Bulkhead reinforcement plate

boondocker97 · Feb 21, 2017

Not directed at anyone specifically, but if you say you don't believe there is (or ever was) a problem and then go and buy a fix for it, you were either wrong or are a hypocrite. If we could ever see how many of those plates ski-doo sells or how many kits Grip N Rip sends out we would really know how many people think there is a problem.

carlc · Feb 21, 2017

paulharris said:
keep on smoking the good stuff....cat just got bought out by textron for pennies on the dollar. they are firmly in third place and potentially out of the snowmobile business in a few years. and the scariest thing of all is that they are no longer running suzuki engines which, in my opinion is the death of them. I'd be extremely skeptical of buying a new homegrown redneck minnesota built engine. polaris has been building their own motors for 2 decades producing many disastrous engines over the years and they still dont have it perfected

Keep smoking the good stuff? You must have quite the supply. Firmly in third place? Let's look at marketing dollars spent. Third place as well I bet. And you may want to check your info on the Suzuki motor. Cat designed, built, and patented the engine, then simply subbed it out to Suzuki. The new engine is very similar to the old one, just one major difference, it's American made. Can you say that about your sled? Sorry to derail the thread again, just had to set some facts straight. FYI, I have 250 miles on my 18 cat and absolutely love it. My favorite part is turning out and running through 165 trenches.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

cowkiller · Feb 21, 2017

I have been a cat guy for decades until my last one a 14 cat 800 and it was really a POS
2 ECUs, programming problems gauge, voltage regulator, 2 starters, battery. Junk as far as I am concerned. Cat would not buy it back and I threatened lemon law. instead they extended factory warranty until 04/2017 just to stay out of court.
We also have a 14 M6000 c tec 2 with no problems at all.

I took a bath on the 800 and bought a Gen 4 850 summit sp 154 3" electric start. I now have just over 1100 mi. NO ISSUES! no issues at all!
great sled, original belt, exact same fuel economy as my wife's 600 C tec 2
I am 62 and I ride fairly aggressive but
" it ain't like I'm 30 with a death wish"
I could not be more impressed with the way the sled handles in Deep Snow we had a great winter and still going. we will be Ordering a new 850 for the wife and the cat will become the back up sled for guests at the cabin. I will order a new 19 and again in 20 replacing a sled every 2 years. these Gen 4s are so much more sophisticated than ANY Arctic Cat product it is not even a comparison.
I am posting in the ski doo forum right?
Again I could not be happier with my 850
I am glad you can be happy with Arctic Cat because after the way I was treated they can keep them and hopefully improve the industry by going under.

Teth-Air · Feb 26, 2017

Who cares if 60 or 600 bulkheads have broken, the fact is, not 1% but 100% of the 17's are ticking time bombs for bulkhead breakage and guys who bought them have to baby them and worry all the time. Also when selling, they will not be worth near what they would be without that problem. So now, just like in 2008, this first year model will gain weight every year just like the XP did. I had a 2008 XP and have seen this pattern before. I also saw the belt burner problem in 08 until I fixed the problem myself when the dealer couldn't. Funny how history repeats itself.

Ski-doo#1 · Feb 26, 2017

Reality check. If it was 600 there would definitely be a problem. To say the number of reported broken doesn't matter it definitely does.

Also, the '17s are not ticking time bombs because this number is so low compared to how many they sold. Would I buy a brace for a '17? Yeah, just to be precautious, but that doesn't make me a hypocrite. I wouldn't worry at all. I'd ride it like an 850 was meant to be ridden, that is all that matters. Guess what I'd probably even buy a brace for an '18 just to be precautious. Big deal, lay this to rest it has already been blow up more than necessary.

Ski-doo addressed the pseudo-problem to make the customer happy and to assure that a-arms will go first. Now can't the customer just be happy? I understand sometimes people will expect the best from the best company. They have done it to themselves asking for a customer who expects perfection and I they've done very well at making most customers happy. On all the threads I see maybe 60 people involved in conversation. I suppose this number doesn't matter either :clap2:

i'llDooit · Feb 26, 2017

I have a solution to all your problems with ski doo, prolaris, arctic cat, and yami. Don't buy the first year sled of a new design and motor unless your willing to help the manufacturer finish the R & D.. This means you swallow ur wallet and couch riding talent while the sled is in the shop and your last sled that performed flawlessly is in the hands of someone laughing at you for buying that new sled and complaining about it.

