upper gear bushing

[rlbock]

2011 APEX 32000KM , NO CHAIN CASE ISSUES
2017 SIDEWINDER , UNTIL , 8900 KM NO ISSUES
2018 SIDEWINDWER UNTIL , 6500 KM NO ISSUES
2019 SIDEWINDER UNTIL , 5500 KN NO ISSUES
2020 SIDEWINDER UNTIL , 3400 KM NO ISSUES , WTF , BROKE 2 ND RIDE

2011 APEX 32000KM , NO CHAIN CASE ISSUES
2017 SIDEWINDER , UNTIL , 8900 KM NO ISSUES
2018 SIDEWINDWER UNTIL , 6500 KM NO ISSUES
2019 SIDEWINDER UNTIL , 5500 KN NO ISSUES
2020 SIDEWINDER UNTIL , 3400 KM NO ISSUES , WTF , BROKE 2 ND RIDE

So have you checked the problem areas in the gearbox and drive shaft on the Yamacats?

 

[Bigblue1]

2011 APEX 32000KM , NO CHAIN CASE ISSUES
2017 SIDEWINDER , UNTIL , 8900 KM NO ISSUES
2018 SIDEWINDWER UNTIL , 6500 KM NO ISSUES
2019 SIDEWINDER UNTIL , 5500 KN NO ISSUES
2020 SIDEWINDER UNTIL , 3400 KM NO ISSUES , WTF , BROKE 2 ND RIDE

I totally get your post. I love my sidewinder but I can't understand why it's engineered so well in most areas and just misses it in others. I think it's just lazy. I just serviced both my 2011 Apex and Sidewinder RTX Le. 6000 miles on each. Ran the Apex hard for years. No issues but for some bushings in the skid. After servicing the winder with all of the precautionary stuff (upper bushing/chaincase, drive and jack shaft bearings, clutch, tensioner..etc), it was a pleasure working on the Apex. Mind you I am amazed at the sidewinder rear skid and the little wear, if any, that occurs, but the other stuff is just stupid.
I get having to maintain equipment and I know the heavy Apex does not match the handling and power of the sidewinder but I keep it because it's so smooth and:

No dopey oil sump attached to the chain case with no rubber gasket.
No bearing with BS tolerances and no locking screws wrecking the driveshaft.
No misaligned clutches requiring machining, special tools (Hurricane) to align... blah blah blah.
No chaincase that has to be split to change fluid.
Oh and no fluid checks without a dipstick..I mean come on.

Again, love the SW, it's tuned, fast, handles great good on fuel and comfortable but what a perfect machine it could be with just little more attention to engineering detail. I'll be raising the seat and handlebars on the Apex and installing led lights. It will be a very nice GT. As a matter of reference, I sold a 2005 RX1 with nearly 20,000 hard and fast miles. Still in use. Not a single chain case issue. Opened only to change track.

 

[SumpBuster]

I totally get your post. I love my sidewinder but I can't understand why it's engineered so well in most areas and just misses it in others. I think it's just lazy. I just serviced both my 2011 Apex and Sidewinder RTX Le. 6000 miles on each. Ran the Apex hard for years. No issues but for some bushings in the skid. After servicing the winder with all of the precautionary stuff (upper bushing/chaincase, drive and jack shaft bearings, clutch, tensioner..etc), it was a pleasure working on the Apex. Mind you I am amazed at the sidewinder rear skid and the little wear, if any, that occurs, but the other stuff is just stupid.
I get having to maintain equipment and I know the heavy Apex does not match the handling and power of the sidewinder but I keep it because it's so smooth and:

No dopey oil sump attached to the chain case with no rubber gasket.
No bearing with BS tolerances and no locking screws wrecking the driveshaft.
No misaligned clutches requiring machining, special tools (Hurricane) to align... blah blah blah.
No chaincase that has to be split to change fluid.
Oh and no fluid checks without a dipstick..I mean come on.

Again, love the SW, it's tuned, fast, handles great good on fuel and comfortable but what a perfect machine it could be with just little more attention to engineering detail. I'll be raising the seat and handlebars on the Apex and installing led lights. It will be a very nice GT. As a matter of reference, I sold a 2005 RX1 with nearly 20,000 hard and fast miles. Still in use. Not a single chain case issue. Opened only to change track.

I actually agree, wholeheartedly! I did raise my seat, hygear shock, gytrs, etc on my 06 apex with almost 8000 trouble free miles, save for donuts and welded w arm. But I do love my sidewinder and have to check the axle, chain case etc every year. Why..is the question.

 

[twyztid]

I actually agree, wholeheartedly! I did raise my seat, hygear shock, gytrs, etc on my 06 apex with almost 8000 trouble free miles, save for donuts and welded w arm. But I do love my sidewinder and have to check the axle, chain case etc every year. Why..is the question.

Because those are not Yamaha-designed parts.

 

[Bigblue1]

Because those are not Yamaha-designed parts.

Exactly

 

[SumpBuster]

Because those are not Yamaha-designed parts.

Yeah...lol. Its interesting that the top sprocket on the much faster spinning jackshaft on is splined on Yamaha, while the reverse setup is on the slower spinning drive axle...

