Must Have Jinxed My Sled!!

[welterracer]

Ive been riding alot this year, We have had lots of GOOD snow and GREAT snow conditions, and I was happy that my sled hasnt broken down..

Well last night before going out riding with my friends, I checked my rear suspension and wheels (like i always do) and noticed a broken front arm..

After getting the skid out (after ruining my night) I noticed a few more problems..

I just rebuilt this suspension 1500 miles ago and the shock was new..


Broken front arm (in 3 places)

Shock wire broke (AGAIN) 3rd time

There has got to be a better way to route or design something to save the wire from breaking, it breaks in the same place every time..

 

[welterracer]

Funny thing is, i havent riden the sled this year as hard as i did last year..

Getting out the welder tommaro and the sodering gun..

 

[rapeape]

Get rid of the plug and solder the wires together, put at least 6 ziptyes in and worry no more.

Keep us posted on the cracked suspension parts.

 

[JestersATTAK]

Was that arm dipped to remove the old paint. If any dip was still inside the arm it will eat away at the steel and weaken the welds. Did that to my Front end one time and it broke and we took a band saw and sure enough you could see that it was eaten away. IF they get all the dip out then you should be good.

 

[welterracer]

Get rid of the plug and solder the wires together, put at least 6 ziptyes in and worry no more.

Keep us posted on the cracked suspension parts.

Ive replaced this shock 3 times.. i have added atleast 6 zipties.. but it always breaks right by the plug in, where you can only get one ziptie.. the wiring must be able to move for the suspensiont to collapse.. the wiring is in there tight, and ice loves to build up around it..

 

[welterracer]

Was that arm dipped to remove the old paint. If any dip was still inside the arm it will eat away at the steel and weaken the welds. Did that to my Front end one time and it broke and we took a band saw and sure enough you could see that it was eaten away. IF they get all the dip out then you should be good.

No it wasnt dipped, not that i would think it could hurt is as the dip only strips off powder coating..

The factory paint is very cheap spray paint..

 

[pro tc]

thats one thing nice about powdercoating you can find all of the cracks real easy.lol

 

[Dano]

welterracer, If you plan to keep your sled a while, it may be well worth getting the ZX-2 if you like to ride hard. I'm sure the black skid would look nice mixed with the orange. Also never have to paint or have flaking paint in welds.

Dan

 

[mbarryracing]

Is the wire breaking right where it bends into the rubber sheath for the connector?
Is that wire captured under the single ziptie for that sheath, so it makes a "U"? I routed mine like the Yamaha update illustrated, I wonder how long before mine breaks...
How does the shock act after that wires breaks? How do you know?

I filled the end of my sheath with RTV to seal it from filling with snow/ice since the open end sticks up like a cup... Also should retain those wires a bit.
I don't like that sharp bend that those wires make, that can't be a "best practice" for a flex spot...

 

[welterracer]

Yes, it breaks right were it bends..

The shock wont act any differently, it will just be UNadjustable..

actually im thinking of just setting it where i want it, and eliminating the wire..

 

[ReX]

Didn't we have an argument about all the rust at the welds indicating cracks were starting last season...

I've now seen something like 15 of these front pivot arms fail. As soon as the paint starts to flake off at the welds, the cracks are starting to form. They take a while to go all the way through, but they always do eventually.

Are you going to beef it up when you put it back together?

If you do, I think the best bet is to box in both sides all the way from the bottom to the top, add gussets at the top on the inside, and double layer the outer tabs that break off (and are supposed to connect the arm to the rails).

Unfortunately, even with all of the reinforcements the guys I ride with are still breaking these pivot arms on their Apex's. Reinforced they handle about 10 times the aggressive riding and last much longer, but still eventually break.

Another thing to consider is the stiffer your shock and spring are, the faster these pivot arms break. If you've recently increased the rear shock damping, the new pivot arm will break that much faster.

You should take a careful look at the shock mount for the rear arm. The rear pivot arms seems to outlast the front pivot arms about 2:1, but when the second front pivot arm fails we usually find the rear arm broken also. It is easy to beef up the rear arm so it holds together though. It is just the shock mount that needs reinforcement on it.

You must like to corner at high speeds. That piece that broke off seems to crack through only with riders who really corner hard. If you only hit bumps straight on, the arms break through at the other locations and that part that broke off is still left intact.

 

[welterracer]

REX

I now agree with you, one of the cracks was probobly there already from last year, i just didnt notice it..

I welded it all back up, but without gussets,,, This spring the rear suspension is all coming apart again for new powder coating then, and it will get the gussets then..

I have one 7 day trip and then my season is pretty much done, unless we get some snow locally..

 

[favarcat]

I just welded mine the exact same place where yours broke off except the left side. I had mine powdercoated this fall and it helped to find the crack when I was getting it ready for our week long trip last week. I didn't notice it before. I just returned from a 1500 mile 6-day trip, so I will be thawing the sled out today and checking the suspension for cracks the best I can without taking it out.

 

[Yummy]

Also, one piece of advise. I noticed marks on your reservoir, those are from rocks inside the track. If those marks goes too deep, it will prevent the mouvement of the piston inside. You must protect the reservoir, I used 7-8 layer of duck tape, hopefully that is enough.

 

[mbarryracing]

Also, one piece of advise. I noticed marks on your reservoir, those are from rocks inside the track. If those marks goes too deep, it will prevent the mouvement of the piston inside. You must protect the reservoir, I used 7-8 layer of duck tape, hopefully that is enough.

Wow,
thanks for the tip!