"Indy Lite Mountain Conversion"

[volcano buster]

Kid loves this "mod"!!

Me too, keeps her out of mine.

 

[Merlin]

Kid loves this "mod"!!

Me too, keeps her out of mine.

LOL!

Funny you should mention that. My son chowed down half of the smoked sausage I had in my Hot Pot both of the days we were out riding & I think he would've ate more if it'd been there.

I told him that we'd have to mount a Hot Pot on his machine for next year. Heck, when kids are in growth spurt I don't think 3 Hot Pots would be enough! LOL!

 

[AZ800]

Awesome Merlin!
Ain't it fun watching the kids living their dream?
Definitely some plastic skis and throw a 136 under it if you hit the powder.
Got my 7 y/o on a Formula 380 this year and he can is blown away..... But he likes moms M7 better! Haha
The 11 y/o is on a 550 RMK now moved up froma vintage Cat.

 

[Merlin]

VB & Snow Duck,


I went to install the tunnel extension I purchased this spring on my Indy Lite & found that it's not a correct fit. Looking back at the invoice it was for a Gen 2 chassis.

I was looking at the pictures of your installs, wondering if you used the same extension & just cut the bottom flange off?


Thanks,


Glen

 

[volcano buster]

I just cut mine off. It was the 136 extension from my '99 700 RMK. I figured with the bumper coming forward on both sides I would have enough support and it has worked fine so far.

 

[Merlin]

Thanks VB,


I'd planned on building a bumper so I'll just carry the rails ahead of the joint to gain a little strength.

It's not like the machine is going to see a lot of tail landings but it might have to pull dad's Pro back to the staging area one day....... LOL!

 

[Merlin]

Indy Lite Mtn. Conversion

Things are starting to take shape.


Installed:

- 136" X 1.75" track(from Ebay)

- Wahl 7 tooth combo drivers & anti stab wheel kit

- SLP rail & tunnel extension

- Custom bumper / tunnel reinforcement

- Feethooker running board inserts(Thanks Carl!)

- Gripper skis(Thanks Jayson!) with Ski Doo rubber upgrade


Waiting for parts to install:

- Tether Kill Switch

- Reverse chain case assy.

- Hand & thumb warmers

- Rail edge grip strips

- Hot Pot


Next season:

- Suspension upgrade(RMK 136" skid / front shocks & radius rod mods)

- Handlebar upgrade

- Hyd. brake conversion

- Paint


Thanks to Volcano Buster, Snow Duck, & others for their suggestions & sharing their experience. It has been greatly appreciated!

 

[volcano buster]

Looking good.

I can't tell in the picture, but did you miter the rear end of the hyfax so the track will guide on it when rolling in reverse? It doesn't take much and the sled won't roll backwards when a clip jumps up and grabs a square end.

I will be using the master cylinder and caliper off my '93 440 SKS, and hose from my wrecked '99 700 RMK so factory parts that should drop right into place for a hydraulic brake set up. This will go on after I get the 440 put back together.

 

[Merlin]

Looking good.

I can't tell in the picture, but did you miter the rear end of the hyfax so the track will guide on it when rolling in reverse? It doesn't take much and the sled won't roll backwards when a clip jumps up and grabs a square end.

Thanks VB!

You bet, I tapered the hyfax. The reverse thing crossed my mind when I was installing the rail extensions.

 

[Merlin]

Ready to go Dad!

We installed the tether kill switch, heated grips / thumb warmer, rail edge grip strips, & Hot Pot.

Took it for a rip down the back alley & it looks like reduction in the final drive ratio from the 7 tooth drivers is going to be a welcome addition. Of course parking lot posing is no comparison for proper field testing. LOL!

Unfortunately the reverse chain case mod. was a bust as the parts I received were in poor condition & the kit was missing pieces to boot. So, I'm still on the hunt for another reverse kit. Just gotta have reverse!


Anyway, there's 2 of us who are chomping at the bit to hit the snow!

 

[volcano buster]

Super job.

I was debating the mechanical reverse as well, but most kits are 20 years old and either worn or missing parts as you are finding. Mine has electric start so that keeps the kids happy.

What did you use for board inserts? I'm thinking about that, but the kids may only ride it 2 more years before they move up the fleet.

I did modify a Gen II windshield bag for dash storage and that is pretty handy for hiding snacks and gloves/hats in for quick and dryer storage.

 

[Merlin]

Super job.

I was debating the mechanical reverse as well, but most kits are 20 years old and either worn or missing parts as you are finding. Mine has electric start so that keeps the kids happy.

What did you use for board inserts? I'm thinking about that, but the kids may only ride it 2 more years before they move up the fleet.

