pow(d)er & air

a waiting game.

2011-01-16T11:13:00.003-06:00

My sled is all ready to rock. I repaired all issues I had from the out West trip. I'm all adjusted for sea-level and would like to get a little test ride in early this week to make sure all systems are go.

The BCR Crew has been trying to come up with a date for the next U.P trip. Speaking of the U.P... they've been getting hammered with snow. Last week - John Dee reported 45 inches of fresh snowfall. It seems like lake-effect has been pretty much the only thing going on in the Midwest. I hope we can get a nice storm in Wisconsin soon.

Check back soon!

BCR "Westbound and Down" Video

2011-01-04T22:36:00.003-06:00

I threw together a quick video from our trip taken entirely with my new camera I got for graduation (thanks Mom). I did it in just a few hours as a mid-season video to plug for our end-of-year film.

Hope it is enjoyed!
Click on YouTube logo to go to YouTube and watch it in 1080.

The Snowies

2011-01-02T16:04:00.003-06:00

WyColo Lodge treated the BCR Crew well. We all learned a lot about our sleds and ourselves as riders. I got into deeper and steeper territory than i've ever seen in the Midwest. I blew a bearing on my sled's drive-train Wednesday and was done for the week. I wound up renting a M1000 153" on Thursday, which was an awesome experience. I was very impressed with how my Cat did in the deep snow. It ran really well overall in the high elevation. We wound up riding at heights ranging from 8900 to 10200 feet. I'm still very tired from the drive, so i'm going to keep the text down and the pics up.

Storm Rolling In

My Highmark

Me on the M1000

The gigantic Albany Bowl

The BCR Crew tuning-in on day 1

Just South of Albany

Pre-trip Tweaks

2010-12-20T13:47:00.002-06:00

I've been putting some hours (whenever I can) into the sled getting it ready for the trip. We leave on Sunday already! I have some carb settings to fix and test... and then put in the high-elevation parts I will need for next week. As I'm writing this we are under a winter storm warning... we're supposed to get another half foot by tomorrow morning! I will have lots of seat-time on the new Cat over the next two weeks... and I can't wait!

The sled in Panda's garage

Pantyhose covering the vents

ROX Grip-Strips

wowza

2010-12-12T19:27:00.002-06:00

The storm certainly came through and delivered a blow... literally. I was down in Black River Falls as I posted earlier. They probably got 15-16 inches of snow and lots of wind at the Valentino home. There were some very impressive drifts out in their field. I got a good feel for the new sled and even got stuck 3 times. There is even more snow in Menomonie... officially 18.5 inches. Hopefully I can sneak out a few times this week... although I need to concentrate on graduation just a week away.

Lots of pics and not much text this time... hopefully that works for you guys!

Blizzard on the way

2010-12-10T17:23:00.003-06:00

Wow, it sounds like this is really going to happen! We are under a winter storm warning! I held off posting this - because I hate to get anyone's hopes up. They're talking 6-10 where i'm at (for the weekend) in Black River Falls and more like 10-14+ inches further north around River Falls and Menomonie. Talk about exciting! I do have the sled with me... so hopefully there will be some awesome pics to put up within the next two days.

Stay tuned!

all systems go

2010-12-07T22:00:00.003-06:00

Jesse & I headed West near River Falls this afternoon to do a little riding to make sure our new sleds were working properly. Everything turned out very well. One may say "so far, so good!" His sled is just a wheelie beast. That thing really wants to spend its time staring at the sky. Whatever Ski-Doo setup he has going certainly has tons of pop. My new Cat, on the other hand, displayed excellent cornering, comfort, and a seemingly complete power-band. My carb setup was a little fat on the top-end... but overall ran very well. After we swapped sleds for a short rip, there were no more questions or things to wonder about. We each had good things to say about each others sleds and there will likely be less shitty kitty jokes made this season. I still do not have buyer's remorse... which was my primary concern!

Also, there is more snow in the forecast for later this week! Hopefully that cranks up and dumps some much needed snow on top of this lovely December base.

Until next time,
Pray4Sn0w!

and snow it begins!

