S
I've searched and haven't found one thread that has everything that someone new to the sport could come and use as useful info to set up their new bike.
Can we get a list going, someone sticky it so we can all have more fun and be more reliable out there?
I've just got a rough list here, but if someone can organize this and add to it, make it easier to read, it would be great!
1. Keeping temps up seems to be a challenge for a lot of people in powder - which with EFI bikes causes overfueling and gas in the oil for many people.
Fix - run a 70C thermostat or install a valve and choke back the coolant flow to the rads.
Also - install a skirt of sorts to keep snow and water from thermal shocking or stealing the heat from the engine. Many different options for this ranging from a carpet runner with tarp grommets installed to fancy skid plates.
2. Airbox - seems to be a major one - sucking in snow can ice things up and cause headaches and issues.
Fix : Using a frogskin type of material or spray foam? to plug up any areas that fine powder snow and water can get into the throttle body/carb.
3. Electric start only bikes (no kickstart)
Fix - Attach jumper leads to the battery just long enough so that another bike could boost you if you run out of juice. You can feed them through the plastics and then cover the ends and tie them on top of a plastic cover above the track so that they do not touch, discharge, or get caught in the track.
4. Toolkit
Fix - I've noticed that carrying extra weight on the tunnel is hardly noticed at all, yet carrying weight on your back or on the front of the bike is very noticeable. Build a toolkit that will be padded with foam so the tools don't clang around noisily. 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8 sockets, 5/32, 7/32, 1/4 Allen keys, Pliers, Flat screwdriver, vice grips, crescent wrench, zip ties, 6,8,10,12,13,14,17,19 sockets, 8,10,14, 1/4 wrenches. Tow rope that looks like a "Y" so that you can hook through forks and to each foot peg with the split end of the tow rope (top of the Y) for easy pulling on the broken bike, and to the back bumper and tied to itself in a loop on the bike doing the pulling.
5. Cold hands -
Fix - either install handlebar warmers if you have the stator output, or use bigger gloves, man up, or use old school open mitt wind breakers that you slide your hands into.
6. Foot pegs too small
Fix - build, buy, acquire some bigger footpegs as your big clunky winter boots need more to sit on.
7. Rear brake ices up, sticks, works like crap.
Fix - Buy a 5' long brake hose and use your front brake lever, remove your rear brake lever and other unnecessary parts.
8. Not enough power.
Fix - get a turbo, or nitrous. Make all of your buddies jealous.
9. Snowbikes have the ability to take you into very dangerous avalanche areas.
Fix - take avalanche training, buy all the safety gear - probe, shovel, beacon, and airbag backpack, test your gear and practice using it with your buddies if you really want a better survival chance.
10. Maintain your system
Fix - Use chain wax regularly, as well as grease the fittings on the kit using a cold weather grease.
11. Chaincase cover gets smashed up
Fix - Buy or build a cover that strengthens the bottom of the chaincase, either by beefing up or deflecting the hit of whatever buried items you will inevitably hit. (I steam rolled my parents BBQ pit that I had no idea they had installed when I visited with my last kit - took a nice gouge out of an otherwise brand new shiny kit)
12. Avoid pulling your groin
Fix - Keep your feet on the pegs, ride "loose" and not "tense", and keep your toes on the pegs instead of feet firmly planted.
13. Fuel - having enough
Fix - Rather than having Jerry cans slapping around, scuffing up all of the paint on your MH kit with a couple of bungie cords, either install a rubber like mat with hooks to tie a can to, or buy a Mountain addiction style can which is mounted on rails and doesn't fall off unless you're Reagan Sieg.
14. Not enough/ too much track speed in a certain gear for climbing - eg.. 3rd pulls to redline but isn't quite fast enough, but 4th dies down and doesn't have the hp/gearing to pull the hill.
Fix - do a track roll out test, and change sprockets to get that ideal gearing for dialing in your kit and how it climbs.
15. Keeping bolts on the kit and not on the trail lost in the snow.
Fix - use blue loctite on everything you can think of - last year we had a friend lose his main shock mount bolt, and luckily were at a lodge when we noticed it. Had to drill out the metric threads, slide in a SAE bolt and washers and nut in order to get us home.. Sucks to do that to a beauty of a bike, and would have been prevented with more blue goo.
If you guys can add to the list, and if a mod or someone can organize this and sticky it, I think it would be VERY helpful for someone to come in, read through what they need quickly, make a list, and head to the parts store/garage to get it done. We all want more fun, and that comes with more reliable setups and sharing information.
