New Sidewinder owner - First Impressions/Accessories/Problems/Questions

[EWK]

After 40 years of sled ownership I'm back to Yamaha. First 10 years-Skidoo, next 10-Yamaha & Polaris, last 20 - Skidoo - most recently on a Renegade 1200X which I loved. Walked into Yamaha dealer in the fall and they had a new '22 LTX-GT EPS that somebody just backed out of so I bought it. I am super excited to own this sled and for the last 2 months I've read most every article on this site (the knowledge and people on this site are amazing) and have been tinkering away getting ready for a great season.

Accessories added - other prep work
Cable Ice Scratchers
Knee pads
Mirrors
Handguards
Tunnel protectors
USB power
BOP GPS Bracket
Shaper bars 7.5"
UNT 2 position Linq bracket
Small Arctic Cat rear bag
144 Fast-Trac studs
Removed the 6 exhaust cap head screws, replaced the 2 that are hard to get at with hex head bolts and put copper anti-seize on all of them.
Checked all other fasteners I could get a tool on to ensure they were tight.
Checked clutch offset - was perfect.

Problems
When installing the studs - 0 miles on sled - I noticed 4 structural rivets missing inside the tunnel on the rear suspension bracket (see picture). Dealer fixed it for me right away.
After first ride - got a C1305 Error code (EPS Rotor Position Encoder)while idling in the driveway. Shut off sled - and was gone when I restarted.

First Ride
Before the recent rain and warm weather I was able to put about 30 miles on the sled - no trails - but on back roads at the cottage.
I am still smiling.
Sled feels light and playful, lots of smooth power (and I never got close to the bar).
Handled corners on the road perfectly - could hold a nice tight line around sharp corners whether the snow was hard or soft - very confidence inspiring.
Can't wait to get it on a trail and on the lake.

Next steps
Going to wait til spring to get in the chaincase and look at screw on chain tensioner roller and the top gear - it sounds like both of these issues have also been addressed in the '22.
Will install BOP belt adjuster and tunnel stiffeners when I get a chance - no rush.
Not considering a tune at this point.

Questions
Drive shaft saver - cant decide what to do here. I am sure I have read every thread on this topic. It sounds like the '22 has a harder shaft and maybe a tighter/proper fit on the bearing. With a harder shaft - the BOP shaft saver may not actually do anything and I don't want to torque it in to 50+ ft lbs as it still may not do anything and I may never get it out. It is also hard for me to believe that there isn't some unknown reason Yamaha designed this bearing to float this way. I know all about the chassis flex/brake seizing theory - but I don't buy that either. I am an engineer - a bearing is designed to fit tight to a shaft and let the ball bearings and grease do their thing - but Yamaha engineers know this too. Anyhow - I am inclined to go without the driveshaft saver - but open to other opinions if anyone has enough experience with a 22MY sled yet (mine was built in March '22).

Anything else I am missing?

Thanks for reading this far. Love this site, this sled, and this sport!!

 

[Derek Fosbury]

Congrats on your find - I had ordered one of those sleds as well but it never showed up.

Would you mind posting a pic of your rear tunnel with the dual UPT mount and the small bag? I have a '23 Thundercat which should be exactly the same dimensions, but I didn't think I could get the dual mount to fit if I kept the bag on.

I also have a '22 S-TX GT EPS, and got that exact same code on the first or second outing - turned sled off, restarted, never seen it since, and that was about 5000 km ago, so I think it's normal.

I'm also curious how the shaper bars work out for you. I went with mission offsets on my '22, and happy so far, but always looking at what other people do .

Have fun!!

 

[Doc Harley]

Awesome sled, congratulations! Sounds like you've got everything covered.
As far as BOP axle saver, I think most would recommend it, as your axle & brg are brand new and the tool will bite & hold better than worn parts.
Someone else will have to comment as far as the '22 axle and bearing clearances are concerned.
Hard to get a guy off those 1200's, this is that, and so much more.

 

[slimjim2525]

Put in the drive shaft wedge. Nothing has changed.

 

[EWK]

Congrats on your find - I had ordered one of those sleds as well but it never showed up.

Would you mind posting a pic of your rear tunnel with the dual UPT mount and the small bag? I have a '23 Thundercat which should be exactly the same dimensions, but I didn't think I could get the dual mount to fit if I kept the bag on.

