RS venture drive shaft bearings

[wayne]

the rumor in my neck of the woods is that there seems to be a fair number of drive shaft bearings on these sleds that have to be replaced along with side rails cracking where the spring sits toward the front. I have had both of these things happen with my 05 venture rs. anyone else out there with this problem????????

 

[towing]

Hi Wayne
For the drive shaft bearing, I had check it on the speedo side of my RsVenture after earing about trouble with it on the RX serie. I carefully pop the seal and see the water in it....

I had about 3500 miles at this time. I blowed the water with compress air and re-lube it to finish the season (5000 miles now).

I think you had problem on the other end in the chaincase.... i know an other guy that get this trouble and it jammed the track because the gears in the chaincase bind because of the bearing failure, you were lucky to be able to get back home on your own power...

For the rail, mine seems to be o.k. A bud of mine get problem at the rear where the transfer arm bolt on the rail. This area of the rail is about 1" width and it break on each side of the arm shaft on both rails...the bushings on this arm were also pretty worned. There is also a weak point on the TF version (canada only) on the center wheel... i have picture if you need.

You mentioned that your rails cracked where the spring sits toward the front.. do you have a picture of it... if not, can you post a picture of the rear suspention with an arrow of the weak point to enable us to verify at the good place .... if you do not find a picture, i can send you one...

Bye
Alain

 

[wayne]

mine is a tf model. 4000 km I don't have a picture but the rail cracks where the long arm of the spring sits , you probably wouldn't notice unless you looked carefully. The dealer replaced both bearings and ordered a new rail... I left the sled with him though as I have ordered a new viking professional for the next season and I am all done for this year..................

 

[towing]

Ok Wayne
Yours was a TF version, so what your talking about is propably this....

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This problem is only on the TF version, not on the standart version. The area where the wheel attach to the rail is not strong enought and tend to flex (bent) with the weight of the sled and eventually break.

The fix to this problem is to install a shaft between the rails, just between the wheels to eliminate the flex... will last forever...

Bye
Alain

 

[wayne]

Yes that is the problem and thanks for the fix. I don't know if I will need it but I will pass it on... Have you seen or know anyone that has test driven the new viking professional... I have owned four widetracks and am going back next season.. while the new venture tf is a good sled it's not my cup a tea...

thanks

 

[Jack_Shaft]

The VK Pro is a nice sled.

Depending on your type of riding, it can be a great do-it-all ride.

I put about 600km's on one here last week. Any questions?

-JS

 

[wayne]

How was the fuel consumption , power band and ride and handling?? Saw one at the showroom but didn't get a chance to test it as it was only in for a day... I am in the outfitting business and have a backcountry lodge whereby I have to freight in gear during the winter and also winter is the time when I cut the firewood for the next hunting and fishing season so the widetrack is a better sled for me. Although I do like to do some riding every now and again. (3-5000 mi per season)

 

[Jack_Shaft]

How was the fuel consumption , power band and ride and handling?? Saw one at the showroom but didn't get a chance to test it as it was only in for a day... I am in the outfitting business and have a backcountry lodge whereby I have to freight in gear during the winter and also winter is the time when I cut the firewood for the next hunting and fishing season so the widetrack is a better sled for me. Although I do like to do some riding every now and again. (3-5000 mi per season)

Fuel consumption was about 15% less than the RS Venture TF, about 20% less than the RS Venture. The power is more than enough, the low engagement of 2200-2300rpm caters well to the utility segment as it delivers gobs of low end torque - noticably more (to the snow) than you see with the RS Venture and TF.

The handling and general trail manners were quite good - leagues ahead of the old VK540III - and the rear suspension was quite good with some tweaks. I wish they would have installed a 20" version of the Venture TF skid instead, but I guess you can't have all the toys in the first year. Either way, the ProActionPlus rear is still quite acceptable.

Yamaha has certainly done their homework on this one and it appears that they have constructed a utility sled that combines the good qualities of the Polaris Widetrak (ride, deep snow ability), the Arctic Cat Bearcat (4 stroke fuel economy, low end torque), Yamaha VK540III (torque, pulling power, high ground clearance) and the Ski-doo Expedition (nice ride, good top end, fit & finish, two-up capability).

If you want an RS Venture but need the extra towing/deep snow/utility capacity that a wide-tracked sled offers, the VK is IMHO the best choice out there right now. Even if you only require a widetrack 20% of your snow season, it's those 4-5 times a season when you're stuck solid with a load in tow that will ruin your "fun times" in a hurry and even perhaps cause personal injury if you're alone.

I have ridden many, many utility sleds up here in the far North and I can honestly say that this sled is a conglomerate of all the good qualities of the current WT offerings. For an outfitter like yourself (and myself), the VK Pro can handle your demands with style.

-JS

 

[wayne]

Thank you sharing that bit of info.. I have looked hard at all the widetracks out there and have come to the same conclusion you have... You are one up as you have test driven it.. anyhow the dealer has my deposit so here's to lots of snow next season

thanks again

 

[Jack_Shaft]

Thank you sharing that bit of info.. I have looked hard at all the widetracks out there and have come to the same conclusion you have... You are one up as you have test driven it.. anyhow the dealer has my deposit so here's to lots of snow next season

thanks again

NP. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Cheers,

-JS