Newbie Joins the Ranks

Nice sled. I love those Ventures. Ofcourse I'm a bit biast as I also own a 700 Venture.
A few observation. Those red head triples are awsome, strong, reliable and sound great. My little brother's Venture 600 triple has 15 000 hard miles and the motor has never been opened up Yet!

The stock track suck. They'll get you by for awhile but you'll always be very limited with your available traction. I would up grade that before spending money on a different suspension so quick. When properly adjusted I find they ride nice. I would look it over and lube everything up. Your rear suspension is sitting low in your pix. It should be higher. Mine was sitting low before but the PO had set it poorly and all the bushings were shot. I just refreshed my skid and even with the old original shocks ( 6000miles) it sits nice and high now. Again congrats on your purchase!
 

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Yes as vincent said stock track sucks I would go with a cobra track if you have nice trails in your area but if your trails are like the ones in my area with lots of ice spots would use a ripsaw with studs. I only stud ripsaws as their only a little better than stock in my opinion.
 
The quote below is from an on-line article about my sled. It sounds like it's better than average, but definitely not Fox or Ohlins. My only point of reference is from 70's vintage Arctic Cats. I'm looking forward to the learning curve with snowmobile suspension.

Underneath, an all-new 136-inch track supplies stellar grip, while ProAction Plus long-travel rear suspension supplies 11 1/2 inches of travel.
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The stock track suck. They'll get you by for awhile but you'll always be very limited with your available traction.
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The PO of my sled studded the track last year, so I'm hoping this will help.

Your rear suspension is sitting low in your pix.
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I was thinking the same thing. I hoping with only 547 miles, nothing is worn, just poorly set up.

I spent a lot of time setting up the suspension on my motorcycles, and am amazed the difference when set up properly. I've found the owners manuals are a good place to start when making adjustments.
 
My old track was the original 136" length 3/4" paddles with 108 1" studs. It was "ok" on trails, but terrible off .
Now I have a new 1.35" Cobra. I'm anxious to try it out.

If you drive on trails your present track will be fine. It'll get you by for a few years, and studs will help on ice & hardpack.
 
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I'm been reading up on servicing the suspension. I've seen several references to "snowmobile" grease. I have a tub of Bel-Ray wheel bearing grease. Will this work?
 
Yes that will work I use what ever grease I have lying around. I grease mine before the season and after and at about every 1500 miles we ride.
 
Yes that will work I use what ever grease I have lying around. I grease mine before the season and after and at about every 1500 miles we ride.
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Thanks. I think if I have access to a lift, I might drop the whole skid and give everything a thorough lube.
 
That's a great idea. Many important bushings have no grease nippels and can only be greased with disassembly. Examples like shock bushings, the lower W arm bushings, transfer rod eyes bushings, and those two long arms that run parallel to the rear shock bushings. All these were shot on my sled. The greasable ones were much better.

Also don't bother with a compression check till after you've run it down the trail a few times. Good luck.
 
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When you take the skid out also check for any stuck or wobbly wheels and check for any cracks or breaks in it.

How long has the sled been sitting to only have 547 miles?? Or is the speedometer unhooked??
 
How long has the sled been sitting to only have 547 miles?? Or is the speedometer unhooked??
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I'm hoping the speedometer wasn't unhooked. I'm the third owner. The original owner bought two ventures (his and hers) and used them sparingly to haul the grandkids. The grandkids grew up and wanted their own sleds.

The second owner of my sled bought it and had to redo the carbs because it sat for a while. After cleaning the carbs, the second owner didn't use it much because of health issues with his wife, and now himself. The second owner supposedly "winterized" the sled at the end of every season. When I looked at the sled, the gas smelled OK and it started right up cold.
 
I use low-temperature grease because..... well snowmobiles operate in low temperatures. It has better grease distribution than thicker grease.
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I just looked up the description of Bel Ray's grease;

Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease is the legendary high-performance, multi-purpose grease. Superior water resistance, even in salt water, will ensure continued sealing and protection. Perfect for wheel bearings, headsets, shock linkages, swing arm pivots and other motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile and marine chassis lubrication points. Due to its aluminum complex formula, it won't melt or run out. Enhanced mechanical stability and special anti-wear additives protect and lubricate bearings for improved performance
 
Being rode very little makes sense on 547 miles. I clean my carbs every season and mine starts 2nd pull cold every time and when warm 1st pull with just a crack of the throttle most Yamaha's are this way if yours is the same way you'll Learn where your sleds sweet spot is on the throttle..
 
After you ride it awhile and you want a little more power out of it there's some mods over in the tech section for the Redheads that won't jeopardize the reliability of the motor and the mods are basically free to do.

I did my Redhead when I had if and it only cost me $2.88 total..
 
After you ride it awhile and you want a little more power out of it there's some mods over in the tech section for the Redheads that won't jeopardize the reliability of the motor and the mods are basically free to do.

I did my Redhead when I had if and it only cost me $2.88 total..
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Good to know.
 
After you ride it awhile and you want a little more power out of it there's some mods over in the tech section for the Redheads that won't jeopardize the reliability of the motor and the mods are basically free to do.
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I'm not planning any immediate changes, but are the typical mods; head gasket, air box, and a reed stopper? Did I miss any?

I finally secured a set of dollies, so tomorrow the sled comes off the borrowed trailer and enters the garage.
 
Yes head gasket and reed stopper or reed spacers. You can also drill the can if stock it sounds better to.

Air box not worth the hassle of constant jetting changes and the sound it makes will drive you nuts.. I went back to stock air box on mine when I had it.

Once in the garage the fun part begins!!! You might run into some bugs from previous owners I always do..
 
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