I also have a '22 S-TX GT EPS, and got that exact same code on the first or second outing - turned sled off, restarted, never seen it since, and that was about 5000 km ago, so I think it's normal.

I'm also curious how the shaper bars work out for you. I went with mission offsets on my '22, and happy so far, but always looking at what other people do .

Have fun!!

Sorry - I am not near the sled for a week or so - so cant take pics - but see website screenshots below. When installing the UNT bracket, I made one change. Instead of bumping up the back of the bracket against the rearmost rivet on the top of the tunnel, I moved it about 1" further back than that - and drilled a relief on the bottom of the bracket so as not to interfere with the rivet.

The arctic cat bag shown (p/n 7606-419) fits perfectly with the bracket in position and doesn't interfere with the gas tank or other luggage in position 1. I also rigged up a system to utilize the larger stock Yamaha tunnel bag for when I am not carrying anything on the bracket. The back of the stock larger bag sits up on the bracket - but doesn't affect storage capacity and I came up with a way to fasten to it to the forward slots on the UNT bracket using the existing holes in the bottom of the bag.

I can provide actual pics of everything when I get back to sled.

 

[WinderFab]

Congrats on your new sled..
Put the bop shaft saver in asap..

 

[RAMSOMAIR]

^^^^^^ what Fab said.

 

[North Iowa winder]

After 40 years of sled ownership I'm back to Yamaha. First 10 years-Skidoo, next 10-Yamaha & Polaris, last 20 - Skidoo - most recently on a Renegade 1200X which I loved. Walked into Yamaha dealer in the fall and they had a new '22 LTX-GT EPS that somebody just backed out of so I bought it. I am super excited to own this sled and for the last 2 months I've read most every article on this site (the knowledge and people on this site are amazing) and have been tinkering away getting ready for a great season.

Accessories added - other prep work
Cable Ice Scratchers
Knee pads
Mirrors
Handguards
Tunnel protectors
USB power
BOP GPS Bracket
Shaper bars 7.5"
UNT 2 position Linq bracket
Small Arctic Cat rear bag
144 Fast-Trac studs
Removed the 6 exhaust cap head screws, replaced the 2 that are hard to get at with hex head bolts and put copper anti-seize on all of them.
Checked all other fasteners I could get a tool on to ensure they were tight.
Checked clutch offset - was perfect.

Problems
When installing the studs - 0 miles on sled - I noticed 4 structural rivets missing inside the tunnel on the rear suspension bracket (see picture). Dealer fixed it for me right away.
After first ride - got a C1305 Error code (EPS Rotor Position Encoder)while idling in the driveway. Shut off sled - and was gone when I restarted.

First Ride
Before the recent rain and warm weather I was able to put about 30 miles on the sled - no trails - but on back roads at the cottage.
I am still smiling.
Sled feels light and playful, lots of smooth power (and I never got close to the bar).
Handled corners on the road perfectly - could hold a nice tight line around sharp corners whether the snow was hard or soft - very confidence inspiring.
Can't wait to get it on a trail and on the lake.

Next steps
Going to wait til spring to get in the chaincase and look at screw on chain tensioner roller and the top gear - it sounds like both of these issues have also been addressed in the '22.
Will install BOP belt adjuster and tunnel stiffeners when I get a chance - no rush.
Not considering a tune at this point.

Questions
Drive shaft saver - cant decide what to do here. I am sure I have read every thread on this topic. It sounds like the '22 has a harder shaft and maybe a tighter/proper fit on the bearing. With a harder shaft - the BOP shaft saver may not actually do anything and I don't want to torque it in to 50+ ft lbs as it still may not do anything and I may never get it out. It is also hard for me to believe that there isn't some unknown reason Yamaha designed this bearing to float this way. I know all about the chassis flex/brake seizing theory - but I don't buy that either. I am an engineer - a bearing is designed to fit tight to a shaft and let the ball bearings and grease do their thing - but Yamaha engineers know this too. Anyhow - I am inclined to go without the driveshaft saver - but open to other opinions if anyone has enough experience with a 22MY sled yet (mine was built in March '22).

Anything else I am missing?

Thanks for reading this far. Love this site, this sled, and this sport!!

I would also recommend deleting roll over valve, just my opinion.

