INDY LITE MODS

[Snow Duck]

you gentleman obviously know your stuff, so I must ask the experts. My sons 07 polaris 340 crank went out this past winter. He just turned 6, is small but strong and can drive my 800 pretty good with me on the back. I have the parts to long track it but I didn't think it would turn a 136x1.5, and after reading all your posts I think it will now. Can fix crank for around $300, long track it and would last him one more winter, or would a 440 0r 500 fan bolt in using carbs, clutches,and belts, lasting him 2-3 yrs. Don't have alot of time to test, was looking for something quick and fairly easy. Thanks in advance for the help.

is that the edge like this one??

if so i think you have a lot of engine options with some modification to motor mounts ect but to be a easier fix i would proably just fix the motor you have....Then gear it down and long track it if thats what you want to do...i would think you will not need anything longer than a 144 track but a 136 would be perfect...good luck...

 

[Fitter]

I agree with valcano buster about learning riding techniques on bigger sleds. I've always said you can put a monkey on an 800 and teach it to pull the trigger and it would be able to climb some hills, but the same monkey on a 600 would be about as much fun as watching a monkey *&^%$# a football. Sorry for highjacking your thread. when in doubt , ask the pros. I'll fix it , gear it down and put a 136 under it. Yes it looks like the red edge but its an LE

 

[Snow Duck]

I agree with valcano buster about learning riding techniques on bigger sleds. I've always said you can put a monkey on an 800 and teach it to pull the trigger and it would be able to climb some hills, but the same monkey on a 600 would be about as much fun as watching a monkey *&^%$# a football. Sorry for highjacking your thread. when in doubt , ask the pros. I'll fix it , gear it down and put a 136 under it. Yes it looks like the red edge but its an LE

Start a thread here Fitter and post up sme pics and keep us informed its allways good to see and watch what is going on with kids sleds....Here is a pic of the barn find LOL i found a few months ago...its 02 600 been sitting for 8 years in this spot and i got it for under a grand..it needs some work and since i am finishing up the lite i will order some parts for it and get it ready for him.. this sled came from Montana and if you zoom in it has a snowest decal in front of the lower vent..

 

[volcano buster]

Snow Duck,

Nice barn find.

My wife has an '04 600w/ 144 x 2. I like the sled but at times I think it could even handle a 151. Maybe not for a kid, yet, but the sled is quite capable if you have access to take-off parts to upgrade as the kid gets bigger.

 

[Snow Duck]

yes sir!! i want to get him going this year then do a 151 and make it a 660...in a year or two down the road. and put the perc on it..

 

[pengilly]

I made a simple engine plate and bolted a 550 in my kids lite. Worked perfect and rips. Runs 80 in a 1000' with minimal tuning.

 

[jaysonfreerider]

Here is my Indy Lite custom build. I ride it more when there is no snow then when there is snow! Ha!

 

[treemagnet03]

For sale, gently used 340....

 

[Spaarky]

K... I have a ton of questions. I just picked up a Lite yesterday for my girls, 7 & 5. 5 year old will stay on the 120 for another year or so. Then I will probably get one for her too.

I have this strange addiction that I cant leave anything alone, so over time it will get modified.

First off I am looking for a hood, its a 97. don't need the 97 hood, but black would be awesome. I searched all over last night and have this morning too. No luck so far.

Second as I was getting ready to leave. The gentleman said the motor was rebuilt. It only has 800 miles on it. How in the world did they lock that little motor up, that early. He commented they pulled it out of the shop, and it locked up. Maybe I need to call the dealer that did the repair and see what the situation is.

I have read up some... some good info.

Brakes... what brake is it to switch to hydraulic?

Gearing and clutching? .... what is good low gearing and clutching? Has anyone considered switching out that secondary for something else???

Are there any cheap or simple upgraded too the sled???

The pic I attached, I found when I was searching for a hood. Any ideas on how they did the seat. I have seen some nice options on here. I really like the look of the one in the pic. I would like to do a WRP Rasmussen style looking seat for them.

Bars... this sled has bars and riser. What would they have done with speedo? Just pitched it? Could a person cut it in the hood? Has anyone put a tach on the sled? Is it worth putting a tach on??