2010-12-04T15:54:00.002-06:00

Woke up to this little pre-graduation gift from Mother Nature this morning...

Fresh 4 inches of powder. It was enough to get the new sled out quick - which was very successful! The new Cat ran very well and ripped hard! I was super impressed.

This week Jesse and I will be heading a half hour west to River Falls (which has a few more inches of snow) to do a little ride. It will be his first time on his new XP and my first real ride on mine! Can't wait - i'll be sure to get some pictures.

Until next time...
Pray4Sn0w!

exciting month ahead

2010-12-03T10:29:00.003-06:00

Many of the changes I predicted to start off my blogging season are quickly becoming reality. My new sled is going to get out within the next week on this fresh snow... which is quickly knocking on the door this afternoon. I can't wait to feel the rush of 130 ponies giving my arms their first workout of the year. It sounds like River Falls is supposed to get more snow than over here... so Jesse and I may make a trip over there this next week to test out our new sleds. The snowy season didn't start off quite as hot and heavy as was anticipated... but maybe that was a blessing in disguise to keep me concentrated on finishing my studies at Stout. I went and got my cap and gown the other day, and now it's starting to feel official.

I also told Jesse that I am officially going out west with them between Christmas and New Years. They have quite a bit of snow out there already, and who knows what it will be like in four weeks. Potentially, three weeks from now I could be graduated and preparing for the trip of a lifetime... waiting to start my career as an IT Professional. It seems like just the other day I was rocking a '96 Indy wedge and Carhartts. My, oh my, how life flies by.

They are predicting huge snowfalls in the Yoop over the next 10 days. Check out these snow depths near Mountain Home, Wyoming... where we are heading on the 26th of the month. Notice some of that is pink, which indicates 50-75 inches of snow depth... and it's only the first week of December! I think we may be getting stuck once or twice...

The red star is the lodge where we are staying.

Until next time...
Pray4Sn0w!

LES is getting fired up!

2010-11-23T11:34:00.003-06:00

The lake effect snow systems are getting fired up in da yoop. John Dee is calling for double digit snow falls over the next couple days up there. Check out some of their cam shots from today...

We had a few flurries here in Menomonie today... but hardly enough to even talk about. The registration for my sled went through and I received my stickers yesterday. I also received my new belt from Country Cat in Minnesota. A brand new race belt for $60! Sweet deal! Race belts for my Ski-Doo were about $150... big difference.

Until next time!
Pray4Sn0w!

Ready to Rock

2010-11-19T11:49:00.005-06:00

It's been a productive week working on the new cat. I still need to name her though... any ideas? Next week I should receive my package from the guy I purchased the sled from. Once I install the skid wheels I might be out of work to do! We need some snow!

Drained chaincase and put in fresh ATF.
Installed new Fett Brothers front bumper.
Received Michigan trail sticker.
Ordered spare belt and extra jets to tune carb.

Like a little kid

2010-11-14T19:45:00.001-06:00

I am so excited about this new sled I cannot sit still. For once I do not own a project... but rather a badass sled that is ready to rip! Just need some snow now!

Tomorrow, tomorrow

2010-11-11T13:01:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is the big drive to the U.P. Hopefully the Dakota makes the trek without any issues... Can't wait to throw some pics of the new whip on here for you guys!

Also, check this out! Snowy season is already firing up...

New sled next weekend

2010-11-03T19:28:00.003-05:00

After much deliberation and sled-searching... i'm switching to a Cat race-sled. (And i'm happy about it!) To be more specific... a 2008 600 stocker from a well known legitimate racer/seller. He raced it one year and then trail converted it, but never had time for it.

Here are some pics... (It has a different hood and headlights on it now)

BCR Pumpkin

2010-10-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

Impressed?

Sled is gone!

2010-10-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

Thought all of my loyal "followers" should know that 'ol Whitey is sold! A gentleman from Gilman Wisconsin took it home for $3700. The same price I paid for it 4 years ago as a 440. I am happy!

I am going to check out a 2008 Polaris IQ racer tomorrow... details to follow!

Snowy Winter Predictions...

2010-10-11T09:48:00.002-05:00

Does this excite anyone else? :-D Farmers Almanac has a similar high snow outlook. Click on the image for the full story.

