a)
AS
PURCHASED
This special edition
1998 Yamaha XTC-P, is and was absolutely immaculate to look at.
Yamaha failed to build (at the time)
sleds with wide stable front ends and 136" or 141"
models with 1.5" tracks,
that would be suitable for the
large "cross-over" market made popular by other
manufacturers
in other regions of North America. It was either a
narrow ski-stance Mountain sled or a 2-Up touring
equipped with a basic 136 Inch track topped off with a
couch. |
This small snap and write up in the
Canadian 1998 Yamaha Sales Brochure is
the only mention of one of the best equipped Red Head
"700 121's" ever built for the
Saskatchewan prairies.
Absolutely the 1.5" track provides ski lifting traction
in the Nisbet hills and blown in trails, limited by your
aggression! The track and 1ST time offered, USI plastic skis
round this hot
rod off nicely. We add dually style carbides for road
crossings and bladed logging roads in the forest.
Mountain Max models gave up their dish pans and also received these skis for the
first time in '98. |
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b) OUCH!!
Unfortunately we discovered that when you raise the hood
we found some serious collision damage.
With a straight edge
in place you can see the

bent bulkhead and the area where the
clutch would make contact.
|
This notch was cut into the bulkhead where it was
buckled because as...

...the sled gains speed and the secondary
clutch opens it would make contact. |
I
have disassembled the sled and installed a port-a-power
over the engine pushing the front back out.

Pushing the front back out I am able to straighten and
rebolt in braces and also rivet in a brace to
keep the bulkhead straight. The red arrow is pointing at
the notch cut in the bent chassis by the secondary when
it would open at speed. |
Here the bulkhead seems to be straight again!

The front frame damage from
"in my experience" would be a horrendous leap or jump
into a ravine or such creating an impact like this. I
had seen damage like this once years ago. The trailing
arms and radius rods and shocks were all bent on impact.
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c) BULKHEAD REPAIR
The brace over behind
the primary clutch. |
The brace as
installed behind the secondary
but not trimmed back for clearance. |
The brace as installed.
I take an
"unsophisticated" but effective approach to
trimming the reinforcement back to OEM clearance.
|

I trim the aluminum angle back...the bulk head stays
straight! |
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d) AIR BOX INSTALL
This is an issue I have seen many times, by attempting
to install the air box as a whole, which is possible...a
carb boot gets inverted and folded backwards.

The consequence is she could suck outside
warm under hood air lessening the engines potential, but
another issue could be sucking in snow in severe
conditions. |
By disassembling the air box you can see directly
that the carb to air box boots are in place, and you can
check the air box for debris.

You can physically see that the fit is
secure. |
Another
view of the air boots from outside the air box.
 |
|
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e) FUEL LINE REPAIR
It appears a shop
has gone thru a lot of trouble to remove the OEM fuel
lines...

...and install aftermarket fuel lines and
screw clamps. |
This hand full of junk is going into shop recycling...

...screw clamps have a place just not
here. |
This hand full of junk is going into shop recycling...

...OEM spring clamps that
expand and contract with temperature are better suited
to these lines and the coolant hoses. |
Ordered from our local Yamaha dealer...

...and now installed. I know I got the good stuff. |
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f) ROPE
GUIDE ISSUE
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g) REVERSE
INSTALL
This is the spotlessly clean
image of
...the original sprocket and chain.
|
This is the
OEM upper sprocket and chain and it's excessive slack...

...there is
more slack than the complete OEM application because the
"reverse gear" lower sprocket is smaller than the
original. |
Here the
upper and lower sprocket spacer bushings and the reverse
idler shaft is installed.
This chaincase is as clean as a whistle.
|
As a result a smaller upper sprocket and
new matching chain is installed to take the excessive
slack out and...

...to give the chain case many years of
new life! |
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h) FRONT
SHOCK CHANGE
The front
shocks OEM are very high quality KYB models
At a glance they looked perfect. But
bouncing the front bumper the sled, she just bounced
like a
"BENNETT
BUGGY" |
Here the
upper and lower sprocket spacer bushings and the reverse
idler shaft is installed. Clearly when the front end
took such a hit to bow out the upper bulkhead
...I would imagine all the gas/oil was
blown out of the front shock absorbers.
|
This is no
obvious evidence of damage or leaking oil...
...don't think
there is a drop of oil in them! |
Like I
said they looked good...

...just had to be changed! |
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