What am I missing?

Thanks.. Justin

 

[Snow Duck]

K... I have a ton of questions. I just picked up a Lite yesterday for my girls, 7 & 5. 5 year old will stay on the 120 for another year or so. Then I will probably get one for her too.

I have this strange addiction that I cant leave anything alone, so over time it will get modified.

First off I am looking for a hood, its a 97. don't need the 97 hood, but black would be awesome. I searched all over last night and have this morning too. No luck so far.

Second as I was getting ready to leave. The gentleman said the motor was rebuilt. It only has 800 miles on it. How in the world did they lock that little motor up, that early. He commented they pulled it out of the shop, and it locked up. Maybe I need to call the dealer that did the repair and see what the situation is.

I have read up some... some good info.

Brakes... what brake is it to switch to hydraulic?

Gearing and clutching? .... what is good low gearing and clutching? Has anyone considered switching out that secondary for something else???

Are there any cheap or simple upgraded too the sled???

The pic I attached, I found when I was searching for a hood. Any ideas on how they did the seat. I have seen some nice options on here. I really like the look of the one in the pic. I would like to do a WRP Rasmussen style looking seat for them.

Bars... this sled has bars and riser. What would they have done with speedo? Just pitched it? Could a person cut it in the hood? Has anyone put a tach on the sled? Is it worth putting a tach on??

What am I missing?

Thanks.. Justin

you need to call me I am the one on mountain sledder swap meet you were posting to!

 

[Merlin]

Brakes... what brake is it to switch to hydraulic?

Gearing and clutching? .... what is good low gearing and clutching? Has anyone considered switching out that secondary for something else???

Are there any cheap or simple upgraded too the sled???

Bars... this sled has bars and riser. What would they have done with speedo? Just pitched it? Could a person cut it in the hood? Has anyone put a tach on the sled? Is it worth putting a tach on??

What am I missing?

Thanks.. Justin

IMO, improving the overall final ratio is possibly the best "bang for your buck" mod. on these small cc sleds & I think if you plan on installing a longer, deeper lug track this mod. is a must.

I went from the factory 9 tooth drivers to 7 tooth drivers, using the factory gearing(16:39) when I did my track swap(136" X 1.75") & the performance improvement was significant. These machines need all the help they can get on the bottom end. Additionally, I see no need for a beginner / youth machine to be set up for 60 + MPH.

As for the rest:

Engine - Make sure the compression is up to snuff. New spark plugs. New fuel lines(or in good condition), Carbs are thoroughly cleaned & calibrated to the altitude / conditions in which you ride. etc. Performance mods. are available such as pipes & head cutting but not likely worth the investment. Just make sure the engine is properly tuned & that should be good enough.

Clutching - Make sure they are clean, in good condition, & set up for the altitude / conditions in which you ride. Ensure the belt is in condition & deflection is set properly. I'm sure it would be possible to adapt another secondary but the cost / effort may not be worth the hassle.

Brake - Install caliper / slave cylinder & handle bar package from compatible model like Snow Duck & Kraven. I have a caliper / slave cylinder from a donor sled('96 XLT) that I plan on installing on my son's sled along with an aftermarket master cylinder / brake lever assy.(I.E. Wilwood) when the time comes. I'm also planning on ditching the factory handlebars & installing a set of aftermarket bars(RSI) & risers that are a better fit for stand up riding.

Gauges - I was thinking of installing a Koso tach / temp. gauge package for tuning purposes but not sure it's worth the investment(unless you can find a used one cheap). It's not like these machines need to be jetted / clutched on the ragged edge. LOL!

Maintenance - Like VB has mentioned multiple times, simply making sure the existing equipment is functioning properly - cleaning / inspecting / greasing suspension components - I.E. pivot shafts for the rear suspension.

Good luck!

 

[cateye5312]

K... I have a ton of questions. I just picked up a Lite yesterday for my girls, 7 & 5. 5 year old will stay on the 120 for another year or so. Then I will probably get one for her too.

I have this strange addiction that I cant leave anything alone, so over time it will get modified.

