Rear Tunnel Crinkling - My Repair

[Phantom]

Nice work on the reinforcements. Could it be that in your rough riding, you hit once with your body-weight on the tail end of the seat (i.e. beyond where the suspension mounts)? Also, I did not see how much you weigh. That too could be a factor. I am 220 suited. I have landed my RX-1 several times on the tail end fairly hard. Once, I nearly tore off the Flap and bent the heck out of the flap support doing this. (The things jump like a lead brick, #*$&@-end heavy, and I got the bad wrists and ribs to prove it.) Yet, ... the tunnel on mine looks just fine. ?? Maybe they decreased the material thickness back there, in later models, to save weight?

I weigh 175 + clothing.
I never had a tail strike.

Since I orignally posted this repair last season, I determined that the damage occurs from strapping the sled down too tight on the trailer using the rear bumper. My initial thought was that rough riding ON the trail was the culprit, but after more thought, it is clear to me that it was my rough driving TO the trail! All that bumping and jumping a trailer does as you rush to the trails going down the road is the problem. People who do not strap their rear down by using the bumper don't seem to have this problem. Anyhow, it's still a weak spot that needs to be addressed and Yamaha has indirectly admitted this defect by adding two sets of strengthening bracket on the 07's.

I always strap the back of my sleds down fairly tight because I travel 375 miles one way to Tug Hill to ride. Even my Rage with the longer tunnel that would effectively produce more leverage to bend the tunnel has not bent. I think you will find the reason for bending is the rear shock getting weak and allowing the suspension to bottom out.
Several people have reported bent tunnels on their Apex GTs when the rear Ohlins took a chit and allowed the suspension to bottom.

 

[bluecheese]

I believe the tunnel bending is from the back flap catching. When going in reverse, or pulling it off a trailer the back-flap gets caught under the track and yanks the back of the sled down. Anyone notice that all the 07's have new style backflaps that are stiff as a board and are angled further away from the track?

 

[BigJeff]

I believe the tunnel bending is from the back flap catching. When going in reverse, or pulling it off a trailer the back-flap gets caught under the track and yanks the back of the sled down. Anyone notice that all the 07's have new style backflaps that are stiff as a board and are angled further away from the track?

My 07 Vector GT has the stiff as a board Flap and is angled back a lot more then my freinds 05 Rage. So it may have been a factor in crinkling the tunnels. I do believe tighting the tail of the sled down so the shock is bottomed out could cause this too. Anyone that has ever hauled a motorcycle or sled should know you have to allow the suspension to absorb some of the bumps.

Jeff

 

[garserio]

I believe the tunnel bending is from the back flap catching. When going in reverse, or pulling it off a trailer the back-flap gets caught under the track and yanks the back of the sled down. Anyone notice that all the 07's have new style backflaps that are stiff as a board and are angled further away from the track?

After a year of discussion on this topic, Bluecheese is right... A friend of mine (and a loyal advertiser on this TY site) just witnessed a customer back his sled off a trailer, run over the flap and bend the tunnel exactly how mine bent. So, as much as our egos would love to be believe that we ride so hard, the tunnel bends, it's actually caused by backing over a snow flap that is too long.

If you decide to upgrade your flap to the 07 style, you can cut it about 2" short right along a crease line that is molded in. Also, another tip... The 07 flap bracket is $60 cheaper than the 05 & 05 bracket. Why, I don't know. It is 95% the same part. The 07 has one less bend in it that the 05/05 bracket. Go figure? But at least it's LESS $$$. If you buy the 07 flap and bracket together, it comes out about $25 cheaper than just buying the 05/06 bracket! Finally an upgrade that is cheaper than stock!

 

[mbw919]

I replaced mine with a short blue flap last week thinking the same thing. It can't help the rear tunnel any when this happens.

Did you use one of these?
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/produ ... etail.aspx
If so, which one?

As the owner of a new '06 Vector, this whole thread has me a little concerned about backing over my flap.

 

[garserio]

I replaced mine with a short blue flap last week thinking the same thing. It can't help the rear tunnel any when this happens.