I did modify a Gen II windshield bag for dash storage and that is pretty handy for hiding snacks and gloves/hats in for quick and dryer storage.

Thanks VB,

The inserts came from Feethookers: http://feethookers.com/Home_Page.html

Carl was great to deal with & the price was reasonable.

The inserts are slightly custom compared to the standard template Carl has for the Indy 340. I requested an 1.5" flange for riveting to the side of the tunnel & that boards be shorter so as not to carry over the rear suspension bracket.(see below)


Ironically, my son & I were talking about your windshield bag mod. yesterday after our "alley run". Things tend to get soggy in seat compartment. LOL!

The bag is on the list for next year or even this year if I can track one down.

 

[volcano buster]

The later Gen II bags were basically a 2 piece unit as the engine had a breather that came up in the center behind the windshield.

I opened up the leading seam and sewed in an extra piece of material plus a layer of flexible plastic (bottom of old push mower bag) to use as a stiffener. Then I bought longer stainless steel windshield bolts to go through the bag where the plastic inserts were to hold the bag in place.

It has kind of a funky shape but there are too many angles for me to get excited about making a custom bag. They lay in fine with plenty of storage and stay out of the way when closing the hood.

 

[Merlin]

Well,


The mods. paid off this weekend, the pilot was happy! The track & skis made a huge improvement which comes as no surprise & I think the 340 was glad I went with the 7 tooth drivers. The increased gear ratio helped it deal with the 1.75" track. LOL! All of the other amenities were appreciated by the pilot too, especially the Hot Pot.

 

[Snow Duck]

NICE JOB AND WELL DONE!!

did you reclutch at all??

I know you did drivers but any gearing done also...

mine has a bog I need to get out and it loaded up yesterday as we went up in elevation but all in my daughter loves the sled and I have a few details to finish.

all I have left is install the 1.5 track and may try this summer to put extra 10 under it...and I need to decal it with something!

 

[Snow Duck]

here are a few pics..

 

[volcano buster]

Some decal kits on ebay. That is where I got mine since I thought there was a whole lot of red otherwise.

 

[Merlin]

NICE JOB AND WELL DONE!!

did you reclutch at all??

I know you did drivers but any gearing done also...

mine has a bog I need to get out and it loaded up yesterday as we went up in elevation but all in my daughter loves the sled and I have a few details to finish.

all I have left is install the 1.5 track and may try this summer to put extra 10 under it...and I need to decal it with something!

Thanks SD!

Just running factory clutch calibrations(I pulled the clutches apart last season for cleaning & inspection and I wrote the numbers down which is a good thing because I can't remember any of them now. LOL!)

Gearing is 16 / 39(I know this off the top off my head as I've been hunting for a reverse chain case assy. this winter).

When I picked the machine up last year I installed a new belt & still had a mile of deflection so I re-shimmed the secondary which obviously made a big difference.

According to the Polaris service manual the machine would run 60 ish MPH @ 7000 RPM with the factory 9 tooth drivers(assuming a 1:1 clutch ratio) & after the swap to the 7 tooth drivers we should be down to 47 ish MPH @ 7000 RPM which is just fine by me. IMO, if the application is going to be a "student driver" in the mountains, gear as low as possible / practical.


The machine still has no real punch off the line however once the RPM is brought up to engagement & the machine is rolling a bit you can smash the throttle & it takes off. It could probably stand a bit of low speed fuel adjustment & re-jetting, maybe even a little tweaking on the clutching but I was surprised that it was able to haul my 300 + lbs ready to ride a$$ up a pretty steep, but well packed, hill. The clutching shifted down, kept the engine singing, & pulled me over the top. I'm just pleased that it starts well(every time) & is reliable. My son(7 yrs) can start the engine when it's warm about 50% of the time depending on how tired he is. I think it comes down to the fact that it's a small cc piston port engine & there's only so much bottom end performance one can expect.


I'm going to shoot for suspension & cosmetic mods. next season too.

 

[Snow Duck]

[QUOTE=. I'm just pleased that it starts well(every time) & is reliable. My son(7 yrs) can start the engine when it's warm about 50% of the time depending on how tired he is. I think it comes down to the fact that it's a small cc piston port engine & there's only so much bottom end performance one can expect.


I did electric start!! And I love it she could not pull the rope so now she can just fire up and ride anywhere she wants...

I used a gen 2 one piece windshield bag and used machine screws to hold it in...

 

[Snow Duck]

Some decal kits on ebay. That is where I got mine since I thought there was a whole lot of red otherwise.

thanks VB

the problem I have is the color I had it painted...I am going to contact that company on eBay and see if they can change the colors or I guess I go to Fokus graphic's here in Boise