Maggot snowmobile thread

[teamdirt]

Got a new 2014 skidoo sp 800 and looking to mod the muffler with a can. Save some weight, make it louder,etc... Anyway, local shop owner is modding his out sled out with a new can that exhausts into the tunnel. Logic being the pipe doesn't clog with snow sidehilling. Theoretically, thats sounds good, but then the tunnel is where the cooling system is and I worry it might cause over heating? One would think they already tested and thought about that, but do I really want to send exhaust into the tunnel?

Go with "The Thing" from Revy. There new cans have a built in Muff Pot!

Would like to hear what you think about the Sport once you ride it. I got a 154 Freeride for this season but looking to upgrade my secondary sled to the sport from an 09 xp.

[powder11]

Go with "The Thing" from Revy. There new cans have a built in Muff Pot!

Would like to hear what you think about the Sport once you ride it. I got a 154 Freeride for this season but looking to upgrade my secondary sled to the sport from an 09 xp.

The SP is not the Sport. SP is pretty much the same as the X and Freeride (XM chassis). The only real difference being cosmetics and a lower level shock package. Logic being when you blow out the stock shocks on the SP and then upgrade to something better than what you get with the X or Freeride with spending more $ upfront for trim level branding.

[kneedropper]

School me on Yamahas. Mid 2000 vintage 4 strike mountain. Heavy but reliable is what I've found.

This will be my first sled. Looking for ski access Vail & Buff pass. I'm not planning on turning into a sledneck but everyone I talk to says its addicting.

I'm mechanically inclined but never worked on a sled. My thought on the 4 stroke is turn the key and go.....then dig it out for an hour.

Thoughts?

[kidwoo]

I'm not planning on turning into a sledneck but everyone I talk to says its addicting.

It certainly won't be addicting if you buy a mid 2000s yamaha 4 stroke

Vail pass is mostly groomer climbs right? If that's all you're doing then yeah, that would be fine. It's going to suck breaking trail to anywhere else though.

[GoNads]

The SP is not the Sport. SP is pretty much the same as the X and Freeride (XM chassis). The only real difference being cosmetics and a lower level shock package. Logic being when you blow out the stock shocks on the SP and then upgrade to something better than what you get with the X or Freeride with spending more $ upfront for trim level branding.

Freeride has quite a few different components, like the snocross reinforced S-Module (which usually goes when you bust an a-arm, it's a 1500$ problem), rebuildable shocks, rail reinforcements, beefier bars, risers, beefier dropout brackets (SO KEY!), beefier and wider running boards, which are awesome for ski boots/tandeming, non XM chassis had a thicker tunnel.

You can beef up most of these things save the S module and tunnel with reinforcement parts and aftermarket parts for ~2000-3000. Which is great, because you can customize as you prefer. Freeride is a great sled-skiing machine.

I've ridden summits for years and rode a 137" freeride the last 2 years, and loved it. It help up so much better than my regular summit. I can give you a list of aftermarket components which are really REALLY advisable to add on if you want to avoid some spendy repairs.

[Mannix]

School me on Yamahas. Mid 2000 vintage 4 strike mountain. Heavy but reliable is what I've found.

This will be my first sled. Looking for ski access Vail & Buff pass. I'm not planning on turning into a sledneck but everyone I talk to says its addicting.

I'm mechanically inclined but never worked on a sled. My thought on the 4 stroke is turn the key and go.....then dig it out for an hour.

Thoughts?

Dunno feces about Yamahahaha 4 strokes, beyond a couple of anecdotal things.

One that's pertinent - a couple of years ago, Vail Pass, some older guys (looked like volunteer instructors from Vail) were trying to get a bigass newer Yamaha up to the top of Ptarmigan.

Certainly some sled-jong affecting their trip, but they did not get there.

On the groomer.

It was a bigger Yamaha, two-up seat, more of a touring sled than a mountain sled. Shallower track - 1.5"? Not old-school .875" trail track, it was newer, a "nice" snowmobile, but it could not get them up the last steep bit @ Ptarm.

The last steep bit of that catroad is never, ever, evarrrrrrrrrr a problem for us on our mountain sleds (or my utility). So, a bit of gaper sledder going on, probably, but, well, ummm, yeah. We're not exactly talented on sleds, we get stuck all over the place, but THERE? come on.

They DO seem to be bomber reliable.

A mountain sled with a taller-lugged track is probably fine for VP or BP (Yamaha or otherwise).

