Got a bike and a Kit and Now I Have a Couple Newbie Questions

[Frostbite]

I was lucky enough to find my first Timbersled Mountain Horse kit locally. Luckily for me, it was already mounted on a great bike, a 2010 KTM 530XC-W SixDay Edition. I haven't ridden it yet but, I have a couple observations and questions on a couple things already.

I didn't really notice until I tried to unload the sled out of the back of my truck, that there is no front brake to help slow the bike as it back down the ramp. I wasn't a fan! I sure like being able to slow the decent of a bike as I back it out of a lifted 4 x 4 pickup.

In searching the forums, I see several options to allow use of the front brake lever. I want something that allows me to use the front brake. What kit works the best?

Also, trying to slide the bike ski across my shop floor sucked. It wouldn't slide and it cut a nice groove in my shop floor and I haven't looked but, I'm sure there is probably a nice grove in the Line X in the bed of my truck as well. Does someone have plans on what size wheels and how long and wide to build a wheel kit for the front of the bike?

What about wheels under the track? Should I build a set of wheels to go under the track as well? It sure seems like it would make the entire bike very tall tippy.

Also, trying to get the bike in neutral was a pain in the neck with this bike. I have had many bikes in the past but, I'm a bit perplexed why this one is so hard. A neutral light would sure be nice but, I'll figure it out. Tell me about Recluse clutches...... I have no idea what they are or do for the snowbiker?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Draxxus]

Neutral is hard to find when the chain is under load , wiggle forward or back to unload it and it will help a lot .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[torkd]

If you visit the timbersled website you can order a 5 foot brake line that will run to your front brake lever, works great.
There are a few guys on here building and selling the wheel kits your talking about as well.
My bike can also be difficult to find neutral with the kit on. Like the other guy said you just have to rock it back and forth to find it.
I run the rekluse exp 2.0 on my summer bike which is an 06 yz450 and it made a world of difference. Not having to touch the clutch means a lot less arm pump and it gives more traction. I have yet to try one on the snow bike but I'm sure it would work pretty good.

Good luck!

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

hey frostbite

congrats on getting a sno bike setup. go for it.

yup, neutral is a pain in the rear , only thing worse is a recluse finding neutral, but you learn to live with it, frustration at first, find neutral before you roll to a stop when possible, the more you ride no big deal recluse or not.

wheel under ski in garage good, I use mine sometimes, best to make one and make it w i d e so bike won't tip over when you drag it around for loading etc. Some ski wheels are made with the idea you ride the bike with it clamped to the ski ? Well ok, guess some do .

50 years of bikes and sleds, I find the right hand brake lever automatic, and better than foot brake, my riding partner rides with foot only, we switch, I hardly notice ? 5' brake hoses on the net for $30 and I'm sure MH sells them tooo, if the bike rolls down the ramp fast enough to be a run away, all good, some don't roll that easy.

 

[Frostbite]

OK thanks, now I understand why neutral was such a bear to find. I was thinking that KTM used some strange gearing pattern that I hadn't seen before. OK, I will try to find neutral before I stop.

Oh yeah, the front brake is automatic for me as well. I have become accustom to relying on it because the front brake on my TTR is a disc brake and rear is a drum brake. Nuff Said.

Is it really as easy as buying a 5 foot brake line? I haven't looked yet but, if I buy a 5 foot brake line, how do make the front brake work? There must be another orifice in the brake assembly that I hook it into?

If it's that's easy, why are guys selling brackets to mount both brake calipers on the Timbersled brake disc or a kit with what looks like a crossover valve?

As far as wheels go. I have my nice Costco snowmobile rollers but, that wheel base was WAY too narrow. I could weld a couple of them together I guess? I also think larger rubber tires would be much nicer. I see the tire and wheel assembly at harbor Freight. All i need are some dimensions and I would be off to the races.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[torkd]

I'm pretty sure the bracket your talking about is so you can use both the pedal brake and bar lever. I don't understand why people want both. The five foot line will attach straight to the bar master cylinder then straight to the calliper which means you completely bypass the rear brake pedal.

 

[Frostbite]

Is it too much to ask to have both?

I guess that's just what am used to having.

However, in this case the method you use to actuate the brake is the only difference.

I guess I just prefer a hand brake.

 

[the gman]

The recluce is a nice feature but the core exp is 8-900 bucks. Nine miler on hear makes a shuttle valve with all the hoses to use both brakes. I posted the cost and number for loon lake marina on here, just don't remember the number. Do a search. As far as the wheels timbersled s setup is nice but expensive. A lot of guys are removing the ski and bushing and installing a larger bolt with harbor freight wheels and it puts the bike further into the pickup. Enjoy the bike... They are ablast

Also neutral is easy to find after you turn the bike off, just go to first and kill the bike and its one click away

 

[Frostbite]

A wheel on the front in place of the ski..... now that's using your noggin!

I like it... pictures?

 

[the gman]

Pictures...right...I am lucky I can post. Anyway I think they use a 5/8 bolt with a small wheel on each side.

 

[Frostbite]

This link has both front brake set ups. They both make sense, if you want to be able to use both your hand AND foot brakes.

I really like how clean the bracket in lower pictures looks. It looks like the caliper for the front brake mounts just in front of the caliper for the rear brake.

