my broken W arm *More pics added*

[garserio]

i do some jumps and ditch banging but this broke when i was trail riding. I was riding in the nek of vermont and came over a hill and caught some air and i landed into another mogel. I also blew my rear shock at the same time. IM thinking it might be cheaper to buy a cat,doo,or poo skid and swap it. They are really durable and they ride nice but im not sure yet.

Well, I broke my W-arm yesterday, too. Same exact failure as yours, but only the left side snapped off. Luckily, the right side stayed attached so I ould limp the sled back to the truck.

I hit something so hard, I actually wrenched my back and had to stop at the next turn to catch my breath. When I came thru, I took a quick look at the front of the skid because I remember it bottoming out so hard. The center shock was blown and the W-arm broken.

I'll post a pic tonight.

To number1kyster: Besides replacing the arm, did you do anything to strengthen it? Let's face it, replacing it is just a temporary fix until the next big bump. I am trying to brainstorm some strenghtening techniques, but figured I'd ask you first before reinveting the wheel...

 

[number1kyster]

i jus replaced it it cost a little over a 100 bucks to buy the part. I mean it took alot of pounding and i landed so hard into this mogul that it blew my rear shcok 2. I replaced it stock if it breaks again im gonna reinforce it.

 

[garserio]

Well, I finally got the sled apart to look at the broken W-Arm and see if anything else was damaged... The broken W-Arm casued EXTENSIVE damage to other expensive components:

The center shock is blown (Did the Center shock blow and break the W-Arm, or did the W-Arm break and blow the shock? Did they happen at the same time? Chicken & the Egg argument, I suppose!)

My rear shock was damaged by the broken W-Arm. The bottom tube of the W-Arm sheared off and the it rotated back and struck the top of my brand new $425 Ohlin! Of course, it bent the Ohlin's cylinder tube and that shock is also blown and maybe unrepairable.

The front, top W-Arm mounting shaft is bent right where the top of the arm sheared.

The exhaust manifold was struck by my studded track and it bent and broke a weld. When the W-Arm broke the whole suspension collapsed and the track bottomed out hard against the tunnel guards enough to compress the track into the exhaust system.

I guess that was a hard bump I hit! However, if the W-arm didn't torsionally shear off, all this would NOT have happened.

What an expensive ride that was, huh? Yamaha needs to step up their welding and metallurgy technology!

 

[number1kyster]

my rear shock blew i replaced it wit hthe ohlins but i have not had time to ride yet.

 

[garserio]

Bumped message up for RSVECTORFREAK...

 

[RSVECTORFREAK]

Yup looking at the picture where you have it marked tube shear. (the red line to the top is where my welds are cracking). I suppose I better deal with that before riding again.

 

[twomorestrokes]

I've been checking these welds before every ride now. So far so good.

I just put 500 miles on it in extremely rough conditions. Trails got too busy so we spent a day banging the ditches and jumping driveways. My skid fared well, but my buddies Pro X broke a torque arm Saturday while riding with me.

 

[Snakebit]

Got the skid out...

Pivot arm, shaft, bushing, bolt, shaft, collar, stopper (limiter straps), shock, collar, bolt, and nut from my favorite advertiser on here, $280.83.

Anyone see anything else I need? Basically I see a new arm and accompanying hardware, shock and accompanying hardware, and limiter straps.[/img]

 

[genesis]

holy sheeeeeet

what a piece of junk for a rear skid.

What an expensive ride that was, huh? Yamaha needs to step up their welding and metallurgy technology!

yure right garserio.....somebody iz gonna end up in the boneyard
with a bad back :ORC

aint gonna be me...ill never buy another yammi sled built after 05.
seems like they they use the consumer as guinnea pigs instead of really testing a machine before it gets released.

 

[Snakebit]

holy sheeeeeet

what a piece of junk for a rear skid.

What an expensive ride that was, huh? Yamaha needs to step up their welding and metallurgy technology!

yure right garserio.....somebody iz gonna end up in the boneyard
with a bad back :ORC

aint gonna be me...ill never buy another yammi sled built after 05.
seems like they they use the consumer as guinnea pigs instead of really testing a machine before it gets released.

Considering the parts list, I thought $280 wasn't that bad actually. I can do most myself, and have friend in the family that runs a sled shop. Just a pain in the #*$&@ to be off this week and have to work out this issue.

I've ridden this sled like a madman for 3 winters now, over some of the worse #*$&@ you can imagine. Wonder it lasted as long as it did.

 

[garserio]

Well, at least the W-arm failures are consistent!

After mine broke last year, I replaced it with a new one that I gussetted myself. Since then, I never had a problem again. I recommend that you do the same when replacing the part. See pics...

 

[twomorestrokes]

Considering the parts list, I thought $280 wasn't that bad actually. I can do most myself, and have friend in the family that runs a sled shop. Just a pain in the #*$&@ to be off this week and have to work out this issue.

I've ridden this sled like a madman for 3 winters now, over some of the worse poop you can imagine. Wonder it lasted as long as it did.

Yeah, that Pro x took more to repair last season and it took out a rail too. Guess what? Rode with him a couple weeks ago and it was his front suspension that went south this time. He stopped at a dealer on the way home and priced an Attak, he was so mad. Of course I bent my tunnel on that ride so I can't say much this year. It can happen to any sled under these conditions.

 

[Snakebit]

Called all over the state of Maine and not 1 dealer has the arm. Most say they never had one, and when I ordered it, it is on backorder.

WTF? Why is this part so hard to get???

 

[Tfin]

Called all over the state of Maine and not 1 dealer has the arm. Most say they never had one, and when I ordered it, it is on backorder.

WTF? Why is this part so hard to get???

That F'ing blows!

I'm curious....out of all the guys that have had this arm fail....how much stand-up riding do you do when the trails get rough? Or do you sit through most everything?

I'm only 5'9" tall and with a set of 2" articulating bar risers, I now find myself almost always standing through the rough stuff. My legs get a little tired, but I hardly ever bottom out.

Just wondering if theres a correlation.

 

[genesis]

when i had my srx...the first thing i did with that sled was remove the w-arm and put some extra support on it with the trusty welder.

looks like that is a tradition thats gonna continue.

one thing fuur shure

anyone with this type of sled should carefully inspect the entire rear skid after every season.

i put little wedges in like garserio did.....good job btw