advise - 96 vmax darting

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Marksman69

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Dec 19, 2005
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Just bought a 96 V-max 600 XT and it darts around alot. The best way do describe it is its just plain squirrely at about 35-40 MPH. I softened the front all the way and that seemed to help a little. It is studed. The original owner put a heavier spring in the back and said it was rated at 200-200 LBs. It is cranked up almost to the stiffest. Any Advise would be greatly appreciated.
 
Check the front end alignment. If its OK, there probably isn't much you can do that will effect darting. If its still an issue you can't live with, you will need to change skis. IMO Simmons is the best option but anything with dual wearbars will work. I saw an add for dual wearbars mounted on a single rod. Might be worth a try.
 
I was thinking about changing the ski's but they run around $400 which is alot to put into an older sled. but mostly i wanted to make sure everything else was right before i started modifying anything.

where can i find those dual wearbars mounted on a single rod that you mentioned?
 
If you're not interested in new skis you should try the shims. There's a great "how-to" in here for it. I shimmed mine and put bergstrom skegs and ski-savers on a couple of years ago and it helped. Last year I went to plastic ski-doo ski's with the shims/bergstrom skegs/ski-savers and it was a huge change. Ike did a great write up on installing plastic skis on this sled and you don't need to spend $400 to go plastic.
 
I cut and pasted my response from a thread i was part of last week.
I have been able to ride it with one hand since getting it set up right. This might not sound like a big deal to most people, But it is a BIG deal after getting tossed around by one of these stock XT's.

My XT would just rock side to side while going down a smooth trail as well, even when new. I weight just over 200 lbs when dressed to ride. It was so bad my wife would not ride it, she said it was "TOO TIPPY" and she weights alot less then me
I found it was TOO much ski pressure. Cranking up the preload of the frt shock in the rear suspension and lengthening the frt straps helped as did better ski's. (USI's) I got a set of bender adjustable transfer rods and it made all the difference in the world.
But i wouldn't do any mod's until the basic suspension is in good condition and there isn't too much play in the frt knuckles. There are aftermarket shims to tighten up the steering. Make sure the toe is set. If the ski's are toed in at all it will be a bear to ride.
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thanks for all the replys, its giving me alot to work on. Where can I find Ike's article on plastic ski installation?
 
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