TYers sleds and such......

low slung

low slung

Active member
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
642
Location
Newfoundland
Wanted to start this thread for a while(Got the inspiration from a Alaska trappers forum)of our sleds we owned over the decades(yes were getting old:o|).A pic of each will do(if possible)along with the pros/cons...any brand is welcome....lets get started(something to pull us through this Covid19 cluster F#$%&*K).....i will start the ball rolling..
 
1994 Arctic Cat Puma 340(Gift from the best Dad ever,many thanks)..PROS...playful,light,handling like a miata car....CONS...underpowered(Even for a 16 year old),hard on fuel(again underpowered).Crank snap off four years after it was new(mine was not the only one),first and last Arctic Cat...View attachment 65862I like to add me and my oldman installed Kawi 340 drifter motor in the puma.Fit was perfect but the motor would get hot and lose power(But it had way more snap than the Suzuki 340 before the issue popped up)Too bad it didn,t work out(Sold it for 600 bucks).
 
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1998 Indy 500...(First sled bought with my own funds,thanks to BHP Ekati diamond mine working as a first year apprentice electrican)..PROS...Liquid cooled power,fast top end,loved to rev,CRC front end was nice,decent ride..CONS....Deep snow was not its forte(.82 lugs stinked),hard on fuel when ridden fast,dealer installed reverse kit cause problems(leaking dipstick)....sealed it up with RTV sealant,years later lost the bearings in the chaincase(600 bucks canadian to fix:o|),always change your fluid ever summer....5600 miles then it was traded for the next beast..a YAMI...... Glad to see it go...View attachment 65863wish i kept those VX301 USI...
 
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2004 RXwarrior...all in on the fourstroke revolution(figured the mighty Honda would be first to offer this to the sledding world)...PROS...TORQUE,awesome sound,could carry itself around in deep snow for a 680lbs sled pretty well,excellent fuel economy,quality like a lexus,what a headlight at night,and FAST(112GPS,non studded),Rock solid at high speed...CONS..weight(No way around it)front arm of rear skid,bang and bang on whoops(no wonder i had it welded twice),oil burner at 2500 miles(just keep adding oil),exhaust donuts,pipes are a pain(to fix and in the wallet).Overall a good experience(the reason i came to TY 15 years ago) A big expense to keep in the stable for 15 seasons,but the powertrain had no issues,it delivered what it promised......View attachment 65864
 
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2014 Phazer RTX....PROS...wanted a lighter fourstroke so i got it(549 wet,checked it myself this past winter),playful,rider forward was a gift from god on the knees,snappy power,easy steering,like a quad for ride,not a conventional sled by any means,can turn a pretty tight circle.cooling fan is a big plus in frozen snow conditions.CONS..light but still heavy,Frozen snow it could motor along but fluffy snow be careful,its a pig to get unstuck,noisy,high CG makes nervous handling(gotta be aware,lots of body english)..hard on fuel when pushed hard.....steering slop is a major pain over time(Yamaha kit just adds more:whine:)Overall a lighter thumper but needed a little longer track to give it more footprint....My last ride of the season it put a smile on my face....maybe thats whats it for......Play.. View attachment 65865
 
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2017 MXZx 850....When two sleds are too many so its threes a crowd:letitsnow PROS...TORQUE,TORQUE,and TORQUE,,,,easy throttle pull ,easy steering,ergos are excellent(From the phazer it was very natural,much better than the previous REVS weird ergos),quiet but snappy sound of the boost injectors,Handling was the biggest surprise,it corners FLAT...i know the magazines ragged on it but its true for this model,fuel economy beat the might yamaha thumpers,adjustable handle bars are the bees knees,R-motion is the real deal(Able to sit when a XP rider in front has to stand up for humps)..CONS...ETEC oil smells like a pack of crayolas left on a hot wood stove:roll:, weak brake(Couple close calls,needs to be bleed,brothers XP brake was much stronger with the same Brembo unit),Chaincase/brake are very venerable to hits underneath(lucky i hit on the brake side with a dent,ordered RPM composite carbon guards which are a must for the GEN4),Two-stroke life span?Hopefully it can make it to 8000miles like my warrior(1000 so far),maybe then they can claim fourstroke reliability.. until then its the unknown....View attachment 65866
 
