2003 Yamaha 700 triple questions

[kpd145]

So i bought this sled from a buddy, never have owned a sled, Ive had motorcycles.

Overall good shape, one front control arm is bent a little but it doesn't seem to affect performance, i knew this before I bought it

Pull start and no reverse, starts in about 4 or 5 pulls

Looking into scratchers but there is no good place to mount on frame and give me enough room to have it work effectively, I am looking for any ski mounted scratchers? Do I need them, I am only using this to pull my lazy butt to my spots, not running it for very long periods of time, how fast do sleds overheat? can I let it idle for a while or only a few minutes?

Any concerns I need to worry about with this sled?

What tools should I have on me? it does not have a tool kit and I don't want to be stranded on the ice. I am pretty good with cars so I am not afraid to fix on ice if I can. I have spare belt and plugs, i bought a generic fuel line kit with clamps incase a line blows out on me just don't know what I should bring.

I noticed the brakes lever does not have alot of "throw", maybe a quarter inch? is this normal? I compressed the caliper myself and it seems to work but when I press the brake handle, same thing happens? Is there a brake reservoir or is it next to the brake handle like a motorcycle? Dont want to smoke out my brakes running this thing.

I have a tilt trailer, will this just roll off when I tilt it up? (I know, possibly a stupid question )

Lastly, When I got sled I looked it over and the coolant res was low, real low, I added coolant. then I ran it around my yard during the last good snow storm to get the feel for it. Ran it for maybe 20 minutes. next morning I check and the coolant is low again?? I see no leaks at all, no coolant in my yard from running it. Do you think it bled it self out from the first time I filled it? I checked all the heat exchangers and hoses and saw no leaks either. Can I start and let it idle and check that way or do I risk overheating it?

Is there anything that does not cost 100 dollars I can use to bridge the gap between my trailer and the sled carbides? I see big gouges from the previous owner just "sending it" loading the sled onto trailer. I would prefer not to do that.

any advice or help would be appreciated!

[hookset81]

First thing I will tell you is watch that middle cylinder.  Those things burn up first and if there is lower compression in the middle one it's been hot.  They run through top ends faster than a twin by a long shot.   Seems you are burning coolant I suggest running a compression check on all the cylinders, I bet you find an issue and upon tear down a blown head gasket. Top end kits aren't that expensive for these but it will happen again.

I installed the cable style scratchers on my sled the other day, just drilled a hole where I could get them over the rail and not interfering with anything when not in use.

Pulling off the trailer may be a pain, probably find a cheap drive on/off trailer and be a lot happier.  Sleds don't pull back that easy in my experience.

Real honest opinion is sell it for what you have in it and get a twin with reverse.

[Skywagon]

Real honest opinion is sell it for what you have in it and get a twin with reverse.

That sounds like the best answer, triples lost popularity quickly for a reason.  I bought a new one back in the day, kept it long enough to blow it up twice, then let it go down the road, twins are easier/cheaper to keep going.  I agree with getting one with reverse.  I am not clear on what trailer you have, but you might be able to use a PVC pipe to fill the gap.

[badger132]

Is there anything that does not cost 100 dollars I can use to bridge the gap between my trailer and the sled carbides? I see big gouges from the previous owner just "sending it" loading the sled onto trailer. I would prefer not to do that.

If you mean the gap between the front of the trailer and the ground, a piece of appropriately sized  PVC or a flip up piece of plywood on hinges will do that.

If you are meaning glides, I have tried the plastic trim boards from Home Depot that are to trim around Garage doors. They are grooved on the back, and you mount them upside down. They do take a beating, and mine did not last more Ethan 2 seasons. I bought the standard black snowmobile ones to replace them.

If you are losing coolant you can not find, most likely is a gasket leak or cracked cylinder letting it into the cylinder. Usually this leads to white smoke, but some 2 strokes smoke so much it might be hard to see. In any case I can't think of that meaning anything good. I would go with your other replies and sell it for the simplest machine with the least cylinders you can find. I run old stuff, and I keep it as simple as possible. Old stuff requires upkeep, and simple stuff is easier to debug and fix

[badger132]

Is there anything that does not cost 100 dollars I can use to bridge the gap between my trailer and the sled carbides? I see big gouges from the previous owner just "sending it" loading the sled onto trailer. I would prefer not to do that.

If you mean the gap between the front of the trailer and the ground, a piece of appropriately sized  PVC or a flip up piece of plywood on hinges will do that.

If you are meaning glides, I have tried the plastic trim boards from Home Depot that are to trim around Garage doors. They are grooved on the back, and you mount them upside down. They do take a beating, and mine did not last more Ethan 2 seasons. I bought the standard black snowmobile ones to replace them.

If you are losing coolant you can not find, most likely is a gasket leak or cracked cylinder letting it into the cylinder. Usually this leads to white smoke, but some 2 strokes smoke so much it might be hard to see. In any case I can't think of that meaning anything good. I would go with your other replies and sell it for the simplest machine with the least cylinders you can find. I run old stuff, and I keep it as simple as possible. Old stuff requires upkeep, and simple stuff is easier to debug and fix