brand new rider -- help with idler wheel questions

06raptorgirl

06raptorgirl

New member
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
27
Age
39
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
hey, everyone!!

first off, sorry for any stupid questions. i don't know any of the proper snowmobile lingo lol. i'm into quads and bought my first sled in october. i know all about quads and ride a modded out raptor 700, but i'm totally lost with sleds. now i know what it feels like when newbies come over to the quad sites looking for help!

i bought a '97 vmax 700 sx with 3,000 miles on it. absolutely beautiful sled that a guy's wife rode. couldn't have bought it from a better/more knowledable owner (had 7 snowmobiles in his shop) and this thing is cleeean since he scrubbed it down in his auto body shop after riding. all stock except for yamaha plastic skis and some custom paint and such.

right now, it's sitting in the garage on dollies. when i pull the track down a tad to try and spin the front idler wheels, they don't spin nearly as free as the wheels directly behind them. the wheels directly behind, you can flick them and they'll spin fast like pinwheels. the front wheel on the right side is particularly tough. it will move, but i have to use two hands. i just thought it was weird because all of the wheels/rubber look and feel perfect. i am guessing i need a bearing, especially for the right side? i looked at a few OEM part fiches, but i didn't want to order something totally wrong. thanks for any help and additional info you can school me on!
 
You can remove the small boggie wheels and replace the brg without removing the skid. The brg is a sealed brg, but they usually don't come with much grease. I always open up one side of the seal and repack with a synthectic grease. If you ride much this is something to check every season. Al
 
Let me know if you need bearings, I get them cheap and they are as good if not better than stock Yamaha ones.

And welcome!
 
wow coles thanks for the offer! i bought two bearings online today for the ones I know need replaced, but figured once the boyfriend replaces those we'll check the others better (even though they seem good), and then I might order more. is it okay to PM you sometime later, if needed?
 
Enjoy the sled. I've got one with over 8000 miles on it. I have since moved on to a Viper and then an Apex. My son prefers the 97 to my 02 Viper. Sneaky fast and a blast to ride.
 
:wel: Welcome to TY! the guys here will help you get your sled tuned up in no time, careful though, they pass the mod bug around just as fast as they do over on MR!

-Dusty (DustyRaptor)
 
the viper sleds look great too! the guy i bought mine off of was selling three of his sleds since the family bought new ones, and the viper was one of the ones for sale. i actually almost bought that, but it was a good bit more money than the v-max and with this being my first sled i decided to go with a cheaper buy.

i've read great things about the v-max. i figured the suspension will hold me back some since it's not up-to-date, but whatever i'll deal with it!


heyy dustyraptor!! very cool you're on here too. these seem like great forums ;)!
 
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The idlers that spin really easy need the bearings replaced as well. When you get your new bearings installed, you will see how good bearings feel.
 
great point then, dwarf. thanks!

i guess my next question would be --- where can i order bearings in bulk? can anyone post a link with bulk bearings that will work for my sled specifically? i do a ton of google research, and someone else on a sled site posted a link for bearings. i'm looking for something like this link below. 10 bearings total with free shipping. now, maybe none of those will work for my yamaha, but i'd like a site similar if any of you guys know one!!

http://www.usabearingsandbelts.com/18m7/snowmobile-bearings.html
 
Good deal on those, thats what I usually sell mine for about is around 2 bucks ea. If you look at the Yamaha parts breakdown it actually has the numbers in the Yamaha part number....

Just have to look for 6205 or 6204, etc, in the part number.
 
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