Went for a hike today

[needpowder]

10 inches of fresh. Having a fantastic day then...wham. Bike no go. I look down and the snow underneath my bike is getting oilier by the second. Oh crap. Get off and look. Huh, no chain. And i'm missing a piece of my bottom end. Great. I was gonna rebuild my bottom end but not for another month at least.

Hiked to the truck--about an hour and a half through powder with punchy snow underneath. (I was staying close because i was riding alone). Shouldn't be too hard to get my bike out tomorrow with sled friend help (i hope).

Soooo... I know i'm not the only one to break a chain this year. Anyone know why timbersled switched chains? Save a buck? Or did they think this new chain was better? I know they are going back to their old chain (or a different one in 17). I'm gonna be a little irked if they did it to save 5 bucks on my kit. I doubt I'll get out of this one for under a grand.

 

[M5-]

Hopefully you can find a left side case half in decent shape. They are getting hard to come by.

M5

 

[needpowder]

Hopefully you can find a left side case half in decent shape. They are getting hard to come by.

M5

Ya. Easier than the right side though. Actually a bit cheaper too if i remember right. I actually found the piece of case right next to my chain so maybe it can be welded. I'll just bring the whole engine to my machine shop. I don't mess with the bottom end. Bummed though. I really like riding this time of year in the evenings after work. Maybe i can have it up and running again soon. We'll see. First i've gotta get it back in my garage. Hurts me to think about my poor bike out there cold and bleeding!

 

[capulin overdrive]

Keep meaning to get some snowshoes tied on my skid!

 

[SnoFro]

How can i tell if my 2016 timbersled came with a good chain or not?

 

[kidrman]

I think they all came with the same chain.

 

[RACINSTATION]

All 2016 models came with the JT chain. We have been switching them out to RK or EK chains. On ANY bike dirt or snow, a good case protector is a must. I see 3 or 4 broken chain issues every year, dirt or snow. Just go all the way and get a Panthera billet case for your 500

 

[needpowder]

Hopefully you can find a left side case half in decent shape. They are getting hard to come by.

M5

Guess i was wrong about the left side being cheaper and easier to find

 

[Norma Stitz]

Did you get your bike out? I'd hate that feeling. Especially if a snow storm came. Could easily hide a bike I'm sure.

What is the best tow rope to carry? I was thinking some of that fancy spectra rope that you can get on the cheap from NFL game field cameras would be the best. They have to replace it every game I think so they don't drop a million dollar camera on a million dollar player, and miss the shot. I believe it's 3/16" and has a high tensile. Not sure where to get it anymore though.

 

[needpowder]

All 2016 models came with the JT chain. We have been switching them out to RK or EK chains. On ANY bike dirt or snow, a good case protector is a must. I see 3 or 4 broken chain issues every year, dirt or snow. Just go all the way and get a Panthera billet case for your 500

Those cases don't look too cheap. I shouldve switched my chain out. I'll take a few pictures when i get my bike out today. Gotta take my kid up to alta first though.

 

[Grr]

After owning a CR500 back in the day, this is why I choose not to go down that path again. Yeah they are awesome but so old parts are rare and expensive.

 

[Hawkster]

What is the best tow rope to carry?

Mule tape , rolls up so compact that you forget where you put it . You can get it from any body that works with feeding power or communication threw conduit . It's a flat version of synthetic rope and also comes in different tensile strengths .

 

[Norma Stitz]

What is the best tow rope to carry?

Mule tape , rolls up so compact that you forget where you put it . You can get it from any body that works with feeding power or communication threw conduit . It's a flat version of synthetic rope and also comes in different tensile strengths .

http://www.ribbonfactory.com/store/display_item/1103.html?gclid=CPX9tIHBlMwCFcRgfgodGmwNbg

This?

 

[needpowder]

Got it out! Wasn't as easy as i thought it would be. Had two sleds in a train to get the bike up a couple hills. We had it hooked to the footpegs at first but then we routed it under the little rod on the spindle to the frame. Didn't bend the rod or bolts and handled better. Not great though. I used mule tape, as i always have some with me (we use it all the time in linework) i think something better would be a dynamic rope that has some give to it. Mule tape takes up no space and weighs nothing though. I've even used it to belay my sled a couple of times!
Anyway, bikes out. I'll take a few pics of the case tomorow. Should have the engine out in a couple days then go from there.

 

[needpowder]

http://www.ribbonfactory.com/store/display_item/1103.html?gclid=CPX9tIHBlMwCFcRgfgodGmwNbg

This?

Yes. That's mule tape.

 

[M5-]

Guess i was wrong about the left side being cheaper and easier to find

Ya I thought so. When I rebuilt my bottom end last month I couldn't find a left side case. Mine was cracked around the main bearing housing so Adam welded it and machined it for me. So far so good but I'd like to find another good bottom end but they just aren't out there anymore.

M5