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=356032&highlight=front+brake

 

[sloth]

My '13 kit came with the 5' brake line so I ran it to my front brake master cylinder. You can buy the cable here for $85:
http://www.timbersled.com/snowbikeaccessories.htm

Instructions on how to install it are here:
http://www.timbersled.com/docs/ST & LT Instructions.pdf

One thing that freaked me out was that snow would get in the brake disc and the brake felt spongy until I pumped it a couple of times. I thought there was air in my line and I bled the thing 4 time and didn't see any air in it but it still does it. Someone told me the disc gets snow on it and pushes the calipers apart. Does anyone else have that problem?

 

[DieselTwitch]

OK thanks, now I understand why neutral was such a bear to find. I was thinking that KTM used some strange gearing pattern that I hadn't seen before. OK, I will try to find neutral before I stop.

Oh yeah, the front brake is automatic for me as well. I have become accustom to relying on it because the front brake on my TTR is a disc brake and rear is a drum brake. Nuff Said.

Is it really as easy as buying a 5 foot brake line? I haven't looked yet but, if I buy a 5 foot brake line, how do make the front brake work? There must be another orifice in the brake assembly that I hook it into?

If it's that's easy, why are guys selling brackets to mount both brake calipers on the Timbersled brake disc or a kit with what looks like a crossover valve?

As far as wheels go. I have my nice Costco snowmobile rollers but, that wheel base was WAY too narrow. I could weld a couple of them together I guess? I also think larger rubber tires would be much nicer. I see the tire and wheel assembly at harbor Freight. All i need are some dimensions and I would be off to the races.

Thanks again for the help.

The brake line just replaces the front brake line that normally goes to the front caliper. easy install.

As far a wheel kit goes. Get a sheet of steal 18" x 12" and attach 4 casters to it. In the front I did the same on a 12"x12" but welded on 2x 3"x3" square tubbing to fit in the area between the sags. Works like a charm. cost less than $50. These work if all your looking for is a way to move the bike around a shop. I also added 2x2 blocks to take the weight off the lugs. I'll take picks of mine when i get back to the shop. I can move the bike in any direction and slip it into a hole so its out of the way.

 

[Frostbite]

Awesome Diesel Twitch.

would you happen to have a picture of your wheeled deals?

They sound awesome but, I guess you don't use them to load your bike into a truck?

 

[DieselTwitch]

Awesome Diesel Twitch.

would you happen to have a picture of your wheeled deals?

They sound awesome but, I guess you don't use them to load your bike into a truck?

I dont right now but I will upload some ASAP.

Can't load the bike in the truck with them but i can wheel it directly behind the ramp and just run it up under its own power. Im working on a different system that I saw someone here use. They used a U-haul ramp... the big aluminum ones. Im going to use that and a 1,500 lb winch to allow me to drop the ramp flat on the ground, roll the bike on it and winch it back into the truck. I have a lifted truck and running up the ramp is a heroing experience.

 

[350scott]

My '13 kit came with the 5' brake line so I ran it to my front brake master cylinder. You can buy the cable here for $85:
http://www.timbersled.com/snowbikeaccessories.htm

Instructions on how to install it are here:
http://www.timbersled.com/docs/ST & LT Instructions.pdf

One thing that freaked me out was that snow would get in the brake disc and the brake felt spongy until I pumped it a couple of times. I thought there was air in my line and I bled the thing 4 time and didn't see any air in it but it still does it. Someone told me the disc gets snow on it and pushes the calipers apart. Does anyone else have that problem?

It could be a number of things.

If it's the pads being pushed back, when you first pull the lever the resistance will be essentially non existent, then tighten up quickly. This could be caused by snow buildup, but more likely it's the caliper/disc alignment. As the caliper isn't floating you would need to play with spacer washer thicknesses to get this right. Hmm, has anyone come up with a floating caliper or disc mount?

If the lever is hard when you pull, but it doesn't really do anything at first, well that's just everything being cold. About the only good solution is to periodically lightly drag the brake to get things warm. After a while this should become almost second nature.

If there is air in the system, the lever will feel spongy, all the time. The only solution is to get rid of the air. I've found the Wilwood calipers prone to trapping air. Two steps to getting all the air out. First, once you finish your initial bleed, take the caliper off the mount and twist it around a bit to get any trapped air to move to the bleed nipple, then bleed off the nipple. Do this a number of times. Once you've done this, hang your caliper down between the front of the track and the bike and make sure your brake line has no dips or traps (you may need to dismount your lever/master cylinder as well). Leave it like this overnight and by morning any remaining tiny air bubbles should be gone. Follow this and your lever should be rock hard. If this doesn't work it may be time to rebuild your master cylinder.

 

[Frostbite]

Great tips 350scott,

It seems using the front brake doesn't come without its own challenges.

I will talk with ninemiler (since he is local to me) and get some more specifics.

 

[M5-]

How many hours on the motor? Thumper racing does a 610 kit for that bike that turns it into an absolute beast.

M5

 

[Frostbite]

No idea... I will have to read the manual so I can figure it out.

I see it was purchased new in MAY OF 2011.

I want to find out if the bike has the Austrian" map loaded. I read there is an insane map that really wakes up these bikes?

 

[M5-]

Pretty sure the maps are only available for the 2012 and later FI bikes. The XC4 motor which you have has some maintenance items you shouldn't neglect like setting the valves etc. Engine hours are on the display just toggle through it.


M5