I have a 1997 Venture 600 that I just purchased a few weeks back, with 1900 miles on it.
I don't know anything about it's previous life. The nuts on the heads to base appear to have been removed at some point so I am not sure if it's been rebuilt or not.
The thing runs great. I've put 200 miles on it now without any issues. The top end seems a bit low at 80, but it pulls pretty well from 20-60 and then slows up.
Anyway my question is, if I install a thinner head gasket what can I expect for power returns?
Will this sacrifice reliability at all?
This is a 2 up sled that I ride with my 6 year old daughter- so I need to keep things reliable with good low speed trail manners- but I also ride solo and I want some grunt. The clutching seems odd on this but maybe it's just the way it is.
I installed ski's from a 2011 Apex and it handles awesome.
Thanks for any input.
I don't know anything about it's previous life. The nuts on the heads to base appear to have been removed at some point so I am not sure if it's been rebuilt or not.
The thing runs great. I've put 200 miles on it now without any issues. The top end seems a bit low at 80, but it pulls pretty well from 20-60 and then slows up.
Anyway my question is, if I install a thinner head gasket what can I expect for power returns?
Will this sacrifice reliability at all?
This is a 2 up sled that I ride with my 6 year old daughter- so I need to keep things reliable with good low speed trail manners- but I also ride solo and I want some grunt. The clutching seems odd on this but maybe it's just the way it is.
I installed ski's from a 2011 Apex and it handles awesome.
Thanks for any input.
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Only run premium fuel and I think that has the smart carbs, correct?
Yes, it has the smart carbs.
I have never done thin headgasket on a smart car be unit. Be very careful watch the plug color.
i recomend leaving it alone as to the problems with modern gas. as it is, it is safe to run anything in there gas wise. I recommend the reed notch and vmaxjhon's vmax 500 set-up in the clutches or another 600 twin set up. it can be driven mildly but when you want to get aggressive, all you need to do is abuse the flipper more. top speed sounds about right as that sled is geared pretty low. I have always found stock venture clutching cushy and mushy for ride quality and it is not meant to be driven aggressively. clutched my dad's 05 sx venture and it woke that sled right up. would not hold the skis up coming down a bank stock even if you wot the throttle. now it does.
Thank you for the thoughts!
I've heard about the reed notch, and I need to read up as I don't know much about it.
As far as clutching goes, where is the best place to purchase parts?
Thanks again to both of you!
I've heard about the reed notch, and I need to read up as I don't know much about it.
As far as clutching goes, where is the best place to purchase parts?
Thanks again to both of you!
A couple of bucks
VIP Member
You can find most if not all parts in our classified section. Also put SRX/VIPER reed cages in so it can breath in better.
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Not sure what to make of the clutching note, but if your clutches aren't shifting properly, or if you just don't like how it's shifting and think something may be amiss, especially on a sled nearing 20 years old with an unknown history, then you may want to remove, disassemble, clean, and inspect both clutches and make sure that everything that is supposed to move freely does so, and make sure that nothing is broken or worn out. Also make sure the belt is good and not worn out. You might be surprised how many driveability issues go away with freshly maintained old clutches and a good belt.
Do you have the owners manual for the sled, if so read thru the maintenance and adjustments to get familiar with the sled. If not, last I knew you can go to Yamaha's website and download one at least as far back as the 1998 version, and may be able to buy one there for your 1997, or check ebay. If you can download the 1998 version, most of the common maintenance and adjustment info is the same as yours, as well as many of the Yamaha's of this era.
Also, always be wary of low mileage older sleds, especially ones that seem to have more use, wear, or repair than the mileage would indicate. Many people would unhook the speedometer cable since it is easy to do, and unfortunatley a lot of these sleds received very little maintenance over the years. That said, Ventures seem to be more common with lower miles than single rider sleds are, but there are some Ventures with pretty high mileage as well.
Good luck, you have a lot of fun ahead of you!
I actually had the secondary apart. During my first ride the secondary stuck open. I took it apart, cleaned and then bumped the spring up one hole. No issues since but it may be part of the lazy clutching this sled has.
I did clean the primary and noted that the plastic weight washers were worn, I've ordered replacements and those will be here this week.
I am unsure if the miles are true or not, but there was also a Vmax for sale with it, with almost identical mileage. However, the track has been replaced with a 1.25".
No manual, I will check Yamaha, thank you for the input!
Overall, how reliable are these sleds?
I did clean the primary and noted that the plastic weight washers were worn, I've ordered replacements and those will be here this week.
I am unsure if the miles are true or not, but there was also a Vmax for sale with it, with almost identical mileage. However, the track has been replaced with a 1.25".
No manual, I will check Yamaha, thank you for the input!
Overall, how reliable are these sleds?
as long as you keep up on the maintenece and run decent oil, you should get 6-8000 miles before it will need a ring job. cleaning the primary properly and a new spring might fix it as I bet that primary spring is out of spec.
I did a compression test, and I have 90 psi on the clutch side, and 100 psi on the other. Does this warrant taking the head off for a look? I ran it about 50 miles and checked it again, with the same results so it appears to be holding steady.
checkinpox
New member
Used to have a 97 venture 600. Had over 10000 miles on it. Had the thin head gasket, no problems with the smart carbs, and ran 87 gas. With stock clutching it pulled hard when you get on it. Wasn't left behind very often. As for reliable, top notch. Dropped a piston to a broken ring, but only put one other set of pistons in, and after 10000 put a crank seal in. Always had to do the basic maintenence stuff.
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