V-max Getting Tossed Around

Yeah I have a buddy who used to race motocross and BMX, but he never snowmobiled. I put him on my 96 Vmax 600 (long track) while I was on my 99 RMK piped 700 about two weeks ago. No question I had the better suspension front and rear and a lot more engine, but every time we got to bumpy trails (often) I noticed my buddy was right on my a$$. I had to let him go ahead of me and he stayed ahead everywhere except the straightaways where I would rocket ahead, only to have to let him pass me again in the bumps. Long story short, he's simply a more skilled trail rider. He told me the faster you go through the bumps the smoother it is, and it turns out he's right. He told me he thought the Vmax suspension was awesome, made a point of telling me how great it was. I was speechless, I always thought it was pretty terrible. In fact, compared to modern sleds or even my Gen II RMK, it is a pretty terrible suspension, but the skill of the rider is a huge factor. So while your Vmax suspension isn't the greatest, rest easy knowing that a more skilled rider would be able to go faster. Or in short, it's not your sled, it's you Take it from someone who got blown away in the bumps by a certified newbie on a 96 Vmax 600, which is essentially the same as a 94. The short track version may be more wild, I don't know, but the skill factor remains. My best advice is if you're about to hit some hard bumps stand up and use your knees (like a skier) as additional shock absorbers...much more effective than your spinal column trust me.

As far as Vmax steering goes, I have very heavy steering, meaning there is a lot of pressure on the skis and generally the sled goes where you point the handlebars. Carbides are getting old but I still have good steering, just a little more effort than my other sleds. I haven't had any steering related problems. I'm using skidoo summit plastic skis, the low-end model they put on the recent 550s, so they are a lot better than the Vmax stock but nothing special. If you feel too light on your skis you might reduce (tighten) your front limiter. I have mine all the way open (loose) and it seems like I could still use less ski pressure, but all in all it's solid and grips the trail like crazy. If you still have the stock skis on there I would start looking for a replacement because those were the worst skis I've ever seen. Problem is that year Vmax has a 3.5" spindle width and good luck finding skis to fit. I cut down the spindle to fit 3" ski saddle and then you can use almost any plastic ski off ebay. Good luck.