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question for all you pro's

lundracing

lundracing

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
So time is getting closer to start thinking about getting ready for the upcoming season. I purchased a new huskvarna fc 450 and a new 16 st kit for the season. I have been on sleds since I was knee high to a grasshopper but first timer on a snowbike. I have spent some time messing around on the web trying to figure out what equipment I need to have to fully enjoy the experience. I put around 1500 miles a year on a sled out west and make quite a few trips from central ND to get that done so I want to get the most out of my money spent on trips. What I am noticing is these bikes are not a cheap deal. I could have bought a prolite for the money I am spending on this thing.

So far the from what I can see this is what you need to have on top of the bike and the kit

Thermobob thermostat
skid plate of some sort
hand warmers
high powered coil so I can run lights and handwarmers
Lights
Rekluse 3.0
sprark arrestor
trial tech or some sort of engine monitoring device.
Better larger foot pegs
stiffer springs for the font fork

Is there anything I am missing. quite expensive. Or are these some of this stuff that is not needed.

Thanks
 
Thermobob thermostat - NEED. it's an important step to promoting longevity and a reliable bike
skid plate of some sort - NEED. You don't have to spend a lot... my plastic ACERBIS was only about $45. fill the void between the bottom of the pan and the motor with some closed cell foam to keep snow from forming
hand warmers - NOT NEEDED. I roll with a couple extra pairs of gloves. coming up on my 5th season and as long as you take care of your hands you don't need warmers
high powered coil so I can run lights and handwarmers - NOT NEEDED if you don't run the warmers. The stock coil will power a good light bar no problem
Lights - NOT NEEDED, but nice to have in an emergency. night riding is also a lot of fun
Rekluse 3.0 - NOT NEEDED. I think the Rekluse is a bada$$ unit in the dirt... totally totally not required for snowbiking
sprark arrestor - Uhhhhhh.... NOPE. Open that bad boy up
trial tech or some sort of engine monitoring device. - Good to have for oil change intervals, and cheap. TTO meter is around $55
Better larger foot pegs - NEED, but I have huge size 14 feet (the ladies love them)
stiffer springs for the font fork - KINDA NEED. If you plan on doing a lot of serious descents and drainage hopping they are super nice, otherwise you can get by adding oil or switching to a thicker oil

Don't forget, you'll get to use this bike for the other 5-6 months that your sled sits in the garage. Two toys for the price of one nicely equipped sled. My wife thinks it's a bargain. She doesn't know about the 300xcw I plan on buying one day for dedicated woods riding... please keep it that way.
 
lundracing said:
Thermobob thermostat
skid plate of some sort
trial tech or some sort of engine monitoring device.
stiffer springs for the font fork
Better larger foot pegs
Light
high powered coil so I can run lights and handwarmers
Rekluse 3.0


- sprark arrestor - This is the last thing you need, not required on snow and all they do is kill top end which is the most important part of the powerband on the snow.
Click to expand...

Heres my take on dollars per function, I rearranged yours.

I would also recommend some nice handguards like the Crya ProBends or Fastway units before handwarmers. On the bikes I find myself bashing thru the trees and they seriously save my hands on a minute by minute basis. Also does wonders for keeping your hands warm, hence why I moved the handwarmers down the list
 
I am surprised you guys moved the recluse so far down the list. Stalling must not be much of an issue?


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lundracing said:
I am surprised you guys moved the recluse so far down the list. Stalling must not be much of an issue?


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Click to expand...
Not really, 1st gear is so slow and its not like the track bounces around like it does in loose rock, etc. Snow is much smoother and more calm then nasty single track. I also really like to pop start my bike, and thats a no can do with rekluse so its hard for me to want one!

Also, the rekluse represents the cost of almost all of the other mods combined, so thats why I put it last. Need vs $ puts it at the bottom.
 
Last edited:
You can bump start any Rekluse... some models are so easy you just turn a dial on the slave cylinder and done. They just aren't necessary at all. Aggressive clutching is key to get the most out of the bike and the Rekluse just makes you lazy since you can lug the hell out of it.

If you have money to burn who cares. They are a great American company with a great product.

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What type of light can u power with a stock stator


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I will agree with those guys on most of the things except hand warmers, thats number one on my list, if you ride in 10 or colder you will probably want them. I run Moose hand warmers off of the battery. I run a light off the battery as well, I run a Dinotte XML3, its a bicycle light but you can just call them up and they will build you a 12v version for about $150 that has a low draw and close to 2000 lumen, they work great on the race bikes with a battery. There are lots of nice bicycle lights with batteries that work well for emergencies and have a 3hr burn time on high.

Hand warmers, hand guards, thermostat, skid plate, wide pegs. Thats about all you need on that bike to get started.
 
