Interesting read on 81SRX 82Vmax & 83 Vmax

[Vmax540]

http://vintagesleds.com/bs/index.php/topic,38374.0.html

The 82 SRX 500's are different in several areas. Some mentioned below. The air box internals are changed with a movement of the air hole and the inside guts are then marked 8R9, the carb mount flanges are also marked 8R9 and are larger in diamager to accommodate the larger butterfly carburators that "look" identical to the 81 carbs but are larger. They still have the same complicated multiple jets. These carbs look like Phazer and Exciter carbs but those do not have the the extra two jets. The exhaust flanges are larger to accommodate the larger pipes and muffler. The mufflers on the 82 SRX is the mold that was then used for the 83 Mufflers. However, the insides are different and the muffler is marked 8R9 whereas the 83's are marked 8U9 from 83-87 Vmaxes. The pipes are also marked 8R9 and are larger than the 81' SRX but smaller than the 83 Vmax. The tool box on the right side panel is also different. On the 81-82 SRX's they have the large tool box with hinged door where as the 83 Vmaxes have the small rubber clasp holding a small standard plastic tool box. This also reguires a different frame structure to mount compared to the 81-82 SRX. The hoods also have different warning labels from the 81 to the 82 and then to the 83 Vmax. The primaries were different on the 82's and are similar in design to the SRV from 82. One year only clutch. The fuel pumps on the 81 and 82 are single and the 83 Vmax 540 are dual and have a different mount to hold two fuel pumps. The 83 Vmax also has a special bracket that supports the radiator which has a predrill for holding the dual fuel shut off's where as the 81 and 82 SRX has no fuel shut off. Obviously the rear suspension on the 81 and 82 SRX are the same except they went from white hyfax to black hyfax. The rear suspensions on the 83 Vmax are completely different than the 81 and 82's and the 83 uses the top roller idler wheel that mounts high in the suspension with supporting metal in the tunnel which the 81 and 82 of course does not have. The 83 Speedometers are all one color and the speedos on the 81 and 83 Vmaxes are the rainbow pattern showing mph and rpm. The 81's had no Vmax emblem in hard plastic. The 82 Srx had this emblem which the 83 Vmax also had, however, correct 82 SRX's with original plastic ornaments will have only half the V in red where as replacement ornaments will be supplied with an all red V in Vmax which the 83 Vmax had as standard. Very subtle difference here. The oil pump speed was increased in 82 from 81. The 83 Vmax also has two impulse lines compred to one on the 81 and 82 SRX. Jeff mentioned the rear factory installed heat exchanger as well which also changed out the size of the center heat exchanger compared to the 81 and 82 SRX long heat exchanger. The 83 Vmax has the hard plastic push down kill switch on the throttle lever where as the 81 and 82 SRX had the red rubber style throttle block. The throttle cable on the 81-82 SRX also was a duel throttle lever where as the 83-87 Vmax has a single pull throttle with a long oil pump cable that pulls directly with the throttle compared to the short one that went to the carb on the 81-82 SRX's. The secondary springs are also changed from 82's to 83 Vmaxes. The wire harnesses are also comcpletely difffernet from 82-83. the gearing in the chaincases is also different between the 81, 82 and 83Vmax. The tunnels are also painted black in 83 and not painted in 81-82.

