New 06 Apex owner

[Snowman11]

Hi all, new to yamaha ive been riding an 02 mxz 600 . And really liked but saw this apex and fell in love 06 Apex GT.. it's got around 4500mi on it for $2800.. it's very clean and well cared for ...I've been trolling this site for a few days no and have read up on alot about my 06 Apex.. my main concern is the donuts and the cracking of mono skid components... I'm in upstate NY .. I haven't found any recent posts from half baked coatings.com .. are they still doing beefups on these components ?? Or am I better adding arms and components from the newer skids 08 and up .. and what type of "rough" trail rides do u consider rough to snap these mono skids .. i haven't ridden it but about 3 miles yet . I love the looks of it , love the motor , love the exhaust notes , All round like the sled .. I'm just concerned of the work I'll have to put into it to keep up ...any help at all will be appreciated

 

[steiner]

You can contact Travis at BoP regarding the W arm. He can set you up with a newer style beefier arm. http://www.barnofparts.com/

Donuts are not a big concern but the pipes would be. Do the stall test to see how good your donuts are. Bad donuts will break the factory pipes. Both of mine were replaced before 4k miles.

 

[MrSled]

Welcome to the site!!

 

[Snowman11]

You can contact Travis at BoP regarding the W arm. He can set you up with a newer style beefier arm. http://www.barnofparts.com/

Donuts are not a big concern but the pipes would be. Do the stall test to see how good your donuts are. Bad donuts will break the factory pipes. Both of mine were replaced before 4k miles.

Would the copper donuts stop it from wrecking the pipes ?

 

[Snowman11]

I've also seen somebody makes like an entire flex deal that goes from headers (flex pipe) to the "y" .. hack off both ends and it clamps on both ends no welding ,no more donuts .. I can't remember where I saw these , something like $60 a peice $240 for all four

 

[Snowman11]

I've heard all sorts of stuff going on with the 06's , everything from overheating , tors issuies , changing CO settings to keep it running , exhaust issues , skid cracking , the list goes on... are these sleds really this problematic?? , or something more like abuse/ no maintenance.. I have two wheelers ,another sled and two tractors .. so turning wrenches and maintenance isn't foreign to me

 

[steiner]

Copied from different thread I posted on. Meant to be a bit "tongue and cheek:"

Faults of the Apex.
Hand warmers almost live up to their name. They are cool and almost warm to the touch. 2006 is the worst
Headlight spread is a joke.
Darts like a squirrel on crack.
Mono in factory trim is a bucking bronco.
W arm breaks constantly. On my third one. Last two have been beefed up and this last one repaired 4 times already.
Exhaust. Here is some fun. Flex headers don't like to flex. Titanium y pipes are too fragile. Snap crack pop. Eats donuts faster than the local PD. Exhaust pipe breaks due to lack of mid support. And if that's not good enough lets go put on a $3500 EXUP system on it and make out of..... yup, titanium.
The drone. The dreaded 30-35 mph drone. Enough to drive you deaf and crazy.
RA. Who the heck thot of that??
Plastic bushings. What a great choice to help keep the front end sloppier than a triple Big Mac in the hands of a 5 year old.
Oh wait. Lets put some wiring in the tunnel and connect it to a shock. That should be good for a couple of F bombs.
How about wheels with non replaceable bearings? Great idea.
Clutch engagement that gives you monkey arms in one short season.
Let's put a non moisture connector upside down on the main relay so it can corrode.
Then let's add some non moisture proof ground blocks. That will help your lose your mind.
A speedo that 15%+ off . A sure way to rack up them miles quickly.
Reverse linkage that if not adjusted within a thou will pop out and grind you a pound.
Oil tank that loves to weep oil on your clean garage floor.
Three tiny little beer tabs to keep that rad in place. Good until you hit the a second set of whoops on a Sunday afternoon ride on beat trails.
Never need to bring ice home from the store for your wobbly pops because your tunnel collects about 5olbs of that icy goodness.
Transfer rod that clunks sooo bad that you think you have broken the W arm. Again!
A skid that eats sliders faster than shot gunning a beer on a hot summer day.

The overheating can happen in low snow conditions. Many people install a rear exchanger.
TORS issue comes up generally due to a lack of maintenance.
CO adjustments?? Adjusted mine for fun. Made no difference. All 6 Apex's that I service have no issues idling.
Its not a perfect sled but it sure can be fun to ride.

