mileage and performance

S

Specter685

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Aug 22, 2008
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Waterford, MI
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www.dwightrobertsphotography.com
Howdy everyone,
I have a 91 Exciter II that I like a lot, but I'm thinking about letting my wife take it. I am thinking about a Vmax 500 or 600, but I wonder what the gas mileage of these two beasts are compared to my Exciter, and how do they perform in comparison? Any year better than another? I'm looking at spending about $1200. My pal with a Polaris 440 kicked my butt last winter from out of the hole and I don't want that to happen again!
Thanks
 
Ok, first problem I see is that a polaris 440 kicked your butt. That should not have happened. What year/model polaris was it?

Back a few years when I had my 1993 Exciter II, completely stock I raced a Polaris XCR 500 and completely destroyed it, he hung with me off the line for a second, but after that the Exciter just pulled further and further away. But some of the modern 440's are clutched and geared very aggresively, so I imagine if it was one of these "Sno-cross wannabe" 440s I can see that it would beat the Exciter off the line.

As far as the Vmax's go, I have a 1995 Vmax 600 and get about 11-14 mpg depending on the temp and how hard I ride. If you want to stick with the TSS Vmax models I would go with a 1996 XT as they have the Pro-Action Plus rear suspension which is a big upgrade over the standard pro action suspension. I got so sick and tired of the tank like ride my 1995 had that I replaced the stock suspension with an '03 RX1 rear suspension, it was worth every penny.

A good option for some more power would be to find a 1997+ Vmax 700 triple, good gas mileage and lots more power than your Exciter.

Good luck with your search.
 
Thanks for all the input!
My Exciter probably isn't too far off for mileage than your 600. My pal's 440 is a 95 and the paddles on his track are longer than mine as well. He got me out of the hole, but I gained on him, and across a lake, I'd go by him. I would LOVE to get a 700 but it's out of my budget right now. I don't race a whole lot, but ride more on trails. If I'm to let my wife take the Exciter, whatever I get has to be an upgrade for me . . . nice guy, huh? She doesn't ride nearly as much as I do. I've been looking for a 96-98 on craigslist, but the triples are going for 2+, and that's too much for a toy. $1200 is what I've alloted myself, but if I came across a sweeeeeet deal, I'd figure out how to "rationalize" the extra money.
Thanks Again,
Dwight
www.DwightRobertsPhotography.com
:letitsnow
 
Dwight,
Overall the mileage should be similar between your Exciter and a Vmax 500 or 600 like mine. The '94-'96 Vmax's have a 10 gallon tank vs. the 8 gallons the Exciter has. Some people report that they only achieve 8-10mpg with the Vmax's, however, it's my belief they need to tune their carbs.

What I would suggest for you is a 1996 Vmax 600 XT, it will be a nice upgrade from the Exciter and you should be able to find one within your budget.

Only problem with buying a sled that is 12 years old is that usually it has passed hands 3, 4 or more times and you just never know what has been done to the sled as far as clutching or jetting, which are cruicial for performance and gas mileage. So when you do pick up a new sled just go through it to check everything on the sled ride it and see how the performance and mileage is, if the mileage is poor or perfomance not great you'll probably want to set everything back to stock as a starting point and then adjust from there to your own personal liking.
 
I've been on craigslist a lot but nothing's turning up, but it's still early.
It sounds like you got a great deal. I got my Exciter last year for $750 with only 1600 miles with a cover and owners manual. I think I'm going to get it tuned up and lubed this next week. I don't know where the grease fittings are and the track should be checked for adjustment. I'm putting plastic skis on it for the wife as a carbide was ripped off the runner late last winter. If it turns better, I know she'll be more apt to go sledding with me.

I doubt the mileage will be much worse than my exciter if I go with a 600 or a 500 Vmax. The biggest question is how much better will it perform than my Exciter. At any rate, think SNOW!!!!!



:die:
 
Stock for stock the performance between a 600 Vmax and an Exciter is similar. I would give a slight edge to the Vmax simply because it has more horsepower.

Personally, I have GYT twin pipes on my 600 Vmax and have done the recommended clutching work to go with the pipes and for a 600cc sled that is 13 years old, it rips... The '93 Exciter I used to have would not have stood a chance against it.

Here's a couple pics, one of the engine bay of my 600 and my 600 along with my 800.
 

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Exciter570 said:
Stock for stock the performance between a 600 Vmax and an Exciter is similar. I would give a slight edge to the Vmax simply because it has more horsepower.

Personally, I have GYT twin pipes on my 600 Vmax and have done the recommended clutching work to go with the pipes and for a 600cc sled that is 13 years old, it rips... The '93 Exciter I used to have would not have stood a chance against it.

Here's a couple pics, one of the engine bay of my 600 and my 600 along with my 800.
Click to expand...



I just did the same thing to my 95' 600. I bought the GYT pipes, jets, nozzles, and a custom Hauck #4 clutch kit. I just can't wait to try it out. Also have an 87' Exciter and I wouldn't part from it forever. Like you said, I would say the VMAX is faster stock. I would give the edge on gas mileage to the EX570 though.
 
Exciter570 said:
Ok, first problem I see is that a polaris 440 kicked your butt. That should not have happened. What year/model polaris was it?

