VX1R: 136" Apex/Updated pics of NEW BLUE VX1R

[VX1R]

vx, how about
those pics of that S R X

Here you go...........

 

[VX1R]

A few more....

 

[Angus viper]

great job! you should be working at YAMAHA!

 

[HEAVYD]

I dont know what you do for a living but it must
pay alot, because you have some jack to throw
at a sled, and what a nice throw it is. Nolen Ryan
fastball baby! beautiful sled. Is that a monoshock
skid under that thing? That took a little bit of time.

 

[VX1R]

I finally finished up the blue VX1R and thought that I'd post up a few pics of both of them........

 

[welterracer]

Yamaha should definitly hire you to come up with ideas for there sleds

Those look factory.. ONLY BETTER..

Sweet sleds man..

Brian

 

[blurred vision]

Nice, I like the attention to detail. Thats what sets one sled apart from another. Great job.

 

[silversurfer]

Absolutely gorgeous. My hat is off to you.

What I really want to know though...how do they ride? When I get back into sledding, I plan to mod the hell out of one too, so I would love to know if the lightening made a difference. Did you line it up against anyone? Did you get it on a scale? Do you have any engine mods done too, or just the lightweight stuff + pipe?

 

[silversurfer]

 

[VX1R]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm pretty happy with the way both of these sleds have turned out. It's been a hoot talking to fellow snowmobilers out on the trail and in pitstops asking "What the heck is a VX1R?"

Silversurfer, to answer some of your questions:

Both of the sleds are great riding. The red one is set up more aggressively than the blue one. I can feel a slight difference when driving them back to back in the weight, but it's not a huge difference. The blue one with the monoshock skid is more compliant, as it is supposed to be with that skid. The biggest difference is that the red one carves corners considerably better with the wide front and Fox Evol shocks. The only sled that I've driven that can corner as hard as that one is my custom SRX, that also has a wide front end. The red one also has a 14" wide track that really hooks up well, and corners great. I can also ride through the rough stretches alot faster with the red one due to the suspension that sled has.

The red one is also clutched and geared more aggressively with a Drag & Fly clutch kit, and will out accelerate any other stock Apex or Attak that I've raced. No motor mods on either one.

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks for answering! Again, hats off to you, those are fine machines.

 

[VX1R]

I've had a few guys contact me over the winter who were thinking about stretching out their '07/08 Apex RTX sleds with the Pro-Active CK skid to a 136" length for next season. I mentioned that would post the results here that I experienced on the red VX1R after I had a full season to dial the sled in.

Having ridden both the blue VX1R with the monoshock skid and the red VX1R with the Pro-Action skid, I feel that both skids when set up properly can give a rider the perfect sled for their application and riding conditions.

For anyone who is considering going to a 136" length in your Apex RTX.......DO IT!

My skid is based on the '07 RTX. I've got some Ohlins shocks installed instead of the stock KYB's. I got the Ohlins shocks from Pioneer Performance. I chose to use the Ohlins that were valved to the European specs instead of the US spec. models. The European spec shocks come with stiffer compression and rebound damping. The rear shock also has an adjustable compression clicker, as does the stock KYB shock. It also has a piggyback reserviour. I had Hy-Gear Suspension install a remote reserviour to the center shock that also has an adjustable compression clicker. I originally started the season with a titanium straight rate spring on the center shock, and with the stiffest available (.525" diameter) titanium torsion springs in the rear.

I also have full length 136" custom made rails on the skid, instead of using rail extensions. These rails allow me to run 8" diameter rear wheels, instead of the stock 7 1/8" diameter wheels.

The first time out with the sled, I found that the rear was set up too stiff for my liking. It couldn't get it to bottom out under any conditions regardless of how fast I was riding in the biggest bumps, or landings off some good size launches. It was ridable, but I knew it could be a lot better.

Next time out I swapped out the center spring with the stock Ohlins spring that came with the center shock, and tried the stock RTX rear torsion springs. This helped, but it was still too firm for me in most conditions. It would now bottom out when I hit the biggest size bumps, but was still not as compliant on most small and medium size bumps. I felt that the shock valving was too stiff, and that the springs were still probably to high of a rate.

I talked to Mike Carver at Carver Performance, and told him what I was experiencing. I sent the shocks to his shop, and he installed some new valving specs that were slightly softer in both the compression and rebound. I also tried using a dual rate Ohlins spring on the center shock, along with a lighter rate (.510" dia.) titanium springs on the rear. The rear springs also have a slightly larger angle arch to the arms that has resulted in a little less spring preload.

I was able to test this last set up in the Keweenaw area the weekend of April 4-5 during some pretty good trail conditions. We found the trails to be pretty smooth overall, but found some stretches to really test out this new set up. I think I have finally found the ultimate set up for the 136" Pro-Active skid. With the clickers on both shocks set to the softest postion, this skid now has the ride that I would say is just a tad bit firmer than the ride of a '08 Apex LTX GT on smoother trails. It is very compliant now in the small and medium size bumps. I was able to run down a rough stretch of trail following some other riders on '08 FX Nytros and '08 Rev XP's who were running about as fast as conditions would allow. I was able to hang right with them through the bumps.

I'm pretty stoked up now to go into next season with this sled set up to my liking. I didn't think that an Apex could be made to go through the bumps as well as a FX Nytro can, but I guess I was wrong. With the proper set up you can have a big bump capable Apex that can be just about as smooth riding as a monoshock skid Apex. If anyone is considering stretching out your Apex RTX, and has any questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[welterracer]

If you dont mind.. Who did your decals for you?

I was thinking of having some GT-R stickers made for my apex for the hood

 

[VX1R]

If you dont mind.. Who did your decals for you?

I was thinking of having some GT-R stickers made for my apex for the hood

Brian,

No problem. Blown Concepts, in Plymouth, MN did all of the graphics on the VX1R's.

Give Robb a call at 763-694-8951. Here's a link to his website:

http://www.blownconcepts.com/

 

[ApexRtxGuy]

where did you get the led brake lights?