My Venture MP is home

[Jason Harrell]

Right off the bat, i like the quality and finish. Sounds great, and my kids love it. I knew I wouldn't like the skis, and did let the dealer know I am disappointed. YAMAHA GUY...if you read this...why not give venture mp buyers the free option to use the tuner skis or a wider mountain ski? I understand there is a very large group of buyers that use these strictly for trail riding, but there are those of us that bought these to "venture" off trail and put it to work. My dealer seemed slightly annoyed as well that I would have had to spend lots of extra $$ to switch to wider skis. Anyways, I see either Simmons gen3's or something else in my future(pending wife's approval). Haven't had a chance to really ride it...snowed enough for me to drive it home from the airport, then snow melted. It feels torquey, and pushes. I know I need to adjust the limiter strap, and do a few other things to fine-tune. The seats are comfy, and I pray this sled will provide many years of faithful, dependable service for me and my family. I am thankful for this website and you guys that provide insight and experience on these machines.

 

[Mooseman]

Congrats! Don't you just love that new sled smell?

Still sucks about the skis. Originally the MP was differentiated from the Lite for its off-trail capabilities, which was the reason for the wider track and skis as well as that front belly pan. Maybe you can sell them as new take-offs.

 

[BigDogrx1]

Nice sled and snow looks real good too.

 

[Jason Harrell]

Thanks guys...got more snow last night, and the river's freezing. Now I need to find some metal skis so I can rig up the log arch for winter logging...and work on the Arctic cat snogo. @&$%#! Diamond drive! Very nice suspension, though..and an engine that won't quit. I was surprised how much more torque the Yamaha has over my ac570...I squeezed the throttle hard just to check it out, and nearly fell off..gotta get used to more power n torque

 

[Mooseman]

Be especially careful in reverse. It can really surprise you and you end up where you don't want to be (ask me how I know!)

 

[Jason Harrell]

Haa! one of the first things I did was put it on it's left side as I was parking it. I wasn't paying attention and ran over a large clump of frozen dirt. Anyways, the track came to a rest over the clump, and she did a slow roll to the left. I was surprised how relatively easy it was to tip her back up. I do like the reverse...I think it's nice. I'm a little disappointed that a spanner wrench doesn't come with the sled, but have one on the way.

 

[Pat tremblett]

Welcome to the MP family.
They are great machines. I Can't wait for the snow to get here.

 

[Phatboyc]

Nice sled.

Pretty sure you can sell your tuner skis in no time.

 

[Jason Harrell]

Thanks...ill probably end up selling them...I definitely want to get wider skis. Our temp here in Unalakleet is 1f and more snow coming. It's already looking better than last year when the iron dog guys were racing in on bare tundra and open water. I couldn't be happier than with the venture mp( guess I could be happier if I could get the rs venture as well) . Anyways hope y'all get some snow soon

 

[YukonMP]

Congratulations on your new sled. I just signed into the forum for the first time in months and read your back story. I'm sure your experience will be very positive and any glitches will be easily handled with the advice of the guys on this forum.

My boat was in the lake for six months to the day. I pulled it on the 15th, my last day of fishing for a month I expect. If I had left it in I would have had some trouble because there was ice in the bay the next day. Instead I fired up my 2014 MP and have been riding ever since. I'm on warranty for two more months and I'm putting it through the paces. I have to say it was an absolute pleasure to get out and it felt like Christmas.

Anyway, enjoy your new sled and keep us posted on your adventures.

 

[Jason Harrell]

Thank you sir. I have been logging break-in miles, and testing her out. We had one winter storm, so was able to get out in deeper snow...the crappiness of the skis is evident, but I knew that before the purchase, and will remedy that with maybe some Simmons gen3's unless someone can recommend a ski that works well on and off trail. I unintentionally checked out how it water skips, as I was going on the slough during our first storm, and didn't see the newly open water and overflow until the last second. Anyways, I opened up the throttle and skipped probably 50-60 feet. The icing is noticeable, but not an issue, I actually like the sound...and have had good comments on how cool it sounds. The mp handles very well over tussocks, and tundra...nice cushy ride, but I find it easy to stand and maneuver as needed. It pushes a lot in deeper snow...but again I believe it's a ski thing. Hope to get her broken in by the time it's safe to head upriver and put the mp to work hauling logs for my sawmill.gonna start building the wife a house next summer so I need to make a bunch of 2x6's.

 

[Mac21]

Congrats on the new sled....look forward to what you do for a ski upgrade...and how the machine performs log hauling..

 

[YukonMP]

I was in town yesterday and my dealer had three wider ski options for me to consider. 2015 VK PRO(which are blow molded), 2016 VK PRO, and Slydog Powderhounds. All are 8 inches wide. I believe he correctly advised against the blow-molded and recommended the Powderhounds. Right now I'm staying on the Tuners until we get more snow and I can get out on the lake. I'll report back as soon as I've put on some miles with them.

Welcome Mac21.

Hey Jason, you have some serious towing planned so you might consider breaking in your spare belt. I hate to see guys get in a tight spot and blow a belt trying to get unstuck and then run a brand new belt hard right of the start. Give them both a gentle break in at mild temps and low load. That way you can ensure that your spare is reliable. Once things start going down hill out there they seem to gather momentum. I also have seen around here that a lot of guys wash the mold release off new belts before they even put them on(HOT soapy water). Makes sense to me.

 

[Jason Harrell]

Thanks Yukon...my dealer steered me away from the blow molded skis as well. I just posted earlier on my purchase of Simmons gen2's from eBay. Will have to get a spare belt, and correct me if I'm wrong...I believe Mooseman mentioned somewhere that the stock belts are best?

 

[Mooseman]

I was in town yesterday and my dealer had three wider ski options for me to consider. 2015 VK PRO(which are blow molded), 2016 VK PRO, and Slydog Powderhounds. All are 8 inches wide. I believe he correctly advised against the blow-molded and recommended the Powderhounds. Right now I'm staying on the Tuners until we get more snow and I can get out on the lake. I'll report back as soon as I've put on some miles with them.

If you're going mostly off trail, go with the Powderhounds. Better steering but on trails, they dart a fair bit. I had a pair but I mostly trail ride so the darting got tiresome.

Nothing wrong with blow molded skis. I now have a set of Camoplasts with Double Downs and they're fine. Not the prettiest but do the job. Can't beat the price. It all depends on what you want.