1991 Phazer Rear shock....

Z

Zack1978

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Dec 12, 2005
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Hi everyone,
I am planning to retire my 1991 Phazer in the near future, but it will not be this season. The sled is currently in perfect shape, but it is old suspension technology and my girlfriend is in pain after a day of riding. The sled has almost 4,000 miles on it, and I am sure the rear shock is done. In order to make the ride a bit more tolerable for her I want to replace the shock.
How labor intensive is it to replace the shock? Any idea on the steps to replacing the shock? Where should I look for a shock? I found these shocks on Dennis Kirk's website (https://www.denniskirk.com/brakes-and-suspension/1991-yamaha-phazer-ii.mmy/20.ipp/1.pg) but I am not sure which shock is for the rear? Is it the $97.99 or the $81.99 shock?
Any other recommendations as to where I can get the shock? The OEM shock is almost $170.00, there is no way I will spend that much on a shock.

Thanks,
Zack
 
Also do you think this will make a dramatic improvement in the ride quality?


Thanks,
Zack
 
The answer to your question is maybe. A new shock will be stiffer and maybe not bottom as easy. I would asume the issue your having now would be too stiff or bottoming too much??? I have always thought yami's of that era felt more ''cushy'' than polaris or cats of the same vintage. I guess I need to know which direction you want to go. Harder or softer??
 
mt 91 has the original oil shock in it with 3700 miles ........not saying that your shock is not bad .......but a new set of rear springs will help more if the shock is in good shape
 
Yamaha Nutz said:
mt 91 has the original oil shock in it with 3700 miles ........not saying that your shock is not bad .......but a new set of rear springs will help more if the shock is in good shape
Click to expand...


Oh ok....are there aftermarket springs available? To be honest it has been a while since I looked under the sled. For the past two years the sleds are stored at a snowmobile shop who does all maintenance on it...nowadays I just ride it. Are they hard to change? I guess it can't hurt to change the shock as well since it is rather cheap.

Thanks,
Zack
 
Yes there are aftermarket springs available, however I do not know how they differ from OEM. New springs will stiffen the ride a bit. Is that what you want?? I know RPC made heavier springs back in the day and there may be some nos laying around somewhere. I guess the answer Im looking for is the ride too stiff or is your ride too soft causing the rear to bottom out??
 
Throttle Junkie35 said:
Yes there are aftermarket springs available, however I do not know how they differ from OEM. New springs will stiffen the ride a bit. Is that what you want?? I know RPC made heavier springs back in the day and there may be some nos laying around somewhere. I guess the answer Im looking for is the ride too stiff or is your ride too soft causing the rear to bottom out??
Click to expand...

I believe the ride is too stiff, almost as if it does not have any dampening. My girlfriend rides it so I am not 100% sure. I know that the rear end seems lazy when you push down on the rear...it does not seem to rebound very quickly.
My goal is to make the Phazer as comfortable as possible for her. We are not speed racers, so comfort is the name of the game.

Thank you,
Zack
 
Throttle Junkie35 said:
The answer to your question is maybe. A new shock will be stiffer and maybe not bottom as easy. I would asume the issue your having now would be too stiff or bottoming too much??? I have always thought yami's of that era felt more ''cushy'' than polaris or cats of the same vintage. I guess I need to know which direction you want to go. Harder or softer??
Click to expand...


I guess softer.....

Zack
 
Ok, as yamaha nuts said new springs would help a bit. Also check the condition of the rest of the skid. Check the shocks for leaks or rust and pitting on the dampening rods. Check that all moving parts are moving freely and the cross shafts are free. Two that are used to bolt the skid to the chassis, one on the lower of the front arm and two small ones on the rear scissors. Lube every thing as long as your in there.
Also for a softer ride you can adjust the position of the rear arm on the aluminum rails. There are two or three holes in the rail where the rear arm bolts to. For the softest ride, move to the holes farthest forward. This is easy to do with the skid still in the sled.
I would asume you are aware of the spring adjuster blocks as well.
I had a similar issue a few years ago where the skid felt ''lazy'' on the rebound. Turned out the lower small shaft on the rear arm must have been worn or damaged a little causing it to bind. Good luck and hope the expirence hasnt turned your g/f off to sled'n!!
 
You should not need rear springs. That would only be needed if they are cranked up to the highest setting and are still too soft - something I have never seen. They are probably set too stiff. Do you know about the adjustment? Set the adjuster blocks with the spark plug wrench from the tool kit. Turn them and you will see how it makes the springs tighter.

The adjusters should be set so the skid bottoms out on the biggest bumps. I am 200 pounds and normally set the springs in the second position. If your girlfriend is light set the adjusters to the lowest position. Set the front springs to the softest setting and the front limiter strap to the second tightest position.

If the rear does not rebound quickly, that is a good thing. That is what the shock does and means it is working. If it is working well in that direction, it is probably working in the other direction.
 
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