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had acess to my parents sleds growing up and had to share with my 4 siblings.

the 1st sled that was bought just for the kids was a 1990 polaris star as it was $500.00 cheaper than what the yamaha dealer would sell my dad a bravo for before tax. we had it broken in in a weekend and had it around till the late 90's before it got sold off. its running mate was a 79 et250 that would kick its butt in anything but ride quality. sucked off trail as it was a direct drive sled and it did not have enough power to spin the track in the powder. still enjoyed it.

https://www.governmentauctions.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/polaris250.jpg
 
bought my 1st sled in 1999. a nos 1997 et410 t/r . bought it as it was a swiss army knife sled in that it was able to trail ride as well as break trails and haul a sleigh. not the quickest thing on the trails or best thing in the snow but gets the job done. still own it and have modded it a bit with sr viper skis, 1.25 ripsaw (lighter than stock and cheaper), rock's toyz smart supply and his new ride light. do not forsee letting it go any time soon as only have 7000 km on it.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff188/maim19/sled pics/DSC01799.jpg

btw a stick got that windsheild.
 
bought 2nd sled in novemeber 2003, another nos sled, 2001 sx500r.

fun to drive and had good power but only kept it until 2008 when i sold it to my brother as he was sledless and i had bought another. did clutching from the tec pages, 1.25 ripsaw, sx viper skis for floatation, and a full cb performance aluminum trailing arm set when it made love to a tree. re geared it for better fuel milage and still sold it mainly because 9 mpg sucks when running with tripples.

 
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bought 3rd sled in spring 07. found a nos 2005 rx war ltd in black.

rode this sled from 07 until 2012 when it got sold to another brother. changed the wind screen and side panels to black as soon as i bought it. rode it stock the 1st year and then started on the upgrades. rear olins where 1st and then the fronts the next season. did a 13mm sway bar, +4" bar riser with the mtx cables and sleigh hitch. used ulmers clutching on it witch really woke it up corner to corner. loved the fuel milage. did not enjoy doing the dounuts and y pipes on it but i loved the sled and until brother needed a better one i was not really looking to up grade from it. sold it to him with 10000 km on it and had to put on the 3rd track as they both had shed paddles. still fix it for him and get to ride it at times. it was the sled i learned to tune the suspension on.

https://s242.photobucket.com/user/maim19/media/sled pics/wedding044.jpg.html?sort=3&o=255
 
4th sled i bought in 2012 (barely) a nos 2011 apex xtx.

as i had demo rode this sled in 2011, i thought i knew what to expect. boy was i wrong. they messed with all the suspension settings. up graded to gytr's on the front to fix it. put nitro xtx springs on the rear with 5 position adjusters to get it to ride and transfer right. then put sleigh hitch and traction brackets (have them on all sleds) and lake effects +3" riser on it. added mtx skis after trying curves on it and love how they handle.

as it has 28000 km on it now (still own it), i have done a fair amount of maintence on it. donuts have been done, exup cables, front a arms converted to oillites (bent a arms on tree), oversize idler wheels and converted to duponts when i replaced the track at 25000 km. still love this sled and would be my main sled except that my gf took it over and i never got it back!

 
now to sleds 5-9 lol. bought in 2014.

this was a package buy with an eye to have older beater sleds to loan to neices and nephews. i have since sold/given away all of these sleds. 2 where skidoo safari 377 with leaf springs. 1 was a 1989 et 400 t/r. the final one was a 1990 et 400 t/r. all where sold running. the 90 i kept for a few years and fixed up before i gave it away as a christmas present. it only had 2500 km when i got it and it left with 3200 km. re covered the seat, fixed the steering stem, replaced the gas tank, new belt gaurd, new shocks in rear suspension, slider plastic, idler bearings, wear bars and a used 1.25 ripsaw track. always loved these sleds and had fun riding it and fixing it up for the next owner. suspension was 80 era and it showed but it got the job done.

https://snoriderswest.com/images/uploads/YamahaEnticer400-630.jpg
 
sled #10 i inherited/took in trade from my aunt when my uncle passed. i had been tracking down a chain case for years for it and was slowly fixing it up for him. i bought it from my aunt for a deal. it is the 1988 vk540 in my signature.