I have owned the most 82 SRX's in the US. Of which one has 47 miles on it, some of which have been restored and are owned by those on this board. The history is quite complex. There are many rumors and some are true and some are false. There were "some" 82's that were given to large district distributing dealers for Yamaha. These from what I have seen and traced appear to all have had their VIN's cut out, some had a 540 Vmax seat installed, and a blank vin'd 83 Vmax motors installed in them with comet clutches and mikuni carbs.. From my contacts at Yamaha, it was told to me that these were given to the district dealers for marketing and testing of the new motor. Yamaha had purportedly a couple 1000 82's produced in Japan and did not know if they were going to try and rework them for 83. I have been told that they did try to salvage as many usable parts as they could for use on th 83's. Could be true. However, the 83 Vmax is not a painted redecaled 82 SRX and have completely different tunnels. The seats on the 82 SRX's are "COMPLETELY" different than 81 SRX's. They have a thicker durometer foam, higher rise in the back and different seat cover. However, in old Snowgoers and Snowmobile magazines, the prototypes they pictured during rode reports and comparison testing for the new 82's were restickered 81 SRX's with 81 SRX seats. These are prototypes shot in the late winter spring timeframe. The 82 SRX 500 will have three front engine bolts holding the motor down to bulk head with the two in the rear like on the 83 Vmaxes. The 1981 SRX 440 has only two front bolts and a Yamaha update kit torque bolt to the crankcase bolt. So, in full accuracy Tony the 1981 chassis is different from the 1982 Chassis.

I just can't hold back any longer I also own an 82 and an 81 SRX I own every model SRX made from 1976 to 1982 except a 76 SRX 340. I may pick one up if the right one comes along. My 82 SRX is one that came from John I think it is the one in his photos he posted. It is always interesting to read the post and learn from the guys who have knowledge of the old Yamaha development and history. I bought my First Yamaha in 1980 from Northern Power Sports in Fairbanks Alaska it was a SS440 the red one which I still think is the best looking one ever made . I have one sitting in me garrage right now. OK Let me get beck to the 1982 SRX In the summer of 1981 I put down 1000 dollars on a 82 SRX at the other Yamaha dealer in Fairbanks Alaska Fun Center I was told by the owner in the early fall that the sleds may not be available. I was racing Yamahas then in Alaska cross country races and was very upset to hear that a sled that I had been waiting a year to get my hands on was not available. The dealer Told me that if I really wanted an SRX he could get me one because Yamaha was testing them up north in Kotzubue Alaska and he could get me one. He then told me that if I took the sled there would be no warranty and that parts such as pistons and all the other engine parts maybe one off because these were test sleds. I was looking to the racing season and ended up with a SRV the 82 again the best looking one ever made. The SRV was a good sled at that time and I won Allot of races on mine but it was just not as fast as the liquid sleds like the 550 Kawasaki or the 500 Polaris. I never saw a 82 SRX in Fairbanks but I did make a trip to Anchorage that winter and stopped into the Yamaha dealer to pickup a warranty part after hours. I walked into their shop and there they were two 1982 SR X's they were lowered down and setup for Ice Racing. These are the sleds in the photos on the VMax site #45 those photos are at Big lake Alaska and the photo of the sleds on the trailer are in front of Anchorage Yamaha's building at that time. Best looking sled I had ever seen to that point. I spoke with the two guys that were working on the sleds they were racing for Anchorage Yamaha and I ask them how did the sleds run. They told me that for 800 miles they were the fastest thing the snow and nothing could touch them. So I then asked What happened at 800 miles? They replied at 800 miles they blowup like clock work. I was not done yet so I ask what do you do then? One of them led me to the door and pointed to a stack of crates in a fenced in area and said we pull a motor out of one of them. If I would Have known then how rare these sled would become I would have made some different choices. The mystery of what ever happened to the sleds in the crates and the other 1000 or how many were actually built is like talking about the shooter on the grassy knoll. Other than the SSR I haven't seen any other Yamaha sled bring the money a real 82 SRX does an SSR in nice shape is an easy 12000 and probably more like 15000 if it is real nice that is if you can find some who really wants to sell one. I love the old Yamahas I just wish once they change the sled they would not use the same name like the SRX and the Exciter. Those blue things are not SRX's 76 was the first and 82 was the last in my book. I have not been able to ride my 82 enough to see how fast it is but maybe this will be the year I am a little scared to blow it up. I don't have as much knowledge as Jon or Jeff but I do share their passion for the 82 SRX I hope you guys enjoyed this little piece of SRX history
« Reply #59 on: January 12, 2010, 06:16:44 PM »