 

[Rerhardt]

I would say this should be done yearly regardless of miles. Just did my brothers winder with 1700 miles and the bushing was so badly galled i can't believe nothing bad happened. This was the superior design upper gear with the oil holes through the gear but not the bushing! DOH! I guess their intention was for all of us DIY'ers to finish drilling the holes out!

 

[Rerhardt]

Running a full one inch bushing right now and I'm sitting right around 2000kms and it's still very snug in the shaft. Time will tell.

Can you please inform me , how the 1 inch wide bushing worked out? Was it flush on both sides of gear or did you let it stick out of one side??

 

[Rerhardt]

Well, if you fix the tensioner, then the bushing you wont HAVE to get into the case every 2000. Kind of the point of this thread.
If I have something in my hand and can replace it with a better part, I do it.

 

[SPM]

4500 miles on toughmet3 bushing @270hp and still absolutely perfect. Too bad this bushing has been discontinued.

 

[KnappAttack]

4500 miles on toughmet3 bushing @270hp and still absolutely perfect. Too bad this bushing has been discontinued.

I've heard the toughmet was super long living.

 

[STAIN]

BBEP161824 | BB-16 Sintered Iron/Copper Sleeve | 1 ID x 1-1/8 OD x 1-1/2 OAL

BBEP161824 BBEP161824 Sleeve Bearing, P/M BB16, 1

www.bronzebushings.com

I wonder how these would hold up.
You would have to turn them down to size

 

[cannondale27]

BBEP161824 | BB-16 Sintered Iron/Copper Sleeve | 1 ID x 1-1/8 OD x 1-1/2 OAL

BBEP161824 BBEP161824 Sleeve Bearing, P/M BB16, 1

www.bronzebushings.com

I wonder how these would hold up.
You would have to turn them down to size

Just about anything without the stock coating is better. The key is a closer fit or too spread the load out over a bigger area. Both is best. Its a pounding action from the chain and sprockets that are wearing the bushing. Getting the shafts as Parallel as possible also helps. Is alot of play if chaincase bolts and Jackshaft frame member thats why bushing wears on a taper. It all adds up and the stock bushing just isnt up to the task.

 

[slimjim2525]

I totally get your post. I love my sidewinder but I can't understand why it's engineered so well in most areas and just misses it in others. I think it's just lazy. I just serviced both my 2011 Apex and Sidewinder RTX Le. 6000 miles on each. Ran the Apex hard for years. No issues but for some bushings in the skid. After servicing the winder with all of the precautionary stuff (upper bushing/chaincase, drive and jack shaft bearings, clutch, tensioner..etc), it was a pleasure working on the Apex. Mind you I am amazed at the sidewinder rear skid and the little wear, if any, that occurs, but the other stuff is just stupid.
I get having to maintain equipment and I know the heavy Apex does not match the handling and power of the sidewinder but I keep it because it's so smooth and:

No dopey oil sump attached to the chain case with no rubber gasket.
No bearing with BS tolerances and no locking screws wrecking the driveshaft.
No misaligned clutches requiring machining, special tools (Hurricane) to align... blah blah blah.
No chaincase that has to be split to change fluid.
Oh and no fluid checks without a dipstick..I mean come on.

Again, love the SW, it's tuned, fast, handles great good on fuel and comfortable but what a perfect machine it could be with just little more attention to engineering detail. I'll be raising the seat and handlebars on the Apex and installing led lights. It will be a very nice GT. As a matter of reference, I sold a 2005 RX1 with nearly 20,000 hard and fast miles. Still in use. Not a single chain case issue. Opened only to change track.

I hear you on the fixes needed to be done to a sidewinder. I had a 2011 Apex that I put 39k miles on in 7 years. So, as you can see I ride a lot. If I had to add up the maintenance/fix time compared to my 2018 with 15k miles, it's not even close. The Apex was way worse. Exhaust donuts I don't even know how many times, cracked exhaust pipe, front end bushings, taking the whole front apart to change a stupid oil filter. All this stuff was such a PITA to work on. My sidewinder, once I read the fixes here, take the chaincase apart preseason, one time, which I can have stripped in 15 minutes, no brainer. Taking out and putting the skid back in is no comparison, Sidewinder hands down easier. Not a single problem with my Sidewinder except this year did blow the oil tank gasket when my ROV froze. This could have been prevented though if I had put in the BOP's fix. It's in there now. Hind sight know what I mean. Anyway, I have the DMC upper gear in there for close to 6k miles, took it apart after the season, its perfect.

 

[twyztid]

4500 miles on toughmet3 bushing @270hp and still absolutely perfect. Too bad this bushing has been discontinued.

Glad to hear that ToughMet3 bushing is still working great for you! I think you & I are the minority when it comes to the use of that bushing. I don't know of anyone else using it other than a few people that I have installed one for locally.

I bought 3 spares before the last of the stock was sold out. I will likely sell 1-2 of them to friends since I won't likely have to replace mine for quite a while yet. I have about 1500 miles on mine so far. Not sure if I will take the chaincase apart again before this season or not.