First ride on the new toy

[backcountryislife]

Was all set to pick up a 450, then I rode one... and bought another 300!

Got a 15 TE 300, brought it home & put the kit on before even starting it once.
Picked up a 13 kit from Palouse poo on here, showed up in good shape & ready to go play!

had to do a decent bit of work to the brake side fork clamp, that was a painin the a$$, but we got it after about 5 tries.

had to grind the hell out of the surface that goes against the caliper mount

got it all set that night & went out to go play on sat. Need to come up with a better system for loading & unloading on the deck, that's a pain in the butt.

Got it out, cycled it a few times, did a bit of typical breakin riding, then went & played!

Elevatoring is a little different on a bike... gonna take a bit to get used to that.

Of course... I'm pretty much a pro at treewells, nothing new there!

Oh... I'm hooked like a 17 yr old girl on meth. Looks like I'm stuck buying another one for my wife now, she loves it too.

Going to have to learn what is truly a NEED for the 300, planning on an RKT head, probably running 50% av in winter, sx cdi, a way to mod the airbox for more flow, and likely just a KTM carb heater.

We'll see how it does, pretty stupid fun so far! (and of course in a month or so we'll have the tires back on, and the new 300 is gonna be obnoxiously fun for summer!)

 

[Rush44]

If you have a chance to have 2 bikes you might as well pick up a 450 or perhaps the Husky 501. Would be nice to have a 300 ST and a 450/501 LT in the garage and have all your bases covered. Enjoy the new addiction!

 

[Summitseeker]

Nice!!!! Congrats on the new Toy!

I rode my 300 this season and it worked great! Although I did a bunch of extras, Porting, S3 Head, SX CDI, Pro Circuit Ceramic Coated pipe, Avid Carb heater, (I also have a brand new KTM carb heater that I did not use) engine enclosure etc. My only problem was lack of snow and I could not ride my single track bike with my dirt biking buds because it had a track on it.

Any how, I just bought a dedicated 450 SXF and all the go fast goodies to go with it so I am not stuck without a bike for next winter.

If you do happen to need any of the items for your 300 I will be selling all my stuff as it is no longer needed. My 300 is a KTM (2014 6 days edition) but all the parts are interchangeable with the Husky.

 

[backcountryislife]

Biggest issue for me is that I HATE the 4's on the dirt... like with a passion. I live where I ride single from my house, and it's rock, all rock technicalish terrain that the 300 excels in, the 450 would just sit all summer.

A 501 I could have street legal & use for a scooter/ toy bike, but then I'd be racking up miles & worrying about how far I am from the first major issue...

I just don't want to deal with valve BS, and all the other crap EVERY friend of mine with a 4 has dealt with. I haven't ridden with a single 4 stroke that I even want to be on the trail with, from brand new WR's & YZF's, to CRF's & ktm SX's... none of them seem to be reliable for whatever reason & they all overheat like puking pigs on our trails. Every 4 guy I've ridden with has converted to a yz250 or a 300.

I really WANTED to want a 4 for snow, because obviously they do better, I just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger after despising the new 15 on the trail. We had a new 125 along as well, and I made my buddy from the dealer ride the 4 & I had a blast on the 125!!

I've got another 300 sitting here that I'll use as my shoulder season bike when the husqy is tracked but we are going to Moab or whatever, but it makes more sense for me, to have a spare 300 that I like, than have a newer 4 that I hate sitting all summer.

Obviously if I lived somewhere different this would be a totally different story.


Summitseeker, got a pic of the engine enclosure? Curious how that will work on a 2. Are any of you guys wrapping the pipe? Seems like that would be key as well. I've got a buddy giving me a PC pipe that I need to weld a minor crack on, should be ideal for winter I think, already got a new Gnarly sitting here for summer.

 

[Summitseeker]

Pic of engine shroud. ( best I could find on my phone) These guys did a great job on making them. It is also a full one piece skid plate.

