Anyone own/ridden a Snow Bike?

yeah I've had dirt bikes stuck, IME stuff with a motor is just a problem waiting to happen, according to the3 T rule if its got tits tires or transistors ...sooner or later you got problems

mtn bike or skis don't work ...pick em up and walk

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Originally Posted by Norseman

Long thread on TAY about these
I've seen lots of tracks where they shouldn't be... in wilderness. This will continue to be an agitating occurrence.

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Agree, the ratio of bikes to sleds that we've seen coming over the pass and at snow parks around here is rising.
With Polaris purchasing TImbersled and more manufacturers jumping on board I don't see this going away any time soon.

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Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier

I'd like to see benny sidehill a snowbike or hill climb something steep with a sled and tell us it's easy and low/no-skill.

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Originally Posted by 2FUNKY

I'd like to see him finally off load a chair.

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Originally Posted by NW_SKIER

Without injury

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Lulz - nice trifecta post there boyz.

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Originally Posted by Svengali

It was worth it the hundred or so times my old skidoo cycled these same lines. http://www.alaskasnow.org/wp-content...s-Ski-Runs.jpgmany of these same lines are regularly

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That's great for above treeline terrain (which I envy your access BTW, that looks so awesome), down in the lower 48, there is a lot less terrain like that where you can ghost ride a sled. Snow bikes are a lot easier to ride through wooded and technical terrain for most that aren't die-hard slednecks.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

yeah I've had dirt bikes stuck, IME stuff with a motor is just a problem waiting to happen, according to the3 T rule if its got tits tires or transistors ...sooner or later you got problems

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The dirty little secret of the snowbike category is that dirt bikes with track kits are a compromise with the engine being the weak link in the chain. They are engineered for riding on dirt, riding a tracked bike on snow is a different dynamic in terms of power delivery and how the engine was designed to lubricate. Instead of modulating the throttle within a certain rpm range on dirt (original intended use), on snow, rpm's are higher and more sustained. Current engine tech does not properly lubricate when the throttle is held open for a sustained period of time.

The guys that are really into this and getting out on a frequent basis are either doing frequent rebuilds of valve trains (4s) or top ends (2s) to manage the issue. Or, they are turning the bikes over at the end of every season with the wheels re-installed and no mention of Winter use. This makes leak down/compression testing even more important now when purchasing used bikes.

I imagine it's only a matter of time before the mfg's figure this out and start building snow specific power plants tho...

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Originally Posted by Benny Profane

There going to be digging a lot of those out of avalanche debris pretty soon.

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bunny your acqbing
at a soccer game

Snowmobiles are easier to ride for people that know how to ride snowmobiles. Snowbikes are easy to ride for people who know how to ride dirtbikes. I have no idea which is easier to ride for that know how to ride neither. As mentioned, put a rekluse in on a snowbike and give to sledneck that doesn't know how to dirt bike and you'll have problems.

Snomo skiing is different thinks to different people. When I live, it is generally a ride/park/skin operation. Bikes could possibly work for this. Obviously, sleds have the advantage is ghostriding/canadian/towing applications.

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Originally Posted by AlpenChronicHabitual

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Snow bikes are a lot easier to ride through wooded and technical terrain for most that aren't die-hard slednecks.



The dirty little secret of the snowbike category is that dirt bikes with track kits are a compromise with the engine being the weak link in the chain. They are engineered for riding on dirt, riding a tracked bike on snow is a different dynamic in terms of power delivery and how the engine was designed to lubricate. Instead of modulating the throttle within a certain rpm range on dirt (original intended use), on snow, rpm's are higher and more sustained. Current engine tech does not properly lubricate when the throttle is held open for a sustained period of time.

The guys that are really into this and getting out on a frequent basis are either doing frequent rebuilds of valve trains (4s) or top ends (2s) to manage the issue. Or, they are turning the bikes over at the end of every season with the wheels re-installed and no mention of Winter use. This makes leak down/compression testing even more important now when purchasing used bikes.

I imagine it's only a matter of time before the mfg's figure this out and start building snow specific power plants tho...

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that somewhat speaks to my question of gears vs CVT, I could get a sled if I wanted but ... I don't

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Originally Posted by capulin overdrive

they're

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They're what?

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

that somewhat speaks to my question of gears vs CVT, I could get a sled if I wanted but ... I don't

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Yeah, it's why we had always owned two sleds and went together or with others.
It's not a mater of "if" something will fail...

