who knows what the color swatches are for on the radius rods? i found out. apparently i am running a strong 50% just by dumb luck.
no takers? i have been working on these trailing arm yamaha sleds since their induction in 97 and apparently unknowingly sent a few out the door with the rods placed improperly. obviously there have been no ill effects as alignments were performed after the install of new or different rods. come to find out the rods are color coded per side, right and left, as the degree of bend is slightly different per side. dont know if that makes a whole lot of difference, but i was surprised to find out this little tidbit. who knew?
snowdad4 said:
Hmmm... I didn't notice any markings on either the original rods or the replacements I bought when Viperizing my SRX. Where are they marked?
Kinda odd they'd have a different bend side to side. Sounds similar to indexing a brand new tire and wheel (the green tire sticker on brand new vehicles)?
the color code is just a paint stripe located on the threaded end. my srx had a blue stripe for the left and a yellow for the right. the mtn viper parts i replaced them with had a white stripe for the right and a green for the left. i paid no attention to the coloring during the install, but with parts laying around the stripe kept grabbing my attention. i did some research and in the shop manuals it shows color coding per side, as well as the degree of angle, which is different per side. checked some of the ones replaced previously and by dumb luck, all but the srx were installed properly. must be why there are different part numbers for the left and right sides. i am curious as to any ill effects because the srx doesnt like to turn left as well as it turns right, unless its just the nature of the beast.
That indicates left and right. It is in the manuals somewhere.
Ding said:
Yeah, I found it in my '01 manual but couldn't find it in the susp. tuning suppliment and as snowdad4 says the rod end angle is different side to side.
I've never noticed a difference in turning radius left or right on my '01 but will have to look at my rod ends come the fall.
Thanks snowdad4.
It would affect your suspension travel, and alignment which can affect bump steer and turning balance, not so much turning travel. It likely binds a bit if installed on the wrong side. I've never tried them on the wrong side, so can't say for sure.
I would do a full alignment check (all directions and all travel). The easiest way would be to pull the shocks and dogbones on the sway bar. Then the arms can be freely moved through the full range of motion. You may find a problem even before measuring.
I would do a full alignment check (all directions and all travel). The easiest way would be to pull the shocks and dogbones on the sway bar. Then the arms can be freely moved through the full range of motion. You may find a problem even before measuring.
Ding said:
I'm guessing they are on correctly as I did as you discribe (checking susp. travel sans the shocks and sway bar) when I Viperized it but will double check this fall.
bufalobob
Member
went thru the parts fiche for different years & the parts numbers in the same year for left & right radius rods are the same. the yamaha shop manuasl do show a different set angle for each side... however, after referencing numerous yamaha manuals in the past there are errors from time to time. since the part numbers are the same there is no difference between left & right!!
bob
bob
you sir are correct as to the same pt #'s on the microfishe, but i think it has just come to that in recent years. i agree as to occasional incorect info in the manuals. i do in fact have a few sets of rods with the paint code on them, most recent about 2 years back. i am going out on a limb and theorize that since the induction of the full line of 4 strokes, and to reduce parts inventory on the passing 2 strokes, and the fact that most consumers and dealers didnt know the difference anyway, the parts were no longer singled out for handing. imagine the money saved there by corporate. just a theory.
snowdad4 said:
I guess that begs the question; has anyone found any binding when installing them incorrectly?
Or perhaps the info in the manual was carry over and maybe the early model pro-action was different but the info in the manual stayed the same when they made both sides the same. IIRC, there was a substantial difference in angles as called out in the manual from left to right which, I would think, make for some binding if installed on the wrong side.
Also, since the rod lengths are roughly the same and mounted in the chassis on the same plane, does the difference in angles account for different lengths of trailing arms left to right? This would suggest a different "wheelbase" left to right with one ski forward of the other.
This would make setting camber and toe with a dowl rod impossible.
I think I liked it better when I was blissfully unaware and now I just have to know. Added to the pre-season check list...
what got me started on this whole thing was the inability to make my sled turn left in given situations. there is/was no suspension binding that i could find, so you dont have to worry there. the ski turning angle seems to be equal from side to side. my problem is that in tight turn point and shoot situations, with the bars cranked left, the sled wants to go straight. works fine to the right, and works fine on the trail. i have deduced it down to a steering geometry issue on my sled, or its just my sled, or perhaps rider. my front end is far from stock on the srx. i used components from the mtn sleds(viper and mm) to raise and narrow the front. next to install is a viper bell crank and steering link. i have also tried different skis to no avail. any front end experts that want to offer advice, please do. i am quickly running out of ideas.
bufalobob
Member
i'm going to guess that the paint swatches are simply a reference for shop techs when doing assembly/disassembly. i took 11 assorted radius rods ( srx & sxr ) & laid them out on a flat surface to compare angles...all the same.
bob
bob
snowdad4 said:
Please don't take this wrong way, but because the loud lever is on the right side of the bar and the brake is on the left, I typically exit tight left hand turns a little faster than tight right hand turns and enter tight right hand turns faster than tight left hand turns if that makes any sense. At least that's my perception.
Point being is that perhaps you are taking left handed turns a bit faster than right hand turns and you don't notice it and that's what's causing it to push. Sounds like you've done all you can to eliminate the sled as the cause. I may be all wet but since you did mention yourself, I figured I'd bring it up.
bufalobob said:
Im with Bob here. I have replaced mine a couple times now from hitting hidden rocks/ stumps in the last few years on the Mnt Viper, and while ordering the rods from the fiche they are the same parts now, regardless of which side.
Maybe this is a new thing from within the last few years.
Mike
mntvipermn said:
Is it possible that one of the doglegs for the stabilizer bar is upside down?
You can recognize this when the stabilizer is above the T-arm instead of below.
The other thing might be condition of skis and carbides. Did one of the skis get worn more than the other?
You can recognize this when the stabilizer is above the T-arm instead of below.
The other thing might be condition of skis and carbides. Did one of the skis get worn more than the other?