Snowmobiling blues...

-
Just got the motor rebuilt and ready to put back in. Gotta be ready for Christmas!

Cley
20181209_160005.jpg
20181209_160010.jpg
 
I've been rebuilding a sled myself. 94 EXT 580. It was mine, but I sold it to my brother in law this year. Sled has 4800 miles, and had some back firing issues last year. He wanted me to strip it down and rebuild the engine. Waiting on some final parts and the engine will be going back in.
 
I've never had to get into anything more than routine maintenance on the sleds that I've had. We only get to ride them you know when we take them for a trip. If we had like a cabin or something where we could ride them a lot every year I could definitely see myself getting more intricate with them. These new sleds seem pretty dependable and getting used to what they're capable of still seems to be a great challenge for me. It's what I enjoy about them though.
As much as I love my duster and as personal as it is to me, I just can't seem to find a place to get as crazy as I can with my snowmobile? Like if I had my own personal massive Airfield or something? I could just get out there and tear the car to Pieces drifting it all over and doing burnouts and acting like a complete idiot all day long till I blow it up and then build it and do it again. with the snowmobile that's kind of how it is you can just scream and go as fast as you want and rip up hills and just pin the throttle and all the horsepower in the world seems to be right at your fingertips and when you're flying through the trails it's just press the gas and pass.
 
I rode the hell out of mine for 10 years without doing much at all to them. Then last time out, I blew my motor on Sunday and my wife's motor on monday. Expensive weekend. But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Cley
 
I rode the hell out of mine for 10 years without doing much at all to them. Then last time out, I blew my motor on Sunday and my wife's motor on monday. Expensive weekend. But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Cley
Almost sounds like a bad fuel mix or something?
 
It was crank bearings on both. That engine is notorious for crank bearings with way less miles than we had. I think bad gas usually causes top end issues doesn't it?

Cley
 
Bad gas-top end. Bad oil-bottom end.
Some did have bearing issues.

Around ‘13 the 540 fan ski-doo had issues right out of the box,too lean.
Repaired top end 2x under warranty but dealer never re-jetted. I did it to prevent kaboom.
Fan cooled are usually indestructable-within reason.
 
Mine are both 800R engines that were known to have crank bearing issues. All I know is its a pain in the *** to change the motor in these modern sleds. The ride and seating position is worth it, but still no fun to work on!

Cley
 
Had to pull fuel tank on that tundra,that thing was bare chassis once i got tank off.
All the same nowadays.
Pretty much have to strip them right down when i put takedown lights on them. For law enforcement.
 
I believe many people that haven't tried it don't understand how incredibly fun and easy these things are.
The very first thing that I hear from people is "I don't like the cold!" LOL I say I like the cold it's beautiful, BUT "I don't like to be cold!".
:D:thumbsup:
IMG_20181211_182626.jpg
 
Get your arse dragged out on a minus 40 day. Its very unpleasant for a 100 mile trip. Thats what did it for me. Job requirement. It wasnt fun anymore..
I do suggest if you so get an oppurtunity to ride a sled, safety factors included,you wont regret it. I enjoyed the many years previous.
Ran a groomer for one winter, that was great too. Until it breaks on the trail.
 
Two years ago we where sledding on a 0° day. No problems. We finally that year where able to afford new gear and we ordered it from back east. Real snow gear, not this " mountain" gear they sell here. It's just slightly heavier but 3 times wormer. We're not in to getting cold. If the conditions are not ideal enough we just go home, but with all of the snowmobile club reports and road cameras it's hard to miss.
 
Some years back, I was going to build a Yamaha Phazer II. I wanted that fan cooled 485 cc to surprise a few 500 & 600 liquids. I ordered a AAEN pipe, jetted and put a spring kit in the clutch....… In my playing around, I opened the silencer box and found more power... and a burned hole in a piston. LOL

Replaced the piston, sold the sled in original form. I ran across that pipe the other day digging for parts to use against jab...
 
