thanks godeep.... i am dropping off his explorer kits to him tuesday,, go take one for a rip in the snow,,,, videos do not lie!!!!
mike
This incredible machine does it again!
- Thread starter 877snowhawk
- Start date
thanks godeep.... i am dropping off his explorer kits to him tuesday,, go take one for a rip in the snow,,,, videos do not lie!!!!
mike
Mike, Mike, Mike,
I'm not doubting the performance of the kit. What I'm pointing out are your bad comparisons to other equipment. The REASONS you give are what I disagree with. As I said before, riding this kit vs. an ATV with tracks is like riding a dirt bike or an ATV in the summer. Two completely different worlds. I think Gimpster had a valid argument with comparing the kit to a $3500 ATV kit. Your reasons the explorer kit surpasses any ATV kit aren't very good, so I took you to task on them. The ATV kit isn't going to fly around at 50+ mph through trees, but the explorer kit isn't going to haul your hunting gear up into the mountains. It all depends on what you want to use the kit for.
I'm not doubting the performance of the kit. What I'm pointing out are your bad comparisons to other equipment. The REASONS you give are what I disagree with. As I said before, riding this kit vs. an ATV with tracks is like riding a dirt bike or an ATV in the summer. Two completely different worlds. I think Gimpster had a valid argument with comparing the kit to a $3500 ATV kit. Your reasons the explorer kit surpasses any ATV kit aren't very good, so I took you to task on them. The ATV kit isn't going to fly around at 50+ mph through trees, but the explorer kit isn't going to haul your hunting gear up into the mountains. It all depends on what you want to use the kit for.
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Dobber1
Well-known member
Buyer's Remorse?
C'mon WR.....given you've chosen an engineering field, you'll be over analytical and miserable the rest of your life anyway.....just go ride!
I've got the first production kit to hit the US, only problem is there's no snow yet to test it on.
Fuel Economy I get close to 40mpg running the bike in the summer. Say the track takes 10 mpg off of that in the winter...I'm still at 30mpg. That's a third the fuel bill of an average sled. $75 for a day in the snow on a sled or $25 for the day on the bike.
Maintenance My bike is a whole lot easier to work on than a snowmobile. Typically cheaper too.
Power/Handling I'd like to see the sled guys effortlessly lean your snowmobile into a corner on the trail or zip through trees that are the width of your handlebars like you were riding single track in the summer! Sure a snowmobile has more power, but it also weighs a lot more too. A 2009 Yamaha Phazer's dry weight is 515 lbs. My bike with the kit is about 300. That's a lot less weight I have to throw around when I'm in the tight stuff.
I love my bike I love riding motorcycles, the ergonomics and how they handle. I'm the only guy around this part of the state that is hard core enough to ride his dirt bike all year round. The attached picture is of my tires I ran last winter and would run this year if I hadn't gotten the track.
Can hit the powder My studded tires work great on the packed/semi packed trail as I can run 70 mph with out too much problem, but get in the powder...lets not go there.
Transportability Being a college student still, I'm not in a permanent residence. I can transport my bike a whole lot easier than I can a dirt bike AND snowmobile.
Shiftable transmission Last I new you didn't have different gears to choose from on a snowmobile. You want to go fast, you rev the motor. With my bike if I want to cruise 60 mph, I pop it into 5th gear and cruise along. I also have the option to change gearing depending on the riding I want to do. I want to cruise the trails, I put my 15t sprocket on, I want to play off-trail, I put my 14T on and get more torque. Those two features make the power from my single cylinder 400cc bike very usable. I'd like to see some of the sleds do that!
I'll be able to comment further on the above reasons once I get a chance to put some saddle time in, but that's why I personally chose to get the kit. Take it for what it's worth to you.
I can't say too much about the negatives at this point for performance, I'll be able to tell that once I get some snow. Only cons I've run into so far are a couple design features I really don't like from an engineering stand point (I'm studying to be a mechanical engineer) but I'm working with AD Boivin to see what can be done to satisfy my concerns. I'll report in when I get more info.
C'mon WR.....given you've chosen an engineering field, you'll be over analytical and miserable the rest of your life anyway.....just go ride!
Ain't that the truth!
There are pros and cons to dealing with life from an engineer's point of view. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, sometimes it helps to know what the heck you're looking at. lol
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Dobber1
Well-known member
Ain't that the truth!
Two things that will help change that.......Kids & Age!
