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eskimojoe77
Well-known member
CR500AF and Homebuilt Kit
I'm in the construction phase of my CR500AF with a self built snowbike kit. The Bike is a 1996 CR500R engine in a modified 2007 CRF250R chassis, I'm ready for the frame to go to the welder, then I can begin final assembly of the bike. The Main component of the snow kit showed up today, a new Ez-ryde 144" rear suspension that will be narrowed and possibly shortened to 121" or 136", I haven't decided on length yet. The 144" is the shortest that Ez-Ryde currently sells, so that's what I bought. Let the building begin. The plan is to route the "chaincase" chain and sprockets on the inside of the tunnel where it will be out of the way and won't need a cover. The brake is 6" diameter disc and will be on the track driveshaft at far right side with the caliper anchored to the inside of the tunnel. I'm trying to keep the weight as low as possible and the whole thing as simple as I can. All chain will be 520 o-ring and sprockets will be motorcycle type. The tunnel will have to be slightly wider than MH for chain clearance between tunnel and track but the kit should be narrower overall because chaincase cover is deleted. Well that's the plan anyhow. Now comes the work. This will be my second homebuilt kit. Last year's kit on my KTM 525sx worked well once I got the Skidoo chaincase issues figured out, but the chaincase is bulky, heavy and limits the gearing ratios to the Skidoo Safari sprockets and chains available. It used a Fast M-10 skid, picked for coil-over springs and ease of narrowing, it rides great, smoother than my friend's MH, but weighed more, had more rolling resistance, and the 90's color scheme of purple and yellow was less than impressive. Last year I didn't try to dress anything up I just want proved to myself that I could build a kit that performed well and didn't put me in the poor house, so this year I'm prepared to blow a little more cash and make it look more professional, but to hopefully still be far cheaper than buying a new MH. Wish me luck.
I'm in the construction phase of my CR500AF with a self built snowbike kit. The Bike is a 1996 CR500R engine in a modified 2007 CRF250R chassis, I'm ready for the frame to go to the welder, then I can begin final assembly of the bike. The Main component of the snow kit showed up today, a new Ez-ryde 144" rear suspension that will be narrowed and possibly shortened to 121" or 136", I haven't decided on length yet. The 144" is the shortest that Ez-Ryde currently sells, so that's what I bought. Let the building begin. The plan is to route the "chaincase" chain and sprockets on the inside of the tunnel where it will be out of the way and won't need a cover. The brake is 6" diameter disc and will be on the track driveshaft at far right side with the caliper anchored to the inside of the tunnel. I'm trying to keep the weight as low as possible and the whole thing as simple as I can. All chain will be 520 o-ring and sprockets will be motorcycle type. The tunnel will have to be slightly wider than MH for chain clearance between tunnel and track but the kit should be narrower overall because chaincase cover is deleted. Well that's the plan anyhow. Now comes the work. This will be my second homebuilt kit. Last year's kit on my KTM 525sx worked well once I got the Skidoo chaincase issues figured out, but the chaincase is bulky, heavy and limits the gearing ratios to the Skidoo Safari sprockets and chains available. It used a Fast M-10 skid, picked for coil-over springs and ease of narrowing, it rides great, smoother than my friend's MH, but weighed more, had more rolling resistance, and the 90's color scheme of purple and yellow was less than impressive. Last year I didn't try to dress anything up I just want proved to myself that I could build a kit that performed well and didn't put me in the poor house, so this year I'm prepared to blow a little more cash and make it look more professional, but to hopefully still be far cheaper than buying a new MH. Wish me luck.
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