One of the biggest complaints that we hear from snowmobilers is that they just can’t stand how much their sled darts around on the trails. They start their day of riding in giddy anticipation and by the end of the day, they are swearing off their machine as they put the heating pad on their shoulders. In complete disappointment with their sleds, we hear them utter that they have a smoking deal on a sled as they are willing to just be done with it. But before you offer your sled to your buddy for less than it is worth, try some of these adjustments one at a time to make it ride like a dream.
When trying to troubleshoot this problem, many people want to jump straight to making the big modifications first, but if you are lucky, it can be solved with a simple adjustment. If your skis are out of alignment, it can cause your snowmobile to dart around. For the best results of ski alignment, you will want them to toe-out about 1/8th of an inch. If the skis toe-in or exceed a 1/8th toe-out, it could cause your sled to not run true and begin to dart. With a slight toe-out, it will make your steering slightly less responsive, but it will be very predictable. A toe-in will cause snow plowing and force the snowmobile to dart. If your skis are properly aligned and your sled is still darting, it’s time to move on with your troubleshooting.
Snowmobile darting issues can often be resolved with adjustments to the suspension. Many times, darting is caused by having too much ski pressure. Because there is so much pressure being forced onto the skis, the runners will bite and “dart” at any random time. You can adjust your snowmobile’s suspension so that there is not as much ski pressure. To reduce the ski pressure, you need to make adjustments in the rear suspension. The first thing that you will want to try is to increase the preload on the center shock of the rear skid. You can also extend the limiter straps on the rear suspension if you need to make further adjustments or if you are not able to adjust the preload of the center shock.
Be sure to make suspension adjustments in small increments and ride the sled in between adjustments to make sure that you do not over adjust. By going too far, you could reduce the ski pressure too much and your snowmobile will then push through the corners and you will not be able to turn as well.
Having too much carbide on your wear bars can also cause your snowmobile to dart. If you put far too aggressive carbides up front without the power or traction in the back, the carbides can bite in and cause the skis to jump vigorously and immediately. Often times riders will be mistaken and figure that the more carbide that they have, the better, which is not always the case.
At this point, you might be thinking to yourself that you always thought that darting was caused by your skis and runners getting caught in other people’s tracks. Well, while many people do call that “darting,” it really is your snowmobile “tracking,” which is a separate issue. This is an issue that can be solved with your carbides, as well. By adding dual runner carbides to your skis, they will be able to track in their own path without catching the ruts of others. You can start by adding just one of the dual runners to one of your skis. If you still have tracking issues with the dual runners, you might actually need to apply more ski pressure up front. It is important that you can distinguish between “darting” and “tracking” to be able to make the correct adjustments.
When you can get your snowmobile “riding on rails,” you will be able to ride longer with less fatigue.
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6 comments
He bro I have a 86 Suzuki intruder that runs semi okay at an idle accelerates great not in gear…..
Going down the road it’s not bad…wen I give it more then 1/2 throttle it bogs down…..I’ve cleaned the carbs….could it be a firing issue…?
Hey Andy, this could be a number of things, but it sounds more like fueling. First, I would check the compression. If that checks out, make sure your fuel lines and filters are flowing free, including the in tank pick up. Next, check your air filter and carb boots to make sure you are getting free flow through the filter with no leaks around the boots. This is just a start but if you are still having issues, contact our tech team at 320-358-3409 or by email at [email protected]
I have a 1975 ski doo 440 tnt everest that I just bought, sitting flat on the floor the back of the track is off the floor, I tried tighting the frout limiter strap and that seemed to help some but the track is still off the floor . The only shock it has is in the rear and it seems to be fully extended. I took out and greased all the cross shafts. Anything else I can try? Thanks!
I have a 2001 ski-doo 700 delux that I just had a need track put on about 3 yrs ago. This season prior to snowmobile season I seen I had lost a bolt which I replaced but, had to loosen up the track to do so. Today I took notice on a short ride it seems like the track is jumping when it has a load on it. Didn’t do this at all Tuesday while I was riding for 2 hrs. It feels me to its jumping on the front big sprocket if I had to guess could I have NOT tighten my track tight enough when I loosened it? Thanks for your help
I have a 2017 skidoo renegade x I have a 2 up seat on it for my wife I’m getting so fatigued after 70 miles it’s nuts trying to find something to help me I’m 67years old but very strong not fat 6’2″ if you could tell me what to do I would appreciate it Jim
Hello Ryan i have a 2009 yamaha nitro rtx i just bought .I cant ride it anymore its dangerous to me, ity darts like crazy and steering is very heavy.I jacked it up and found the front end is very loose.i ordered all new front bushings upper and lower will that solve my problem thanks