i've got a '97 vmax 600 xtc with 4000 km's.
my girlfriend rides it most of the time. i had it a couple times last year and found a couple things i'd like to look at before the snow flies.

the headlight goes very dim when you are off the throttle, making it hard to corner at night.
it seem slow off the line. but goes good top end.

what should i look at in the electrical department.

i was thinking of doing the clutches and looking into different springs. any suggestions on performance upgrades? i don't need it to pull super hard, but it would be nice to be able to keep up when i have to ride it

:sleeping:

well, for the light, it sounds like the lighting coil could be going bad on it. as for the slow go, its probably just the clutch springs. have they ever been changed?

well... I had a 99 vmax 500 (same motor as 600) and i raced a 97 600 xtc that had the same symptoms as yours. I smoked it. mine went exactly like yours and this other xtc, untill i put a clutch kit in it (bender) hi perf can(bender), and jetted. You can order both from their catalog, or website.

I also had a problem in the wiring, the wire casing had all melted off down by the exhaust, which should have been a recall IMO, but i just put some electrical tape around the wires and fastened it away from the exhaust.

I concour.

Well at least with the clutching.

The electrical might be a little harder. I'd get a service manual for your sled if you plan on keeping it. The wiring diagrams are in most of them. As are directions on mag coil replacement incase that is what your issue is. There are 2 seperate circuits. One for the motor and the other for the body. A volt meter and the skematic will help you find the issue. Then again maybe a different riding technique is all that is needed to keep the lights bright. Is this sled stock or do you have accessories running/plugged into the lighting circuit? Hand warmers up to Hot? This sled needs the 60/55w H4 head light. If there is an 80/100 in there that might also explain your dimness. Check out http://www.bluhmenterprises.com/products/b...s.php?bl_id=107 (http://www.bluhmenterprises.com/products/brite_lites.php?bl_id=107) for a great bulb. I love my dual color bulb.

If you want some real performance check out the engine/clutch package from Maxximum Performance, www.maxxperf.com it is awesume. Chances are you have a tired clutch spring(s), dirty/rusty bushings and a tired belt. Get the clutches serviced (Both of them) They are decent in stock form as long as they are clean and have good springs in them. Pick up a new Yamaha Belt for it. Not off brand ones but the 89L-17641-01 belt. It is the proper belt for that sled. There are compound and length difference in belts other than this one and the clutches are not set for them. I got a new one at a Yamaha Dealer in the Soo for a reasonable price. Maxx Performance has the belts since they are also a Yamaha Dealer (I think)

With 4800km or 3200 miles on it there should'nt be that much engine wear. Check the compression. Should be 110 or more and the cylinders should be within a few percent of each other. Mine are 125 and 126 on freshly broken-in pistons.

The only other thing that sled might have vs. a newer sled is traction. The track is a bit short I'd like to throw a ripsaw in mine. After the engine mods that is what is keeping me under 100mph. Well that and slightly shorter gears.

If you work on your own sled (Which I hope you do) when you pull it in the garage to work on it be sure to lube up all the skid's bearings. We take our wheels off and using a needle tipped grease gun inject grease around behind the rubber bearing shield and into the bearings. Check out slide wear while your down there. Drain and refill the chain case, I use synthetic gear oil from Amsoil. And if your mechanically inclined and not afraid of working on them the carbs should get a few hours of your attention and a bottle of carb cleaner at the very least. Finally don't forget the battery.

Good luck. PM me if you have questions. About the only thing I have not done on mine is remove the motor.

Chris

The real problem is when going down the trial at speed adn then using the brake. The break light draws down teh headlight to a drastic and unsafe dimness. I know for a fact that the 97 Yamah snowmobiles had a very week electric system and it was the worst on the 600 sleds. It helps a little to find a bulb for teh tail light that has a lower wat brake filliment, or maybe try a led bulb. As for a corrective fix, I (and a couple of my friends) worked directly with our factory rep to try to find a solution. The only solution that he ended up with was to use a lighting coil and additional voltage regulator for a two-up sled, and divide off the brake light and hand warmers from teh headlight circuit. He then only corrected two snowmobiles for the loudest complainers (under warrantee).

I currently own a 97 600 sx and am hunting for someone to re-engineer the charging system for me to run dual headlams, but I just got started searching. Sorry no help for the fix at this time.