xm needs more throttle responce

leanburn

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i have a buddy who bought a 13 xm. i love this thing in many ways, i love it enough that i'm considering dumping my pro and buying a 2014 xm but the one thing that bugs me is the responce. the xm will try to pull your arms out of it's sockets but it seems to require some ''spooling''. has anyone been playing with some clutching to improve this?
 

takethebounce

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The stock clutching is a dog.

Lots of options out there to increase lower rpm track speed.
 

deaner

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I agree. I couldnt believe how bad it was after riding one, especially after reading about how good the stock clutching was. Would be the first thing I change if I get one. Heard nothing but good about the roosterbuilt kit in the XM. Love it in my 2010
 

maxwell

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LOL!!!!!!!!!!! rider preference i guess. wouldnt change a thing about the stock clutching. funny how everyone just says its bad. no reason. no explanation its just bad. but i guess what works for one guy doesnt work for another so thats why the aftermarket is around.

the only clutch kit ive ever see minimal gains with on the PTEK was the bikeman. on 2 sleds actually really woke them up on the top end.
 
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deaner

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Ok, heres my in depth explanation of why I thought it was bad Maxwell. It felt gross and doggy on the bottom and midrange. Like it was a 440 fan cooled engine with a turbo on it. Nothing on the bottom and then really lights up on top. Roosterbuilt makes it feel much torquier on the bottom and mid, and still pulls hard on top. But that is based on what it did on my 2010, and what I have heard from friends that have put the kit into XMs. I havent ridden an XM with a roosterbuilt kit yet.

Didnt mean to offend you. Skidoo is still the bestest sled ever built.
 

maxwell

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Ok, heres my in depth explanation of why I thought it was bad Maxwell. It felt gross and doggy on the bottom and midrange. Like it was a 440 fan cooled engine with a turbo on it. Nothing on the bottom and then really lights up on top. Roosterbuilt makes it feel much torquier on the bottom and mid, and still pulls hard on top. But that is based on what it did on my 2010, and what I have heard from friends that have put the kit into XMs. I havent ridden an XM with a roosterbuilt kit yet.

Didnt mean to offend you. Skidoo is still the bestest sled ever built.

im not offended it just bothers me when people say the clutching is terrible. well...why? so i appreciate your explanation.

now..when i hopped on the etec in late 2010 i also thought wow this thing is a dog. i soon came to realize it was not the clutching but the way the power is delivered from the engine. hoping back on my powertek it was very snappy and torqy on the bottom end. the etec stock clutching and power delivery is very Linear in comparison. engagement rpm is much lower and it can creep along at slow speed with minimal throttle control vs the powertek which basically says hold on im going now!!. and for some this is what they like but ive come to like the lineear power delivery and clutching of the etec. it has its advantages and when you wick on it the same power and response is still there from the ptek. it takes seat time to get used to and works wonders for technical riding. however i can see how a guy would miss that snappy bottom end the ptek had. and yes aftermarket clutch kits do address this if its fits your riding style. i found the roosterbuilt clutch kit to make my ptek a dog.i couldnt wait to throw the stock components back in. so it really shows how personal preference can vary based on riding styles.
 

adamg

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Ok, heres my in depth explanation of why I thought it was bad Maxwell. It felt gross and doggy on the bottom and midrange. Like it was a 440 fan cooled engine with a turbo on it. Nothing on the bottom and then really lights up on top. Roosterbuilt makes it feel much torquier on the bottom and mid, and still pulls hard on top. But that is based on what it did on my 2010, and what I have heard from friends that have put the kit into XMs. I havent ridden an XM with a roosterbuilt kit yet.

Didnt mean to offend you. Skidoo is still the bestest sled ever built.

You forgot to mention 16 wide!
 

tukernater

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19-51 straight 40 it's all slow it will feel doggy .I Think the motor like more gear and or more helix.
 

lilduke

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The Ptek definatly feels snapier than the Etec. I think its the carbs but who knows?

The Bikeman Cory Micku steep and deep kit works pretty good on a Etec tho.
 

Darren400

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When I rode the xm felt the same way, felt a little doggy like you said. I have a 11 etec with rooster built clutching feels a lot more responsive, on and off the throttle it hits 8000 a lot quicker , I snow checked a 14 etec and rooster clutching will be the first thing I do to it.
 

takethebounce

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LOL!!!!!!!!!!! rider preference i guess. wouldnt change a thing about the stock clutching. funny how everyone just says its bad. no reason. no explanation its just bad. but i guess what works for one guy doesnt work for another so thats why the aftermarket is around.

the only clutch kit ive ever see minimal gains with on the PTEK was the bikeman. on 2 sleds actually really woke them up on the top end.


Did I say it is bad? I had actually deleted a line from my post before I posted that I actually like the stock clutching.

The stock clutching has its pros and cons.

I like the clutching. But there isn't any point in me saying I like it because %90 of people change it before they even ride the sled.