Ain't that the truth!
Interesting take on the price comparison..If you look at a track kit its basically the same parts list for all 4 corners.. a very small parts count.
Looking at the explorer or 2moto there are a lot more individual parts.
Not a bunch of the same part as in the track kit. Therefore the cost to produce, and engineer is much higher.. an engineer should recognize that.. True a diff product for a diff use. Someone else on here would rightly so, call that riding a couch.(diff argument)
Now if were looking at fun factor.. The bike kits are hands down the winner.
You cant compare the two..
On a side note I wonder how the parts count actually compares between the explorer kit and an ATV kit. The ATV kit has basically 4x everything as said before, but the explorer is really quite simply built and when you break it down, there aren't as many parts as you might expect...but that's a whole other topic.
Another note with the ATV tracks vs. the explorer... at least here in Michigan, the ATV kits are not legal on snowmobile trails. The explorer is in a grey zone though. Dirt bikes are titled vehicles in MI, where as snowmobiles are are not titled, but registered for two years at a time. That being the case, I can't actually register my bike as a snowmobile with out canceling my title and thus my license plate for the road. The MI snowmobile definition says a snowmobile is "any motor-driven vehicle designed for travel primarily on snow or ice of a type that utilizes sled-type runners or skis, an endless belt tread, or any combination of these or other similar means of contact with the surface upon which it is operated, but is not a vehicle that must be registered under the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.1 to 257.923." The kit meets the functional requirements, but the bike IS registered under the MI vehicle code. To operate a snowmobile on public trails "A snowmobile shall not be operated unless the owner first obtains a certificate of registration, registration decal and an trail permit sticker." Confused yet? lol. The kit meets the functional definition of a snowmobile, but because the bike is titled, it CAN'T be registered as a snowmobile, a requirement for trail riding. So the kit is really a "snomobile" but the law won't allow it to be registered as such and still maintain road legality in the summer.
The short of it is that it's not legal to ride the trails, but it's also not illegal. The law isn't written to accommodate this type of hybrid machine that cat switch between track/ski and wheels, so it's not my fault. That was basically my consensus from my conversation with a DNR officer at one of the main offices. Technically he said it would be officer discretion, but really, what grounds would he base a ticket on? lol. I also talked to the local Sheriff dept. and the guy I talked to said as long as I have a trail permit, and can show that's it's registered/titled as a wheeled vehicle (AKA my license plate with valid registration) they won't bother me.
Anyway, while I'm waiting to get more snow I further improved the track kit! I don't like having just a foot brake, so what did I do, I removed the foot brake and hooked up my hand brake to the rear caliper. Now I can brake with my right hand instead of my foot.
You might ask why that matters? Well for those of us that don't have electric start, when you stall on a hill, facing up, it's kind of hard to hold the brake and kick start the bike at the same time. I don't know about any of you, but I don't have two right feet.
lol.
I also noticed while working in the garage today that the main 1/2" thick aluminum bracket that mounts the ski is bent. It hasn't even been used so you're guess is as good as mine as to how that happened. Mike and AD Boivin have been notified so I'm hoping it will get replaced with the warranty. Only thing I can think of is that it was cut like that because there are no flat spot from anything hitting it. It's not a huge bend, but enough that I want to fix it.
Michigan trails open officially Monday, now if we can just get more snow so I don't have to ride though mine tailings under 4 inches of snow.
Another note with the ATV tracks vs. the explorer... at least here in Michigan, the ATV kits are not legal on snowmobile trails. The explorer is in a grey zone though. Dirt bikes are titled vehicles in MI, where as snowmobiles are are not titled, but registered for two years at a time. That being the case, I can't actually register my bike as a snowmobile with out canceling my title and thus my license plate for the road. The MI snowmobile definition says a snowmobile is "any motor-driven vehicle designed for travel primarily on snow or ice of a type that utilizes sled-type runners or skis, an endless belt tread, or any combination of these or other similar means of contact with the surface upon which it is operated, but is not a vehicle that must be registered under the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.1 to 257.923." The kit meets the functional requirements, but the bike IS registered under the MI vehicle code. To operate a snowmobile on public trails "A snowmobile shall not be operated unless the owner first obtains a certificate of registration, registration decal and an trail permit sticker." Confused yet? lol. The kit meets the functional definition of a snowmobile, but because the bike is titled, it CAN'T be registered as a snowmobile, a requirement for trail riding. So the kit is really a "snomobile" but the law won't allow it to be registered as such and still maintain road legality in the summer.
