my complete redo of my 89' polaris indy - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

big z · 05-30-2009, 01:47 PM

i want to go through everything on my indy. i just tryed taking out the rear suspsion but one of the bolts is stripped. i have put new fuel lines on it. cleaned the hood. went through the primary clutch to find out that it needs new bushings. i had to get the choke unjammed from the carb-took for ever- sanded inside of choke, redid the carbs (only cleaned them out) adjusted the one of the front suspension arms, fished out the tube in the gas tank since it was just sitting on the bottom not connected, tightend the steering. heres a list of what my sled needs: primary cover bushings, a new spare belt, windshield, exhaust spring, gas cap, and probably somthing else i cant think of. i have some questions: how do you adjust rear suspension(mines hard as rock, unless you jump on it), my front shocks have very little travel, maybe 4in or so, wut do i put in for my brakes, dot 8? how hard is it to swap out the primary clutch, can i swap out my steering post with a differnt one, because i want a riser,

here are some pics of the sled
im a self tought 16yr.

big z · 05-30-2009, 02:16 PM

big z · 05-30-2009, 02:18 PM

big z · 05-30-2009, 02:20 PM

srry for how big they are, cant figure out how to change size

**RJ Gleason** · 05-30-2009, 03:39 PM

That's just fine fort the pic size.
Good looking sled.

**BC_Dan** · 05-30-2009, 06:50 PM

You should be able to add a riser to the existing steering column, that will save you a LOT of headache. You almost have to remove the engine to get to the bottom steering linkage (which is probably loose anyway).

Brakes should use DOT 3, same as your car. It's a good idea to flush all the old, remove the caliper and clean up inside the piston. Lots of junk accumulates in there over the years, especially if it has not been flushed. Be careful with spilling the fluid, brake fluid will eat the paint off of any painted surface.

You may find that getting a good used clutch is way less hassle and almost the same expense of rebuilding your old one.. keep checking ebay. Look for a clutch off of a fuji twin, the triples have a different offset.

The suspension doesn't have a whole lot of travel to begin with, it is what it is. There should be an adjuster on the rear springs to give you less tension on the spring. Look for a nut that a spark plug tool will fit; the nut will be attached to the adjuster. The adjuster has three sides, hard, medium, soft. Try adjusting to put less pressure against the end of the spring.

Good luck with your project! Wish my son(s) were as interested!

big z · 05-30-2009, 07:51 PM

THANKS dude. i cant find anything imformation wise for these sleds, thanks for the help!!!

big z · 05-30-2009, 07:53 PM

how do you take off the caliper?i see some bolts but i dont want a brake pad to fall into the bottom of somthing

**BC_Dan** · 05-30-2009, 10:08 PM

That's wise, things always fall just below the engine where no one can get to them!!

Polaris Snowmobiles Repair, Service, and Maintenance Manuals

The best money you can spend on your sled is to buy the above manual. It's got a TON of info on your sled, and worth the 25-30 bucks you will pay for it. That way, you have some great detail about how stuff works and how to repair/replace parts and save lots of bucks by doing it right the first time!

ridgerunner · 05-31-2009, 06:40 AM

the caliper is removed by taking off the 4 top bolts on the chaincase. BUT, you have to remove the chaincase to get the caliper out, AND i have found it easier to remove the track to get the chaincase off the sled. Good luck. I had 90 indy 500, things will take anything you can throw at them. when you do clutching, i suggest a clutch kit from hotseatperformance or epi, someone who can get you a kit that will work best with your aftermarket pipe because this has given you more hp and different powerband than stock. its a nice looking sled man, long live the wedge

get the book, it does make a huge difference, i have one and it was very helpful when i would just kinda dive in to stuff and then get stuck on something like a bolt i couldn't see or the like... also, put a set of plastic skis on it, it makes a huge difference, and if you are any good with searching, you can get a good set used for $100ish.

big z · 06-14-2009, 11:40 PM

well i just got some parts from my friend. he it a rock and bent his tunnel and broke rear suspension wile riding. so i bought some parts from his 97' indy 440 sport.
choke cables
acc light
front shocks
rear suspension
trailing arms
exhuast rubber mounting things
exhuast springs
air box
handle bar pad
gas cap
tie rod end piece
key ignition
so far everything is on. i will get pics soon

big z · 06-14-2009, 11:41 PM

all those parts for $55

big z · 07-01-2009, 08:40 PM

well it turns out, the rear suspension i got from my friend wont work, it looks like the suspension would have to be mounted mor forward because it is such a huge diference in ride hieght

JheLrey · 07-01-2009, 08:46 PM

You may have to compress the arm a little with a rachet strap to get it to line up... Unless it is an X12 or X10 and you have garbage, you may have to redrill holes... Take a pic of your buddies suspension and post it.

big z · 07-01-2009, 09:25 PM

will do tomorrow

ridgerunner · 07-01-2009, 09:59 PM

in 97 the indy 440 had an xtra-10 suspension. you are going to be doing a swap. the good news is its just 4 new holes and if you take alot of time measuring first, maybe half a day to do it. the bad new..... well there isn't any. swaping an xtra-10 into the older indy's is pretty much THE modification to do if you want a great ride. search on here and google for xtra-10 swaps. there is alot of info, and it is a fairly simple thing to do. just have to be precise in the measurements. if you have questions, ask... i might even have the measurements written down around here somewhere from when i helped a friend do the swap.....

big z · 07-02-2009, 10:15 AM

whats the difference between the xtra 10 and the xtra lite?

ridgerunner · 07-02-2009, 10:36 AM

don't know much about the xtra-lite. i know it has good vertical travel depending on what it came out off. and that it is porpular for building big and deep powder sleds cause of the light weight. don't know about mounting though..... is the skid you bought a xtra-10 or an xtra-lite?

big z · 07-02-2009, 11:08 AM

xtra lite. also would it look cool if i painted the slide rails black? i havent seen any indys painted that way and i always thought the all black firecats were cool

ridgerunner · 07-02-2009, 02:03 PM

all black would look good, but i'm not sure how the paint would hold up. i know alot of people do powdercoating... i don't know about the xtra-lite swap into the sleds w/ the holder dial adjust. if you can still get to the sport it came out of, you will want to measure for where the bolts are in the tunnel. that is what you have to do to swap in a xtra-10 correctly, just redrill the holes to where they are on a factory xtra-10 sled....