[Aux500]

Picked up a '96 500 SKS for my wife/relatives/friends to ride. It is in great shape, and should serve the purpose well. I have a few questions hopefully you more knowledgeable folks can answer for me.

What is the best belt to use? It has a 45 on it, with a 42 as a spare. Both look to be in ok shape, but I would like to pick up a new one.

What shocks from other/newer models will fit this sled? I look up shocks in Dennis Kirk, etc, and it seems like this '96 was an oddball. It has its own unique part numbers for all four shocks, along with the other '96 SKS models. I know the front is an X-tra 10, along with the rear, and it has the Indy Select (Gabriel) rear suspension shock. The shocks will probably need to be replaced or rebuilt if possible, and I would like to know my options. Fox shocks from mid to late 90's XC and XCR's show up on e-bay all the time, and I was hoping to possibly use some of those. Would the late 90's PPS shock work?

What is the best plug to run? After going through many topics about this, the BR8ES seems to be the closest to the original Champions, and that is what I currently have in the sled. It came with two sets of BR9ES, and one set of BR8ES. I put in the 8's.

Is it the '97 through '05 plastic skis that will bolt up to this machine? How about the skis from a late 90's or early 00's RMK?

I pulled the clutches apart, and they are in great shape. It has a blue primary, with the stock weights, and it has a black secondary (I did not see a paint stripe - might not have looked close enough though) spring. I am confused about the helix. On the back side of the helix it is stamped 34, but on the radius side, it is stamped 38/34. Could anyone tell me exactly what helix it is? According to the set up sticker under the hood, neither spring is stock, but from what I have read on here, the 34 helix should be stock. Will my setup be ok? Should I go back to the stock springs?

Thank you for any and all help.

Aux

 

[radianguy]

Ok lets give this a try.
The 042 belt is what your sled calls for.

You'll have to dig deeper on shock availability, I'm not sure what will fit.

I am thinking that BR9ES is the plug to run, that's what I used to run in my 97 XLT, I found them much better than the Champion plugs.

Polaris plactic skis will fit all sleds fom 81-05, so any you find should work.

As for the clutching, stock primary spring should be Gold, with 10m weights, 36* helix and a red secondary spring.
Hope I helped.

 

[Aux500]

Thanks Radianguy. I appreciate the response.

I did call a dealer and they confirmed that a 42 is what my machine calls for, but the 45 will work. 45 is a harder compound, that's all. The dealer also said the BR8ES is the NGK to run, so I will stick with those.

I confirmed the 36 helix on a parts list site, and it looks like my machine has an identical set up to a regular 500 except the SKS has a 20 tooth top gear instead of a 21. The rest of the setup information is also on the sticker under my hood (jetting, clutch, etc), the sticker just did not mention the helix. I am wondering if the PO installed some sort of clutch kit, and I now have a multi-angle helix that is a 38/34. I will just have to see how it runs in a few weeks.

I do have my eye on a few different sets of plastic skis, just want to find the best deal. I did not spend much on the sled, and I don't want to spend alot on the skis.

As far as the suspension, still waiting on some answers, and still looking through parts books to see what will cross over. The rear suspension shock is 15" eye to eye in all the X-tra 10's it appears, so almost any 15" shock should work, but still unsure about the center shock or the front suspension.

Aux

 

[driftpounder]

If you find a set (all 4) of Fox Shocks that came out of a '98 to '00 XCSP or XCR they will bolt right in to your Xtra-10.