Still challenging and exciting for a snowmobile adrenaline junkie?

[tdorval]

I'm writing this hoping for some feedback from fellow diehard sledders that have converted to snowbikers. I was supposed to be on a demo today but it was cancelled so I wanted to make this post to get more info before I get my next shot at a demo. I currently ride a turbo pro and the thing amazes me every ride. I like steep side hills through trees, downhill turns, climbs, jumps, drops and just all around challenging and exciting riding. I'm not the guy that minds putting my sled in a bad spot and having to figure out how to get out, I enjoy that stuff. Every season I whip myself in shape and enjoy the challenging workout of riding. I like pulling lines and doing things that the average joe can't always do, does the snowbike take the challenge out of riding? Does it make things too easy to the point they are boring for someone used to being on a ride with a lot more hp and being on the edge of control? I always hear how you can side hill so easy and go places that you couldn't on a sled and how it's fun riding a snowbike but I never hear how exciting it is and how it still gives those adrenaline junkies their fix, so does it? Most of the people I talk to that love the snow bikes weren't diehard snowmobilers prior to picking up snowbiking so I'm not sure if they understand where I'm coming from when they give their advice.

Any and all feedback from other diehard, adrenaline junkie sledders would be awesome. I've been eyeballing these for a while and the thought of having a winter toy that will be multi use with summer duty as well is attractive. Also not taking up as much space for storage, room to work on them, as well as transportation sounds cool. I live and ride in the mtns of CO if that makes much of a difference. I also wouldn't be keeping the sled if I bought one.

Thanks in advance
TJ

 

[n16ht5]

I think the real question is are you a dirt biker or a quad rider?

 

[tdorval]

I guess I haven't seen that question before. I'm not really either, I've owned a few dirt bikes, but never really got into it because summer was always my busy time with work. I'm in a job now where I should at least have weekends to play through the summer, which is part of the reason I'm interested in the snowbike so I have a summer toy. If I owned a "quad" it would really only be used for hunting, not so much a fun toy, but rather a tool for getting something done.

 

[Hawkster]

Well , that's good you'll be selling the sled because if your asking this question than the reply is to truly experience a one ski you need to not think snowmobile .

Even the videos that I've seen so far do not explain what a one ski is capable of , probably because the pilots haven't figured it out or they ride sleds also . It's not like the one skis haven't been out for the last ten plus years

Tree wells are for banking off of and cornices jumping are for landing and holding a horizontal line , there is no reason to come back down no matter how steep the slope is .

The question would be what kind of a one ski would suite you better ?

What ever the choice is it's what the sleds are trying to emulate .

 

[jskattum606]

Depends alot on what your friends do also. If you have all sledding buddies. You will not have much fun on the deep days. They are a blast with your bike buds on a spring snow day though! Nothing like it

 

[tdorval]

So you're saying they aren't great in deep snow? That would be a huge issue if it's the case.

Hawkster, I'd be looking at the MH st kit. Not sure what bike I'd put it on yet, but realistically a turbo probably wouldn't be in the cards for the first year if I were getting a fairly new bike.

 

[1dn5up]

not coming from a sledding back ground cant say but they are different sports is the best way to think of it. you end up riding a lot more difficult very tight treed terrain.

Unless you have friends with snowbikes I don't think you will have a good time for long.

The learning curve is pretty quick with snowbikes but after 2 seasons riding I'm still improving

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Honestly ???

you want to know ?

like trying to explain rock and roll to a stranger.............40 years ago

snobiking and sledding happen in the winter, otherwise not the same sport

using the same bike in the summer and winter in the end won't work, no economy there in the end

no one knows yet how far sno biking skill can go, you could push the frontier or be left behind ? opportunity ?

lots of sno bikers have forgotten what brand of sled they used to own.........two years ago, you might be there in two years, post in two years and let us know.


some are drawn to new technology, some are frightened and intimidated by new ideas, so ask yourself able to let go ?

sno bikes pretty small world, no special clothing to wear to the tavern, no full page adds or glossy brochures, no skidoos or cats or Polaris's, odd brand name bikes and evolving kits companies in their infancy.

you're going to fall off a few times and make dumb rookie mistakes

not everyone sees these things as a challenge

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

Depends alot on what your friends do also. If you have all sledding buddies. You will not have much fun on the deep days. They are a blast with your bike buds on a spring snow day though! Nothing like it

amen...

being the rogue bike on sledding rides is fun for a few days, but you won't really enjoy them to their potential until you go out exploring with a gang of bikes. that is when the magic happens. It isn't hard to learn to ride the bike at all, especially if your a half proficient dirt biker. The hardest thing is learning to look at the hill like your on a bike, NOT on your turbo pro. Once you learn that, the opportunities become endless.

if you go out and try and ride it like a sled, its gonna be VERY lame. you won't like it at all. a well setup bike is key as they works surprisingly well in deep snow ASSUMING the intake isn't plugged instantly and the motor is at least attempting operating temps. They need all the power they have to go in the deeper snow, and an ill setup bike that is gurgling and choking for air makes them rather not enjoyable. kinda like a turbo sled with really inconsistent fueling and clutching.. makes it hard to push your limits when you don't know what your going to get when you roll on the gas.

I think the bike or quad guy is the perfect question... says a lot about what winter habits you will enjoy the most.

 

[Hawkster]

That must explain why I don't understand why slow and steady is a good thing I like big liter bikes and sport quads .

I've been riding the one ski for also over ten years and the little woman just started riding last year and a good friend finally got tired of sucking hind end so he also hopped on one this year hook line and sinker .

Before that I basically rode with sleds just started doing it my way . Didn't matter if it was with a couple or assisting in hearding club rides .

They're little different animals than what your thinking about but they're still a one ski .

