steering posts

[jaredszakacs]

I gotta say it with all this talk of being more lightweight you think these companies may focus a bit more on some of the crucial parts like steering posts,a-arms that kind of stuff. saturday was out riding with Newfie1 in mcdonald pass and he went to pull his sled out and snapped the telescopic steering post off (m8 hcr) bad luck shawn! the next day out with buddy on his new pro rmk goes to reef on the bars to turn the sled and snaps his steering post! 2 tow outs same issues on the 2 lightest sleds on the market.

 

[Deasoninc]

wow on another sled the very next day, what are the odds of that?

 

[suzuki_ryder]

LMFAO! 2 lightest sleds on the market?? Cat has never made that claim! Poor way to start a brand bash bud. They all suck.

My old (09) M8 snopro has 3500km and lots of rolls down a mountain under its belt. Never had an issue. Not even a bent telescopic steering post. I must have the ONLY good one...

That sled has towed 3 doo's out, and my new proclimb has towed 2. So I guess I can now concur that skidoo is the most unreliable sled ever created due to my 5 experiences correct? No, cause I understand ch!t happens.

Come to think of it, I saw an XP tip on its side and broke the bars right off. And it was a light tip over. What does that say?

The XP MUST be the Worst sled since it breaks too, and aren't "one of the lightest sleds"


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[macronut]

LMFAO! 2 lightest sleds on the market?? Cat has never made that claim! Poor way to start a brand bash bud. They all suck.

My old (09) M8 snopro has 3500km and lots of rolls down a mountain under its belt. Never had an issue. Not even a bent telescopic steering post. I must have the ONLY good one...

That sled has towed 3 doo's out, and my new proclimb has towed 2. So I guess I can now concur that skidoo is the most unreliable sled ever created due to my 5 experiences correct? No, cause I understand ch!t happens.

Come to think of it, I saw an XP tip on its side and broke the bars right off. And it was a light tip over. What does that say?

The XP MUST be the Worst sled since it breaks too, and aren't "one of the lightest sleds"


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Well spoken! Couldn't help chuckling over your post! Long live arctic cat and Suzuki


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[jaredszakacs]

it actually is nothing to do with a bash post and i find it really really creepy that you suzuki know that i ride a doo are you stalking me or something lol. sorry boys never meant to be a bash thread just simply stating that maybe instead of everyone focusing on being so lightweight that they should be focusing on making them strong enough that a 160 pound guy reefing on it wont bend a crucial part! so suzki_ryder keep your stalking of me to a minimum read the post a bit better and realise not all threads that mention poo and shitty kitty are strictly bashing threads! And i'm sure your wonderful proclimb is the greatest thing since sliced bread in your mind lol just bustin your balls. But seriously like it was stated you have all these lightweight sleds coming out that are game changers and supposed to be the most amazing thing in the world! But they cant even make the sleds strong enough to take a slight bump from a tree or cant handle a guy pulling on the handlebars! when we were towing the sled out one of the old boys was on the trail on mach z sled and was saying to us how these new sleds are just more of a hassle than a good thing and he is kinda right cause those old boys were the ones breaking into all these areas that we ride on there old iron and yes a bit more challenging but hey they went everywere back then that we go now so what i'm saying is all these new sleds coming out with everyone worrying about how light and flickable it is, is truly something we shouldnt be worrying about when these new sleds cant even take the abuse from a 160 pound rider for the most part wether it is DOO,POO,KITTY we have all this supposedly awesome technology well lets put it to use.

 

[suzuki_ryder]

Well spoken! Couldn't help chuckling over your post! Long live arctic cat and Suzuki


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The name actually isn't revolved around arctic cat lol. I used to own a suzuki when I was 13 so every account I make has been the same name for 10 years. Easier to remember haha. Just coincidence cat and Suzuki are together


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[jaredszakacs]

on another topic heard cat maybe switiching from suzuki to building there own power plants at cat anyone else hear that

 

[suzuki_ryder]

And yes I stalk you... I know you ride a doo from all the other posts you've written. 2 isolated incidents and all these sleds are to light now? Come on, there's plenty of other sleds out there will 1000's of miles on with no issues.


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[jaredszakacs]

this is more than just the second incident on this it is more like number 10 from a steering post or steering related! This is just 2 of the same things identically the same things on 2 different days on 2 different sleds 2 different areas! and yes i do think these brands are focusing to much on this light weight flickable BS that everyone is gobbling up when in fact it just makes for more problems. I'm sure there are tons of sleds out there without this issue same with there was tons of 08 xps that didnt blow belts! and yes if you wanna talk about sleds with lots of miles zero problems then yes take my etec 4350 km's in just over a year and 0 issues at all!