The short of it is that it's not legal to ride the trails, but it's also not illegal.
The law isn't written to accommodate this type of hybrid machine that cat switch between track/ski and wheels, so it's not my fault. That was basically my consensus from my conversation with a DNR officer at one of the main offices. Technically he said it would be officer discretion, but really, what grounds would he base a ticket on? lol. I also talked to the local Sheriff dept. and the guy I talked to said as long as I have a trail permit, and can show that's it's registered/titled as a wheeled vehicle (AKA my license plate with valid registration) they won't bother me. Anyway, while I'm waiting to get more snow I further improved the track kit! I don't like having just a foot brake, so what did I do, I removed the foot brake and hooked up my hand brake to the rear caliper.
Now I can brake with my right hand instead of my foot.You might ask why that matters? Well for those of us that don't have electric start, when you stall on a hill, facing up, it's kind of hard to hold the brake and kick start the bike at the same time. I don't know about any of you, but I don't have two right feet.
lol. I also noticed while working in the garage today that the main 1/2" thick aluminum bracket that mounts the ski is bent.
It hasn't even been used so you're guess is as good as mine as to how that happened. Mike and AD Boivin have been notified so I'm hoping it will get replaced with the warranty. Only thing I can think of is that it was cut like that because there are no flat spot from anything hitting it. It's not a huge bend, but enough that I want to fix it. Michigan trails open officially Monday, now if we can just get more snow so I don't have to ride though mine tailings under 4 inches of snow.
I just went threw the reg process here in Wa. All states are diff, and usually Wa st is a pain in the a** for anything. To my surprise I had no difficulty dual registering my Plated KTM 525 as a snowmobile.. I also retained the plate for the street.
I would skip the DNR guys and head to the lic dept and try the dual reg route.
It worked great for me.. Winters on hold here this year, No snow anywhere???
Might have to go to Canada soon.
I would skip the DNR guys and head to the lic dept and try the dual reg route.
It worked great for me.. Winters on hold here this year, No snow anywhere???
Might have to go to Canada soon.
The SOS (Secretary of State) told me I would have to scrap (or what ever the term was, essentially voiding) my title for the snowmobile registration. In Washington you do title your snowmobile for ownership or just use the registration. Not sure if it was clear before, but there's no title on a snowmobile in MI, the registration is the proof of ownership. The state won't let me me dual register/title the bike, it would be like owning it twice I guess. Oh well, not my fault.
Oh well, not my fault.OK, this is completely off topic here, but I ran across this video looking at snow hawk stuff so I had to share it with you guys. This is a testament to what ATV's (or a 6x6 in this case) can do with a set of tracks, besides being a hilarious video! (40 seconds into the video). LOL
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snow hawk gal
Banned
????
LINK?
LINK?
LINK?
Oh yeah, got distracted.
Here ya go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VD_rsiP0nI&feature=related
S
snow hawk gal
Banned
Also,
A good article in one of the leading Quad mags about this option at the news stand right now, they tracked all over Island Park Idaho.
A good article in one of the leading Quad mags about this option at the news stand right now, they tracked all over Island Park Idaho.
This is getting to be like going to a party and finding yourself listening to an insurance salesman all of a sudden (or Amway)
ditto! and how about the wing man Godeep posting pics of all the models, those guys are good.
any real riders know that thing is as good as tracks for your suv.
new video
check where i been with many new videos on my website,,, www.explorerkit.com
and here is the latest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfL70oi1-gk
mike
check where i been with many new videos on my website,,, www.explorerkit.com
and here is the latest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfL70oi1-gk
mike
That part at 5:04 is about what I would expect
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sm
I'll keep my sled for the hills...but....I think driving my supermoto around town all winter just might be worth the 3k...lol....If the local police don't lose it.
I'll keep my sled for the hills...but....I think driving my supermoto around town all winter just might be worth the 3k...lol....If the local police don't lose it.
R
RMK7SledHead
Well-known member
bwahahahahahahaaha!! pwned!!!
you do realize that nobody is going to watch anything except the 5:04 part now, right? hahaha.
"look how awesome these things are!...wait, shoulda edited that part out..."
If they put someone on them in the advertisements that actually knew how to ride bikes, it might be pretty cool. Throw some whips off those little booters instead of huck it and pray
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