 

[Turboflash]

After 40 years of sled ownership I'm back to Yamaha. First 10 years-Skidoo, next 10-Yamaha & Polaris, last 20 - Skidoo - most recently on a Renegade 1200X which I loved. Walked into Yamaha dealer in the fall and they had a new '22 LTX-GT EPS that somebody just backed out of so I bought it. I am super excited to own this sled and for the last 2 months I've read most every article on this site (the knowledge and people on this site are amazing) and have been tinkering away getting ready for a great season.

Accessories added - other prep work
Cable Ice Scratchers
Knee pads
Mirrors
Handguards
Tunnel protectors
USB power
BOP GPS Bracket
Shaper bars 7.5"
UNT 2 position Linq bracket
Small Arctic Cat rear bag
144 Fast-Trac studs
Removed the 6 exhaust cap head screws, replaced the 2 that are hard to get at with hex head bolts and put copper anti-seize on all of them.
Checked all other fasteners I could get a tool on to ensure they were tight.
Checked clutch offset - was perfect.

Problems
When installing the studs - 0 miles on sled - I noticed 4 structural rivets missing inside the tunnel on the rear suspension bracket (see picture). Dealer fixed it for me right away.
After first ride - got a C1305 Error code (EPS Rotor Position Encoder)while idling in the driveway. Shut off sled - and was gone when I restarted.

First Ride
Before the recent rain and warm weather I was able to put about 30 miles on the sled - no trails - but on back roads at the cottage.
I am still smiling.
Sled feels light and playful, lots of smooth power (and I never got close to the bar).
Handled corners on the road perfectly - could hold a nice tight line around sharp corners whether the snow was hard or soft - very confidence inspiring.
Can't wait to get it on a trail and on the lake.

Next steps
Going to wait til spring to get in the chaincase and look at screw on chain tensioner roller and the top gear - it sounds like both of these issues have also been addressed in the '22.
Will install BOP belt adjuster and tunnel stiffeners when I get a chance - no rush.
Not considering a tune at this point.

Questions
Drive shaft saver - cant decide what to do here. I am sure I have read every thread on this topic. It sounds like the '22 has a harder shaft and maybe a tighter/proper fit on the bearing. With a harder shaft - the BOP shaft saver may not actually do anything and I don't want to torque it in to 50+ ft lbs as it still may not do anything and I may never get it out. It is also hard for me to believe that there isn't some unknown reason Yamaha designed this bearing to float this way. I know all about the chassis flex/brake seizing theory - but I don't buy that either. I am an engineer - a bearing is designed to fit tight to a shaft and let the ball bearings and grease do their thing - but Yamaha engineers know this too. Anyhow - I am inclined to go without the driveshaft saver - but open to other opinions if anyone has enough experience with a 22MY sled yet (mine was built in March '22).

Anything else I am missing?

Thanks for reading this far. Love this site, this sled, and this sport!!

First, this is an Arctic Cat chassis. Not Yamaha. Most/all of us TY guys have been wondering for at least 6 years now why the known problems with this ProCross chassis have not been permanently fixed. No kidding.
Just because "they" say the track shaft is harder so what. The fundamental problem is that the shaft OD is smaller than the bearing ID. Therefore, the shaft has the ability, and is very likely to spin in the bearing ID upon accel and decel of the shaft. IMO, it matters not that the new shaft is supposedly harder; that only means the shaft will wear the ID of the bearing more, instead of the ID of the bearing wearing the shaft. Problem remains same - shaft and bearing do not always spin together causing more and more clearance between the two.
As you have been riding sleds a long time, remember when we had the eccentric locking bearing for about 35-40 years? The purpose of which was to lock the track shaft together with the bearings that support it. Well, that went away with this chassis and for some unknown reason, Cat decided to allow the shaft to float inside the bearing. How they ever decided that wouldn't be a problem, no one knows. This problem starts happening day 1.
Conclusion: install BOP driveshaft saver before you ride that sled again. It will save you lots of time, money, and aggravation.
Check every single clamp in the whole sled.
Do the roll-over valve bypass asap. To learn what/how, go to top of this forum and read the Master Sidewinder issues and known fixes (https://ty4stroke.com/threads/master-sidewinder-issues-list-and-known-fixes.160495/).

Congrats on new sled! You'll really enjoy it but first you have to do some basic fixes and preventative actions.

