Sidewinder issues?

[XP123]

Today I removed my roll over valve like Mike Knapp and Rockerdan did and I was thinking about the issues we have had with these Winders or in my case lack of issues. I then thought of my last first year sled I bought my 09 1200 SkiDoo. Here is the list of first year 1200 issues.

Coolant leaking from head gasket (I had this problem)
coolant leaking from oil tank (I had this problem)
clutch recall because of excessive noise. (only real fix pb80 clutch) ( I had this problem)
sled shutting down for no reason (mine did it a few times but really never knew why)
all rivets in rear suspension replaced with bolts under warranty (I had this problem)
chain case broken by the chain adjuster bolt
crappy chain case bolts stripping (I had this problem)

Long term issues:

Water pump gear needed to be replaced (I replaced mine)
coil pin breaking (still a problem)
stator failing (still a problem)
secondary clutch springs breaking (multi year problem) (I had this problem)
fuel filter (sock) in fuel tank plugging (I had this problem)
relays failing (still an issue) (I had this problem)
bad engine to chassis ground (still a well known problem)
Leaking oil tank (have to remove engine to fix)

I didn't have all these issues but I did have enough of them. Even though this looks like a lot of issues I never lost any riding time with my 1200's. I still feel it was one of my most reliable sleds and I never regretted buying it. Until my Winder I felt the 1200 was the best 4 stroke I ever owned.

I know every time we log onto this site there are more guys reporting different issues and fixes for other issues and it looks like they are problem sleds. I haven't had the issues many have reported but I have implemented many of the fixes reported here. I guess it's a preventative type thing with me and I've been reading too many of Rockerdans threads!

The real truth is I have found my Winder to be very trouble free. I hope I didn't jinx myself with that last statement but so far my first year Winder has been great.

Keep up the good work Dan and Mike and all the rest of you guys who are putting these sleds through their paces. Also keep posting those fixes and ideas for a better Sidewinder because I'll keep my eyes and mind open to whatever I think will be a worthwhile modification.

 

[SAB1]

I think on these forums you tend to hear more of the bad than the good, kinda like watching the news lol. I hunt a lot and encounter the same on hunting forums. I also think guys like to tinker with things and try to improve them which is fine but some guys mess with stuff they probably shouldn't. Lot of "mods" get done going away from stock but how many of these error codes and problems are coming from modified sleds? Lot of my buddies always mess around with their Harley's and pickups and end up with issues.

 

[Snowaddict]

Today I removed my roll over valve like Mike Knapp and Rockerdan did and I was thinking about the issues we have had with these Winders or in my case lack of issues. I then thought of my last first year sled I bought my 09 1200 SkiDoo. Here is the list of first year 1200 issues.

Coolant leaking from head gasket (I had this problem)
coolant leaking from oil tank (I had this problem)
clutch recall because of excessive noise. (only real fix pb80 clutch) ( I had this problem)
sled shutting down for no reason (mine did it a few times but really never knew why)
all rivets in rear suspension replaced with bolts under warranty (I had this problem)
chain case broken by the chain adjuster bolt
crappy chain case bolts stripping (I had this problem)

Long term issues:

Water pump gear needed to be replaced (I replaced mine)
coil pin breaking (still a problem)
stator failing (still a problem)
secondary clutch springs breaking (multi year problem) (I had this problem)
fuel filter (sock) in fuel tank plugging (I had this problem)
relays failing (still an issue) (I had this problem)
bad engine to chassis ground (still a well known problem)
Leaking oil tank (have to remove engine to fix)

I didn't have all these issues but I did have enough of them. Even though this looks like a lot of issues I never lost any riding time with my 1200's. I still feel it was one of my most reliable sleds and I never regretted buying it. Until my Winder I felt the 1200 was the best 4 stroke I ever owned.

I know every time we log onto this site there are more guys reporting different issues and fixes for other issues and it looks like they are problem sleds. I haven't had the issues many have reported but I have implemented many of the fixes reported here. I guess it's a preventative type thing with me and I've been reading too many of Rockerdans threads!

The real truth is I have found my Winder to be very trouble free. I hope I didn't jinx myself with that last statement but so far my first year Winder has been great.

Keep up the good work Dan and Mike and all the rest of you guys who are putting these sleds through their paces. Also keep posting those fixes and ideas for a better Sidewinder because I'll keep my eyes and mind open to whatever I think will be a worthwhile modification.

Curious as to what you're running for clutching set up?
And I agree, most of posts will be asking for fixes vs saying it's running just fine.

 

[XP123]

Curious as to what you're running for clutching set up?
And I agree, most of posts will be asking for fixes vs saying it's running just fine.

Right now I'm running TP big venom kit in the primary and TP orange secondary spring and 33/35 Dalton helix. I like the performance so far but I notice a lot more heat in the clutches compared to stock. I'm going to try a Dalton Black/Orange secondary spring and keep everything else the same and see how that works.

 

[DennyTuna]

XP I have the TD clutch kit in my winder. The kit includes heavy duty rollers, Dalton black/orange secondary spring and black/bronze primary spring. I just put it thru the paces (750 miles) with this set up. Clutches were never hot just warm when touching. Belt wear was not noticeable and looked great after putting on these miles. I plan on having a closer look today but so far all good. I must note that I was not cruising, I was using the throttle often. Only got 10 mpg while on this trip.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Many of us know first hand, that this sport is always gonna be about fixing something. Since I started riding a zillion yrs ago, and was 12 yrs old freezing my digits off trying to get my old 1974 cat started, Ive been working on sleds. Does not matter what brand or model. They all break sooner or later, just the nature of this game.

This is why I have always liked to document everything I do here....be it a fix or something that needs to be re-engineered. I dont think there is any other sport/forums where so much repair/modding is done. I belong to many auto and bike forums over the yrs and have many similar type build threads..but none get nearly so involved as sled forums. Most other hobbies you spend 15-20+ grand on, you are not having to fix things....LOL, but sleds its just the norm and will always be. At least with a 4s engine even with all the other issues, we usually wont get stranded or towed(fingers crossed) where as the 2s world has had me on end of tow rope several times.

Dan

 

[geez150]

Knock on wood but my stock zr9k has been flawless except for poor fuel mileage and that doesn't really count. But reading Dan's post made me think about why sled forums are so active and all the backyard engineer work that goes on. I would say with our short riding season that influences everything. A week or two missed on the bike or quad is no biggie but a week or two with a sled could mean the season these days.

 

[Yamatario]

I have 850 km on, with only Storm 150 track, as my only performance mod. Have yet to install Dalton black/orange secondary and OSP adjuster. So far like the handling. Swapped with buddy on a 2016 Viper for afew km and he didn't want his back. The power, the handling, the ride are unbelievable improvements over Viper. No belt dust either.