Some years back, I was going to build a Yamaha Phazer II. I wanted that fan cooled 485 cc to surprise a few 500 & 600 liquids. I ordered a AAEN pipe, jetted and put a spring kit in the clutch....… In my playing around, I opened the silencer box and found more power... and a burned hole in a piston. LOL

Replaced the piston, sold the sled in original form. I ran across that pipe the other day digging for parts to use against jab...
My first sled was a 485 phazer ll. Loved it.
 
Well hell! I got the engine back together and back into the sled this weekend. Sucky part is part of the order for the remaining items didnt show up. It was 40+ * here this past weekend and was perfect to work on the machines. Then found out that the throttle cable was shot, so I had to order a new one of those.. I've got 2 weeks to get this up and running
 
Doing some research on some bike parts and came across this HD Sportster conversion. I have not ever ridden a snowmobile but I did find this kind of interesting for a snow bike.....what do you think @j par would you give it a whirl?
Harley Davidson Snow Drag: Timbersled Converted Sportster Roadster from Slovakia - Moto Networks

View attachment 1715262996
Your damn right I would!
I almost tried the dirt bike version two years ago. It was a demo that someone brought on a long poker run. It was a lot of fun to watch and I was anxious to give it a try, but by the time we got back it was late and I was to beat up.
If I did one, I was thinking of going the other way I woud have liked to put it on the 250 two stroke dirt bike that I just sold. That would make it way lighter than one of those four stroke 450s. I couldn't imagine having my Sportster (I had one) out on the snow. It would just seem like it would have been way way too heavy?
Excuse the pun but it would be a heavy concern in the mountains. I wonder if it's all set up for 7000 ft and above? It's going to need all that power to climb those Hills with all that weight that's for sure. The heavier Turbo yamaha's with all their extra power seem to do just well but those Sportsters are just so top-heavy. Then again the intention might have been just to prove it can be done and likely will be ran in ideal conditions.
 
Well hell! I got the engine back together and back into the sled this weekend. Sucky part is part of the order for the remaining items didnt show up. It was 40+ * here this past weekend and was perfect to work on the machines. Then found out that the throttle cable was shot, so I had to order a new one of those.. I've got 2 weeks to get this up and running
Yes I'd say about two weeks for us too. It's just starting to snow in the surrounding mountains. there's places three and a half hours to five and a half hours away that have got their base and have some groomed trails. The places we like to take day trips at are an hour to an hour and a half away are just starting to get their base. We like to take our initial ride at one of the closer spots for a quick shake down. We don't like to drive all day just for a quick Shakedown run.
 
Yes I'd say about two weeks for us too. It's just starting to snow in the surrounding mountains. there's places three and a half hours to five and a half hours away that have got their base and have some groomed trails. The places we like to take day trips at are an hour to an hour and a half away are just starting to get their base. We like to take our initial ride at one of the closer spots for a quick shake down. We don't like to drive all day just for a quick Shakedown run.

It was 40*+ this past weekend and 45* today. Any snow we had melted... I've got a ice fishing tournament, but with the way this is going, Im going to have to get a wheeler. No snow to cool the sled down.. They are not anticipating snow for some time now.. I miss the days when we got dumpings!
 
Buying a sled was one of the biggest things I looked forward to in moving back east . Alas between having to plate it and insure it in 2 province and the fact the snow hasn't been good enough to get more than a couple of weekends a season , it doesn't look like I'll be making the investment this year .
 
Into old sleds? Remember when I was a young teenager, my father purchased a used Artic Cat Panther 303, a wankel engine sled. A good size for a couple of kids and living in a New Hampshire small town, was good for breaking trails and also good on hills. Not to fast across the fields, about 55 mph, but was great fun for us kids.
 
Buying a sled was one of the biggest things I looked forward to in moving back east . Alas between having to plate it and insure it in 2 province and the fact the snow hasn't been good enough to get more than a couple of weekends a season , it doesn't look like I'll be making the investment this year .
We had a bad season last year and literally only went on one trail ride. We're very much chomping at the bit now.
 
-
Back
Top