Transfer Rod Mod for Apex/Attak

[Rappa]

First I wanted to say this forum is great and I have been reading for a couple of weeks just absorbing all the info I possibly can... So thank you all! I recently bought a leftover 07 Attak GT and absolutely love it, however, I could not live with the banging and clunking that goes on under the skid while going slowly over the stutter bumps. It was driving me crazy and there is no way I will get used to that. Although the suspension is great, the sound makes an $11,000 sled sound like a POS. After reading about what some people did to help fix it, I was a bit confused and can see why someone wouldn't want to tackle the project of taking their Transfer Rod apart. I just wanted to say that it is REALLY EASY and what I did helped reduce the clunking and banging by at least 80%. I wanted to share the process with everyone with a few pics to make it easier because in my opinion, no one should have to live with this and for like three dollars, you don't have to...


So here goes...

1. Suspend the back of the sled up in the air and remove the two bolts holding the transfer rod to the skid.

2. Take the transfer Rod Out of the skid.

 

[Rappa]

3. Loosen the adjusting nut and unscrew the transfer rod completely pulling it apart. (It will now be in two pieces)

 

[Rappa]

You will notice these two nylon spacers, (one black, one white) on the shaft held on by a 14 mm Hex bolt.

 

[Rappa]

Get a 14 mm hex socket and remove the hex bolt. Then remove the nylon spacers or bushings, (whatever you wanna call em). Then on the inside of the Transfer rod case, you will see two more of these nylon bushings down inside. I took a screw driver and just popped them out. You can imagine the clanging that goes on in there when metal is hitting these things 5 times a second. What a bad design???!!!

 

[Rappa]

Here is what I used as replacements for those nylon bushings. They are 5/8 inside diameter rubber grommets that I found at a local hardware store for like 30 cents a piece. I bought a bunch but only needed 3 of them. They were in the hardware section and can also be found in the electrical section.

 

[Rappa]

I used two of them on the shaft of the transfer rod like so.

 

[Rappa]

I installed one of the rubber grommets on the inside and then used one of the nylon bushings on top of it. The reason I did this was because without the nylon bushing the impact of the metal hitting against the rubber grommet alone was causing the grommet to turn around and fold over itself. So by using the stock washer over it, the grommet gives the right amount of cushion so that the transfer rod doesn't impact very hard when it hits it.

 

[Honk]

Welcome to the site, and YES you can find alot of good info. You have a good write up! I think because the four stroke is so quite that ya hear the clunk more, doesn't really bother me anymore though. thanks again! Honk

 

[Rappa]

After that I put everything back together and reinstalled into the machine. I adjusted the transfer to slightly above the minimum setting.

I just got back from my first ride after the mod and I gotta say, man what a cheap and easy fix. It remains to be seen how long these grommets will last in there, but it greatly reduces the clanging and clunk noises as well as the clunk feel tremendously. You can still tell that the rod is working but you simply cannot feel it like it was when it was stock. I am happy so far. The conditions were terrible today with tons of stutter bumps so I am confident that this actually works. I will be riding this weekend and after that I am going to pull them apart to see if the grommets stayed to form. I don't expect that they will deteriorate but I will let you guys know. Hope this helps someone out here. This forum is sweet!

 

[bashley]

Welcome and thanks for the info. I don't know if I've lost more hearing than I thought because I've never noticed the clanging noise your talking about. Half the time I ride with my MP3 player anyways. I'll definately be listening for it now though. Thanks again.

 

[tttario]

Yes!

I have been waiting for this! I don't know how people can say they don't hear or feel the noise this skid makes.

Excellent writeup Rappa! Keep us informed on the durability of this setup and if it holds up I think this should be sticky'ed or put in the FAQ section.

There have been guys saying to use o-rings and such, but nothing with pictures and sizing. I will definitely be installing this setup to reduce the noise!

Thanks Again!

 

[SledFreak]

I believe if you remove some of those spacers/bushings completely, then you can get even more weight transfer. I know Allen Ulmer can comment on this.

 

[mbarryracing]

I rarely hear that clunking over the exhaust noise with the throttle pinned at a high rate a speed...

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Great step by step writeup......this is what makes this site so good for us all.....great input from a new member,thank you.

I find that the clunking is only at low speeds on those small stutter bumps....and round here we rarely have those type of trails expcept fort he portages between lakes that arent groomed,and you have to go 2mph.lol.

So for me it isnt a big deal...but for those who ride dailey on this type of trail this looks good.

My only worry would be.....yamaha most likely went with harder material then rubber for durability and longevity....with your MOD,i would think you will have to be checking those rubber grommets often,as they probably will get mulched up rather quickly and make a mess inside there.....JMO.

I like the idea here....and if it works,then perfect!

Dan

 

[Rappa]

I agree that I only hear and feel the clunking at low speeds - up to 20 MPH. But sometimes we don't have the luxury of just hammering down to not feel the clunks. Well now I don't have to worry about. I can go slow if I want and not feel like my sled is falling apart. I don't have an answer to why some people don't feel it, if you rode my sled before the mod, you would definitely know what I am talking about.

Rockerdan, I will check them after a couple hundred miles and post with pics on how they look. That should give us the answer!