I have an opportunity to pick this sled up for about $900 from a friend. It has just over 6,000 miles on it with Ohlins up front. Is there anything to look out for on these sleds? I don't know a thing about yammies other than they are pretty reliable.
Not a bad sled. The 97 twin had a piston issue, but with 6000 miles I'd guess that it was already addressed. Short travel suspension, not as good of milage as the tripple, but all in all it's not a bad ride. If it was really clean that's not a bad price. Might want to throw a compression gauge on it, check the skid for cracks, and see if they know if/when the rings/pistons were done.
horkn
New member
My 97 venture 600 is pretty much the same sled, minus the suspenison and track length.
With 6k on the sx youa re looking at, I can pretty much guarantee the piston issues have been fixed.
Ours (smart carbs) gets like 9mpg, maybe 10. Ours has over 6k on it too. We bought it last Fall. One other thing to watch out for on 97 600 twins is the oil pump. Ours practically dumps oil in. It needs to be replaced, and I bet the mpg will go up when there is not so much oil in the mix. Apparently our local dealer is going to replace the pump for free. I will be shocked if they do because it is like 12 yrs old. But apparently Yamaha knew of the oil pump issue and recalled many back in the day. If you look up in the yamaha microfiche you will see the old part has been superseded with a new pump #. This new pump was on all 98+ 600 twins.
If it is clean, and runs good, that is a good price.
Watch out for sagging shocks. If they need to be rebuilt, that will cost between 1/3rd to 1/2 of what the guy is aking for the sled.
With 6k on the sx youa re looking at, I can pretty much guarantee the piston issues have been fixed.
Ours (smart carbs) gets like 9mpg, maybe 10. Ours has over 6k on it too. We bought it last Fall. One other thing to watch out for on 97 600 twins is the oil pump. Ours practically dumps oil in. It needs to be replaced, and I bet the mpg will go up when there is not so much oil in the mix. Apparently our local dealer is going to replace the pump for free. I will be shocked if they do because it is like 12 yrs old. But apparently Yamaha knew of the oil pump issue and recalled many back in the day. If you look up in the yamaha microfiche you will see the old part has been superseded with a new pump #. This new pump was on all 98+ 600 twins.
If it is clean, and runs good, that is a good price.
Watch out for sagging shocks. If they need to be rebuilt, that will cost between 1/3rd to 1/2 of what the guy is aking for the sled.
JohnnyQuest
Member
Good sled overall once the piston issue was resolved. Hard on fuel, but reliable!
EX20
New member
What's the piston issue with these motors?
97's had an issue with the ring locating pin falling out. This allowed the ring to spin, snag the port, and cause all sorts of nasty stuff to happen. They fixed it for 98. I don't know if there was a recall or not, but Yamaha fixed a lot of 97 600 twins under warrenty.
EX20
New member
Just called a dealer. They said that it was not a recall, but there was a technical bulletin on it. He also said that they saw a very small number of sleds come in with the problem. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
horkn
New member
The dealer may not want to call it a recall, (especially if you called in and told him you own a 97 600 twin
) but all the ones that came in with serious engine issues while under warranty were fixed at no cost to the owner. That is basically a recall because it was explained why this happened. Yamaha just waited until owners came to them instead of contacting the owners even if there was no apparent problem on that machine.
FWIW, I found out mine was repaired under the TSB. Any yamaha dealer should be able to look up what has been done to a particular sled if you bring the VIN in.
Also, it seems yamaha is much better at honoring TSB's and recall's / warranty work than other brands.
) but all the ones that came in with serious engine issues while under warranty were fixed at no cost to the owner. That is basically a recall because it was explained why this happened. Yamaha just waited until owners came to them instead of contacting the owners even if there was no apparent problem on that machine.FWIW, I found out mine was repaired under the TSB. Any yamaha dealer should be able to look up what has been done to a particular sled if you bring the VIN in.
Also, it seems yamaha is much better at honoring TSB's and recall's / warranty work than other brands.
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Sounds like other than the ring issue these are pretty decent sleds. This would be a second sled for me so that the wife can ride. Also, are they sleeved cylinders or nicasil lined?
they are nicasil
horkn
New member
snobum said:
Yes, they are a good sled. The oil pumps were also a sore spot on the 97 600 twins. There is a TSB out on that as well. When the pumps go, they throw a lot more oil in than they should. The part number was changed for 98.