Riding tips/techniques

[thnewell]

As someone who has only ridden snowbikes a handful of times and recently purchased one, I am curious if anyone has any technique secrets that they could share.

Tricks to side hilling...? Whats the best way to use the clutch...? upshift or bounce off the limiter..? Etc.

I have ridden motorcycles forever and am an experienced snowmobile rider but snowbikes are new to me. I'm just looking for a little yoda input.

Thanks!!

 

[Motogeek33]

Snowbiking was brand new to me last year after having ridden sleds and dirt bikes since I was a kid. I've found that I have to un-learn a lot of things learned while riding sleds and dirt bikes. Here's a few things I can think of:

1) Don't worry about tree wells -- they won't suck you in like when you're riding a snowmobile.

2) The sidehill is your friend. It's ridiculously easy to sidehill, you just sit there and pick as steep a line as you want. And you can sidehill while going downhill, which is really hard to do on a sled. It makes it extremely easy to go as slowly as you want when dropping down steep slopes.

3) Because sidehilling is the preferred way to get places, you look for completely different lines than you did when you were on a sled... every riding area that you've been to a million times is all new.

4) I've found that when I'm in tight trees I have to make sure I pin the throttle and keep some momentum when I make tight turns, or else I WILL kill it and fall down.

5) Get in the habit of keeping your feet on the pegs -- don't rely on putting your foot out to hold the bike up when you're in tight stuff or you're stopping, because most of the time, especially in soft snow, your foot will just sink and you'll fall over. This is another reason I love the sidehills -- it's a lot easier to get a fairly solid foot on the ground on the uphill side.

That's all I can think of for now... I'm still new to this stuff and am learning and gaining confidence every ride. Snowmobiling and dirt biking haven't been this fun for years.

 

[M5-]

Because it is so easy to side hill, keep in mind that it is also really easy to incise a line across a steep slope kinda in the worst way possible avalanche wise. It can be easier to get yourself into sketchy situations than on a sled because it'll hold almost any side hill. Just some food for thought.

M5

 

[SLDHVN]

1. RE-train your brain that you CAN go there
2. Pin it to win it

 

[thnewell]

Thanks guys thats the kind of info I'm looking for.

When sidehilling steep terrain is it necessary to shift your weight to the uphill side at all or does the track just stick to the hill..??

Is there any countersteering involved on the MH's?

 

[1dn5up]

4) I've found that when I'm in tight trees I have to make sure I pin the throttle and keep some momentum when I make tight turns, or else I WILL kill it and fall down.

Totally agree - point and shoot or you just end up stalling all the time and falling over

 

[up-high]

Thanks guys thats the kind of info I'm looking for.

When sidehilling steep terrain is it necessary to shift your weight to the uphill side at all or does the track just stick to the hill..??

Is there any countersteering involved on the MH's?

No weight shift or counter steer required. You have to think like a biker not a sledder. The more you ride, the better you get. On ice and hard pack some speed is better than going slow. Don't ask how I know that!

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

dont ride it like a sled, if you do, you WONT have a good time, i know i hated it the first few times trying to climb around with sleds, go bomb off into nowhere, then you find the fun.

 

[Uncle si]

Think of the fall potential, especially in fast conditions. You can go truly dangerous places. You can pull your groin if a foot catches.

put your toes on the pegs. If you ride like me, you will hit countless things with the pegs and you don't want a broken foot. Read the hawk forums, too. There is a decade of experience to draw from.

 

[thnewell]

Think of the fall potential, especially in fast conditions. You can go truly dangerous places. You can pull your groin if a foot catches.

put your toes on the pegs. If you ride like me, you will hit countless things with the pegs and you don't want a broken foot. Read the hawk forums, too. There is a decade of experience to draw from.

I checked the hawk forum unfortunately it only hold four threads and they are mostly for sale. Looks like it was recently purged.

Thanks for the peg tip.

 

[mnsnowhawk]

Archive for hawk info. Any new info is at backcountryrebels. Keeping your feet on pegs will save you from pulling your mangina as stated above. This will be my first year on a timbersled but the main thing on a hawk was gas is your friend. It would bring you back up when layed over. Not sure if this works on timbersled with less track speed. Also the looser you can be the better.

 

[Uncle si]

Archive for hawk info. Any new info is at backcountryrebels. Keeping your feet on pegs will save you from pulling your mangina as stated above. This will be my first year on a timbersled but the main thing on a hawk was gas is your friend. It would bring you back up when layed over. Not sure if this works on timbersled with less track speed. Also the looser you can be the better.

The hawk is a very different animal, though there are lessons to be learned from the hawk riders.

My hat comes off for you, sir. The Snohawk is a beast of a machine, ridden only by giants among men. I suspect you will find the horse a much easier beast to tame, which I believe is a good thing.

After all, us mortals deserve steeds, too.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

a lot the same

like almost all the motorsports you really start to feel comfortable when you go from reacting to the terrain to anticipating the terrain.

Mostly thats seat time, go ride, take it easy, play around in safe meadow and shallow hills and get the feel for how much you and your bike can handle. Learn to burn big cookies lean and turn sharp with feet up, test the limits of your machine.

THEN, When you go out to ride think LOOK AHEAD , don't watch the ski...........your bike will handle the terrain, plan and anticipate your lines and moves.
Work on riding some easy terrain and relax your grip on the bars, let the bike do the work, look ahead. None of this happens overnight, but by thinking about what you need to do, it will come more quickly.

Don't let more experienced riders suck you into riding terrain you don't feel comfortable with........forget them, not friends anyway. World is full of hacked bikes and sleds bought by bashful newbies that had to keep up with some expert friend ( no load ). Good way to ruin a sport. So learn to walk then run.

Not having fun..........it happens. Stop, drink a pop and relax. Keeps getting better.

 

[ktmtimbersled]

I would say to any new riders that hardpack trail will feel awkward and unstable at first if you are forced to ride it. Don't get discouraged by this though because as others have said once you get to the steep and deep there's nothing like it.

 

[Motogeek33]

I would say to any new riders that hardpack trail will feel awkward and unstable at first if you are forced to ride it. Don't get discouraged by this though because as others have said once you get to the steep and deep there's nothing like it.

Totally agree. I was a little discouraged the first time I started up a road after unloading, but once I got off into the fresh snow the difference was night and day. Now, when I'm heading down a road, I always looks for that little bit of fresh snow along the edge, even if it's a few inches off the road down the bank. With a snowmobile, this area below the roadbed was always off limits because your whole machine would get sucked off the road, but it's really easy on the bike.

 

[Hawkster]

Side hilling is not in the vocabulary of a one ski unless your cutting cookies on the flat . The hardest thing to learn is not to lean when cutting a line , forget about what's above or below you it doesn't matter and all it will do is cause you to wash out going either direction .

You have to think like , of the many other machines these act like , a street bike and focus on what's in front of you not in the distance , if you do you'll over or under shoot your line .

In the manual of a snowhawk it says do not take your feet off of the foot pegs . There's a couple of reasons , one is that you still use those foot pegs for steering and it will make you a better rider and the other one is your more likely to shred a knee or worse since your foot will disappear and not want to come back to you .

The other big thing is when riding with sleds do not pay any attention to them and pick your own lines otherwise it will make for a miserable day .