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Carl, your recount of the 82 SRX is a near perfect match to the history I have gotten from the District Parts Manager at Anchorage Yamaha from back in the day. He and his brothers / roommates at the time bought 12 of the SRX 500's. He was told no warranty, had to be delivered to his house and parts would be scarce. They raced them. He also brought one or two down to Montana. He told me the price of the sleds was $1000 and he could buy as many as he wanted. Some were given to racers 2 each. One for parts and one for racing. The racer was supposed to give the sleds back at the end of the season. The one Jeff owns is one that never got given back because it was reported as being parted out which it was not. Some people lost their jobs at Yamaha over the 82's and I was told that a minimum run of sleds at that time would have been 2000 sleds. I still have some contacts I hope to ask about how many specifically got made, but regardless it was a significant amount of sleds that were destroyed.

Some of the sleds got released in Europe before the plug was pulled and that is why some surface over there. Gunnar in Europe has helped me get parts for others to get the few 82's completed to original. If any of you are going to Waconia you may see one or two running. Thought I would post a few pictures I was given by the gentlemen who purchased the 12 back in AK
I am not a motor guy, but the 82 SRX's have an increased bearing size on one end of the crank compared to the 81's. Then in 83 both sides get the increased size bearings and I think they increased the shaft size on the mag side. Again, I am not a motor expert, I send them out for work. The 81 and 82 crank cases have one impulse line to the fuel pumps. The 83's have two. The case on the 82 looks basically idental to an 83 but an 83 crank will not fit in it. The 81's are noticably smaller in appearance. The extra 82 SRX gear boxes that house the mag were (in my opinion) sent to Canada for the update when they changed out the ignition, gear box housing, and CDI box. That is whay you find VIN'd RT499 gear boxes on 81 motors in Canada. The VIN sequences also do not follow production sled 82 tunnel VIN's. Basically motors that did not match chassis for the 82's. In the USA the gear boxes were blank, hence why most 81's do not have RT437 gear boxes because they were swapped out with the updated blank gear box and then go the new ignition and CDI.

The gearing on the 82 SRX is: 31 bottom 16 top.
the update 81 ignition will NOT fit in the original 81 gear case. The updated stator looked very similar to the 83 Vmax in it had the pickup coil that ran off the outside of the flywheel like the Vmax's do, the original 81 ran off the inside like the older SRX's did, that is why the updated stator had to have a different gear case and will not fit in the original 81 gear case. The flywheel is also different in it had two metal tabs welded to the flywheel to line up with the pick up coil.

Mark .. as crazy as it sounds the original 81 stator and CDI box were the same ones as used in the 80 SS440, the part # for both is 8K4-85540-10-00 so if you need an original 81 CDI box also look for a 80 SS440 , you should be able to find one as there were a lot of SS440 out there.

[Vmax540]

http://vintagesleds.com/bs/index.php/topic,52364.0.html

[chrisrider63]

What is the stamping on the srx 500 bottom end? 8R9?? I have a 8M6 bottom end with what looks like a vmax 540 crank in it but the crank doesnt fit the other 8M6 bottom end I have or the vmax 540 bottom. I was wondering if its the srx 500 bottom end.

[Vmax540]

What is the stamping on the srx 500 bottom end? 8R9?? I have a 8M6 bottom end with what looks like a vmax 540 crank in it but the crank doesnt fit the other 8M6 bottom end I have or the vmax 540 bottom. I was wondering if its the srx 500 bottom end.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=585
(Per Jon B.)
1982 SRX/Vmax RT499 in the USA all start with 8R9-001001 001106, 478, 480, 609, 001049, 001063, 001075, 001077,

1982 SRX/Vmax Rt499 from Canada and Europe all start with 8R9-010101, 010106, 010119, 010127, 010129, 010153, 010154, 010156, 010157, 010292, 010419, 010643

[chrisrider63]

The stamp under the crank case I bet is 8M6 on a srx 500