New to the club, mountain max 700 looking for a little more kick

Backwoods M Max

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
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New England
Hey everyone, I just bought my first yamaha sled, 2002 mountain max 700. The sled has 5300 miles on it, is good and strong and I got it below kbb so I have some extra cash to throw at it. It seems like everyone likes vforce reeds, but has anyone tried them against boysen rage cage reeds? I'm also looking at an mbrp can unless there is something else that is unanimously better? The track is still stock and I'll probably ride it for a year or 2 then replace it, I will be getting some powder pro's for it. The mbrp can says "no major jetting or clutching requires". Does that mean you just have to move the clip on the jet needle, or actually change jet sizes. I ride is a state park, which is all open fields and fire roads of untracked back country powder.
 
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probably better off to drill the stock can as per the tec pages as some states/provinces are ticketing exhaust mods that are obvious. if you can, pipes are the best mod on a redhead tripple.
 
I'd skip the can and reeds....Notch the stock reed stoppers, get a set of pipes (Bender, Power Inc, Simons CPR, Hauck, SLP, etc....) Depending on what you're doing with the sled would determine what you could do with the suspension, the Yamaha skid pretty much sucks for any kind of real climbing, but for boondocking it's not too bad other than being heavy. If you were going on the cheap, just make a transfer kit, or buy one from Mountain Performance, or if you really wanted to make the sled better overall, you could swap the skid out for a Polaris or Cat skid.
 
Heelclikers and a helix that fits the set up and hauck headgaskets. Noticeable stronger than a stock mm.
 
With vforce reeds and a mbrp can I should get an "advertised" 10-12 hp gain out of it. I'm not looking to go crazy, just a little bit more than stock. What do you all do with the gas during trailering? The manual says to have the gas level in the tank lower than the carbs during trailering. Did anyone install a gas shut off valve or just not worry about it? I have about a 45 minute ride to my trails
 
if youre buying can for sound loud an abnoxious then thats what you will get they actualy hurt performance more then they help a good clutch set up reed notch an reed spacer an head gasket mod i felt a good difference an i drilled my can becuase th erumble pack i had made my neighbors despise me but to each his own an i had alot harder of a time gettin away from the cops with the can not so much with the drilled one then i got the bender triples an never looked back awsome pipes
 
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I'm going with the mbrp trail can it's just a bit louder than stock, I'm more looking for the 12lb weight reduction. What is this reed notch mod? Is it cutting the cage somehow to let the petals open more?

Opinions on handlebar risers. I was thinking 1" cause I'm short, but can the harness take 2"? Does the gap in the bar pad look funny with a 2" block?
 
Honestly you're wasting money with the can and reeds. the best bang for your buck is a set of pipes, and no you do not sacrifice reliability. A set of good used pipes range from 250-300$. for 25hp, you cannot beat it. But I guess to each his own...
 
The can is definitely a waste, the reed notch mod is in the tech pages, and they will work just as good as any aftermarket ones out there. You can probably pick up a set of pipes for not much more, if any than you'll be paying for that can, but the pipes will really wake that 700 up. A 2" bar riser looks fine in the MM.
 
listen to these guys. stick with the stock exhaust and reeds do the notch mod, bored silencer mod you will thank yourself if you are bent on spending money go with a set of Carbontech reed petals on the stock cages. also if i were you i would replace the clutch springs. i imagine by now they have taken a set and you are loosing performance.
 
I have this exact sled almost same km too and seriously The v-force reeds and a can are a waste of cash. If you are looking to unlock the beast do the following.....

get rid of the yamaha ski's I use BRP Pilot's(effective and affordable), keeps the sled afloat
don't waste cash on a garbage can, tripe pipe that sucker ( i use SLPs)
powermadd 3.5inch block riser ( run your throttle through the air box )
depending on what your riding you can extend the track to a 159"
(this is the only mod I haven't done yet im still on the stock 141")
if you got extra cash swap the secondary for a roller clutch

you bought a good sled, follow the forums and advice from members make the proper mods and you will have a really great effective sled.