Back a few years when I had my 1993 Exciter II, completely stock I raced a Polaris XCR 500 and completely destroyed it, he hung with me off the line for a second, but after that the Exciter just pulled further and further away. But some of the modern 440's are clutched and geared very aggresively, so I imagine if it was one of these "Sno-cross wannabe" 440s I can see that it would beat the Exciter off the line.

As far as the Vmax's go, I have a 1995 Vmax 600 and get about 11-14 mpg depending on the temp and how hard I ride. If you want to stick with the TSS Vmax models I would go with a 1996 XT as they have the Pro-Action Plus rear suspension which is a big upgrade over the standard pro action suspension. I got so sick and tired of the tank like ride my 1995 had that I replaced the stock suspension with an '03 RX1 rear suspension, it was worth every penny.

A good option for some more power would be to find a 1997+ Vmax 700 triple, good gas mileage and lots more power than your Exciter.

Good luck with your search.
Click to expand...

There is/was no XCR500 ever made. They made 440 twins and 600 xlt based triple XCR's. Later there were triple piped 600 (700 and 800 )XCR's but that was really a renamed smaller xcr 800 triple triple. Those triple triple sleds were really lake racers and did not keep the XCR ditch banging roots of the original XCR's. The xcr440's were pretty agressively set up as they were factory snowcross sleds. Out of the hole they were pretty darn fast due to how they were geared and clutched. The XCR600, was more of a consumer sled. We had a 96 xcr600 until last year.

Specter notes that the xcr440 was a 95, so it was the sno-x model, designed to haul out of the hole.

My smart carb equipped 97 600 twin Venture gets 9 maybe 10mpg at best. The smart carb automatically adjusts so it has the right mixture. These 500-600 yamaha twins are just thirsty, that is all.

One thing I can say about the 97+ vmax trailing arm sleds is that they handle very well. I have ridden a TSS phazer, and I was not all that impressed on its handling.
 
horkn said:
There is/was no XCR500 ever made. They made 440 twins and 600 xlt based triple XCR's. Later there were triple piped 600 (700 and 800 )XCR's but that was really a renamed smaller xcr 800 triple triple. Those triple triple sleds were really lake racers and did not keep the XCR ditch banging roots of the original XCR's. The xcr440's were pretty agressively set up as they were factory snowcross sleds. Out of the hole they were pretty darn fast due to how they were geared and clutched. The XCR600, was more of a consumer sled. We had a 96 xcr600 until last year.

Specter notes that the xcr440 was a 95, so it was the sno-x model, designed to haul out of the hole.

My smart carb equipped 97 600 twin Venture gets 9 maybe 10mpg at best. The smart carb automatically adjusts so it has the right mixture. These 500-600 yamaha twins are just thirsty, that is all.

One thing I can say about the 97+ vmax trailing arm sleds is that they handle very well. I have ridden a TSS phazer, and I was not all that impressed on its handling.
Click to expand...

Musta been a 440 then, it was a loooong time ago...

The smart carbs were a wasted effort and I recall many people having problems with the smart carb which is why they were discontinued after a short production run..

The 500-600 twins are thirsty if left untouched and untuned. They were jetted extremely rich from the factory. If jets and jet needle settings are adjusted you can easily see 10+mpg with these sleds. As I stated before, I see at minimum 11mpg with my 600 twin and maximum of 14mpg.

No one is talking about the TSS phazer... which was a very tippy sled due to it's narrow ski stance and light weight.
 
Exciter570 said:
Musta been a 440 then, it was a loooong time ago...

The smart carbs were a wasted effort and I recall many people having problems with the smart carb which is why they were discontinued after a short production run..

The 500-600 twins are thirsty if left untouched and untuned. They were jetted extremely rich from the factory. If jets and jet needle settings are adjusted you can easily see 10+mpg with these sleds. As I stated before, I see at minimum 11mpg with my 600 twin and maximum of 14mpg.

No one is talking about the TSS phazer... which was a very tippy sled due to it's narrow ski stance and light weight.
Click to expand...


After 11 years the smart carbs work just fine on our venture. I think they quit making them simply because of added costs. Plus when they switched to the 3 cylinder 600's that would cost even more and require more fiddling to get the smart carbs on that motor.

I have no doubt that some tuning and rejetting could get more MPG out of it.

The phazer was on the same chassis as the exciter. Although the LC 570 did add some weight its handling was pretty much the same.
 
Well Gang,
I did a complete change of sled choice. My wife and I discussed what was out there and how many miles were on the machines in my intended price range. It didn't matter the make or model, there wasn't much in the range I had set. We decided to up the ante for a sled by a few hundred and I found a 98 Vmax 700 triple XTC. It has 1358 miles on it and comes with the heated face shield. I have to say so far, I am one happy man; one for my understanding wife and the other due to my new sled! Thanks for all of your input,
Dwight
:jump:
 
Yeah, I've been showing it off to my pals. I'm getting some plastic skis for the Exciter as it's going to be ridden by my wife. That should make it a lot better for her. Ma Nature has been taunting me with the snow flurries we've been getting. I'm hoping to get some snow for the last week of deer season, but then again, I might forgo the season if it did . . . NOT!
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.



:letitsnow
 
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