First off I am looking for a hood, its a 97. don't need the 97 hood, but black would be awesome. I searched all over last night and have this morning too. No luck so far.

Second as I was getting ready to leave. The gentleman said the motor was rebuilt. It only has 800 miles on it. How in the world did they lock that little motor up, that early. He commented they pulled it out of the shop, and it locked up. Maybe I need to call the dealer that did the repair and see what the situation is.

I have read up some... some good info.

Brakes... what brake is it to switch to hydraulic?

Gearing and clutching? .... what is good low gearing and clutching? Has anyone considered switching out that secondary for something else???

Are there any cheap or simple upgraded too the sled???

The pic I attached, I found when I was searching for a hood. Any ideas on how they did the seat. I have seen some nice options on here. I really like the look of the one in the pic. I would like to do a WRP Rasmussen style looking seat for them.

Bars... this sled has bars and riser. What would they have done with speedo? Just pitched it? Could a person cut it in the hood? Has anyone put a tach on the sled? Is it worth putting a tach on??

What am I missing?

Thanks.. Justin

I have 2 Indy Lite Dlx 340's (1999) and I put 136 X 1.25 tracks under them, geared them down, put better ski's on them and left them alone. The grandkids love 'em and they get around great out here in the west. Both sleds are e-start which is super handy for the kids.

I did the following to long track them:

Added slide rail extensions to go from 121 to 136.
Changed top gear in chaincase to a 16T
swapped out track for a 136 off a Trail RMK.
Fabricated tunnel extension, found longer bumper on ebay
Changed rear drop brackets to the drop brackets from a trail RMK from same year (ebay again) I think those are the Extra 10 suspension.
If you look at the front slide rail mounting holes (at least on the 99's) there is a pre-drilled hole on the support bracket that is 1"lower than the hole used for the 340's original suspension but is not drilled through the tunnel. This is the mounting hole for the Extra 10 suspension. I drilled it on through the tunnel and re- attached the lengthened skid to the new lower rear brackets and in the new lower mounting holes in the front. Everything bolted right up and immediately gave the sleds additional height.
I changed the front skis to Polaris Gripper skis.

These sleds are great - I still have an 11 year old riding one and enjoying the heck out of it. I'm starting my 6 year old grandson on the other this year.

My 21 year old daughter has informed that I must keep these sleds for the foreseeable future because some day she's going to have kids and they'll want to ride them !!! Haha

 

[Spaarky]

thanks for the responses. I am more excited to play with this then my turbo pro.

Thanks to SnowDuck for talking with me this afternoon. I have a ton of ideas now. This is more of a spring 16 project, but it is nice to start compiling parts now. Plus thinking through the not so typical mods. I don't want to tear into it, and have the girls miss out on riding, that's the most important part.

Thanks for all the advice!!!

Merlin... SD said you put a extra 10 under yours? How did it work out? did it not add too much ski pressure if you combined it with the taller spindles? would it benefit from even taller spindles?

I was thinking a coil over rear skid to be light. a old holz skid or I don't know, a pro skid would that be too tall? Something super light. I am trying to go as light as possible.

Only reason I would go to a pipe is to cut weight. Aaens shaves 10lbs. I am going to put a buddy to work to possibly build some chromoly parts.

I realize its just a 340, and you can only do so much. I am just excited to mess with it.

 

[Merlin]

Merlin... SD said you put a extra 10 under yours? How did it work out? did it not add too much ski pressure if you combined it with the taller spindles? would it benefit from even taller spindles?

I was thinking a coil over rear skid to be light. a old holz skid or I don't know, a pro skid would that be too tall? Something super light. I am trying to go as light as possible.

Only reason I would go to a pipe is to cut weight. Aaens shaves 10lbs. I am going to put a buddy to work to possibly build some chromoly parts.

I realize its just a 340, and you can only do so much. I am just excited to mess with it.

O.A.,

I have a skid from an '05 550 RMK 136" but I haven't installed it yet. I mainly chose that skid for ease of suspension adjustment(cam adjusters for rear springs) in the field so that I can hop on the machine to test & not have to worry about bottoming out(I outweigh my son by roughly 200 lbs LOL) Forum member, Chad Krump, provided me with some measurements for the skid mounting location. Regarding the spindles, my plan is to install the skid with the machine sitting level-ish & then determine how much lift is actually required on the front end. With that measurement in hand, I might endeavor to build a custom set of spindles(modify the trailing arms too) with the required amount of lift.

