1st post Getting 88 Exciter need info

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folingo

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Looks like a cool site, I just registered to do some searching and found some good info

A friend wants to get rid of his 88 Exciter for $100 so I figure go for it. "All it needs" is a muffler and could use a track. I'm going to check it out this week and wanted to get some info and find out what it looks like. I had actually ridden with this guy wayyyy back but barely remembered what his machine looked like.


My first sled was a 87 Skidoo Formula MX I got this back in 91, was a basket case that had a run in with a tree. Fixed everything except the hole in the hood note the sheet metal!!

skidoo.jpg


Anyhoo finally drove that thing into the ground a few years ago and have been without a machine since.

I'm hoping the Exciter has at least SOME more suspension than that Formula did, it was brutal to keep up in the rough trails.

So any advice and info on the Exciters would be cool
 
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i liked the front pogo stick suspension. i didn think it was that bad. so people did. the rear suspension isnt that great but with a aftermarket shock it will match up good iwht the tss front suspension. the side panels come off on the exciters this is nice when working on it. a friend had one with reeds, ported, pipe, clutches and some other things and the thing flew. jumped well too.
 
Depending on the condition of the sled and how much you want to sink into it; you can make those sleds scream!!!

Clutching, porting, track and suspension set-up will go a long way to making the beast come alive!
 
The motor in some of the exciters werent the best. My buddy rebuilt his twice, the first time it was preety much just to freshen up, and the other one was when the crank bearings went.

Cant go wrong for $100 though, thats dirt cheap!
 
Picked the sled up today. Pretty much in good shape, motor was gone over a few years ago. Reading 9,000 miles dunno if the speedo is working. The pipe and muffler are missing along with one of the coolant hoses so we could not start it. The track is totally wasted which is a bummer, was hoping to get some use out of it. The slides were very new, but hardly any clips left on one side, dunno why someone would have put that track back on :dunno:

First thing is to get a cheap pipe/muffler for it so I can see how she runs etc..
 

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First of all welcome to the site, Best site on the internet.

If you got that thing for $100 you got a smokin deal.

Start posting in the classifieds for some parts you need like the exhaust. Does it need a silencer too? and dont forget about the springs. Coolant hose should be easy to get at your dealer. If your able to, get a newer track that does not run the clips like off srx or viper.. im not sure if you can put those on the older yammies but i had a 440 exciter that would waste clips if even slightly out of alignment. looks like another 400-500 dollars more and youll have a nice sweet machine for the winter with a good track and exhaust system. Be sure to check the compression with that many miles on it. Sure wouldnt hurt to re-ring the pistons or see if you need new ones. Congrats a a good find!!! and again welcome to the site
 
muffler

I have a pretty new 88 stock pipe in my dads outbuilding let me know if interested I would like to get $50.00 plus shipping. ;)!
 
tomseal6 said:
First of all welcome to the site, Best site on the internet.

If you got that thing for $100 you got a smokin deal.

Start posting in the classifieds for some parts you need like the exhaust. Does it need a silencer too? and dont forget about the springs. Coolant hose should be easy to get at your dealer. If your able to, get a newer track that does not run the clips like off srx or viper.. im not sure if you can put those on the older yammies but i had a 440 exciter that would waste clips if even slightly out of alignment. looks like another 400-500 dollars more and youll have a nice sweet machine for the winter with a good track and exhaust system. Be sure to check the compression with that many miles on it. Sure wouldnt hurt to re-ring the pistons or see if you need new ones. Congrats a a good find!!! and again welcome to the site
Click to expand...

I am just starting the track research, thanks for the no clip tip!!

The motor was apparently hardly used after a full rebuild a few years ago. I am gonna do a comp test and pull the carbs apart to clean and inspect the jets. Learned the hard way with my Formula I just started riding it as I got it and burned through one piston after riding hard for a while. Turned out it was jetted down one full range for the factory 10,000 feet recomended jets. The 461 MX motor had Mikuni 34 mm (look just like the Exciter carbs) and each carb would run different jets. The carb with the smallest jet was also gunked up some in the jet orifice, so realllly lean = burned piston.

So gonna make sure the carbs are all set back to stock jets before hittin any trails
 
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Good deal ! The small side panel (LC) decals which stand for liquid cooled were only on the 87 Models also, the 87's had fewer cooling vents in the shroud as compared to the 88-90 Exciter's so, compare your shroud to my 1990. The 87's had butterfly carbs and the 88 up had roundslides But, Yamaha upgraded many of the 87 carbs under warranty to R.S.'s because, some felt the B.F.'s were hard to keep jetted properly with temperature changes. I wonder with the added vents of 1988 models if the jetting would have been more consistant in the 87's ?
 

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I'll make sure it's not a 87 before I dig in too much. I did not write down the frame or engine#'s yet. The carbs look like a regular round slide Mikuni, but a quick peek in bore should clear up that. Looks like the decompressor is still there, that needs to be plugged up from other posts I have seen
 
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