He didn't like that it have a lot of bottom end. Their are ways to fix it. He was specific about what he didn't like.



sent from a top secret location
 

Nonhighwayservice

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I think that the xm being a little dogish off the line is supposed to be that way, so if you're in deep snow it will walk you out rather than digging yourself a hole.
 

Director

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Coming off a XP i find my 13 XM to have a slower throttle response all the way thru, as mentioned above, the engine seems to deliver power over a longer range.. I'd like it to be a little snappier but don't find it to hinder my riding at all expect when trying to do bounce the skis off a bank to do a catwalk, just need to time it a little different..haha... Like NHS said, doens't just snap and dig a big trench either, slowly chews...
 

mach123

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Well guys, I did a few changes to my sled gear/clutching all stock still because I am waiting for a roosterbuilt kit also. But was in saskatoon on sat and and raced in the improve stock and was the only xm there and many other improve sleds 12/15 + sleds in my class and I came home with 1st place and I am all stock withjust tweeks and a 163 and never had one sled past me, but one race where I had to let off and hit it again. So what does that tell you, if set up right they rock.....Good luck and hope my kit comes in soon....
 

adamg

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That's hilarious. Would have loved to see the big 163x16x2.5 mountain sled beat up on trail sleds.
 

SidewaysInto3rd

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what maxwell said .. I came off the 800r ptek and felt the etec was a dog at first .. now I love it

A lot of the times I'd dig myself a trech grabbing a handfull of rpm at slow speeds on the rev .. now that I've gotten used to the linear power delivery I can see it has its benefits .. i've adjusted my riding style to grab the throttle sooner if i need the power and it's a lot easier to control track speed at part throttle if you need to crawl around

with the 800r ptek it was either full throttle or go nowhere
 

Caper11

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i have a buddy who bought a 13 xm. i love this thing in many ways, i love it enough that i'm considering dumping my pro and buying a 2014 xm but the one thing that bugs me is the responce. the xm will try to pull your arms out of it's sockets but it seems to require some ''spooling''. has anyone been playing with some clutching to improve this?

Yep I agree!!, and a good clutch kit will fix that.
The clutching change in 2012 was a step in the right direction, but lacks certain characteristics I want my sled to have, and more complaints are coming to the surface about the stock clutching.
Throttle response, backshifting, track speed recovery, engine braking, and heat are issues with doos 2012-13 clutch setup. The low gearing makes up for a poor secondary clutch setup, but kind of make its snappy on the bottom end but to a point. The stock clutching has a very poor midrange, and backshift. but provides a very linear feel at the bars. But if a fellow payed attention to the track speed while climbing and slowed almost to a stop on the hill and pins it again the sled struggles to climb back over 40mph track speed. yah want your track speed to recover quick to get your momentum back, and tree riders will appreciate the 2-3 mph gain in "turnout" track speed with a good clutch kit.
All of the points I mentioned, Ive compared to my clutched XM over a stock clutched xm that was riding with, and I appreciated my buddies patience for letting me compare sleds. When he rode my sled he really likes how responsive the sled felt compared to his, and when I rode his it felt "Doggy" not a fault of the engine at all just the sled worked awsome!! Is the clutching that made it feel "doggy", like yah have a elastic band for a throttle cable, which is exaggerated but i think yah get the picture since you rode it and felt it.
There are improvements to be had over the stock clutching, but its up to the owner to decide if he wants it or not.
 

Hefe04

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I am happy with the bikeman clutch kit I installed on my 2012 etec. I to seemed to feel the sled was lacking most of the things stated above. It was for me an overall improvement to my sled. I would not discourage anyone from wanting to install a clutch kit, but like everything do your home work and know what you are looking for.
 

Sask Sledder

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I have a DJ clutch kit with his mountain ramps.

If you want it a bit more revy on the bottom use his DJMR ramps. But they will not push as hard on the bottom. Thats the point. Its a trade off. You want push or rpms?

Either way it still tail stands like crazy. The rest of the kit might have something to do with that too.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2
 

Demon700

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I agree on the fact that it what fits your riding style. I however think it is a wrong statement in saying "throttle response" in fact out of all the new sleds I have ridden I find the E-tec to have the best throttle resonse, you just touch the throttle and that engine responds. Not like the 800cfi, when you touch the throttle the engine rumbles up while it shakes and when you let go of the throttle you can feel a vibration through the bars when it drops to lower rpm, feels like the old 800 VES carbed engines. It seems what everone is feeling is throttle to track speed, which lends itself to clutching. I agree with Maxwell, the stock clutching you dont have to hit the throttle or whick it to keep the sled going. You just have to slightly feather it to keep your momentum up. Works great for tree riding cause your not always trenching, with your skis a mile high in the air. Once you get used to it way better control.

I just found it frustrating that the top rpms vary so much from snow condition to snow condition or when you hit and old track etc. I talked to Team and installed a tied secondary and reccommend the Team Tied clutch.
 
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