rear supension on ltx le

[cannondale27]

Ok this is my last post on this matter. I believe that the better the suspension the faster you will ride. Eventually you WILL find a weak point and really good suspension lets you find that weak point with NO warning. The LE Sidewinders are a much faster and much better suspension shock wise than the Vipers. I am genuinly afraid for the safety of those who will ride to the limits of the Sidewinder. My sled in this post is a 129" not a 137" but the components that failed are exactly the same. They are not correctly engineered. That is a fact. As seen in multiple failures. Please read this long thread and religously check that shaft or replace it with the heavier one. If you have a bent or broke one turn it into Yamaha to start the warranty process and hopefully the change process.
http://www.ty4stroke.com/threads/viper-cross-shaft-shears.135104/

 

[franklin]

My rails are 6.7 mm same as standard rails

 

[jonlafon1]

If you beat the living S$%^ out of your sled on three footers at 70-80 MPH then stuff breaks. I don't care WHAT BRAND it is. I have never had issues like this with Cats. I know some will say you should never have issues like the described one above, but I disagree if beating the sled. Just my two cents

 

[**sj**]

If you beat the living S$%^ out of your sled on three footers at 70-80 MPH then stuff breaks. I don't care WHAT BRAND it is. I have never had issues like this with Cats. I know some will say you should never have issues like the described one above, but I disagree if beating the sled. Just my two cents

agree...the shock spring / valving alone could be the deciding factor on fail / succeed...if a shock over compresses you see suspensions fail..I beat the snow out of my 129" 2012 cat procross and nothing failed...

 

[cannondale27]

Nothing on the suspension failed. Just that shaft in tunnel. I don't beat my sled. I ride it and if I feel it bottoming or something wrong I stop or slow down. I felt nothing. I was second in group. Nobody else broke and we were having fun. 8000mi on mine now. Never been towed. If I can't ride like that I will quit snowmobiling. I do not beat my sled. I ride it. Yamaha agrees. That's why it was covered.

 

[jonlafon1]

Nothing on the suspension failed. Just that shaft in tunnel. I don't beat my sled. I ride it and if I feel it bottoming or something wrong I stop or slow down. I felt nothing. I was second in group. Nobody else broke and we were having fun. 8000mi on mine now. Never been towed. If I can't ride like that I will quit snowmobiling. I do not beat my sled. I ride it. Yamaha agrees. That's why it was covered.

By no means was I implying it was your fault, and nothing personal towards you. I just think some guys ride way to hard on these machines(all brands). Failures do happen no matter how they are ridden. But I just have not heard of the described failure alot with this chassis. Maybe Im just not in the loop. Never want to see anyone get hurt because of a failure on a machine. Its a part that needs checking for sure

 

[cannondale27]

By no means was I implying it was your fault, and nothing personal towards you. I just think some guys ride way to hard on these machines(all brands). Failures do happen no matter how they are ridden. But I just have not heard of the described failure alot with this chassis. Maybe Im just not in the loop. Never want to see anyone get hurt because of a failure on a machine. Its a part that needs checking for sure

I don't recall any 137's that even bent that shaft. But lots of 129's did or worse broke it. If it bends enough the drivers will rip it right off. It's all good Jon. This one just burns me and now you know why I want to see upgraded parts in all. I need to step away from this topic though. Enough has been said already.

 

[SideHogger]

Start with your dealer. Then call Yamaha at 800.962.7926. Be sure to use the phrase; "Bait and Switch"

I totally agree with you Mighty. I think your bait and switch call is the only way anything will be done! Let us all start calling! I also ordered LE instead of RTX because of rear suspension ADVERTISED AS RACE REAR! I could have saved some serious change.

 

[Joe ltx-le]

Alright. I'm going to put my 2 cents in. This summer I pulled my skid and looked at the cross shaft. Rolled it to check straight , and inspected. Looks perfect. I'm like cannondale. I don't beat my sled but last season there was lots of 90 mph hits, never bottomed and I am 215 lbs.
Now my buddy with his 137 viper , he does beat the sled to the limits. He bent both rails, badly! His cross shaft was also fine.
I Geusse what I'm saying is with my 137 With 3000 miles the crosshaft did not take any damage. And from what you guys are saying the ltx le sw suspension is no different then my 16 ltx Le when it comes to the cross shaft.