One not-tall lug caveat - tall lugs/paddles are important for going up. Duh, right? I got a utility sled last year (Dirk is right, btw....), it has 1.25" lugs. It does not break trail up _steep_ hills in totally untracked snow. No surprise. Put one track in with a mountain sled, no problem.

HOWEVER, coming DOWN is a different story.

Steep groomer catroads on the Skandic can be freaking _terrifying_. They DO NOT slow down. Fair warning. Once you know, great, slow down some before the steep bit, no problem. Carry too much speed ONTO the steep bit? effing yikes. The shallow lugs seem to pack up wtih snow, slide along for a minute, freeze, and the thing turns into a toboggan. The mountain sleds (even the 99 670x with 1.75" lugs) don't do that. Thankfully, Camoplast is making a 24" wide paddle track this year. Should help both up and down.

blah blah blah.

Pretty much almost anything will get you around Just Fine most days at Vail or Buff.

Not all days, though - we've gotten out early/late season (before/after regular grooming)/earlier than the cat at both places after big storms & the older sleds really struggled.

Yamahas do seem to be turn-key-and-go, that's appealing. Beyond that? ehhh.


Iain (if I were planning on ONLY catroad places, I'd absolutely, positively get a utility sled. They're unreal. Planning on breaking my own trails? Still a utility sled, but you need a mountain sled to poke holes in stuff here and there - and the new track might fix that, dunno)

[kneedropper]

Thank you mannix. Hopefully I won't suck that bad.

[Mannix]

Hah, I doubt it! It takes time to get competent; my point is that the SLED was likely the issue - even as total tourons, we did not have much trouble with that hill. That had to be a combination of no talent AND wrong sled - we don't have a ton of talent now, but even with none, we did ok on that hill.

Skiing off sleds is a fun process. If you think you might like it, you probably will. A lot.

Iain

[RockBoy]

... Logic being the pipe doesn't clog with snow sidehilling. Theoretically, thats sounds good, but then the tunnel is where the cooling system is and I worry it might cause over heating?

If the exhaust pipe is getting clogged with snow then you are doing it wrong. More throttle please. That'll take care of crap going into an exit. It should sound like this "Braaaaap!!! BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! BRAAAAP! BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!"
Not "brap... brap... brrrrrr... pfffft."

As for the heat issue of the exhaust being routed to the tunnel, it won't be a problem. The temp of the exiting exhaust isn't going to have an effect on the heat exchanger's ability to cool the sled.

[Tomcat67]

New to me 2005 rev 800. Updated from my 2001 summit 800

[Theo-san]

Fuck yea, rev is leaps and bounds above older summits and the 800HO is one of the sexiest sounding lawn mower (2 stroke) engines around. You're going to love it

[Mannix]

Duh, should post this here.

http://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/4091720918.html

$3k flat for a mag, will chuck in the homemade-ugly-but-functional ski rack.

PM me for more details. It is a pretty awesome access sled.


Iain

[cmcrawfo]

Its shocking how many sleds dont have ski racks ...... leading me to believe there are a pile of fucking Jongs or just Sledders posing as skiers.

[Mannix]

I get a kick out of ads which say "never used for towing," as if towing/riding two-up is somehow bad for the snowmobile.

Bad for the BELT, sure, I guess (if belt alignment is wrong), but, ummm, I'd rather buy a sled from someone who skis vs one that has been WOT all over the hill all of the time.

OTOH, a fair number of skiers-on-sleds are mechanically incompetent, whereas the hardcore sledders tend to be more mechanically inclined.

I took the ski rack off my RT in an effort to sell it - I'll certainly not hide what I did with it, but I suspect that there are people who'd look at it, see the rack & decide it is somehow more worn-out BECAUSE people used it for skiing.

Who knows. I am often baffled by people who buy pretty nice sleds, then try to ski off them without any sort of rack; strapping skis/boards to seats, skis hanging every which way off the sled (if they stay ON the sled), ummm, you just spent $10k on a sled, go buy a $400 rack!

Or make one, but stopping every 1/4 mile to pick the skis back up/reposition them kinda defeats the purpose.

Someone buy my sled! I need the space!



Iain

[Tomcat67]

Its shocking how many sleds dont have ski racks ...... leading me to believe there are a pile of fucking Jongs or just Sledders posing as skiers.

