97 venture

T

trailblazer295

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Hey Everyone

New to the site thought id see what info I can find out. Sorry if this is a repeat. Couldn't find any info when searching. My dad just bought a 97 Venture 600. The exterior seems in good condition and the dealer seems sincere about the work he will do to fix it up as he goes over it to ensure everything is fine and anything that needs fixing is done well. I have had a bad experience in the past that cost me $$$ so I am cautious. If anyone can tell me info about this sled. Things to look out for, reputation, opinions. He is coming off a much older machine so the suspension will be far superior to what he is used to. Thanks in advance.

:letitsnow

Scott
 
Because it was a first year sled they did have some teething problems.

One thing that would happen on the 97's is the front suspension leading (or trailing) arm brackets that attach to the running boards would loosen up. The rivets and holes would wear. Yamaha's answer was to drill bigger holes and install larger rivets. One side on mine was done that way while the sled was still under warranty. Only the rivets through the running board on the outside were replaced. Later it loosened up again and I replaced all the rivets on the bracket with 1/4 inch stainless steel truss head screws and lock nuts. It has been fine since then. I would not hesitate to buy a sled that had loose brackets. Look at the brackets and if you see any signs of movement, have the dealer fix it.

There were a few other modifications covered by service bulletins. One was to replace the screws that hold the ring gear to the clutch. I don't know if it was done on all sleds or a certain serial number range. Another was in the front suspension spindle area, but I don't remember what it was.

Look at the front track suspension swing frame, it has braces in the shape of a W. They are prone to breakage, especially if the suspension is not set firm enough for the load and it bottoms out. They came out with a stronger one later on. Look for cracks and bends, look for rust in the area of the welds.

They are known for being thirsty with gas and oil. Some had bad oil pumps that caused high consumption that needed to be replaced. There was a service bulletin on that.

The snaps on the seat would come apart. Yamaha has a repair kit.

Overall it is a reliable sled, I have over 10,000 miles on my 500.
 
Well being almost 10 years old now and with 8059KM on the clock. I would think the previous owner would have had these issues and had them fixed. Unless it did not apply to that build. Although quite dusty being stored in the barn with others it looks pretty clean all around. Track looked good with studs. The dealer said he would do a complete service, including the clutchs, gearbox etc.

As for gas consumption. I find that is relative to what it is being compared to. What sort of range or m/gal. We are in Canada so our gal is > than the US Gal.

Appreciate your feedback.
 
my dad just bought a 97 venture 600DX a few weeks ago. almsot 7k on it, but I hear these are bulletproof.

This will be our first yami sled.

did yours come with a manual?

I cant seem to get the passenger handwarmers to turn on. I tried the key switch in both positions, and the switch in back in both as well, but no heat. The drivers ones work great. Is the passenger handwarmer element a durable item, or have they been known to be weak? or did I not actually turn them on? LOL
granted, I have yet to ride the sled yet, but I want to chase this issue down before my GF complains of cold hands.. :)

over thanksgiving we will get the multi meter out and see if any juice is to the switch, but I figured I would ask the experts.
 
My '97 600 Venture has been trouble free since I bought it three years ago. The passanger handwarmer are original to the sled and still work great. Check you wiring connections including the ones under the seat. It will take 5 minutes to pop off.
 
horkn said:
my dad just bought a 97 venture 600DX a few weeks ago. almsot 7k on it, but I hear these are bulletproof.

This will be our first yami sled.

did yours come with a manual?

before my GF complains of cold hands.. :)

.
Click to expand...

No manual that i know of. The dealer we bought it from still has it. First yami here to. LOL im in the nearly exact same situation we will be switching sleds when the GF comes along im preping all aspects got a bag full of hot packs as well. Its her first time ever on a snowmobile and i want her to enjoy it. Got my work cut out for me as she doesn't do to well in the cold.

Thanks for the input guys. Glad to hear it was a realiable sled. We don't put on alot of miles in a season so time spent in the shop fixing problems is a real season destroyer.
 
trailblazer295 said:
No manual that i know of. The dealer we bought it from still has it. First yami here to. LOL im in the nearly exact same situation we will be switching sleds when the GF comes along im preping all aspects got a bag full of hot packs as well. Its her first time ever on a snowmobile and i want her to enjoy it. Got my work cut out for me as she doesn't do to well in the cold.

Thanks for the input guys. Glad to hear it was a realiable sled. We don't put on alot of miles in a season so time spent in the shop fixing problems is a real season destroyer.
Click to expand...


let me know if you get your passenger handwarmers to work.

