Team Fast 136" M20 - 2011+ Apex XTX (Version 1.0)

[MrSled]

It was a great time. Glad we had the opportunity to ride.

 

[Redbeard]

We received the largest snowstorm in 5 yrs right here at home last weekend! Woo Hoo! The wind blew and drifts galore! We have been hammering the sleds all week. I even ran out of gasoline and had to start filling up in town.

I have a formal report on the M20 performance:

This is a wonderful trail suspension. The M20 out-performs the M10 in general comfort and weight transfer. I recommend an onboard air compressor! It's nice to adjust pressure on-the-fly. The Ripsaw II seems to grab well.

 

[yamahatd]

I came from a 121 skid so the 136 M-20 is far superior off trail, but I get the same action when I hit a drift of banking when heading off trail as well. It seems to be the only time it bottoms other that huge hits. I do like the suspension for on trail, it eliminates studders and takes the 1'-3' bumps like no other. I can run rough trails at 40-60 mph and only slow down when I get tired of holding on to this TANK of a sled.

happy to hear you have local riding....the weather gods are not cooperating with us here in New England...

 

[ghost rider]

I came from a 121 skid so the 136 M-20 is far superior off trail, but I get the same action when I hit a drift of banking when heading off trail as well. It seems to be the only time it bottoms other that huge hits. I do like the suspension for on trail, it eliminates studders and takes the 1'-3' bumps like no other. I can run rough trails at 40-60 mph and only slow down when I get tired of holding on to this TANK of a sled.

happy to hear you have local riding....the weather gods are not cooperating with us here in New England...

I sold my m20. For a brand new zx2 136. There is nothing like the hook up of the z2
Compiled with a 4 stroke turbo .
The m20?was awesome in the shudder bumps but lacked in transfer for traction....
Loved the m20 .... Just love the zx2a little more.

 

[Redbeard]

I sold my m20. For a brand new zx2 136. There is nothing like the hook up of the z2
Compiled with a 4 stroke turbo .
The m20?was awesome in the shudder bumps but lacked in transfer for traction....
Loved the m20 .... Just love the zx2a little more.

Ghost Rider, I've heard a lot of good about the ZX2's, but never had the opportunity to ride one. If you don't mind me asking, could you list the mounting locations of your skid? How far back from the drive axle and down is the front mounting hole (same for rear)? I'm curious to know the different mounting locations.

What track were you using when you ran the M20? The reason I ask is because I run the Ripsaw II with mine and it hooks up good...way better than the M10 in my Vector with original Ripsaw. I did lose some transfer, but that is easily out-weighed by the improvement in ride over the stock CK 144 (horrible trail suspension).

 

[ghost rider]

Ghost Rider, I've heard a lot of good about the ZX2's, but never had the opportunity to ride one. If you don't mind me asking, could you list the mounting locations of your skid? How far back from the drive axle and down is the front mounting hole (same for rear)? I'm curious to know the different mounting locations.

What track were you using when you ran the M20? The reason I ask is because I run the Ripsaw II with mine and it hooks up good...way better than the M10 in my Vector with original Ripsaw. I did lose some transfer, but that is easily out-weighed by the improvement in ride over the stock CK 144 (horrible trail suspension).[/quote]

i'll get the location numbers to you in a couple days no problem. I use the rip saw ii as well….i think the big issue with traction was the turbo which is why i like the zx2
i had the air ride m20 with the gold kit and it was fantastic….loved it. But i sold it for the zx2 which i thought would be better suited to the turbo….both skids kick serious butt.
the m-20 was smoother and overall more comfortable……but i needed serious traction and weight reduction.

 

[Redbeard]

We've been hammering the trails in northern Michigan again. I now have 1100 miles on the M20 and all is well! The shocks have set in and the ride is great. We rode through some trail trash last night. I just added some more air and sped up a little. There is a harmony between air pressure, ground speed, and stutter frequency.

Sometimes (not all the time) I have trouble getting the air pump to work correctly in the morning before we head out. The pump runs, but won't make pressure. However, after about 5 miles on the trail, it works fine. I am guessing the inline check valve mounted to the pump gets a little moisture in it and freezes at night, then thaws with a little engine heat.

It snowed the entire time we were here. I LOVE WINTER!

 

[ghost rider]

Looks awesome!

 

[Redbeard]

The 2013-2014 riding season is over for me. I was only able to get 1200 miles this year, but they were trouble free. My hyfax are still at half-life. I think that's pretty good considering all the corn stalks and sand I've ridden through...lol!

I'm torn on leaving good enough alone. In theory, I have figured a way to connect the front shocks into my air system without adding an additional air pump and using just one air pressure guage for the entire system. It will require three more solenoids/air lines, one extra toggle switch and very limited wiring. I even drew up a wiring schematic. The wiring is very simple.

I'll just have to see how summer goes!

 

[smoothride]

How does those front air shocks work are they any good. What are your thots on them?

 

[Redbeard]

How does those front air shocks work are they any good. What are your thots on them?

Living so far away from where I ride limits my exposure to different aftermarket products. When I buy something for my sled, I try to make the most of it in the 60 day window I have to ride. My experience with aftermarket shocks up front is very limited, so my feedback may not answer all your questions:

Team Fast front shocks are plush and they do handle the stutters well. There's a noticeable difference over the stock springers, but I think most air shocks will leave you with that impression. They did help even-up the front ends' capability with the air ride in the rear. They hold a lot of air and seem to work best at 37-39 psi for average trail riding and 40 psi+ for rough conditions. I do run a 13mm sway bar on the Apex, so you might have to run a little more psi in each shock with a standard 11 or 12mm bar. My Vector has the stock sway bar.

These shocks like aggressive trail riding, but I've never jumped or banged ditches with them. I think they would do ok in the ditches with enough air pressure, but I really think they are aimed at the GT crowd like myself. Also, I think they took 6 lbs or so off the front end compared to stock.

Edit: The 13mm sway bar does exactly what it's supposed to do, but I'm not certain about using it on my Apex. The ride is good and it corners flat, but the front end has less of an independent feeling than my Vector does with the same shocks and stock 11mm sway bar. I never considered that a heavier sway bar might have an impact on the current valving in the shocks, so I'm going to put the stock 12mm bar back into the Apex next year for a comparison.

 

[4bangdan]

awesome job with tons of helpful info. people like you make this site rock!

 

[Redbeard]

awesome job with tons of helpful info. people like you make this site rock!

Thanks! There are a ton of good people on here. Everything I know about Yamaha sleds came from this site. I try my best to make a return on all the info that's been given to me on here.

 

[yamahatd]

Ditto

 

[Soldier'spapa]

Thank you for the excellent writeup's and your willingness to share your work with others!

I think I will be fitting my SE with the M-20 over the summer and possibly the ski shocks too. I will likely reference this thread often. I love having suspension adjustability at my finger tips so I will also include the onboard compressor.

I'm intrigued by your plans to plumb and wire the fronts. I have a couple questions regarding these plans though... I'm wondering if the additional air volume provided by the hoses running to the ski shocks will effect their ride characteristics enough to make a difference? Obviously the system has been tried and true for the rear air bag but I have not yet seen any feedback from such an endeavor with the fronts. I do recall that those that added a compressor system to the Mega Float found the added air volume to adversely effect the ride. Is this the reason for the solenoids plumbed inline for each individual front shock and not simply using one before the "T"? I'm assuming you run identical pressures in the fronts.

Thanks in advance!