 

[Joe ltx-le]

I totally agree with you Mighty. I think your bait and switch call is the only way anything will be done! Let us all start calling! I also ordered LE instead of RTX because of rear suspension ADVERTISED AS RACE REAR! I could have saved some serious change.

You'll love the suspension though. If there anything like my qs3. And the rebound adjustment will Be very nice.

 

[fatchance]

The QS3R's are what i based choosing my model on. i would have chosen the XTX if it were not for them. But like the early HP reports being way low , once again i feel like i'm not getting the sled i signed up for. You purchase things "as advertized" that's what drives the market. We all got hyped up on all the goodies these LE models were supposed to have and paid good coin for them only to find out that the RR suspension was just Hype! I am sure i'm going to love this sled, but i didn't think i would have to worry about the skid not holding up to my riding style. Ultimately i think yamaha should produce the beefed up rails, cross shafts and refit the LE models when they are available.

 

[john10toe]

Not to beat a dead horse but I went to the Toronto Snowmobile show this weekend and I took copies of the old and new skid description as detailed on Yamaha’s website. I showed one of the sales reps the differences and asked what happened to the “strengthened competition grade Race Rear Suspension” that I was expecting to arrive in my new Sidewinder RTX-LE?? He wasn’t aware of the reason so he asked the same question of the North American Yamaha Rep. This Yamaha Rep explained to the sales rep that the rear suspension was basically the same in all models (excluding track length) and what was really meant by the RR suspension in the LE models was simply the Fox QS3 shock package. I piped up and said what about the beefed up rails etc?? He said there was never going to be the RR type suspension and there had been a miscommunication between Arctic Cat, Yamaha and Yamaha's website……Arctic Cat is no longer producing the RR skid and you must understand that we can’t install something that is no longer supplied. I said I do understand that you can’t install something that is no longer supplied by the manufacturer but I snow checked this particular sled based on the parameters given in the technical specifications. He then explained that the RR skid is “not necessary” as the standard rear skid has been proven over the years, is much lighter, and just doesn’t fail. He went on to say that Yamaha is fortunate to have been able to get the Sidewinder package together in the limited time that they were lucky it happened at all.

I then asked if the track is a single ply as described on Yamaha’s site. He said no that was another miscommunication / misprint and the track is a 2 ply design. You will notice Yamaha’s website has changed today to the following:

• 15 x 129 x 1.25-inch Camoplast® Rip SawTM II track

The Sidewinder R-TX LE uses the extraordinary Camoplast® Ripsaw IITM track, measuring 15 by 129 inches, with 1.25-inch lugs. This evolutionary lightweight track design is the next stage of close collaboration between Yamaha and Camoplast. It features a durable two-ply design with next-generation lug pattern. The Ripsaw II has been designed to offer increased controlled lateral slide, allowing the Sidewinder to set up for the corner better while scrubbing off energy to keep both skis on the ground. The result is improved handling without the loss of straight line traction.


Sounds like Yamaha is shrugging this off as a bit of a woopsy…….I think he was happy to see me walk away!!

 

[**sj**]

Not to beat a dead horse but I went to the Toronto Snowmobile show this weekend and I took copies of the old and new skid description as detailed on Yamaha’s website. I showed one of the sales reps the differences and asked what happened to the “strengthened competition grade Race Rear Suspension” that I was expecting to arrive in my new Sidewinder RTX-LE?? He wasn’t aware of the reason so he asked the same question of the North American Yamaha Rep. This Yamaha Rep explained to the sales rep that the rear suspension was basically the same in all models (excluding track length) and what was really meant by the RR suspension in the LE models was simply the Fox QS3 shock package. I piped up and said what about the beefed up rails etc?? He said there was never going to be the RR type suspension and there had been a miscommunication between Arctic Cat, Yamaha and Yamaha's website……Arctic Cat is no longer producing the RR skid and you must understand that we can’t install something that is no longer supplied. I said I do understand that you can’t install something that is no longer supplied by the manufacturer but I snow checked this particular sled based on the parameters given in the technical specifications. He then explained that the RR skid is “not necessary” as the standard rear skid has been proven over the years, is much lighter, and just doesn’t fail. He went on to say that Yamaha is fortunate to have been able to get the Sidewinder package together in the limited time that they were lucky it happened at all.

