94 two up suspension question

J

JohnT

New member
Joined
Aug 23, 2013
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Age
66
Location
NY
I haven't had a sled (what us northern NY rednecks call our snowmobiles) in almost 10 years. Paying the daughters student loan means no real money for a sled, so I got an older sled to get back on the snow.
I picked up the 94 600 2 up at the end of last winter. It runs well, needs some rear suspension work and a secondary clutch. The secondary is worn due to it being run with junk pucks.
So I found and bought a parts sled advertised as a 1996 VMax 2 up but it is not "pogo" front suspension so I think it is actually a 97. (no registration just a bill of sale) The parts sled is just that. It had been tossed into a dumpster, literally, and pulled out with a fork lift and straps. The tunnel is NOT pretty, but the sled is complete minus clutch side cylinder and piston. So my clutch replacement is taken care of.
I am hoping I can use the longer travel rear skid under the 94. I haven't measured but the tunnel seems a bit narrower? Also, the longer travel skid will need what length track? Are there any pains in my,,,neck that I will run into trying this change?
Would I need to raise the front to match up ride height?
 
tunnel is wider on the 94 than the assumed 97. whats the first three letters for the vin # on the parts sled?

hopefully you have the donor tunnel still at hand as the skid mounting dimensions need to be duplicated into other sled.

spacers need to be made to make up the difference on the tunnel widths. several options there, i have actually found correct sized spacers at the hardware store.

both skids should use the 121" tracks, unless someone changed them at some point. just run a tape measure down the rails and compare lengths.

besides making up the difference for tunnel widths, everything else should be straight forward if you have the tunnel. you may find the added travel can make for a heavy front, but tuning the skid to accommodate should help even it out. not much you can do to raise the front up on your sled.

end result would basically be a 96 xt version of your sled. cant recall if that model had taller tss or just used a different dampener inside. i know they didnt seem any taller in the front but its been awhile.
 
staggs65 said:
welcome to the site, I'm moving your thread to the proper forum so you can hopefully get some help faster.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll get the hang of navigating the site, someday. ;)!
I do have the complete parts sled chassis so my measurements will be easy. I just wanted to get an idea of whether I should try it before I invest time and money in the project.
I can't believe that it was tossed into a dumpster. (which is why I got it so cheap) The tunnel got mangled, either on it way in (forklift) or on it's way out. (forklift and straps)
 
In addition to what is noted above, below are further comments/observations:

Secondary clutch - 94 vmax are different design than 95/96, which are also slightly different than 97-up. I don't know all the differences, but 94 uses a two piece jackshaft and 95 and later vmax uses one piece. Some people have swapped out 95/96 secondary clutches along with the jackshaft onto 94's, you just can't change one of the parts without the other. 97-up clutches look similar to 95/96, but there are differences (I believe in the hub) that make them non interchangable. Your easiest and typically cheapest route is to replace your 94 clutch with another good 94, unless of course someone has already swapped it out to the 95/96 setup. The 94's should be easy to find, Yamaha made a bunch of these sleds.

Rear suspension - 97 and newer suspensions are a big improvement over the 94, and it would be worth the swap. Another option is to find a rear suspension out of a 96 500XT or 600XT, these have the longer travel rear suspension that is the same design as the 97-up versions, and they are the correct width for the 94 tunnel. A small drawback is the 96 XT suspension is 10.5" travel compared with 97-up at 11.5", but either are a big improvement compared to the 94.

Track length - Typically, modern 2up sleds come with a bit longer track (136") than the normal 1up sleds (121"). With your sleds being about 15-20 years old, the older one may be 121" and the newer one may be 136", or not, especially is someone has changed anything over the years. Do either sled have a tunnel extension off the back, thus making the tunnel about 8" or so longer? The extension would be riveted in place and would be the same shape/color as the main tunnel, it just makes the seat mounting area and the footrest area longer. If one or both sleds have the extension, it likely indicates a longer track such as 136". Another way to tell track length is to count the number of lug rows around the perimeter of the track, or count the little openings (windows) around the perimeter (don't count both sides, just one side). If you have 48 windows or lug rows, then the track is 121", if you have 54 windows or lug rows, then 136".

Front suspension - You can likely run the standard front struts as they are (if they are still in good shape that is, many of these struts are weak/blown by now and the front end sags and has poor response), but you would benefit by having longer travel, and adjustable, struts from the 96 Vmax 600XT (I don't recall if the 500XT has the longer travel struts, but they are not adjustable like the 600XT's are).

If you can post up some pics of anything you have questions about, the TY community may be able to provide more detailed info/feedback. Also, don't hesitate to use the search feature of this site, there is so much information it will blow your mind, especially on the 97 and newer sleds, but it will also help fill in any blanks on the info above. You could also become a VIP member here, which, among many other things, gives you access to .pdf shop manuals of your sleds.

Best of luck, you've found the best Yamaha forums on the web!
 
the 94-96 DX models with factory 2-up seat are 136".

As mentioned measure the rails and you should be able to keep the existing track provided they are the same length (I presume they are based on your description)

If possible pics of the sled(s) would definetly clear up some confusion.

You should be able to swap jack shafts and the secondary, especially since the chaincase will be open anyway, I am pretty sure they are the same width on the 97 and 94-96 chassis.
 
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