 

[backcountryislife]

I was planning on running the hyde, and somehow enclosing it a bit more, but that looks like a nice setup. Could probably even run the hyde over that too.

I was thinking the hyde would shield the pipe a bit better, holding temps in a bit... maybe not as good as I'm hoping, but something.

 

[egesledder]

I've found that wrapping the pipe just keeps the pipe colder actually. It melts snow, soaks in, and then you have a cooling blanket on your pipe rather than a heat insulator. Run it uncovered and yea, it gets cooled off going down hill, but heats up much faster when you crack the throttle.

If you know anyone with a lathe and aluminum welding capabilities, you can make a coolant carb heater for cheap that will be a much better solution than the dinky little KTM electric heater when the snow gets deep and the temps drop.

I made my own engine covers out of some sheet ABS, box cutter, and a heat gun. Took one evening of work and a few beers. Cheap and makes a big difference in deep snow.

Also, we'll need to ride together at some point.

 

[backcountryislife]

Also, we'll need to ride together at some point.

Riding in the back yard tomorrow bro... c'mon, you don't really need to work do you?
Don't need to do ANYTHING to have fun in this snow, just come & play.

I do still see a couple little spots where the bike is going to be tough to get to, but way less overall than I was previously thinking.

 

[Hawkster]

This might be an idea for strapping down , they are retractable straps , the sets I found are good for 2000 pounds most start at 2 or 400 hundred . They are mounted in front of the ski and than hook one ratchet strap to each side of the rails on the backside , grab the track and pull back by hand than tighten that strap down and than check the front for snugness . It puts the stretch to them without getting to western with a couple of clicks on the front to finish , quick and easy . Nice picture by the way , tree wells are for banking off of , something the two skis can't do

 

[egesledder]

Yea, looks like I picked the wrong weekend in May to go to the desert... Oh well, have fun with it.

It is surprising where you can get these things, if you can't go straight up the hill, just work your way back and forth in figure 8's for a minute and you can get up about anything, trees or not.


As far as getting them on a sled deck, I used some super glides up the center of my ramp, the ones with traction. Sleds can still go up and the bikes can go up the center too. Not ideal, but its easy and it works. I gave up on the deck though, you can fit 3 bikes in a long bed or just 2 easily and its way less hassle than the deck. Better aero too, much better mileage for the longer trips.

Everyone I know is switching to bikes though, so maybe I'll modify a deck ramp for snow bikes next season so we can rock the 4 bike set up.

 

[backcountryislife]

Yea, looks like I picked the wrong weekend in May to go to the desert... Oh well, have fun with it.

It is surprising where you can get these things, if you can't go straight up the hill, just work your way back and forth in figure 8's for a minute and you can get up about anything, trees or not.


As far as getting them on a sled deck, I used some super glides up the center of my ramp, the ones with traction. Sleds can still go up and the bikes can go up the center too. Not ideal, but its easy and it works. I gave up on the deck though, you can fit 3 bikes in a long bed or just 2 easily and its way less hassle than the deck. Better aero too, much better mileage for the longer trips.

Everyone I know is switching to bikes though, so maybe I'll modify a deck ramp for snow bikes next season so we can rock the 4 bike set up.

Get on that Drew, I've got a deck & gonna have a tough time not using it!

I'm going to fab a hold down system so that I don't have to use the headache rack, and tie down will be a bit more vertical rather than being out front of the bike. Pretty sure I can do it where sled skis will be over top of it right where they rocker up, but it'll be down far enough to be easy to use.

only downside is that I'm limited by the room on the deck after slides come in...


Biggest issue with the deck though is loading/ unloading, it's just akward. Thought about running some plywood with some light traction on it, on like 1' of the center section (I put plywood on it in the summer for bikes so I can carry 4 & still have the bed for gear) and do a wheel system like the J&M one that can go up over the traction, but paddle would still grip.

Anybody else using a deck with their bikes & have a good system?