With the current plethora of LED lights out now lighting is easy. I have a bicycle led light that I mounted to a Gopro mount and I can clip it onto my helmet, its got 1200 lumens which will get you out at night. If you have a battery you can light the world up like daytime these days. I've never used grip heaters just the fag bags which work just as good if not better IMO. Everything else for me is just window dressing, I have small feet so regular foot pegs are fine for me. I spend my time on the mechanical stuff. One thing that is mandatory IMO is a good set of hand guards not some cheap a$$ plastic ones.

M5
 
I mountain bike quite a bit in the summer and have battery powered helmet and handlebar likes I use on my snow bike when needed. They are 1200 lumens and super bright.
I thought I would like a recluse on my snow bike and tried it last year, went back to the clutch. It's nice to be able to rev up the motor and dump the clutch once in a while when the situation calls for it. I don't have a clutch with my recluse, I had put the brake on the left side where it is on a sled.
I have had four different snow bikes, 500xcw, 450 SXF, 450 XCF and 300 XC. I weight 210 and all of the needed new front springs. The 500 was the worst. Personally the fork springs would be at the top of my list and the thermostat.
 
Rush44 said:
http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/Penetrator-LED-600-series-Dirt-Bike-Headlight-kit_p_14.html

Yes it's a bit more expensive than other bar mounted lights but this one is a true "buy it once" item. Best optics I've seen so far and it's tough as nails. Modular plug so you can change bikes in the future. Call Daryl he also has a 30 degree element... you want a nice wide spread. The 10 degree elements are a bit too focused for me.
Click to expand...

What springs are you going to run in your husky. Do u have a part #
 
With the FC you should be able to get by with the stock fork springs by cranking up the adjusters. Unless you jump a lot.

If you are more sledder than MXer the Rekluse is nice.

Cyclops had this light which is great as a backup but unfortunately it is on backorder right now.

http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/Cyclops-LED-Adventure-Light-_p_12.html

big pegs (promoto adventure) cycra enduro hand guards, a triple point skeg, a Seat Concepts seat cover are items I recommend to all of my customers.

A fork bag is a great place to stash water, a snack, lunch, and a couple of tools. I also like to keep some hand cleaning wipes in there for use after refueling.

Like Rush said really as far as need you don't need any of it, but the items mentioned above make the experience better IMO. Especially the seat! :)
 
lundracing said:
What type of light can u power with a stock stator


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Click to expand...
We will have our kit finished up in production and released shortly but we are running 6" light bars, approx 3k lumens. Fully billet mounting system with bar caps, completelty adjustable to clear any riser/cable configuration. All the batteryless moto bikes as well as the e-start ktm's have enough juice to feed them, not even pulsing at idle. Plenty of light to ride day and night!

These guys all have hit the key points. Nothing is truely life or death required on a snowbike, but you sure can make it a LOT more enjoyable for guys! Shrouding, barkbusters, bigger pegs and fork work are on our list of TO DO items though.
 
Here's my have to's and want to's

Have to's:

1. Handguards - metal with a plastic shield of some sort
2. Bigger foot pegs - i have the super trick pro-moto's, but you can get by with larger steel versions sold around the net.
3. Handwarmers - it gets f'ing cold from time to time in our mountains, and as mentioned above anything under 10 degrees is very painful without some type of warmer - bags or elements.
4. Lighting of some sort. Go big, or go cheap. You don't need lighting often, but when you do, you definitely need it!!
5. Pipe guard of some sort - unless you like replacing your expensive pants often! I like the P3 carbon fiber units. Usually around $99, but there are cheaper metal versions as well.
6. Backup starter of some sort. Either have a kick starter and electric, or if you have electric only then one of those little battery packs.
7. Skid plate. Lots of options, just make sure its plastic and foam filled.

Want to's:

1. AME grip heaters. Super trick! ODI type. Epic performance and no dead batteries as auto-off if you drain the battery too low.
2. A carbon tipped slip-on muffler - again, no burning pants and a bit more power. FMF makes nice ones (only need on 4Ts)
3. A real wheel kit. Don't try and cheap out and build your own. It will never work like a real wheel kit.


that's about it! :face-icon-small-coo
 
You guys are great. Thanks for the help. I decided to forgo the recluse until I get some seat time and took a little advice from all of u.
I ordered these items to get me started.
Thermobob
Plastic skid plate
P3 carbon pipe gaurde
New seat with more padding
Trail tech voyager
Larger foot pegs
Decided to upgrade stator and go with Ame grip heaters and a 6 light led light bar. Also did the number plate bag and tool kit box from timbersled. Only think left I might get to start the season is a power sports tech engine cover. I have some neat ideas for mounting and setting up. I will update with some pics when I get her put together, now I have no excuses not to convert the rest of the guys in my group to bikes.
Thanks again


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