Deuces... My 16 t3 runs like a rapped ape

rocks rev · Feb 27, 2017

My 16 T-3 has been ridden 10 mi. this season because my wife hasn't gotten to ride this season and I haven't needed it. My G-4 almost has 500 hard mountain miles, original belt and no issues, (hopefully) I say this because last Sat. I hit a down tree so hard that I pretty much did a handstand on the bars and the back of the sled landed a full track width sideways. I was going uphill proab. 20 mph. It curved the outside of the ski up pretty good and a quick inspection showed no other damage, I will look closer in the next few days.

Sharp · Feb 28, 2017

d1100t said:
So!!!
BRP made a bulkhead reinforcement plate for a problem that don't exist???

I was thinking the same thing. Now I wonder if BRP will have a fix for the 2000 mile engine failure and belt problems. What happened to the factory turbo for 2018....NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

i'llDooit · Feb 28, 2017

I would say if the bulkhead is cracking and the A-Arms aren't bending there is a problem so there fix was necessary

Djrexyd · Feb 28, 2017

A little confused. Is brp reinforcing the bulkheads on the 18's? Or just making the braces for you to do it yourself?

Bocephus · Feb 28, 2017

Djrexyd said:
A little confused. Is brp reinforcing the bulkheads on the 18's? Or just making the braces for you to do it yourself?

from the info i have gathered, the 18 will include both a stronger structure, plus the added brace. this added brace can also be added to a 2017 model.

Tahoe54 · Mar 1, 2017

60 does seem to be an understatement, that number has been around since mid season I feel like and many more reports have gone out. I ran into someone this past weekend, second time out on their sled in what was the most epic snow in my 15 years of snowmobiling who took out a bulkhead. He is contacting Skidoo to see about getting them to cover it as I would hope everyone is.

HeavyBrewster · Mar 2, 2017

My god, you guys really know how to pound a post into boredom. Sad that everyone keeps kicking that dead horse.....

Tahoe54 · Mar 2, 2017

HeavyBrewster said:
My god, you guys really know how to pound a post into boredom. Sad that everyone keeps kicking that dead horse.....

Stop reading it then...

HeavyBrewster · Mar 2, 2017

Tahoe54 said:
Stop reading it then...

I am waiting until someone actually posts something useful. Like how hard is this to install?

b-litt · Mar 2, 2017

The grip n rip took me at least 5 hrs to install. If I did it again it would take at least half that time. There are just lots of parts and pieces to sort out and figure how and where they go. From what I've seen on the doo brace it would just be a matter of pulling the tune pipe and probably raking some knuckles to get it in. You don't have to pull the motor as someone else stated above.

The doo brace addresses one of the areas that is cracking most of the time. The grip n rip covers that area plus many others. Their plate is similar to the doo plate just smaller. Having the grip n rip already installed I see no need for the doo kit. If I was to do any more bracing in conjunction with the grip n rip it would be to add the new ZRP brace. It looks like it addresses the most common and worst fail point.

It will be interesting to see if any crack that have the bracing installed as spring is approaching and rocks are being uncovered again. Then again it's funny how many guys I see worried about the bulkhead and wishing it was stronger but don't even install bracing available to beef it up.

Wapow · Mar 2, 2017

I remember somebody from Doo said on the FB video from the dealer meeting saying that the plate requires 10 bolts and some drilling. They also said the engine needs to be removed and the install should take about 2 hours. That prediction struck me as either complete BS for a home mechanic or maybe that was the amount of shop time Doo thinks the dealers should charge to install it. If that's the case, I may pay to have one installed. Otherwise, I'm just going to go with the GnR kit I bought.

b-litt · Mar 2, 2017

Wapow said:
I remember somebody from Doo said on the FB video from the dealer meeting saying that the plate requires 10 bolts and some drilling. They also said the engine needs to be removed and the install should take about 2 hours. That prediction struck me as either complete BS for a home mechanic or maybe that was the amount of shop time Doo thinks the dealers should charge to install it. If that's the case, I may pay to have one installed. Otherwise, I'm just going to go with the GnR kit I bought.

That's the shop time Doo thinks it takes. The guy at our shop did one and said it's tough to get it done in two hrs. I guess there are some nasty rivets to remove and it's tight as you could imagine. They were able to do it by removing the y pipe, but it would be the time to do it if you already had the engine pulled.

DITCHBANGER · Mar 2, 2017

thats great to hear just removing the y pipe it can be done..even if its 4 hrs, it better than pulling the motor and making a mess

PaulAnd · Mar 3, 2017

What is the part# for the Skidoo brace?
I know its here somewhere..
I just cant find it

Bulkhead reinforcement plate

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