I then asked if the track is a single ply as described on Yamaha’s site. He said no that was another miscommunication / misprint and the track is a 2 ply design. You will notice Yamaha’s website has changed today to the following:

• 15 x 129 x 1.25-inch Camoplast® Rip SawTM II track

The Sidewinder R-TX LE uses the extraordinary Camoplast® Ripsaw IITM track, measuring 15 by 129 inches, with 1.25-inch lugs. This evolutionary lightweight track design is the next stage of close collaboration between Yamaha and Camoplast. It features a durable two-ply design with next-generation lug pattern. The Ripsaw II has been designed to offer increased controlled lateral slide, allowing the Sidewinder to set up for the corner better while scrubbing off energy to keep both skis on the ground. The result is improved handling without the loss of straight line traction.


Sounds like Yamaha is shrugging this off as a bit of a woopsy…….I think he was happy to see me walk away!!

Thanks for going to battle for us...but based on your post..I see this will go nowhere...I feel badly for the guys who weight allot and or pound it big time...extended warranty sounds like an option

 

[Joe ltx-le]

That's too bad , this is still not as big of a woops as putting a new engine in mid year without really telling anyone.

 

[bleedyamaha]

Not to beat a dead horse but I went to the Toronto Snowmobile show this weekend and I took copies of the old and new skid description as detailed on Yamaha’s website. I showed one of the sales reps the differences and asked what happened to the “strengthened competition grade Race Rear Suspension” that I was expecting to arrive in my new Sidewinder RTX-LE?? He wasn’t aware of the reason so he asked the same question of the North American Yamaha Rep. This Yamaha Rep explained to the sales rep that the rear suspension was basically the same in all models (excluding track length) and what was really meant by the RR suspension in the LE models was simply the Fox QS3 shock package. I piped up and said what about the beefed up rails etc?? He said there was never going to be the RR type suspension and there had been a miscommunication between Arctic Cat, Yamaha and Yamaha's website……Arctic Cat is no longer producing the RR skid and you must understand that we can’t install something that is no longer supplied. I said I do understand that you can’t install something that is no longer supplied by the manufacturer but I snow checked this particular sled based on the parameters given in the technical specifications. He then explained that the RR skid is “not necessary” as the standard rear skid has been proven over the years, is much lighter, and just doesn’t fail. He went on to say that Yamaha is fortunate to have been able to get the Sidewinder package together in the limited time that they were lucky it happened at all.

I then asked if the track is a single ply as described on Yamaha’s site. He said no that was another miscommunication / misprint and the track is a 2 ply design. You will notice Yamaha’s website has changed today to the following:

• 15 x 129 x 1.25-inch Camoplast® Rip SawTM II track

The Sidewinder R-TX LE uses the extraordinary Camoplast® Ripsaw IITM track, measuring 15 by 129 inches, with 1.25-inch lugs. This evolutionary lightweight track design is the next stage of close collaboration between Yamaha and Camoplast. It features a durable two-ply design with next-generation lug pattern. The Ripsaw II has been designed to offer increased controlled lateral slide, allowing the Sidewinder to set up for the corner better while scrubbing off energy to keep both skis on the ground. The result is improved handling without the loss of straight line traction.


Sounds like Yamaha is shrugging this off as a bit of a woopsy…….I think he was happy to see me walk away!!

Thanks for digging into this. I am a bit disappointed with the rr skid not being on what I ordered but thankfully I haven't had any issues with my 2014 skid or I may have asked for a refund. Yamaha has great motors and now fast motors with great suspension so once the snows on the ground I am pretty sure I will forget about this hiccup