Installing longer spindles will affect the geometry but I'm hoping that it will have a negligible affect on the handling. The only other route for lifting the front end involves widening the ski stance which I want to avoid.


I was interested in the pipe as well so I spoke with the Aaen rep. last year. He confirmed my concerns, that while it would add more HP on top end, it would hamper low end performance. He advised against the use of the pipe in an off trail / deep snow application. He did recommend cutting the head to improve low end grunt(which these machines sadly lack) but that concerns me as well as I don't want to have to mess with av / race fuel or have significantly increased cranking effort(this sled is rope pull start only & my 7 yr. old son can just barely get it started by himself) I may re-evaluate the head cutting in a few years when my son gets older / stronger. LOL!

 

[Spaarky]

Maybe the throttle cable is bad or needs replacement. Throttle seems pretty tough pull for the kiddo's. Old school easy throttle?

 

[cateye5312]

First, the engine.

I believe there have been uses of the 488 fan motor bolting into the Indy Lite chassis with minimal issue. I have been thinking about this as my kids are longer than they are wide so a smaller machine with a little more power sounds interesting.

Secondly, the size of the operator.

I will likely take some bashing over this but I don't think putting a 6 year old on a 500/600 is a good idea. I think that riders get better when they have to challenge themselves to make a machine perform at its highest level. I follow this up by saying that riders that jump to too large of a machine too quickly have a tendency to just let the sled get them where they want to go (kids and adults alike). This does very little for acquiring the skill set needed to ride at today's levels. This may not make too much sense, but when an operator has a 550 and all the other guys are on 600 liquids or greater, that rider has to figure out how to make it perform (performance of the machine and riding style) to get the job done. Once that rider moves up to something larger, the skills learned carry over and the operator is now a lot better off than one that was simply installed on a more capable machine (ie higher horsepower/better equipped).

Thirdly, safety.

My 10 year wrecked her long tracked 340 Indy Lite this winter in a simple judgement error (long story) but could have been tremendously worse had she been on the next sled in line for her to ride - 440 SKS l/c. I believe the mental maturity of the operator should not be over-estimated to combine them with conditions that they are not able to comprehend. I am not lumping all young operators in this category, but after my experience I am not excited when I see young kids on "Dad's 800" just because they can reach the gas and the brake.

Happy decisions.

Boy, do I agree with you. My buddy jumped his 11 year old up from a 340 to a 600 this winter and man is that kid struggling. I moved my 12 year old grandson from a 340 to a 550 this winter and he is riding it far better than my buddy's son is on the 600. And last year my buddy's son was the better rider. The 600 is just too much for him and he can't figure out how to quit digging big giant holes everywhere. I'm sure he'll figure it out but in the meantime he ain't havin' a whole lot of fun.

 

[Spaarky]

Alright... girls scorched a piston on the mag side this weekend. They did a good job of it. The pto side has a nice gauge too..

I found a 440 fan. I think, I can do the swap for around $500. Couple hidden things would be fitting the pipe, clutching and stator(if I need to swap). Would it be worth the swap???

I was thinking a 440 or 550 eventually... with a 136.

 

[volcano buster]

The 340 should have a P90 clutch where as the larger sleds have a P85. This will likely affect the secondary clutch as well since the P90 uses a narrower belt and the secondary is a smaller diameter.

I put a 136 x 1.25 on my 340 and that made a huge difference even with 2500 miles on the clock of a stock motor.

 

[Spaarky]

Yeah. Gonna fix the 340. Good decision!

Also bought another motor. Bad decision. Might look for a chasis to have a pet project just for fun.

 

[volcano buster]

If you were closer I'd help you out on a rebuilt 340. Bought a sled for parts a couple years ago. 8800 miles on it so I figured the motor was toast with the miles and it wouldn't turn over. I pulled the top end to see what a well used motor looked like. The .010" over pistons were hardly carboned up.