Our black and red VMAX is turning into a real trail screamer with the addition of C&A Pro skis, a MBRP can, and a new 1" Camoplast track with StudBoy studs. click for larger image

A few members of the staff worked on the search for a used machine. We looked at all the brands and focused on trail performance sleds. We went to local snowmobile shows, grass drags, local shops, searched the web and even the local newspaper's classified publications (my favorite source of used sleds). Finally we spotted a 1998 Yamaha V-Max 700 XTC on our way home from a local dealer. You can find some nice things along the highway. J We went back and took a closer look. To our surprise only 1,013 miles were registered on our find. The sled had only one owner and was bought as a leftover. The sled still had one year left on the warranty! A definite bonus on any used sled. Although the sled had low mileage, it did have some problems. It had two, bent radius rods which needed to be replaced. In addition, the skis were bent on the sides. The exact cause was not known by the owner, but a stump was the likely culprit. There was some minor, cosmetic damage to the cowl as well. The track was in good condition, but did have a few areas that needed attention. The studs had only 1,013 miles on them, but they must have been hard ones, since the majority of studs will need to be replaced.

Coming down the trail the Yamaha VMAX will always be a classic and with a very strong stock motor, it wont go out of style anytime soon. click for larger image

It was time to negotiate the price of the deal. The asking price was $3500.00. After haggling for about a half-hour, the sled was purchased for $2500.00. We might have been able to walk away with the sled for $2000.00 , but the owner was already hurting from dropping the price very quickly. Please note that haggling over any price is okay, but don't insult the owner! The price was right for a very low mileage sled, that was in really good condition, and was exactly what we wanted.

We felt like we got a pretty good deal because of the mileage, warranty, and the overall condition. The engine ran like new, there were no tears in the seat, and the suspension worked freely without any broken parts. It was just what we were looking for and we already had decided what we'd modify to make it better than new.

Let me give you a little history lesson on the 1998 Yamaha XTC-700. She's powered by a 698cc, 3-cylinder liquid cooled engine with case reed valve induction, and 3 Mikuni TM 33 carburetors. The XTC is a long travel sled and just what we were searching for. The sled has 9"of travel in the front and 11 1/2" of travel in the real. All of this travel is dampened by a pro-action suspension which sports the K.Y.B., aluminum body, high performance gas shocks that are completely adjustable. The dry weight of the sled is less than 500 pounds. This model Yamaha had the 12-gallon gas tank which can come in handy on the long trail rides. Most sleds from that year only had the 10 gallon tank also.

Our XTC-700 was exactly what we hoped for in a project sled. First it was a bone-stock, unmolested machine, with its bulletproof, 700 cc, triple-cylinder engine, one of the best engines on the market. In addition, the after-market folks have made a ton of "Go Fast Parts" for the engine. Second this sled had a great suspension system under it; sometimes this is more important than raw horsepower. If you are bouncing all over the trail and hanging on for dear life, all the horse power in the world is not going to make that day's ride any better. The sled will spend most of its new life riding in the Adirondack Park and Tug Hill regions of upstate New York. These trails are usually in great shape. But sometimes on a Sunday afternoon, these trails become very beat up, with holes big enough to lose your tow vehicle and trailer in. For that reason, the long travel suspension was a huge plus.

Okay, okay. Enough about that. Let's address the problems with the sled. On the way home from buying the sled, we stopped at the car wash. We washed off a layer or two or dirt and went to work on really cleaning it up. With about $20.00 of cleaning supplies and waxes, to our amazement it looked like a new sled, in spite of the scratches on the cowl. A good plastic scratch remover works wonders. I took a ride to the local Yamaha dealer and purchased some touch-up paint. I really took my time to fill in the scratches and build them up. Now you don't even know they were ever there. The sled looks as good as the day it came off of the dealer's showroom floor.

As for the radius rods, I ordered new ones from my local Yamaha dealer. I also replaced all the bushings in the rods. The parts cost around $78.00 with tax and took about an hour to install with simple, hand tools and a floor jack to lift the front of the sled. A little word of caution if you are going to do this. It is a good idea to measure the distance from the locking nut to the heim joint, then loosen the locking nut, unscrew the rods, and replace them with the new ones. Finally bolt them into place. You just want to make sure your ski alignment is proper since you can mess your alignment up pretty bad changing the rods.

Next we tackled those old, metal skis with plastic bottoms riveted to the bottom. This is how it came from the dealer. We replaced the stock skis with a set of C&A Pro Plastic Snow-Cross skis. These are very aggressive skis with a large center keel to aid in the performance and when it gets rough. They weigh about half of what the stock skis weigh, which is free horsepower when you remove weight. C&A also supplied us with a set of six-inch carbide runners, which should help us really carve up the trails. If you want a less aggressive steering response, you can cut a 45? angle to the end of the runners. It will help the skis turn easier.

In the future we have great plans for the Yamaha. Our plans include putting on a more aggressive track and stud pattern to improve performance and handling. A set of pipes is most likely in the works to also help out on the performance end. Some clutch work and a set of reeds are a great possibility too. We have a few surprises up our sleeves to make this machine better than new. It might even be better than what is out there on the showroom floor!

We're taking a cream puff of a sled, which is a few years old, and we are going to turn it into a dream ride; it will handle and run with the best of the new sleds, possibly even better. It will end up costing less than a new sled, but will be tuned and modified into an all-around machine great machine. We are hoping to do some comparisons against some brand-new sleds to see how we measure up. Stay logged on to Off-Road.com for more information and comparisons. If you have any ideas for something you would like us to try, just drop the section editors an email,

Snow@Off-Road.com