I had my MM700 stock all last season, and made all my mods this season, and Im really Immpressed with the Gain I got for my dollar.
 
bang for the buck

Everyone is right on target. pipes first 17-25% hp gain. Needs to be rejetted, and clutched (tech pages). next re-geared drop to a 19-42 ratio for climbing and boondocking. Yamaha comes overgeared from the factory drop it and it handles alot better. you loose top end speed, but in the hills where you gonna go? drill the airbox (ty-tech pages). power done. next handling. align the skis, buy new skis (stock suck). Apex mountain skis actually fit. About $128 apiece new look for used. check out the tech section and spend the time to set the settings on your skid better. no one takes the time, and it is a big difference. raise the bars. 2 inch for now. plan on higher later. A six inch rise requires brakeline,throttle,oil cables all to be extended. 6 inches is where you want to be for stand-up riding. last drop the weight. cut out the swaybar. remove all bogie wheels, and get or make an mpi transfer enhancement kit. this should cost about $700 us if you look around for used. It will make the most cost effective and biggest difference in your machine. after that the sky is the limit you can spend every last penny you have lol. lastly for gods sake buy the clymer mountain max manual and read it. if you want to have a fun machine, you need to maintain it. lots of minor things to check, that can save you alot of money. :2strokes:
 
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Cool, Thanks for the advice guys. Where can i get new gears for the chain case? I saw big gears on dennis kirk but not the little gears. I have gotten to ride my new sled twice this season, the second time was in 10" of heavy powder over hard pack, not really enough to carve with it. I'm really looking forward to next season with it, waiting for the snow to fall. I am going to get some powder pro's for it, probably next fall when it starts getting cold again.
 
Also, do i need to worry about having the gas level in the tank lower than carbs when its in my truck like the manual says? I noticed theirs no shut off valve in the fuel line
 
Backwoods M Max said:
Also, do i need to worry about having the gas level in the tank lower than carbs when its in my truck like the manual says? I noticed theirs no shut off valve in the fuel line

i never even heard of this? ive never worried about that when trailering sleds for 6+hours.... i wouldnt worry at all.... just junk they stick in the manual IMO....

just like "do not operate engine without Vbelt guard in place" BAHHH useless info... i enjoy losing fingers and/or objects of clothing.... ;)! (EDIT: that was pure sarcasm....LOL)
 
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owned over 15 sleds an 20 plus dirtbikes quads never read a manual yet lol had clutches motors an anything they could explode only thing that ever realy had me scared was a primary explosion that had me tuck an roll an tear down clothing to make sure i wasnt hit an jus in shock an awww i inspect belt an clutch before every ride an i suggest to anyone who doesnt know how dangerous they are off topic but what the hell im bored an cant find enough to talk about
 
gears

hartman yamaha has gears. You may have to change the chain if you change the ratio to much. hartman would know he is good with these machines. hell tell you where to be. my guess 19-42 ratio. :letitsnow :letitsnow
 
With the 8 tooth drivers that should have been stock in this sled in 2002 19/42 is going to be pretty low for forest roads and open meadows in a state park in New England. I have run either 21-22-23/42 for years here in MN with similar riding. That puts it in the area of a 2-1 ratio that works pretty well. If you are a dedicated hill climber at 10000' then 19/42 with 8's would be the ticket.

If you interested I have set of either 22 or 23 (Have to look)/42 gears and the correct chain I'd sell you. Its the 13 wide non hyvo stuff. Let me know if your interested.
 
you are right

didn't mean to mislead. I didn't check where you were from.(elevation). ryan b is correct. I don't know what gearing should be for your altitude. ;)!
 
I'll have to see how I do the first time out next winter. The park I'm at basically at sea level, and there are some small hills but nothing I would consider mountain climbing with it. It's all fields of powder to surf, and most of the time I'm the only one to touch it so it's a great playground for me.
 


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