Did you use one of these?
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/produ ... etail.aspx
If so, which one?

As the owner of a new '06 Vector, this whole thread has me a little concerned about backing over my flap.

It looks like RSVECTORFREAK used the short flap that's shown in the accessory catalog.

If you want to upgrade to the 2007 style flap which is more rigid, sticks out more and less likely to bend under the tunnel, then order the following P/N's:

8GH-77596-00, Flap Bracket
8GT-K7595-00, Black Flap
90267-48095-00, Bracket Rivets (QTY=8)
90267-47200-00, Flap Rivets (QTY=4)
90201-04325-00, Flap Rivet Washers (QTY=4)

Again, you can also trim the 2007 Flap short to match the length you showed in your link to the accessory catalog...

 

[bluecheese]

Do you need the new flap bracket? Or can the 07 flap be mounted in place of the older flaps without replacing anything else?

 

[Oak Hill]

Bluecheese,

I mounted the 07 flap with my 05 bracket, seems to work!

 

[garserio]

Do you need the new flap bracket? Or can the 07 flap be mounted in place of the older flaps without replacing anything else?

The old flap bracket has an extra bend in it which makes it weaker. Yamaha apparently molded this contour into the new flap rather than forming it into the metal. I never saw an 07 flap on an 05/06 bracket, but it seems to me that the new flap would be sticking out very far that way.

Try it an post a pic for us... You can always drill out the 4 rivets and redo it if it doesn't work out. I should have a pic of my 07 arrangement later today.

 

[Phantom]

I used the short flap last year and it still got sucked under the tunnel and everyone complained about getting bombarded with ice chunks. I told them they should try getting in front of me occasionally!
This year I am tring the original long flap with the Apex bracket under it, it sticks way out (About a 45* angle) but I think it will both stop the complaints from people behind me and stop the flap from getting sucked under. The short flap worked for a while but after it gets some snow build up it hangs down and I think the Ripsaw track moves so much air through the tunnel it makes a vacuum and sucks the flap in.

 

[milljk]

Is Yamaha covering this failure under warranty? I have same issue, along with stress cracks in mine. 3600 miles on 05. I am going to make up and install brackets like Garserio did, nice work by the way. To me it is a design defect, even if it is caused by running over the rear flap. I just installed a new 07 flap using the exisitng bracket. Fits and seems to give you much better track to flap clearance. Seems like Yamaha knows of the issue if they went to the new flap. Did they add any new brackets on the 07 Vectors/Nytros?

I am going to talk with the dealer this week to get his take on it. If it was just a bend I wouldn't be so concerned, but now I have the tunnel actually cracking. I will drill stop the cracks and weld them. But still, what a hastle.

 

[bluecheese]

I put the 07 flap on my vector with the old bracket. Looks just fine and think it will work well. I would recommend anyone with an old flap to upgrade. $30 on a new flap is cheap insurance to prevent a bent tunnel.

 

[RSVECTORFREAK]

The blue short flap from the accessory catalog is still too long and I ate it up in reverse and took all the chrome off the yamaha letters. I have bent the bracket way out of shape trying to get it to stick out further but that only lasts until the first stuck. I am thinking about shortening the flap to 9- 10 " and trying it again.

 

[garserio]

The blue short flap from the accessory catalog is still too long and I ate it up in reverse and took all the chrome off the yamaha letters. I have bent the bracket way out of shape trying to get it to stick out further but that only lasts until the first stuck. I am thinking about shortening the flap to 9- 10 " and trying it again.

My 07 flap lasted the first ride with a lot of backing up.

Between the idler wheels and snow flaps, Yamaha needs to spend some of their innovation budget to resolve these easy issues. They can sqeak a motorcycle engine into a sled chassis with unprecedented success, but fail on the tried and true technologies that are 30 years old... Rediculous!

 

[maddogjeff]

Between the idler wheels and snow flaps, Yamaha needs to spend some of their innovation budget to resolve these easy issues. They can sqeak a motorcycle engine into a sled chassis with unprecedented success, but fail on the tried and true technologies that are 30 years old... Rediculous!

It's GDR.