hard turning 09 m8

[Dam Dave]

Make sure you are using a good Lithium grease, or at least a low temp grease. some greases get very stiff out in the cold

 

[sildoc]

I haven't had a problem but my buddy had a 08 m7 that was really hard to steer. He tried the limiter strap and all sorts of stuff. Let is sit over the summer in his garage and this winter went through the Pm stuff to get ready for sledding. I am guessing pumping the grease helped a bunch. Like mentioned before use low temp grease or let the problems begin.

 

[torchred04]

I haven't had a problem but my buddy had a 08 m7 that was really hard to steer. He tried the limiter strap and all sorts of stuff. Let is sit over the summer in his garage and this winter went through the Pm stuff to get ready for sledding. I am guessing pumping the grease helped a bunch. Like mentioned before use low temp grease or let the problems begin.

Grease is low temp lithium, I don't believe the grease is the issue. Very stiff to get the steering moving and then it just seems to break free and turn a whole bunch. Something is binding up causing the issue.

 

[sildoc]

Grease is low temp lithium, I don't believe the grease is the issue. Very stiff to get the steering moving and then it just seems to break free and turn a whole bunch. Something is binding up causing the issue.

Try this. put a blanket on a smooth cement floor to dampen the carbides making noise. put the skis on the blanket and start slowly turning to see if you hear some grinding or binding noise. You might be able to pinpoint the area from there. I am going to compare mine again to my wifes sled which a 2 year old can turn. see if I can find a couple of other things you might be able to check.
of course we won't be comparing apples to apples but hey might find a new design in the making.

 

[snofake]

binding steering 09 crossfire

on mine one balljoint was binding bad, heated carefully with torch.
moves easy now. be carefull to much heat and you will melt to much
liner in the socket.
one ski spindel also binds, after 960 miles it's better but not good.

 

[Gibsons]

1300 miles on my 08 and she gets tons of grease probably after every big ride and still very stiff. I'm going to have to take a better look this summer at it to figure something out.

 

[polaris660rmk]

we had this problem today with a hcr hard to steer all day then the bolt snaped off that holds the tie rods then easy to steer but skis spred and had to be towed home. put a new bolt in and turns easy as can be now

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

M8 steering

When the 07 M8 came out they were harder to steer than the M7's and soon everybody was scrambling to make them steer like the earlier M7's. Skiis, skid replacement, shock revalving, move this move that.

After riding my m8 for three years and 5000 miles and often riding half the day on my 05 M and comparing.

I made my m8 work as good as the old sled by moving my body position while standing on the sled to the same location. What that entailed was moving the handle bars back on my M8.......when you pull them back on the M8 your wrist postion is no good. so I installed the Firecat bar system with riser and if you put the bars back on the M8 so you stand the same as the M7, steer is about the same. Enough so HARD STEERING has gone away. And standing further back the M8 turns. I made this change after helping several xp riders figure out how to adjust the riding position on those sleds so they could go 2 hours straight without having to go to rehab. A forward riding position has its virtues, but too far forward is a problem. Most noticable if you weight 200 lbs or so, just too much weight too far forward.