 

[sledhead2010]

Lite weight is what the buying public wants, so that is what they get. Ski Doo must be getting some different feed back as they certainly did not try and keep pace with Polaris and the new Pro for the 2013 season

 

[jaredszakacs]

why did this turn into a bashing post man you guys! it's simply stating 2 different sleds 2 different days same exact issue from the same exact thing!!!!! Yes lightweight is great at the end of the day (take it everything goes right) and i understand that companies build for what the public wants wich is the way it should be but i'm just on here stating that hey sometimes lightweight isnt the best weigh to go especially if you are taking weight and some strength away from crucial areas like steering components. like I have said this is not the first 2 of these issues I have come across or seen thats why I posted and yes if it happened on my doo like this I would post the same as well! I'm just getting at the point that you see guys welding in steel rods or putting that spray foam stuff inside there telescopic posts yes adding lots of weight to the post but making it strong in the crucial areas. I like that sleds are going more lightweight it makes it fun out on the mtn until something like this goes wrong!

 

[Modman]

LMFAO! 2 lightest sleds on the market?? Cat has never made that claim! Poor way to start a brand bash bud. They all suck.
My old (09) M8 snopro has 3500km and lots of rolls down a mountain under its belt. Never had an issue. Not even a bent telescopic steering post. I must have the ONLY good one...
That sled has towed 3 doo's out, and my new proclimb has towed 2. So I guess I can now concur that skidoo is the most unreliable sled ever created due to my 5 experiences correct? No, cause I understand ch!t happens.
Come to think of it, I saw an XP tip on its side and broke the bars right off. And it was a light tip over. What does that say?
The XP MUST be the Worst sled since it breaks too, and aren't "one of the lightest sleds"
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I didn't read that from his post, he never singles out Doo as a leader, they have as many, if not more problems than the rest of them.

I guess time will tell. I've been saying for years that these new sleds are introduced far too early. These companies like to let the consumer do the R&D on them and the consumer has to replace parts at their expense, anywhere else in the consumer industry that tried this business model would be out of business in a day. Sleds seem to be unique. You would think it would be the absolute opposite, where a form of recreation is entirely dependant on the success of mother nature, prices and development would reflect a slower pace.

Send the prototypes out west for a year and you will find out what is wrong with them. They all have done it and no one manufacturer is unique, this is the problem with trying to #1 all the time, instead of building a solid product to start with, everyone is trying to one up each other at every corner. In the end you wind up with too much progression and not enough R&D on the final conusmer product.

And Yes I totally agree with the statement jared makes. Far too much emphasis on being the "lightest" these days. When you look at where we take these machines into the rugged backcountry, you really need to ask yourself if you want the lightest sled, or something that will get you home at the end of the day. But they have to continue forward now, if they built sleds like they did back in the old day, it would actually take some skill to ride them.

 

[neilsleder]

I never thought your post was a bashing thread! I agree with you that they should make stuff tough and not light, don't get me wrong I like my sleds light. That's one thing I try never to do is to reef on the bars, cause I know that that is a weak spot! My brother has a M1000 and when we have to role it over to get it unstuck we scope the bars down all the way. But then again that's a heavy sled! Lol

 

[modmanmike]

2 of my buddies have been thru several steering posts on there cats. this weekend my buddy bent his brand new one again. they are flimsy. a person would think wrists would break before a steering post.

 

[suzuki_ryder]

I must know nothing. Hmm. I'm sure it's leverage from today's sleds, and you can't fix physics. Taller rise bars than previous years, and a-arms that stick out 12" each side.

 

[jaredszakacs]

like modman says with the spots these sleds are going these days what do you really want when you get 70 km's or in our case a lot further than that from the truck! I just know we were lucky that the second incident happend close to the road lucky for us there was no tracks on the tow out home until 15 km's from the corbin parking lot. yes my sled may way weigh 464 lbs comapred to the 420 whatever weight the 2011 or 12 rmk is but I will say i have yet to replace an a-arm that wasnt caused by smashing trees,rocks,and stumps in the back of the bugaboos,and I have yet to bend,tweak,or snap a steering post on my machine, yes I have bent bars but bent bars can get you out of the back country a lot easier than a snapped steering post! I will take the extra weight doo has to know that the parts are pretty sturdy and will get me home at the end of the day. dont get me wrong I like the new poo I really do but I have just been seeing so many little things that turn major like this happen and it is really getting annoying hahaha

 

[Modman]

I must know nothing. Hmm. I'm sure it's leverage from today's sleds, and you can't fix physics. Taller rise bars than previous years, and a-arms that stick out 12" each side.

