Yup, Looks like a sled I saw in my friends shop today. 25 miles on it. Left ski caught a rock. NO suspension damage to anything but both S and E modules are broken. $5000 to fix. I was amazed that both modules were broken but everything else is fine. Think there is a design flaw?

 

No design flaw. Just don't hit rocks

 

Cast aluminum is not the smartest thing to make the modules out of. No flex at all and it is cracked.

 

Cast aluminum is not the smartest thing to make the modules out of. No flex at all and it is cracked.

Polaris and Arctic Cat have both been using cast bulkheads for years, both can take a huge hit ripping the a arms right off and not bend or crack the bulkhead. I've witnessed it multiple times. The cast bulkhead was one of the things I was most excited about on the G4. I'm sick of bending bulkheads! My xm bends so easy it's not even funny, even with over rated grip n rip braces. I must say I'm very disappointed to see the G4's break as easy as an XM. It's a deal breaker for me. I guess I'll buy an Axys. I'm so sick of the wimpy front end thing, it's yet another money grab by ski doo.

 

I hit a rock a couple days ago and took out the top A arm left side. Although I did t hit hard and I see no signs of cracks my xm would have been toast under same conditions(I've bent a few). I must admit I'm not feeling really warm and fuzzy inside about my 850 with all the engine failures I see in the mxz forum but I'll give it a chance. If I don't like I'll park a Axys in my garage

 

Got mine yesterday! Bounced into a large tree and tagged the spindle. Both a arms and engine mod suspension mod. Damnit

 

What a engine mod and suspension mod?

 

"Modules"

 

Ok thanks k dog.

 

Carnage all over!

 

Wow. That's disappointing. I was hoping the G4 would be the end of ski doos flawed front ends. I'm glad I decided to wait a year before buying a G4. The local Polaris dealer has some smokin deals on new axys' right now.

 

No design flaw. Just don't hit rocks

Well, Look at all the threads now. Design flaw??? Maybe I should have said, "The E Mod and S Mod" is weak and breaks too easy." This appears to be do to the Material NOT being strong enough for mountain riding. Telling a mountain rider not to hit stuff is like telling supercross riders not to ride whoops. Mountain sleds have to be tough. It just appears that the S and E modules are breaking too easy. I am not going to start on how thin (.040) the front cooler is and how a pebble can punch a hole in it. Can you buy a front cooler? You sure can, however it comes with a tunnel.

The thing is, I am a Skidoo rider. I really like that new sled and I think that skidoo really did a great job with the design of the new sled. It just appears to break some very critical and some VERY expensive parts from accidents where an old REV chassis would have just kept on going. Its just my 2 cents.

 

Just got a call from a friend of mine that just had his whole cast bulk head break. Not sure on the rest of the specifics yet.

 

Just got a call from a friend of mine that just had his whole cast bulk head break. Not sure on the rest of the specifics yet.

And the saga continues. Every E module that I have seen broken, was broken in the Brace of the E Module. Maybe, just maybe, that is a design flaw. Maybe.

 

I think Skidoo needs a crash test department.

 

Skidoo or an aftermarket company needs figure something out before next year. Way too many modules getting destroyed when 9 of 10 the a-arms should be the weak point. I don't have a problem buying so braces if it fixes the problem but otherwise might have to look at an Axys if their engine continues to prove its reliable.

 

My buddy ran his axys into his brick house by accident of course. Broken bumper and A arm..thats it, couldnt believe how it handled the impact. Plus was so easy to change out the arm

 

Well, im sure doo will do something about it next year.

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Every story about this supposed "design defect" begins with somebody hitting a tree or a rock, which makes it pretty hard take seriously. I'll bet the same hits would have cracked the modules on an XM too. I was also hoping that Doo had made this less of a possibility, but knowing about this "weakness" has kept me from ever hitting anything hard enough to make it break (been riding Doos since '07). If you want to bash stuff, get a Cat.

 

Have had a rev,xp,xm and all were claimed to be fragile yet ive never tweaked a front end or an a-arm. Dont hit rocks here but have bounced off my fair share of stumps. Hopefully the g4 is the same

 

Well, im sure doo will do something about it next year.

Wouldn't hold my breath. They've never fixed it on any previous models.
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Every story about this supposed "design defect" begins with somebody hitting a tree or a rock, which makes it pretty hard take seriously. I'll bet the same hits would have cracked the modules on an XM too. I was also hoping that Doo had made this less of a possibility, but knowing about this "weakness" has kept me from ever hitting anything hard enough to make it break (been riding Doos since '07). If you want to bash stuff, get a Cat.

Knowbody wants to bash into things on purpose, unfortunately when mountain riding it's inevitable it's just a matter of time before ya accidentally hit a buried stump or rock. yes an XM would a bent too, they also have a weak, flawed front end. Pro's and now axys are both lighter then a Doo and both have bulkheads strong enough to break a arms and not bend or crack the bulkhead. Polaris has proved it's possible, but if your cool with rewarding doo for yet another flawed bulkhead you go right ahead and buy another one. I for one am sick of riding in constant fear of bending my s mod. It seems to always happen to me on the first day of a 6 day trip.

Just for the record I'm a long time Ski Doo guy, I really like everything about the new G4, I really wanted one. I just cant accept yet another weak bulkhead.

 

I know a guy who was distracted and drove off the trail into a tree at 40 mph (ish) with an 850 Renegade. He broke the left side panel, bent the top a arm to the shock, the bottom a arm bent. The electric motor in front of the oil tank also broke off. He told me the bulkhead was not damaged one bit and he said it was a hard hit. I believe in his case the sled worked perfectly by sacrificing the arms. Lets be real here, if the bulkhead breaks its what $1000?, with labor to replace with a new one? IMO that is better than unbending one that's integral with the frame like the old ones.

 

Maybe a different design would help mitigate damage in the event of an impact, I don't know. But I think a lot of responsibility lies with the operator. Early snow and eager to carve around is a bad combo. Wait till snow is good and it's almost impossible to hit anything.

 

Maybe a different design would help mitigate damage in the event of an impact, I don't know. But I think a lot of responsibility lies with the operator. Early snow and eager to carve around is a bad combo. Wait till snow is good and it's almost impossible to hit anything.

You guys can make all the excuses you want. Point is a weak bulkhead is a weak bulkhead. By your logic I guess people who ride Polaris and Arctic Cat are just better operators.