Thanks!
Can we get a list going, someone sticky it so we can all have more fun and be more reliable out there?
I've just got a rough list here, but if someone can organize this and add to it, make it easier to read, it would be great!
1. Keeping temps up seems to be a challenge for a lot of people in powder - which with EFI bikes causes overfueling and gas in the oil for many people.
Fix - run a 70C thermostat or install a valve and choke back the coolant flow to the rads.
Also - install a skirt of sorts to keep snow and water from thermal shocking or stealing the heat from the engine. Many different options for this ranging from a carpet runner with tarp grommets installed to fancy skid plates.
2. Airbox - seems to be a major one - sucking in snow can ice things up and cause headaches and issues.
Fix : Using a frogskin type of material or spray foam? to plug up any areas that fine powder snow and water can get into the throttle body/carb.
3. Electric start only bikes (no kickstart)
Fix - Attach jumper leads to the battery just long enough so that another bike could boost you if you run out of juice. You can feed them through the plastics and then cover the ends and tie them on top of a plastic cover above the track so that they do not touch, discharge, or get caught in the track.
4. Toolkit
Fix - I've noticed that carrying extra weight on the tunnel is hardly noticed at all, yet carrying weight on your back or on the front of the bike is very noticeable. Build a toolkit that will be padded with foam so the tools don't clang around noisily. 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8 sockets, 5/32, 7/32, 1/4 Allen keys, Pliers, Flat screwdriver, vice grips, crescent wrench, zip ties, 6,8,10,12,13,14,17,19 sockets, 8,10,14, 1/4 wrenches. Tow rope that looks like a "Y" so that you can hook through forks and to each foot peg with the split end of the tow rope (top of the Y) for easy pulling on the broken bike, and to the back bumper and tied to itself in a loop on the bike doing the pulling.
5. Cold hands -
Fix - either install handlebar warmers if you have the stator output, or use bigger gloves, man up, or use old school open mitt wind breakers that you slide your hands into.
6. Foot pegs too small
Fix - build, buy, acquire some bigger footpegs as your big clunky winter boots need more to sit on.
7. Rear brake ices up, sticks, works like crap.
Fix - Buy a 5' long brake hose and use your front brake lever, remove your rear brake lever and other unnecessary parts.
8. Not enough power.
Fix - get a turbo, or nitrous. Make all of your buddies jealous.
9. Snowbikes have the ability to take you into very dangerous avalanche areas.
Fix - take avalanche training, buy all the safety gear - probe, shovel, beacon, and airbag backpack, test your gear and practice using it with your buddies if you really want a better survival chance.
10. Maintain your system
Fix - Use chain wax regularly, as well as grease the fittings on the kit using a cold weather grease.
11. Chaincase cover gets smashed up
Fix - Buy or build a cover that strengthens the bottom of the chaincase, either by beefing up or deflecting the hit of whatever buried items you will inevitably hit. (I steam rolled my parents BBQ pit that I had no idea they had installed when I visited with my last kit - took a nice gouge out of an otherwise brand new shiny kit)
12. Avoid pulling your groin
Fix - Keep your feet on the pegs, ride "loose" and not "tense", and keep your toes on the pegs instead of feet firmly planted.
13. Fuel - having enough
Fix - Rather than having Jerry cans slapping around, scuffing up all of the paint on your MH kit with a couple of bungie cords, either install a rubber like mat with hooks to tie a can to, or buy a Mountain addiction style can which is mounted on rails and doesn't fall off unless you're Reagan Sieg.
14. Not enough/ too much track speed in a certain gear for climbing - eg.. 3rd pulls to redline but isn't quite fast enough, but 4th dies down and doesn't have the hp/gearing to pull the hill.
Fix - do a track roll out test, and change sprockets to get that ideal gearing for dialing in your kit and how it climbs.
15. Keeping bolts on the kit and not on the trail lost in the snow.
Fix - use blue loctite on everything you can think of - last year we had a friend lose his main shock mount bolt, and luckily were at a lodge when we noticed it. Had to drill out the metric threads, slide in a SAE bolt and washers and nut in order to get us home.. Sucks to do that to a beauty of a bike, and would have been prevented with more blue goo.
If you guys can add to the list, and if a mod or someone can organize this and sticky it, I think it would be VERY helpful for someone to come in, read through what they need quickly, make a list, and head to the parts store/garage to get it done. We all want more fun, and that comes with more reliable setups and sharing information.
Thanks!
