Help w/ suspension

igolf

igolf

New member
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
Messages
59
Location
SW Wisconsin
Ok, I've done all of the searches but I'm still confused. :o| I just put on a new Hacksaw track. In the past I've had terrible hyfax wear so I've read enough to know that I need to pull the limiter straps up all the way. I've also just installed a new hyfax wheel saver kit. I also plan on running the track lose enough that it doesn't rachet.

I'm confused what to do with the shocks. I believe the rear FRA is in the middle postion. Do I need to do anything else with this shock?

I've got the limiter straps ready to go up all the way but I can tell the shock needs adjustment because the rail, w-arm, and all, still needs to come up an inch or so. Not sure if I'm explaining this well. Basically can you tell me exactly what to do with this front shock? Be specific as possible and easy for a non-mechanic like myself to understand. I thought I read that the center shock should be at 0 preload (be able to turn spring). I don't understand how I will be able to turn the spring after I crank up the nut.

After I got done putting the new track on the rear end was sitting too high so I knew some adjustments were necessary. All of the adjustments I read about seem to be what I need to solve this problem as well as the poor hyfax wear. I'm just not following everything exactly and need it spelled out a little more for the non-technical me.

Thanks much for any help you can provide.

Should be riding instead of wrenching........
 
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Keep in mind that new slides will wear real fast for the first few miles and then stop wearing. Don't panic Ive had mine on for a few years and the wear has not hit the wear indicator line on the slides. I did put on the extra wheels ( by the bend on the slide rails ).
 
JUST MY OPION , BUT IF YOU PULL THE LIMETER STAPS ALL THE WAY UP , YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO MUCH SKI PRESSURE ..AND THE REAR END IS GOING TO FISH TAIL ON YA ...
 
You May Need To Turn Them Doun Alittle For Better Grip On The Front End , But Just Turn Them A Few Turns Then Go Out For A Ride , If You Want More Front End Pressure Turn Them Some More , But Dont Turn Them All The Way , Like I Said Its Just My Opion , I Hav Never Owned A Srx , So Take My Opion For What Its Worth ..
 
That's what I don't understand. I have the rear end off the ground now. The spring is loose. I think the nut on the shock needs to be cranked up a bit in order to raise the straps. If I crank up the nut I don't understand how the spring will be able to move. I thought 0 preload is when I can move the spring.

Sorry to be a pain, but I'm no wrench head.........
 
There is a good write up on the Tech Pages covering this. Take a look there, as it should explain better than I am capable of explaining.
 
I will never run a yamaha with zero center spring preload, the center spring and w-arm is the weak point as it is. With no preload on it the w arm will bottom much easier, and put a lot of excess stress on it eventually causing it to crack if you ride in rough conditions, ESPECIALLY if you have transfer rods. Yamaha slides wear like crazy up to the wear point, then stop wearing. I dril holes in my slides at the bend so that i can wear them right down without worrying about hitting the rails, i can always see exactly how much slide material is left. Before making all these changes try oversized wheels from either maxx perf or get 4 or 6 polaris indy idlers and install them, using your stock yamaha spacers. Also install a hyfax saver wheel kit. These changes will all help a lot, and you will be able to run some good center spring preload and not have to pull up your limiters all the way loosing all your travel. The slides on my '01 SX 700R are FACTORY with 5,700 miles on it, my '01 srx is the same way, wear like crazy down until most people would change them, then stop wearing. Just my .02
 
What exactly are you trying to accomplish?? More ski pressure...less hyfax... you can fix most but you will have some problems in other area....I will try and explain...but like I said whats your main goal??

Tom
 
This is what I do, now you can follow this if you want but its really up to you. 1st thing I do is remove the w-arm bump stops and clips and do not use them. Use the shock bumper to limit the travel. This will also reduce the fatigue on the w-arm. Remove all the tension on the front center spring and pull limiter to the point that very little of the front of the skid will contact the ground as you lower the sled from the rear. If you cannot achieve at least ½ of clearance from the rear wheel to the ground as the front of the skid contacts then I drill another hole in the limiter. Once you have found the ideal setting, remove all spring tension as the skid is hanging on the front center shock… now tighten the nut until it just touches the spring and add 1 or 2 more turns. If you are heaver then 220 add a few more. Use the rear setting as your comfort setting base on your weight. Now by doing this it will add ski pressure and reduce weight transfer. Transfer rods will help that but stick to the stock setting to prevent a bad ride with no coupling. Keep your track as loose as you can with out ratcheting and this will help a ton. Also expect some hi-fax wear but it will stop at ½ way so don’t panic. Try a few high-speed runs and cool the slide quickly in some snow to help set the plastic.


This is about it and what I found worked the best….but this is what I do…others may not like my method but it works for me.
 
I guess my main goal is, first and foremost, the hyfax problem. I just installed the hyfax wheel saver kit. After that, it would be nice to be able to bring the skis off the ground but if I can't it's no big deal.

Here in SW WI we don't always have the greatest conditions and if I go over chisel plowed grounds I have to slow down to a slow crawl. So I've never been too impressed with the ride. So if you can improve the ride that would be great as well. (FYI, I'm about 220 lbs)

I just got done putting a new track on. When I was done I noticed that the rear end was high. I never noticed it this high before. So, I thought something was messed up with my set up. This made sense to me at the time as I began to think back to all the slides I have needed to replace. Can't seem to get more than 300 miles out of them. Can't always blame it on the marginal conditions here in SW WI because my buddies don't have this problem.

After doing some searches and reading, everybody was saying to pull up the limiter straps. This also made sense to me......pull up the straps....it should make the track sit level.....it should save on the hyfax by having less force on the front, etc. So, I was ready to do this, but was confused on exactly what to do w/ the shock.

Now, everybody is telling me not to pull up the straps.

I went to the homepage....clicked on Technical Pages.....clicked on Snowmobile Tech.....clicked on Chassis/Rear Suspension & Drive.....clicked on Suspension Set Ups and Tips..........I think it's talking about motorcycles.....

:o|
 
When you say "If you cannot achieve at least ½ of clearance from the rear wheel to the ground as the front of the skid contacts then I drill another hole in the limiter." Do you mean the rear wheel in front?

Would it be possible to call you tonight, if need be, while I am working on the sled?

Thanks.
 
this is what i ran in my srx and the last set of hyfax i put on had over 4000 miles. other than the limiter setting i used, this is right out of the yamaha service bulletin.

loosen the jamb nut and adjuster nut on the front shock spring so you can make the zero preload at the end.

pull limiters up all the way (some say yes some say no, all the way worked for me) yamaha says to tighten the limters (i cant remember how much)

if you have stock transfer rods, change out the spacers to 2.5mm and 5mm (cant remember which goes top and bottom) sorry was a few years ago.

set the fra in soft, tighten the rear spring preload, so the spacers on the transfer rods have equal gaps top and bottom with YOUR WEIGHT ON SLED.

set front shock preload to zero. and break in the hyfax. ride for a few miles, stopp and pack suspension full of snow and wait to cool. do this a few times. then ride it like your exwife's lawyer is comming. the big thing with the hyfax, is, if you dont have good snow or lots of dirt in the snow they are gonna wear fast. nature of the beast. but the srx wears em fast to start so now you have two things working against you.

when you get it right it will ride nice, steer great and get decent hyfax life. after i 136'd the srx i drilled two new holes in the straps (tighter yet) and ran my straps sucked down tight. sled was on rails. and the hyfax wear was great.

to get the exact info on the limiter and the spacer location see the tech bulletin on hyfax for the srx (01) and or search on here, there should be gobs of threads telling you the above. ski
 
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