suspension swap

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bigsteve89

New member
hi, i have an opurtunity to buy a 89 polaris indy 650 really cheaply and ive heard that the suspensions on these were not exactly the greatest, i also have a friend who is selling the stock suspension out or a 99 yamaha Vmax and it was recently rebuilt.

my first question is will this suspension fit in the indy? as far as i can tell both have the capability to do an M10 swap so i dont see why they wouldnt be able to interchange provided i move around the mounting brackets and relocate a few holes.

my next question is does anyone have any experience with the vmax's suspension? will it be worth installing, or should i merely save the money and ride it as is till i can afford to do an xtra 10 or 12 swap? im not exactly small i probably weigh in around 250 or 260 when im fully geared up to ride so i need something that can handle some weight.

any input other than just buy a newer sled is greatly appreciated, moneys kinda tight right now and with the snow flying im gettin kinda anxious.
thanks
 
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maxwell

New member
Pass on the yamaha suspension. they are not that great to start with.

I would swap in an edge suspension.
 
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dcsnomo

Moderator
A view from the non technical perspective....Look, it's a 21 year old sled, money is tight, you are a big guy. Pull the skid frame and clean it up, lube it, replace the cheap parts that are bent or broken, and put on a new set of heavy duty springs. Fill with gas, drive it like you stole it!
 
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SuperTurboDiesel

New member
No Big Steve, the '99 Yamaha suspension is definitely NOT worth putting in. Everyone will admit, they were sub-par at best, and it would be a royal pain in the rear for mounting in your sled. You will go through the hassle and then NOT be satisfied with it.

I have a complete rear Xtra-12 suspension that I can sell you for a reasonable deal. I was going to do a conversion on an XLT sled and then plans got changed.

Depending on where you are located, I will ship the suspension to you.

It will be a pretty easy swap into the 'ol 650 Wedge chassis, you will just need to drill a few new holes for mounting it, as the Xtra-12 mounts in the chassis in different locations than the original crap OEM suspension that came in the old Indy 650. (I might even be able to supply you with all the measurements that you need to make it even easier for you.)

Give me a shout and we can talk more... superturbodiesel2@yahoo.com

I certainly wouldn't waste my time or money putting an M-10 into your sled. Don't get me wrong, M-10's are great suspensions, but even on the used market, they are way too expensive a suspension for an older, lower valued sled.

The Indy 650 sled itself is a pretty good sled. I love the older Indy sleds. I still own 4 of them!
 
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bigsteve89

New member
thanks for all the feedback guys. im really getting anxious because we just got a foot of snow here and i just sold my last sled i need a new one asap and im thinking this indy is the way to go, and ill just have to try and find an Xtra style suspension.
 
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SuperTurboDiesel

New member
bigsteve89 said:
thanks for all the feedback guys. im really getting anxious because we just got a foot of snow here and i just sold my last sled i need a new one asap and im thinking this indy is the way to go, and ill just have to try and find an Xtra style suspension.
Click to expand...

Um, did you NOT read my posting?
 
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bigsteve89

New member
yeah, i did, and i sent you an email about it to the email you posted. the only thing im wondering is if the xtra 10 wouldnt be better because ive heard in past that the xtra 12 is too tall and you also need the front suspension off of a newer sled to compensate. also if i do an xtra 12 swap can i still use my same track? ive heard as well taht the xtra 12 needs a 136.
 
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nrascals

Member
go cheep and win by adding 3to4 inches to rear ladder. any pro welder can do.

buy a pair of new or used two-up rear springs.

open up front skid and reposession rear ladder farther back on skid 2to3 inches.
 
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SuperTurboDiesel

New member
bigsteve89 said:
yeah, i did, and i sent you an email about it to the email you posted. the only thing im wondering is if the xtra 10 wouldnt be better because ive heard in past that the xtra 12 is too tall and you also need the front suspension off of a newer sled to compensate. also if i do an xtra 12 swap can i still use my same track? ive heard as well taht the xtra 12 needs a 136.
Click to expand...

You did? Huh, I didn't get it, and I just double checked my e-mail again.
Try again if you are seriously interested. I'll have to try sending you my personal e-mail addy. (I'll give you my more common one that I use for my "friends" and family and such.)

No, an Xtra-10 wouldn't be better. I had one in a '96 XCR. It was okay, but barely any better than the standard old Indy 8" suspension. Besides, why go through the work of swapping to a different suspension if you aren't going to make the upgrade really worthwhile? The Xtra-12's ride like Cadillacs and are really nice on your back.

As far as the Xtra-12 being too tall... Umm no, not really. You can upgrade your front suspension at the same time to an Xtra-12 if you want, do it someday in the future, or never do it at all.

Changing the front suspension is not a requirement for adding a longer travel rear suspension. You just adjust the rear suspension properly and turn up your existing front shocks a little bit. How do you think adding an aftermarket "Fast" brand "M-10" rear suspension is done? It's basically the same concept.

Plus, it's easy to upgrade the front suspension if you should so choose to later on. Changing the front to Xtra-12 is simple to do. Even easier than installing the rear suspension. You would just un-bolt and bolt on parts such as the (2) longer shocks, (2) longer trailing arms, (1) longer sway bar, (4) longer control/pivot arms, and (2) longer tie-rods. That's it. There's no "modding" required for a front swap.

I see people selling the parts individually as well as complete "kits" on occassion on eBay all the time, from Xtra-12 sleds that they are parting out.

Don't know who is telling you that you need a longer track. They are wrong. Both of my 1997 XLT SP's have factory 121" long tracks with factory Xtra-12 rear suspensions. In fact, the Polaris Part Number is: 5411057, and it's a 121" x 15" x .82" track. An extremely common track found on the majority of the Indy sleds built throughout the 1990's.
 
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bigsteve89

New member
thanks for the reply, but its looking like im not going to need the xtra swap after all. the polaris idea has been scrapped and its looking like im getting a 92 wildcat 700 instead. if i can find. anyone know anything about these? any major issues?
 
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SuperTurboDiesel

New member
bigsteve89 said:
thanks for the reply, but its looking like im not going to need the xtra swap after all. the polaris idea has been scrapped and its looking like im getting a 92 wildcat 700 instead. if i can find. anyone know anything about these? any major issues?
Click to expand...


Not an AC fan. I had a 1993 EXT 580Z. It was like a "prototype" for the ZR's that came out the following year. It was sick fast, with Black Magic twin pipes, but it wasn't anything to brag about when it came to suspension or stability. Needless to say, I sold it pretty quick after I got it.

Beyond that... PM sent.
 
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sodakota

New member
swap

I did almost the opposite. I took a suspension from a 99 Polaris xpsc (x10...) and put it in a 95 Vmax. The Yamaha has a pretty much bullet proof sled but sucky suspension. I would pass on the skid. Either fix yours or find an Edge or X10.
 
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