Updated suspension parts......

[rydblue]

Wife's FX is in the shop for the second time with broken rear suspension parts. Talked to the dealer today, they just got it put back together. Service manager said they got a revised torque arm and linkage from Yamaha. He said the new parts are completely different than what was on the sled originally - way beefier. So I would say they are seeing these parts failing pretty regularly. Sounds to me like it is mostly the FX's with the problem for whatever reason, from what I have been reading on this forum. For those with the FX's - you may want to consult with your dealer about these parts, if they fail on the trail it will end your ride for the day. The sled will act like the rear shocks are blown - rides really bouncy. If there is alot of ice built up in the tunnel and suspension, the excessive bouncing will cause the edges of the tunnel around the opening by the muffler to curl up and bend from the track contacting the built up ice. When I get the sled back I will take some pictures of the new parts and post them so you can see what they look like.
Bright side: at least they are working on the issues these sleds are having.
Not so bright side: They should have done another year of R&D before releasing this sled! Out of 16 Yamaha's since 1999 this one has been the only letdown of the bunch. Hopefully they don't make this mistake again for '08!

 

[DaveRX1]

can you post a pic of the parts that are breaking???

Thanks

 

[DaveRX1]

Also, are threse parts the same as the nitro and apex rtx???

 

[rydblue]

I will post pics as soon as I get the sled back, probably not until early next week.
The Nytro/RTX skid is different than the Phazer. Phazer uses coupling blocks and Nytro/RTX uses transfer rods. I dont think the transfer rod skid is having the broken parts issue.

The biggest problem with the Phazer is that Yamaha tried too hard to cut weight and ended up sacrificing durability.

 

[phazerfly]

Thats good to hear that they are working on updated parts. Just left the dealer with a new link robbed from an in stock sled. They got a hold of the warranty rep and he informed them that there is a problem with these parts. Finally this is no longer just me wrecking them like they were telling when I first broke it. As long as Yamaha stands behind these parts.

 

[DaveRX1]

Actually the Phazer skid is a derivative of the original vector skid as is the 07 RTX and the Nitro. The only real differences that I see are the transfer rod vs the coupling block to stop the rear scissor movement and the Phazer has a copy of the Artic Cat TSL.

I would bet that the P/N for your broken parts are the same as RTX and Nitro. I will verify this and re-post

 

[phazerfly]

That would be great if you could verify that dave, because right now the actual phazer parts are extremely back ordered here, and we've got 2 sleds down waiting for parts.

 

[DaveRX1]

Some of the part numbers are the same and some are different. I cross referenced the part numbers using the Yamaha parts finder on the home page of this site.

 

[DKBrigs27th]

Wife's FX is in the shop for the second time with broken rear suspension parts. Talked to the dealer today, they just got it put back together. Service manager said they got a revised torque arm and linkage from Yamaha. He said the new parts are completely different than what was on the sled originally - way beefier. So I would say they are seeing these parts failing pretty regularly. Sounds to me like it is mostly the FX's with the problem for whatever reason, from what I have been reading on this forum. For those with the FX's - you may want to consult with your dealer about these parts, if they fail on the trail it will end your ride for the day. The sled will act like the rear shocks are blown - rides really bouncy. If there is alot of ice built up in the tunnel and suspension, the excessive bouncing will cause the edges of the tunnel around the opening by the muffler to curl up and bend from the track contacting the built up ice. When I get the sled back I will take some pictures of the new parts and post them so you can see what they look like.
Bright side: at least they are working on the issues these sleds are having.
Not so bright side: They should have done another year of R&D before releasing this sled! Out of 16 Yamaha's since 1999 this one has been the only letdown of the bunch. Hopefully they don't make this mistake again for '08!

Yes, I can tell you that my FX also failed with the same problem as well as my friends. Yamaha has some problems they must address. I'm not a happy camper.

 

[phazerfly]

Yamaha has addressed the issue and the new parts are out. My dealer got a shipment of the new parts yesterday. They are some really nice heavy parts, the new link is a billet piece and the front arm is very reinforced. Parts look good, go check with your dealer it will be a full factory recall from what the dealer told me. It looks good!

 

[rfabro]

Dude, that is sweet. I would way rather have those parts replaced before they break.

 

[Roswell]

Part #?

 

[DaveRX1]

Is there a tech bulliten regarding this issue??? My dealer has not yet heard of this. I called yesterday and the dealer checked all factory tech notes ect on the computer, nothing regarding the suspension links or front arm.

Will this be a full recall or just an available update for problem customers?? I would like to get mine replaced BEFORE it breaks!

 

[DKBrigs27th]

My dealer has had 4 phasers in for the same reason and he has heard nothing about a recall. He was able to get two parts but the other two sleds are dead in the water until the parts come in.

 

[DaveRX1]

My linkage broke today!!! I am not happy!

I have owned the following Yamaha sleds

1980 ET 250
1981 SRV
1987 Exciter
1991 Exciter II
1993 Exciter IISX
1996 Vmax 600
1997 700 SX
2003 RX1
2007 Phazer FX

I have had more trouble with the Phazer than all of the others combined.

Phazer trouble list:
0 miles: reverse sensor wiring failure
100 miles: Idler wheel failure
400 miles: Idler wheel failure
700 miles: Exaust headpipe failure
1100 miles: Rear suspension linkage failure

If Yamaha dosnt fix this issue and fix it right, I will no longer be a Yamaha customer. The lack of quality that I have seen with this sled is NOT even close to previous Yamaha sleds that I have owned. If they are going to produce sleds like this, I will be forced to ride ski doo's in the futue.