Semi related - a buddy of mine is fond of this saying:
"if it flies, floats or fucks, rent it"

yes the 3T rule is somewhat similar to 3F rule

the XXX rule of recreational product ownership states that one should never buy anything you can not fuel with a salami sandwich & a beer

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Originally Posted by assman

They're what?

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Their there!

Renting is for tourists. Having many cc's of fun and the mechanical aptitude to fix them is the real deal.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

that somewhat speaks to my question of gears vs CVT, I could get a sled if I wanted but ... I don't

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He's right, the kits do beat up the 4 strokes, thus why some guys are doing the 300 or bigger 2 smokers. Way cheaper and easier to maintain.


Gears vs CVT is just something for diehard sled guys vs moto guys to cat fight about. Personally don't like CVT myself. Double clutch tranny is the future, but that will be awhile for offroad.

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Originally Posted by simple

Renting is for tourists. Having many cc's of fun and the mechanical aptitude to fix them is the real deal.

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Yeah, but when you work on crap every day for living, sometimes nice to tear up somebody elses crap on vacation.

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Originally Posted by capulin overdrive

Yeah, but when you work on crap every day for living, sometimes nice to tear up somebody elses crap on vacation.

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Vacation? What is that?

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Originally Posted by simple

Having many cc's of fun and the mechanical aptitude to fix them is the real deal.

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Yeah i could build a garage to put them in buy a larger truck to tow them to the snow where I make noise get em stuck blow em up, take em back to the garage to fix em up ... but I dont wana

Great! Another oil-burning beast to make the backcountry even noisier. I really hate the sound dirtbikes make when people are goosing them (which is nearly 95% of the time), now they"re going to be goosing these two-stroke dirtbikes on skis all over snow country??

Skis and skins are quiet.

Edit: Seems there are always two kinds of people for outdoor pursuits:

Power boaters vs. sailors

Jet-skiers vs kayakers

Ultra-lighters and small plane pilots vs balloonists and hang-gliders

Dirtbikers vs hikers and mountain bikers

Snowmobilers vs snowshoers, x-country skiers, telemarkers, backcountry boarders and AT skiers.

Sure, there is and will be plenty of cross-pursuits by the same people between motorized and non-motorized depending on sport and season, etc. I realize that.

But I think, perhaps, it simply boils down to "oil-burners" who don't give a crap about the noise and disturbance they make vs those more into quiet pursuits using their own strength and that of mother nature...wind, gravity and O2.

Yeah, always gotta love the sight of beer belly bald head yahoos driving by in a massive pickup truck towing the snowmobile/jet ski/dirt bike/atv twins on the trailer. It's like, my purpose in life is to burn up fossil fuels until the day I die, and pay a ton of interest rates on the loans for it all. And eat a lot, too.

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Originally Posted by Alaskan Rover

Great! Another oil-burning beast to make the backcountry even noisier. I really hate the sound dirtbikes make when people are goosing them (which is nearly 95% of the time), now they"re going to be goosing these two-stroke dirtbikes on skis all over snow country??

Skis and skins are quiet.

Edit: Seems there are always two kinds of people for outdoor pursuits:

Power boaters vs. sailors

Jet-skiers vs kayakers

Ultra-lighters and small plane pilots vs balloonists and hang-gliders

Dirtbikers vs hikers and mountain bikers

Snowmobilers vs snowshoers, x-country skiers, telemarkers, backcountry boarders and AT skiers.

Sure, there is and will be plenty of cross-pursuits by the same people between motorized and non-motorized depending on sport and season, etc. I realize that.

But I think, perhaps, it simply boils down to "oil-burners" who don't give a crap about the noise and disturbance they make vs those more into quiet pursuits using their own strength and that of mother nature...wind, gravity and O2.

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Quit parking at the trailhead that us OHV users pay to maintain, get out in the gazillion acres you got us banned from using, and you won't have any noise.

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Originally Posted by Shredhead

I'm going to have to get one next year. What does the conversion kit cost and what is the optimum size bike?

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Timbersled is around 5-6k.

You want a big fuel injected four stroke.

Yep. Snowbikes are fun but need torque to be really manuevrable

Have they started making snow specific motors yet?


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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Originally Posted by cbw5007

I was picturing a downhill ski bike but this is pretty cool as well!

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Are you some twat who used to post and is now using an alias? Reviving old shit threads is stupid.

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Originally Posted by garyfromterrace

Reviving old shit threads is stupid.

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Shhh ... Core Shot might hear you

Hahahahaha! Yes, but I can't hear him.