 

[Summitseeker]

I used superclamps to tie down to my deck.

I used superglides on the right side of my ramp and have a winch on my headache rack and use a remote control and winch the bike up while walking along side the bike.

 

[Clay911]

i wanna give these a try for summer and if they look like they will be the right height i will try them in winter. Or modify them to work in winter

http://www.riskracing.com/pages/Lock-N-Load_Motocross_Transport_Page.html

 

[backcountryislife]

Summitseeker, so you use the winch every time you load? I think I'm way too impatient for that!!

Sso even after time you don't feel confident riding the bike up even just next to you?

I thought maybe a set of those superglides 2 wide could work well, but the gap seems a bit excessive in the center.

I suppose I could tig in some more rails... maybe that would be a better way to go.

 

[Rush44]

i wanna give these a try for summer and if they look like they will be the right height i will try them in winter. Or modify them to work in winter

http://www.riskracing.com/pages/Lock-N-Load_Motocross_Transport_Page.html

Those do work. They are great.

Backcountry... if you get the TS off-road wheel kit you can ride your bike up the ramp once you get some confidence on the wheels. I use the TS wheels for loading everytime and I had my welder make me a custom folding ramp to suit the wheels. Works really well plus it's way easier to move the bike around in the shop. Yes they are spendy but you buy one set for a long long time.

 

[NEWDUCK]

This set up works awesome for going up any ramp. And easy to put on.

 

[Summitseeker]

Summitseeker, so you use the winch every time you load? I think I'm way too impatient for that!!

Sso even after time you don't feel confident riding the bike up even just next to you?

I thought maybe a set of those superglides 2 wide could work well, but the gap seems a bit excessive in the center.

I suppose I could tig in some more rails... maybe that would be a better way to go.

The picture I posted above is the way my deck ramp comes stock. When I tried loading the first time by riding the bike up the carbide would go down (in between) the plastic glides. I then put double wide superglides on the right side of the ramp and use the Timbersled wheels to ride it up.

If my truck was not lifted it would be easier. If I can pull up to a snowbank I can ride the bike up if the angle is not as steep. In my driveway it is almost an impossible task so yes, I use the winch. It only take about two minutes from the time I pull the cable out to the time the bike is sitting on the deck.

The winch also works in keeping my neighbors happy at 6 AM in the morning when I am loading. I love the Brraaaaaaaap sound but for some unknown reason, my neighbors do not seem to like it at 6:00 AM.

When I take it down, I just roll it down the ramp.

 

[backcountryislife]

I sell those decks, mine is pretty much the same aside from your top rung... but same deck. My personal deck is a few yrs old now and the bottom of both ramps is now bedliner, thinking about calling Mike & having him send me a stack of glides, and make them so they cover the whole ski side, and perhaps tig in a few more rungs to make it more consistent.

My other consideration is to make something I can lay on the ramp, that I can drive right up... a buddy of mine & I both do fab work, trying to think of a reasonable way to make something like that, that could live in the back of the truck & be attached to the ramp quick. Being as I sell them, I feel making this kind of thing would be good for me to work on getting viable.



btw... another killer day today, and another "I'll never buy one of those things" test rider sold on buying one, like NOW.

Got Jetting pretty much dialed, need to play with main a bit, but pilot & needle are perfect now, the 300 did great, definitely no regrets about going 2smoke after a deep (3-4' in spots, that was a trip) and then later sticky day.

I'm pretty much awesome at this you guys... step back, I got this.

Oh yeah, I hyperextended my right knee on that last one, got it caught on top of the plastics, and behind the bar... wow, not walking so good right now. Got to learn to not let my legs go forward like that when I dive over the front that way.

 

[kiliki]

that last pic is ssssOOOOOOOOOO sweet!
you can almost see the smile on the snow angels face.

 

[capulin overdrive]

Where you riding?

You're making me want to come up for the weekend.


If secret, how's Vail, Montezuma, Jones, etc. holding up?