 

[EWK]

First, this is an Arctic Cat chassis. Not Yamaha. Most/all of us TY guys have been wondering for at least 6 years now why the known problems with this ProCross chassis have not been permanently fixed. No kidding.
Just because "they" say the track shaft is harder so what. The fundamental problem is that the shaft OD is smaller than the bearing ID. Therefore, the shaft has the ability, and is very likely to spin in the bearing ID upon accel and decel of the shaft. IMO, it matters not that the new shaft is supposedly harder; that only means the shaft will wear the ID of the bearing more, instead of the ID of the bearing wearing the shaft. Problem remains same - shaft and bearing do not always spin together causing more and more clearance between the two.
As you have been riding sleds a long time, remember when we had the eccentric locking bearing for about 35-40 years? The purpose of which was to lock the track shaft together with the bearings that support it. Well, that went away with this chassis and for some unknown reason, Cat decided to allow the shaft to float inside the bearing. How they ever decided that wouldn't be a problem, no one knows. This problem starts happening day 1.
Conclusion: install BOP driveshaft saver before you ride that sled again. It will save you lots of time, money, and aggravation.
Check every single clamp in the whole sled.
Do the roll-over valve bypass asap. To learn what/how, go to top of this forum and read the Master Sidewinder issues and known fixes (https://ty4stroke.com/threads/master-sidewinder-issues-list-and-known-fixes.160495/).

Congrats on new sled! You'll really enjoy it but first you have to do some basic fixes and preventative actions.

Thanks for that feedback. I read that bypass ROV link previously - but it says that the problem applies to MY ‘19 sleds and older. Is that not accurate?

 

[North Iowa winder]

Thanks for that feedback. I read that bypass ROV link previously - but it says that the problem applies to MY ‘19 sleds and older. Is that not accurate?

Mine was a 20 that was heated, blew the tank seal at 130 miles, it don't work.

 

[Turboflash]

Thanks for that feedback. I read that bypass ROV link previously - but it says that the problem applies to MY ‘19 sleds and older. Is that not accurate?

Fundamental issue is the oil tank vapors/condensation/sludge are input to engine intake tract. Who wants all that goo going into the engine to "burn"? The whole reason for this "engineering" is to prevent hydrocarbon emissions to our atmosphere. For those of us who choose to have to deal the the repercussions of this engineering, it's a PIA. All that goo goes into our engines. So, most of us 998 owners have chosen to do what we call a bypass or delete. We change the system to allow those same emissions to go into the atmosphere. I'm not very concerned about it at all. The Cat engineering department and management is subject to the scrutiny of the EPA and others so they had to design it in even though it's not good for the snowmobile.

 

[jonlafon1]

Congrats on the sled. Welcome to the TY site.. You did your homework and came to the right place for your sled. Good to see someone that did a lot of reading FIRST then come on and post..
Turboflash covered most of it.. Like to add the top gear/bushing has not been fixed on the 2022. Most are putting the DMC gear in OR a better bushing in top gear. BOP wedge should go in at zero miles. OR the "new" BOP fix would be a good product for you if your not doing the wedge.. I ride with someone who has the exact same sled as you/ he saw that same code one morning after starting sled. Went away, so not sure what that's about (I remember it(code) was something about power steering)?
MUST do things IMO >> ROV delete, BOP fix on drive shaft, weld screw on roller in chain case, top gear bushing.. Once you do these things these sleds are pretty bullet proof actually. I find them very predictable in handling and run quality is exceptional.. One last thing would be the oil tank seal. They seem to come pretty thin on gasket material. And its as if they used a low quality gasket material.. Keep a eye on your seal.. Mine leaked in a couple hundred miles, even after doing ROV delete from zero miles.. I did the BOP gasket on oil tank.. Some are just using a better gasket material.. "great stuff" ?

 

[STAIN]

I know many people have done the roll over delete. I had over 10k on my last sidewinder and never had a problem. My buddy has 5k on his 2020 T-Cat and has never had a problem. We do thaw our sleds out after every ride so that is probably what keeps my RV from freezing.
That being said, the 2020 and up are heated. IF you can remember to turn your key on and not start your sled first thing in the morning it may heat the ROV up enough to thaw out any condensation. This is what I will do to my 2022 on the days my sled gets left outside at camp.
The small amount of vapor that goes through the engine is a non-factor IMHO, modern cars have been doing it for years.
This is just my experience with the ROV.....
Something, the BOP wedge or new style bearing is a must.

 

[Pstn head]

BOP wedge at the minimum, then next year when you service the chain case consider the new BOP bearing with collar.