I think that is Jared's point exactly. With the taller risers and more leverage on the bars, should these sleds not be coming from the factory with beefier posts? There is a way to "fix physics", you make it stronger. I went through 3 posts in 1.5 seasons, then I called Wildchild and had him make me one out of chromoly. Problem solved.

like modman says with the spots these sleds are going these days what do you really want when you get 70 km's or in our case a lot further than that from the truck! I just know we were lucky that the second incident happend close to the road lucky for us there was no tracks on the tow out home until 15 km's from the corbin parking lot. yes my sled may way weigh 464 lbs comapred to the 420 whatever weight the 2011 or 12 rmk is but I will say i have yet to replace an a-arm that wasnt caused by smashing trees,rocks,and stumps in the back of the bugaboos,and I have yet to bend,tweak,or snap a steering post on my machine, yes I have bent bars but bent bars can get you out of the back country a lot easier than a snapped steering post! I will take the extra weight doo has to know that the parts are pretty sturdy and will get me home at the end of the day. dont get me wrong I like the new poo I really do but I have just been seeing so many little things that turn major like this happen and it is really getting annoying hahaha

Doo and strong parts should not be in the same sentence together IMO LOL No you will not bend an A-arm on a Doo, you bend the nun which results in a huge teardown of the sled to replace a $50 part buried deep inside the bulkhead....sounds like a lot of labour to me...who benefits most from a huge BRP tech labour bill.....BRP. Yeah, their not stupid! While it may still be rideable, it does have to be replaced in most cases, as it is a fundamental component in the sled. Alternately - Polaris hit it on the head with this new Pro, the main braces are cast and really strong, the a-arms are the weak point. The new arms on the Pro can be replaced in something like under an hour, with common hand tools. If you absolutely snapped one, then support it with a tree branch inside, and lashed to the outsides, still will probably get you home. I suspect the Cat is similar. A-arms should be the weakest link, as they are the most accessible and are relatively inexpensive (compared to replacing a whole bulkhead).

I'm curious as to why you guys didn't whittle down a tree branch and ram it down into the steering post and at least be able to ride it out. You can cross tie rope from the bars to the opposite ski tip, down through the bumper and still drive it - yes I have done it and out of some tight terrain too. If you hit something hard with any sled, expect it to ruin a day's riding regardless. its how much time and $$$ it takes to repair it later will determine how much it really hurts!

 

[jaredszakacs]

i gotta say it though modman and oler1234 was there to witness it my sled endoed down a hill of trres rocks and stumps with all the front parts bent back completely pushing the a-arm directly into the shock I couldnt steer to the left to get out of the bugaboos I took it to the shop expecting a complete write off and ended up with a $100 bill all they did was take a hammer and bend it all back to normal and rides just as good. I know a-arms are supposed to be the weak part but the pro ones in my opinion are just way to weak seen 4 a-arms and 2 bent shocks from the pro from some pretty minor collisions even the owner of the pro when the a-arm ben in fernie at mm5 was lquite surprised on how weak the upper arms really are! there was no way of fixing it were it broke it was all the way at the bottom of the post plus the way we came in and had to come back out a stick put in was not gonna get it out this area we were in has no trails it is ridge top to ridge top into alberta bc and almost into montana. we did the rope thing on the cat in macdonald pass it worked alright so i just towed him out for the last 10 km of road riding. but the other one we ddint wanna risk getting the sled into an area that would have been worse as we were already only a couple km in the bush from the flathead road so we just opted for the easy way and tow it home as it was already 3:30 in the afternoon! yeah makes it crappy when stupid stuff like that happens. I dont find the skidoos very expensive at all to fix and I find they take a pretty nasty hit to make them actually break anything! 80% of the boys around here are all on 08 and newer doos and all of them ride hard! and hard tree riding not just climbing but all of them have crashed those sleds hard and have had s module damage and all that stuff and for the most the guys around here take it to a local machine shop and pound and hammer and do some minor tweaks here and there and is usually quite cheap! the most expensive bill we have seen here from a guy smashing a steel gate pole was $1800 all the dealers said it was a complete write off. bought all the parts new put it all back together again by himself. When we gonna get out for a ride BK it's snowing hard out my window right now

 

[suzuki_ryder]

I think that is Jared's point exactly. With the taller risers and more leverage on the bars, should these sleds not be coming from the factory with beefier posts? There is a way to "fix physics", you make it stronger. I went through 3 posts in 1.5 seasons, then I called Wildchild and had him make me one out of chromoly. Problem solved.

How I interpreted his initial post (and still do), is that cat and Polaris are putting too much into being lightweight they're snapping steering posts easily, because of the "2 lightest sleds on the market" jab.

I would have thought of a fatigued spot from previous and on going general abuse or even earlier bends they straightened back out.

And like I predicted earlier, He's making it clear that in his group of 08 to current xp's they're just bending a-arms back in place with a hammer theyre that well engineered (my interpretion).

I'll fill you in with an experience of mine quickly. I cartwheeled my cat down the mountain early December and landed upside down, tunnel first, on a boulder, with zero damage even with the throttle wide open for the longest 30 seconds of my life (a tether is a different thread). There's 5 guys on this site that can confirm that happening. In instances like that, it's not "engineering" it's a horseshoe up your ass. Pure luck. Now I know it's not the same as yours going into trees and almost writing it off, but it's still luck none the less.

Modman, I do value your opinion that they should use better grade material, but I knew in the initial post how it was being directed.


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[Modman]

When we gonna get out for a ride BK it's snowing hard out my window right now

Got kids 2nd b-day next weekend and tied up after that until maybe 26th of March, then might be able to work something. I will let you know.