my broken W arm *More pics added*

[number1kyster]

here it is

 

[number1kyster]

oh yea sled has 3400 miles on it

 

[4strokesmoke]

Well thats no good :cry:
is this from alot of ditch banging ?

 

[number1kyster]

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.

 

[garserio]

Wow! That sux. I'm constantly airing out my Vector and this hasn't happened to me yet.

I'm thinking you must've really bottomed out hard to twist that weld loose and also blown the rear shock.

I found that on my Vector, the center shock wasn't stiff enough to prevent bottoming. I revalved to a 4-slot piston (From 6) and added a 157# spring (Stock is 104#) from an XTC.

I also replaced the rear shock with the Ohlin clicker.

No I run the rear springs at Soft, The Ohlin on Max compression dampening and the center shock as described above. This combo is AWESOME! The machine eats the big bumps at high speeds, hardly ever bottoms out and is still soft enough when a smooth stretch of trail comes along.

And, NO W-Arm failures...

 

[Shane]

Wow! That sux. I'm constantly airing out my Vector and this hasn't happened to me yet.

I'm thinking you must've really bottomed out hard to twist that weld loose and also blown the rear shock.

I found that on my Vector, the center shock wasn't stiff enough to prevent bottoming. I revalved to a 4-slot piston (From 6) and added a 157# spring (Stock is 104#) from an XTC.

I also replaced the rear shock with the Ohlin clicker.

No I run the rear springs at Soft, The Ohlin on Max compression dampening and the center shock as described above. This combo is AWESOME! The machine eats the big bumps at high speeds, hardly ever bottoms out and is still soft enough when a smooth stretch of trail comes along.

And, NO W-Arm failures...

garserio,

I have had the center shock rebuilt andvalved by Bruce at Pioneer. I also put on heavier rear springs and an Ohlins Shock. I weigh in at 225 in street clothes. Any thoughts based on your experience? I still bottom out on the BIG G-OUTS but when riding my buddies REV and APEX it doesn't happen and these guys weigh a lot less than I do. I know this skid can work well, I am just having difficulty dialing it in.

Baby coming tomorrow, leaving two weeks from tomorrow for a week 1,000 mile ride in Canada and want it spot on. PLEASE HELP!

Shane

 

[SKIDOZER]

Shane
I am also running the same setup as you and Garsario.
I weigh about 290 and havent bottomed it yet compression on ohlins still stock position stock springs.
I do have my coupling tightened about 2 turns for more coupling on larger bumps.
I would have the ohlins valved for your weight more rebound compression for the hevier rear springs and more compression damping.
I had more valving added to my front shock besides piston for my weight.
I had suspension systems a race tech dealer do my work he does lots of snowcross and motocross work.

Note: I broke the w arm on my MXZ700 and Mxz670 before so the doos break also I rewelded and added gussets myself and never had a problem again.

 

[twomorestrokes]

Note: I broke the w arm on my MXZ700 and Mxz670 before so the doos break also I rewelded and added gussets myself and never had a problem again.

Thanks for that information. Nice to know it's not just the Yamaha skids.

 

[garserio]

garserio,

I have had the center shock rebuilt andvalved by Bruce at Pioneer. I also put on heavier rear springs and an Ohlins Shock. I weigh in at 225 in street clothes. Any thoughts based on your experience? I still bottom out on the BIG G-OUTS but when riding my buddies REV and APEX it doesn't happen and these guys weigh a lot less than I do. I know this skid can work well, I am just having difficulty dialing it in.

Baby coming tomorrow, leaving two weeks from tomorrow for a week 1,000 mile ride in Canada and want it spot on. PLEASE HELP!

Shane

Shane:

You weigh 50# more than me.

You mentioned that you replaced your rear springs... I take this as you replaced two rear torsion springs to a higher rate. This was ok to do, but you could have probably gotten away with keeping the stock ones on M or H.

I believe that you need to get a stiffer center coil spring. Really pay attention to how your sled bottoms out. Does the center seem to fall out on big bumps? When you come off a big whoop do the skis tend to nosedive? These are hints that the center spring is not stiff enough. Yamaha put a really light spring on the center shock (104#/in) to keep the ride plush for the average rider. Remember, too, that the rear torsions springs and center coil are coupled, so they work together as a team to prevent bottoming.

Realize that the older proaction skid frame used a much higher spring rate on the center shock. I actually installed an XTC center spring on my Vector which has a 157#/in rate and it fit perfectly ($40). To counter the rebound of this new spring, I revalved to a 4-slot piston to properly dampen the more aggressive rebound of a higher rate spring. Since you weigh 50# more than me, maybe you should go higher on the spring rate. Maxximum sells a 200#/in spring...

Again here are my aggressive trail settings for a 175# rider weight:
1. Stock Rear Torsion Springs set on Soft
2. Minimum weight transfer (3 lines showing)
3. Rear Ohlin Clicker set on maximum hard compression dampening
4. Anti-bottoming stoppers on Medium (Center Hole)
5. Limiter straps on 2nd hole from top
6. 157#/in center spring with 4-valve piston
7. Just enough center spring preload to keep limiter straps tight when track is off the ground hanging.
8. Front Skis set at maximum preload, stock springs & valving
9. Front Skis shimmed to be parallel to ground
10. 144 studs, center pattern with 6" 60deg single carbides

For you, I recommend the same settings above EXCEPT:
1. Keep your new higher rate torsion springs, but set them at Soft
2. Get a 200#/in spring from Maxximum Performance

Once you try this out, let me know what you think. It'll only cost you a spring to try these settings.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN WITH THAT NEW BABY!

Regards,
Greg

 

[number1kyster]

some more

 

[novarossi]

Is that how they all break? I can see a bad weld but the tube breaking? Wow

 

[number1kyster]

it was a pretty rough landing i landed into a mogul.

 

[RSVECTORFREAK]

Maybe now I'll think twice about skipping over the tops of them moguls at 80..Thats quite the failure. Let me guess there is no extended warranty that will cover that.

 

[Tom-RX1]

that weld looks like it was never attached . The tube would breack just like that from twisting . What I wonder is how did it last for 3400 miles . This should be a warrente thing . falty workmanship .
Tom-RX1

 

[bjowett]

Looks like the weld undercut the material... the other weld is good, thus the tube broke.

Expert X.