hoping that the early adopters (those of us who purchased first year models) would be given an opportunity to upgrade their 2006 gearbox to the 2007 for a reasonable price. The possibility of a sway bar also looks remote. Im not complaining about the sled I bought then, just would like to have that hi/lo feature. I will find a suitable sway bar elsewhere. Disappointed tho.
wayne
Extreme
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Messages
- 67
I am also a little dissapointed about the hi/lo gear box. When i purchased this snowmobile the dealer and the rep both said you relly don't need the low gear because the 4-stroke has so much tourque and here we are 1 year later and they come out with the hi-lo range. Rumor has it that Polaris will have a new 4-stroke wide track this year . I guess I will go back to where I came from. ( 4 Polaris wide tracks all with low gear)