I would never leave my 350 dollar xrack on my sled. Shit gets stolen. And its not that fun to ride with
T

[el hefe]

"I would never leave my 350 dollar xrack on my sled. Shit gets stolen. And its not that fun to ride with
T"

Huh...? Isn't it bolted down to the sled? Sorry, not familiar with "xracks"

[Shadam]

my snowbaord sits flat on the very back of the seat and the rear bar with 2 bungy straps and job done.
I can carry 3 boards this way but I need a 3rd bungy,
fark a $400 rack.

Mannix if you were in canada I'd buy that sled today!

I'm guessing its still on its first motor, just wondering?
rear cooler delete?

[Mannix]

Yah, first motor, I've had it since 1k miles, now at 1800. I filtered the airhorns before it even ran; reeds were actually pretty clean.

Mine has the front cooler delete. Rear is still there. Sled was totaled by insurance company due to a cracked front cooler, rear was still there. Rear + full length tunnel = bypassed front cooler, added temp gauge. It gets hot when the rest of my sleds get hot - hardpacked first thing in the morning. Does not overheat if there's ANY loose snow around.

Someone'll buy it, time. Problem is, the XM is coming home on Monday, it is going to take some high-level tetris skills to get all three in there.


Iain

[yellowstoner]

School me on Yamahas. Mid 2000 vintage 4 strike mountain. Heavy but reliable is what I've found.

This will be my first sled. Looking for ski access Vail & Buff pass. I'm not planning on turning into a sledneck but everyone I talk to says its addicting.

I'm mechanically inclined but never worked on a sled. My thought on the 4 stroke is turn the key and go.....then dig it out for an hour.

Thoughts?

I guide on Yamahas and really like them for what I do - and that's travel groomed roads only. We never see anything bottomless and the minute someone goes off the road, the sled is pretty much stuck. However, in the 2 years I've guided on these sleds, I haven't actually had to change a belt. Of the 30 machines we run I know of 2 breakdowns in the last 3 years.

They aren't exactly turn your key and go...they definitely are cold blooded in the morning, but I suppose no worse than a lot of other sleds. Also for the mechanically un-inclined the belt is probably the easiest of any manufacturer to change.

[el hefe]

my snowbaord sits flat on the very back of the seat and the rear bar with 2 bungy straps and job done.
I can carry 3 boards this way but I need a 3rd bungy,
fark a $400 rack.

Great for tight trees eh? haha... until you smash the boards on a narrow gap. Cheetah is the way to go, expensive but they are bomber, quick to load and light weight.

[Tomcat67]

"I would never leave my 350 dollar xrack on my sled. Shit gets stolen. And its not that fun to ride with
T"

Huh...? Isn't it bolted down to the sled? Sorry, not familiar with "xracks"

It comes off pretty easy with no tools.. I probly sled ski half the time im out. Other times its just boondocking. I have had more shit stolen in vail than any other place i have lived denver seattle NYC.
T

[Tomcat67]

Any colorado sledheads been out yet? Im thinkin the roads up on vail pass should be ridable soon. Flattops look to have gotten a few feet also. Just looking to trail ride the new sled.
T

[Mannix]

I've not been up yet, but maybe:

http://www.cotrip.org/images/camera?...s_MM1901_E.jpg

dunno, vp could be rideable on the road, I suppose. Flattops should be - a couple of feet up there. A friend drove over RE, said that there are tracks, but "not really enough" yet.

Soon.


Iain

[Shadam]

I've never had an issue in trees with board bungyed on and I play alot with board attatched.
being bungyed it can move around quite a bit and not come loose.
it can help to hold snow and chunks of ice on the tunnel on icy trails.

I saw a guy break his board in a rigid rack from a rollover.

Mannix, I have the same sled and she is the same on icy trails. Buddies nitro really struggles to keep cool in these conditions as he only has the little heat sink at the front and no where to put snow.

and I really would buy that sled today if the imaginary line didn't exist between us. cash right now awaits you ...

[Shadam]

yo kneedropper, did you buy a sled yet?

everyone says the yamaha is heavy and gets stuck alot, but that is the only bad thing they can say about it.
never need to worry about plugs, oil, 87 octane fuel, no stinky 2stroke ... and the list goes on.

my buddies go 2up snowboarding on a 2003 RX1 with about 16,000 km on it now.
everyone thinks it has a turbo, but no!
look at my thread of the season and see how many places they get that thing.
yes it gets stuck, but so does everyone else. 153ish track and 2 200lb guys.
it is a great sled and with a good mtn track and plenty of throttle she'll be fine for a skier