Going to buy a 2002 SRX700 that needs work - have advice?

khnitz

New member
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
10
Age
52
Location
Johnsburg, IL
I'll be getting a good price on a 2002 SRX700 from a friend here shortly. The sled has about 3500miles and has some work done to it (studded track, Öhlins suspension, aftermarket pipe). One item of work led to the motor's demise. The head was shaved...too much, apparently. I'm likely staring at a new head and pistons.

I'm thinking of returning this to stock, as I'll be using this sled mostly on some trails near my home. So my emphasis is on reliability and longevity, not so much outright performance. From what I've read here and elsewhere, even in stock trim the SRX700 has performance in spades.

So, that having been said, any I would appreciate any advice for an SRX newbie. Especially appreciated would be good sources for the engine parts I'll need. Heck, it may even be easier to just swap in a good used motor (stock setup preferred).

BTW, my current (and first) sled is a "vintage" 1980 Arctic Cat Panther that I resurrected - it had been sitting for several years behind a neighbor's garage. Once I have the SRX running for next season, I'll pass this along to someone else.

I also had a 1981 Scorpion (purchased from the same neighbor), but I let that one go to an enthusiast as there was too much work required to save that one.
 
Advice

Here is what you could do... You don't want that sled. Just give me the guy's number who has it for sale, and I'll get in touch with him, and you won't have to worry about that crummy sled. : )

Just kidding, sounds like a decent opportunity to get a nice sled. There should be plenty of people on the forums here that should be able to hook you up with parts. I sold the only set of heads that I had some time ago, so unfortunately I can't help too much. As far as engine parts go, and I think a lot of people will tell you this, stay with the Yamaha parts. There have been a number of cases with people trying some aftermarket pistons and etc. that have caused some heartache and may not be worth the risk if you are looking for a good reliable "driver". Just my 2 cents worth. That' not to say that aftermarket parts don't work, there is just less risk involved with stock parts IMHO.

Corey
 
Corey, thanks for the advice. I'll likely pick up the sled at the end of February, and I won't get around to really tearing into it until the Summer.

My wife keeps reminding me that there's a non-working boat motor in the garage that needs work first. :)
 
How's this for resurrectring an old thread?

Only took 1.5yrs to get around to it, but with BIG help from a friend, this SRX700 lives!! The sled was actually a 1999, with about 3400 miles on it. A previous owner had shaved the heads to bump compression, but eventually the engine fried.

Once we tore into it, it turns out that the piston on the alternator side of the motor was overheated and burnt. That cylinder and piston were replaced, the motor was put back together and I now have a running sled for this season :-)

As part of the repair, we put a set of stock-compression heads back onto the motor, and the stock exhaust was put back in place, too.

So, now I have a lot of toys waiting for the snow, here. 2 snowthrowers I repaired, and this sled...bring it on!

P.S. the boat motor (previously mentioned in this thread) was rebuilt last Summer (2007) and has been running well...
 
those silencers you sold, aren't what caused the problem. the head was probably shaved too much, causing too high of compression and msv's, so it ended up detonating. hopefully you will have good luck/fun with that srx this year. congrats on the purchase.
 
mopar1rules...thanks! I look forward to riding it. I realize the silencers weren't the issue (the shaved heads were), but, I'd rather have the stock exhaust tune/note. Living near a snowmobile trail myself, I prefer the quieter pipes.
 
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Drive bearings

You will need to replace those drive bearings around 4500 miles or risk being towed back home. I own two SRX's a 600 and 700 and both needed them done around 4500 miles. I will have a video soon of the "stenger" update which shows how to added zerts to the 2 major bearings that fail. The SRX doesnt have grease zerts so you either wait for them to fail OR change them before hand, do the update grease 1 or 2 a season good to go for ..?????
I jumped up another main jet size as Ive heard about WAY to many burn downs on this site in ALL 2 strokes and I just ran 200+ miles with no issues, not even 1 fouled plug. I also carry a can of Klotz octane booster/gas treatment for those low octane stations.
I fine running SRX is a beast ;)!
 
nice looking sled.keep up on maintance & post on the tread more often.dont forgtet to clean & adjust power vavles & regular carb cleanings. ;)! :letitsnow
 


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