Suspension lifting questions???

So I picked up a 97 Mountain Max 700, 151" x 2" finger track and I'm thinking I want it to sit higher. I'm going to be doing mostly mountain riding here in Utah and Idaho, lots of deep powder.

I just picked up the sled so I haven't ridden it yet. Here's a picture.



Rear suspension



I'm sure I can just make a bracket that can lower the mount point for the rear mounting bolts on the rear suspension.

On the front I found that my shocks are on the highest preload setting. In my experience with dirtbikes and jeeps I've learned it's good to have up and down travel and currently my sled sitts at the top of the shocks' travel. After looking at the front suspension I can lower the preload to a lower setting and raise the mounting point up about 2", this would hopefully give me some uptravel and down travel.

I would like to know what if any problems I might run into and if this is a good idea to do. I'm not sure how this will make the sled react. It just seems like the sled sits kinda low for a mountain sled.

Also what would be the downsides of removing all but the rear idler wheels?

I posted this on snowmobilefanatics and heard that you could put Viper shocks on it for longer travel. I plan on doing this but I'm looking for a way to make it sit higher and I'm not sure if that's going to do it. Keep in mind the back end's strapped down in that picture.

you can move the rear mount down and the center has to drop too. i have measurements im confident are good, but they have not been tested so i cant gurantee the geometry will be correct. i dont see how they could be wrong. p.m. me if interested.

Not to send you away from this site, because it is the best . . .

I also would post on www.Snowest.com

Yes Viper shocks, drop center and rear mounts (calibrated measurements). I would also consider a flattop or highrise seat. Might be able to find one on www.Snowest.com

Congratulatons for owning a great sled. The 97's were bulletproof. I still own mine although not much of it is original. In 97 the MM700 worked really well in deep snow but if you want it to work as well as todays mountain sleds, IMO, for what its worth, here are some thngs I learned from working on mine. You have a 2" finger track. Unless the chaincase was rolled, you are using 8 tooth drivers. I ended up believing that my 8 tooth driver set up reduced the drive line efficiency, meaning less power to the snow. The finger track will out perform all others in spring conditions but will get you stuck in early sugar conditions since it does not have the ability to pack the snow. I changed mine if favour of a 2" camo paddle. The geometry of the 97 skid frame can be changed to match the low approach angle geometry of the 2000+ MM and that really helps. Dropping the skid frame out of the tunnel reduces running board hang up but with a stock approach angle and a finger track, you won't see much difference in performance. However, it looks really great, so if you want to convert your skid frame and drop it out of the tunnel, I think I have all the measurements and probably a set of brackets for the rear. Removing idler wheels reduces weight but increases hyfax wear in marginal snow conditions. Your skid frame is heavy, compared to cat or polaris. Removing wheels won't effect overall weight or performance much. PM me if you want the rear brackets and measurements. Good luck with your 97.

more ideas....

a buddy of mine used a "lift kit" of sorts on his 2000 mm. i believe it was a stock yamaha part #, for a srx "i think" contact tom hartman, i believe he provides this "lift kit" with the order of any front works shock set. seems to work great for him, got the front end up about an inch or a little more.
~Brock