 

[Snowman11]

Wow haha sounds like a love hate relationship . I take it it's fairly easy to put in a rear exchanger ? Assuming a specific line to tap into .. I guess my biggest gripe is the mono skid , so I should just brush up on my welding skills and get used to dropping the skid ...I don't intend to use as a ditch banger .. I'll use my mxz 600 for that , I love the looks of it , the sound and the power , just didn't know I was in for such an attention whore of a sled

 

[Snowman11]

U gotta pound it real hard to crack these arms ? Or do I have to ride like a ole lady in fear or cracking my skid

 

[Macheater]

Wow Stiener after reading that it makes me wanna OFF my machine.
Fortunately I've either corrected or not had 95% of the problems on that list.

 

[steiner]

The W arm.
The past three seasons have been terrible for us as far as trail conditions. My riding was very limited to a few rides. Most of miles were with other Apex and Vectors. I was the only one in the group that cracked the W arm every season.
I am not a high flying ditch banger, just a trail rider. Not sure why I break the arm and no one else does. I have changed springs and have a revalved shock and still break it. Geared up I tip the scales just over 200lbs. I am one of the few that have the 136 skid vs the 121 tho so that may have a little bit to do with it. I just don't know. There are many many people that have not changed the W arm Take that for what it is worth.

Rear exchanger.
It is a direct replacement for the rear crossover tube. A hole saw and Dremel type tool and you can swap it out in under an hour.

 

[steiner]

Wow Stiener after reading that it makes me wanna OFF my machine.
Fortunately I've either corrected or not had 95% of the problems on that list.

LOL
I have had a few issues with my machine but not all listed above. Some I have prevented from occurring by doing maintenance.
Some things I have improved on. Yamaheaters, HID kit, Snowtrackers. BoP multi rate spring for the mono and shock revalve, GYTR up front, Mtn skis, removed ground blocks, greased the snot out of the white connector, changed all the skid wheels. PP marginal snow kit, Yamaha marginal snow kit, Duponts. copper donuts and SS Y pipes, mid hanger for the exhaust pipe, beefed up tabs for the rad, rubber isolated the oil tank, removed the RA, Oilite bushings , BoP bulk head saver kit.

If I had a different brand sled I am sure the list would be just as long. I just can't keep my machines stock. If there is room for improvement I will do it.

I know a few people that still drive a flat out stock Apex and never have a complaint or issue. Just depends on what you can live with.

 

[72Gran]

Don't let some of the stuff on here scare you. There is a lot of good info on this site but also a lot of gripes. I had a 08 apex LTX and after 50,000 kms I only ever had one failure and that was the crankshaft position sensor at 40,000kms.
The Mono skid suspension is excellent just make sure you set the shock up for your rider weight.
No I never cracked the dreaded W arm
No I never had an oil tank leak
No I never broke an exhaust header, changed donuts every 5k with oil, no issues
No I did not have slider issues, 10k per set, run scratchers when needed and installed a temp guage to keep an eye on it
No I did not have a fuel pump relay failure, carried a spare in my pocket though, still got it
No I never changed the front end bushings, they were loose from day one and never got worse
Yes the idler wheels without removeable bearings sucked but the went 25k without a failure
No I never rebuilt the clutches, cleaned every 2500k and changed the secondary buttons at 35k
No I never rebuilt the chaincase just changed oil every engine oil change and used synthetic
Yes the sled darted, shimmed the skis 1/4" and installed stud boy deuce bars, problem solved
No I did not care how off the speedo was as long as I never got passed by another brand, and never did
Yes the RA was a BAD idea, no biggy just set the shock and drive the damn thing
Yes hand warmers suck, just buy good mitts, they don't look cool but then you aren't cold
No never had the dreaded ground block issue
Yes there is a drone but who drives 35 anyways
Yes the belts can last 10k plus, my current xtx has 19k on the factory belt and it's still in tolerance, just towed a Nytro 25kms at 70kph with no issue, no overheating and no belt wear, Nytro was on losing end if a tree

Just my 2 cents, I ride only on trails, but I ride whether the trail is good or bad and I don't drive like an old lady

 

[Snowman11]

I think some guys on here are far too critical of the machines and make them seem garbage ...Yamaha has a good rep and doesn't make junk , I think alot of problems are self induced on these machines on people who just fill it with gas and go untill I stops and then complain ... I haven't had mine appart a whole hell of alot .. where are these ground blocks ? And use like dielectric grease ? One member said he squirts wd40 onto all the crappy connectors as they can't seem to take moisture well...

 

[Snowman11]

Rear exchanger sounded easy enough , I'm sure is costly tho .. I have seen to many posts about hard cold starts ... Doesn't anyone understand these are 4 strokes .. cold blooded 4 stroke .. won't turn over like a 2 smoker .. also .. I run "battery tenders" on all my small equipment 24/7, only makes sense in a machine with no rip cord for back up.. you want that battery tip top 24/7