it was built to make trails and haul large amounts of stuff in the sleigh. only have 4000 km on it when the chain case failure occured. it was rough when i got it and i focused more on getting it running the last few years than making it pretty. built seat for it as all i got was foam, added wide ski skins and put new shocks in the rear. as it is a leafer, it tends to be tippy, so you need to steer it by moving your weight. have to be careful backing it up as i have bent the tie rod tube when it caught in the snow on me. it is the best starting sled i own as 2 pulls has it running at any tempurature.

https://www.yamahapart.com/assets/y...ng_history/snowmobile_history/1988vk540_3.jpg
 
sled 11, 09 phazer rtx that became an rtx/x.

bought this one in 16 for the gf to ride with 11000 km on it. i paid too much as i found a bunch of hidden defects that where not visible. fixed it up enough so that it was safe to ride for a season. gf tried it and hated it, so i ended up riding it for few season while tuning it to try and make her happy with it. still didn't happen but i made it into a fun little on/off trail sled once the mods/maintenece where done.

started riding it stock once we got the suspension repaired. got given a set of gytr shocks for the front, replaced the link in the rear, put on a set of curve skis i had, repaced/replaced wheels and bearings and replaced the spark plus with an oil change for its 1st season of riding. discovered that it was twitchy on accel and decl from the oe track. as it was marginal, it was the 1st planned up grade if the sled was kept. siblings and i rode the wee out of it for the entire season and decided it was a keeper.

then took it from a 121" x 1" track to a 144" x 1.5" track with a set of mtx rails as the stock rails had broken. had to change it to 8 tooth drivers as the yamaha xtx track would not fit with the stock 9 tooth. serviced all the shocks and replaced the bent lower a arm and bulkhead that i found the holes all egged out on for the a arms. built my own tunnel extension and rear bumper as the gytr one i bough for it a year before was the wrong one. i did have to replace the head lamp bulbs as the hid/led kit in it failed.

rode it for a season like that. was snappy as heck out of the hole with the gearing it had and handled the local trails well. performed off trail better than expected. fuel milage did suffer though. discovered that the stock rtx rear shocks are valved pretty stiff but tolerated them. had pickup coil failure at the end of the season at 14000 km ish. repaired that and geared it to the xtx specs in the off season with a new chain while i was at it. sold it to my brother in 2018 when i bought myself a new sled. still a fun sled to throw around and ride when i get the chance to.

https://www.snowmobile.com/specs/sites/sno/images/data/normal/2009_Yamaha_Phazer_RTX.jpg

it has black arms and spindles with a float plate and the front gytr bumper on it.
 
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sled 13, 2016 apex xtx. bought as nos in november of 2018.

as i think i have learned my lesson on buying used sled and fixing other ppl hidden damage, i found this one at a dealership in southern ontario. got screwed on the deal as dealer changed the price quote between phone calls but as it was 1 of 4 nos apex xtx sleds left in canada at the time, i bit the bullet and bought it.

then came the scramble of finding the acessories i wanted as yamaha was discontinuing them all even though some of them fit the rs sled they still sell. it is set up pretty much the same as the 2011 for acessories but for the fact i put a seat concepts seat on it and a +4" lake effect riser as i could not get the+3" any longer.

i gave the stock tuner skis a chance and ended up putting on 09 mtx skis on by the 3rd ride as it was not turning and point and shoot is only fun for so long. already knew i was not going to like the front ski shocks from the 11 and ended up replacing them with a set of used gytr's. rode it with the stock rear suspension shock hoping that the grumblings i had read where just that. nope. at its first service at the local dealer, complained long and loud about how it rode and he got me one of the last up grade kits to the 2018 rear shock they had availible for warentee. i am enjoying how it rides and handles now. not done with setting it but it is getting better. i do like the sled but there is a couple of areas it needs improvement on. cannot get it to transfer like the 11 does and it turns like a bus from the non tipped up rails when trying to ride agressively. over all the rear skid is the only disappointing thing for me about this sled.

https://totallyamaha.com/Totallyamaha/photoindexs/TYGiveAwayRide19/Canadians (4).jpg

till the next purchase!
 
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