My Gf loves to ride sleds, but her limit for driving herself is like 3 hours. After that, she would rather just ride along on back. this year I can finally take her to Eagle River, since she can just ride along.

Even when she rides solo, she will be on the Venture. It seems to have a lot easier throttle pull than the 96 xcr600 triple that my dad had before he got the venture. She hated the throttle of the xcr, triple return springs on the non rack style carbs, and the powerband that hit higher in the powerband, unlike all the twins we have.


We too got the yamaha because they are reliable. The guy we got the venture from had another 97 venture 600 that had 12000 miles on it.

This one with 6700 or so is close to half of that, and the compression was really good even with nearly 7k on it. 140 psi each cylinder IIRC.
 
horkn said:
my dad just bought a 97 venture 600DX a few weeks ago. almsot 7k on it, but I hear these are bulletproof.

This will be our first yami sled.

did yours come with a manual?

I cant seem to get the passenger handwarmers to turn on. I tried the key switch in both positions, and the switch in back in both as well, but no heat. The drivers ones work great. Is the passenger handwarmer element a durable item, or have they been known to be weak? or did I not actually turn them on? LOL
granted, I have yet to ride the sled yet, but I want to chase this issue down before my GF complains of cold hands.. :)

over thanksgiving we will get the multi meter out and see if any juice is to the switch, but I figured I would ask the experts.
Click to expand...

Well that is exactly what you need to do. Find either sides connector and see if it is getting power. You can use a 12V light to ground as well if easier. There are those types of testers as well. If nothing then see if you can access the switchs output and verify that the input has 12V as well. I don't have the sled yet so basic electrical testing is required. There may be a fuse for those circuits but again not sure where they may be. I hope this helps you. The chance of the passengers heater being both shot are virtually nill. If you see major cuts etc then maybe be again not both sides. It is like not getting power and a corroded contact is all it takes.

Good luck, heat er up now!!! No cooling around....
 
trailblazer295 said:
Well that is exactly what you need to do. Find either sides connector and see if it is getting power. You can use a 12V light to ground as well if easier. There are those types of testers as well. If nothing then see if you can access the switchs output and verify that the input has 12V as well. I don't have the sled yet so basic electrical testing is required. There may be a fuse for those circuits but again not sure where they may be. I hope this helps you. The chance of the passengers heater being both shot are virtually nill. If you see major cuts etc then maybe be again not both sides. It is like not getting power and a corroded contact is all it takes.

Good luck, heat er up now!!! No cooling around....
Click to expand...

I will let you know what I find. Having never had any of my other sleds handwarmers go out, I figured it was odd that neither passenger grips worked on the 97 venture.

heck , the handwarmers on the 87 indy trail with at least 15k on it still work.

i bet I find a conector unplugged. #$%&*
 
horkn said:
i bet I find a conector unplugged. #$%&*
Click to expand...

And I'll bet you find a broken wire at the resistor. It's located under one of the plastic covers at the back, the one holds the passenger heat switch. 2 or 3 screws and off come the covers. Check there first, simple soldering fix.
 
crewchief47 said:
And I'll bet you find a broken wire at the resistor. It's located under one of the plastic covers at the back, the one holds the passenger heat switch. 2 or 3 screws and off come the covers. Check there first, simple soldering fix.
Click to expand...


thanks for the tip!

hopefully you are right, since that would be a very simple fix.
 
Hi, I found a online PDF manual for the 1998 Venture. How different or in what areas is the 1998 Venture different from the 1997? I have not located a 1997 reference after searching though thread and via the search function as of yet.
I am especially interested in the suspension settings since with two on the sled I may have to firm up the suspension from sagging. Any feedback on this?
 
tripplec said:
Hi, I found a online PDF manual for the 1998 Venture. How different or in what areas is the 1998 Venture different from the 1997? I have not located a 1997 reference after searching though thread and via the search function as of yet.
I am especially interested in the suspension settings since with two on the sled I may have to firm up the suspension from sagging. Any feedback on this?
Click to expand...

I did the same, since my 97 venture 600 did not have the manual.

The differences are minimal from the 97 to the 98. I think the 98 600 has the newer gauge pack, but other than that I do not think there are any real changes.

in 99 they went to the triple, but 98 still had the twin.
 
yeah, besides not printing due to yamaha, I have yet to look at the wiring to see if there is a simple wiring issue for the handwarmers.

Looks like we will be installing a ripsaw 1.25 track that will be studded as well. if it will fit without modding.
 
The grips are in series at the back and front. Once side had an open circuit. There wa s power to the one grip (AC) if you're metering it. NOT DC!! I got a set from the dealer and changing them.
 
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