Don't know till you try one .

Here's one from a few years back , only one ski in the group , look for the motorcycle handle bars . The photo was taken from a chopper .

 

[mrquick68]

tdorval,

I think the bike vs. quad is not fair in comparison AT ALL. Anyone that is/was a HIGH level sled rider would not be considered a "quad" rider. Not EVEN close. If you are a real backcountry ripper on a sled, and you like pushing the limits, then you are an athlete. Snowbiking has the same potential (IMO) for athletes to push the limit and explore new places, and new terrain but its doing it differently than on a sled. You can't drop as big a stuff on a snow bike, and you can't jump that well (sleds are just more stable), BUT you can take MUCH gnarlier lines in ALL snow conditions. You can push into zones you might NEVER touch on a sled due to consequences, and you can travel across hills at much higher speeds. PLUS you can "moto" sections and terrain features on a bike that would be boring on a sled. AND you can have more fun on a snow bike in varied conditions. Compared to a turbo/high powered sled which is just fun in deeper snow. The areas that will be opened to you for riding due to the bike are endless now. Places you'd never think fun becoming INCREDIBLE. That's the joy of the bikes = possibilities and access!

BUT, if you love climbing, big drops, and sled power - the bike might leave you bored. I love them both, and am thinking of getting a snow bike this year, but for me there will be days I pine for my sled (which I plan on riding still!).

I'll make the final call next year to full switch, or ????

The only way you can decide is to ride yourself. Until you do, you just won't know which you like best.

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

BUT you can take MUCH gnarlier lines in ALL snow conditions. You can push into zones you might NEVER touch on a sled due to consequences, and you can travel across hills at much higher speeds. PLUS you can "moto" sections and terrain features on a bike that would be boring on a sled. AND you can have more fun on a snow bike in varied conditions. Compared to a turbo/high powered sled which is just fun in deeper snow. The areas that will be opened to you for riding due to the bike are endless now. Places you'd never think fun becoming INCREDIBLE. That's the joy of the bikes = possibilities and access! .

I think the less then stellar snow days prove to be some of the most fun. We had a 2 week spell in January with nothing but sun and wind... snow got crusty and we went sledding but its hard to want to push it as its so high risk if you lose control... the bikes absolutely shine, you can cut wild lines at much lower risk and they put the power down that much better in crust. what looks like a horrible cliffed/treed slope on a sled now just looks like an epic sidehill!

We have had some killer spring pow, but Im almost praying for a littler harder snow to start some ridge running and big exploration rides

And as for "moto"ing terrain. That is another big fun factor, a guy can just putter along on the bike and go amazing places, but the MOST fun is just holding the thing on the rev limiter and diving through tree wells cutting across a hill riding it as hard as you can, or you could just poke through a tiny bit less strenuous line with ease and get the same places. You make the terrain as challenging as you want with your riding style. There is always a steeper line, tighter trees, more technical terrain no matter the machine. Just depends how hard you want to make it! now there is just 10x as much ride able terrain, so more options for a guy!

 

[powderzone]

If you get bored with the stock setup you can always run NOS or do a big-bore kit and turbo. 140hp will take you anywhere...in a hurry.

 

[n16ht5]

I was not dissing quad riders... it is just a different riding style, and with limited places you can go compared to bikes. I have a quad, but it is only used around the yard for hauling firewood and clearing trails... I'm starting to lean that way with my sled... mostly just have the desire to use it for ski touring from.

 

[350scott]

I was never a sled guy, but I think the question is "I need to be challenged a bit to have fun, are snow bikes just to easy for me to be challenged enough to have fun?". My feeling is yes, you can definitely be challenged enough to have fun. But just like with sled's, if you really want to challenge/push things you need someone else with similar abilities and equipment.

I have a pretty regular snow bike pal and we are challenging things in two ways. The first way is sort of like playing horse, where we chase each other through the trees as fast as possible taking the hardest + tightest lines we can find until one of you a) gets stuck or b) crashes/hits a tree. The second way is heading to really challenging terrain (think steep with trees) and working together to get through it safely.

 

[thejean]

I was never a sled guy, but I think the question is "I need to be challenged a bit to have fun, are snow bikes just to easy for me to be challenged enough to have fun?". My feeling is yes, you can definitely be challenged enough to have fun. But just like with sled's, if you really want to challenge/push things you need someone else with similar abilities and equipment.

I have a pretty regular snow bike pal and we are challenging things in two ways. The first way is sort of like playing horse, where we chase each other through the trees as fast as possible taking the hardest + tightest lines we can find until one of you a) gets stuck or b) crashes/hits a tree. The second way is heading to really challenging terrain (think steep with trees) and working together to get through it safely.

This.

 

[tdorval]

Lots of great feed back here guys. I really need to get on one and give it a try, hopefully next weekend.

I noticed one person said the dirt bike really won't be good for the summer, is this really the case, or can you get both use out of the bike?

Thanks!

 

[powderzone]

Personal preference I think when it comes to riding the same rig on dirt and snow. I prefer enduro and trail riding in the summer so i run a ktm 300xc on dirt only. I want more spice for the sled bike so run a ktm 450sxf with NOS and a bazzaz fuel mgt system in winter. I could convert it back to dirt but even without the NOS, I'd probably get myself killed.

 

[Draxxus]

Keep the sled buy a bike n kit too, you'll ride the bike 70-80% of the time but you can't beat a sled in 3 feet of powder jumping cat walking and dropping cliffs


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[summithd]

Keep the sled buy a bike n kit too, you'll ride the bike 70-80% of the time but you can't beat a sled in 3 feet of powder jumping cat walking and dropping cliffs


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Likewise...For the most part I ride the bike and the sled comes out on the deeper days.