New sled this week?

2010-10-09T20:33:00.003-05:00

The 2008 racer I posted below won't last until November and the guy won't hold it for me. Boo hoo, so sad!
If the stars align I may be trading my sled to a gent from Green Bay and getting a 2008 800r turned race / mod sled! This sled is fully blown raw and clean. I will share a few pics for now and more specs if it actually happens! This thing looks MEAN! Check it out for yourselves...

Changes

2010-09-28T13:07:00.003-05:00

Wow, i'm a week away from being 23 years old... and a few months away from graduating college. The upcoming snowmobiling season will be full changes for me. Hopefully all of them positive! I didn't have sledding on my brain until about ten days ago. Thanks to my friend Jesse Kauth... aka the Panda. Him & I are going out to pick up my sled tonight. I'm going to take it through the car-wash and back to my apartment for a photo-shoot. I need to get Whitey sold. It needs too much $$$ and I simply cannot trust it.

Panda is pushing me to commit to a trip to Laramie, WY over the New Year holiday. I have essentially told him that my current sled setup isn't going to cut it. I am working with a sled-racer out of New York to get his 2008 racer for an excellent price. He will be coming through here on his way to Duluth for Thanksgiving.

You can't tell me this thing doesn't look sick...

BCR One is live!

2010-06-16T07:54:00.004-05:00

Everyone please go check out the film I have worked so hard on! It is about 17 minutes long and required chopping into two parts for YouTube.... but I set it up so it plays them back to back in a playlist.

You can just click on the video above if you'd rather watch it right on YouTube.

Enjoy!!

Editing...

2010-06-02T20:18:00.001-05:00

I've been working hard on the BCR One film. Plan on having it done and hosted by the end of next week. Stay tuned!

Cool Picture

2010-03-25T21:34:00.002-05:00

Lindsey edited this pic for me. Looks pretty sweet huh?

Hill-X 3-20

2010-03-21T09:45:00.004-05:00

Lindsey and I met Mike, Scott, & Rose up at Trollhaugen yesterday. The temps were bitter in the early morning... so the sun provided much needed reprieve. After a few hours a sweatshirt was all that was needed. My sled ran perfect! I had the mindset that my sled is for sale, Lindsey is there watching, and i'm riding with some buddies that have WAY more experience than me. I'm not going to race out of my ability. I decided not to hit the big double on top unless the first three smaller doubles went well. I think I wound up getting second to last every race. The competition was much more intense this time around - compared to last week. I feel like some of the runs I put together would have taken home top two last week.

All in all it was an awesome day... and I was able to get Lindsey exposed to racing. She even said she wants to get a sled and do the drags! It was quite likely the last ride of the year... which is pretty saddening. The Rev withstood another year of abuse. My motor wound up with about 15 hours on it... and i'm pretty sure 8-10 of those hours were on the stand. If it doesn't sell soon I will likely keep it around and get it in top shape over the summer. Enjoy some pics!

Album Here, compliments of Lindsey:

If She Sells...

2010-03-18T10:11:00.003-05:00

I have the sled out on a couple different forums and Craigslist right now. Not too much interest yet. There are hundreds of sleds for sale right now... and it's the worst time of the year to sell. Like I mentioned earlier - i'm just trying to get lucky.

My buddy Nick from Stout is trying to get me switched over to a Cat. While looking around for me - he found a good deal on a 2006 600 mod and happened to have enough cash to snipe it up. He is going to sell the motor to a friend and is offering to sell me the chassis for only $2200. It is in great shape, but needs a few parts and a motor. This seems like an excellent idea to me, because I could get whatever motor I want to install and have a very fun project for the summer. Since then, I have been looking for parts and motors online - and WOW are they cheaper than Ski-Doo. I could damn near have the sled complete for the price i'm asking for my Doo. I found a complete F7 EFI motor setup for only $600. Good luck finding a Doo motor of that quality for that price!

Time will tell the tale. I need to get my sled cleaned up next week and get some good quality pics and video up.

Here are some pictures of what the sled will look like, although it is not the exact same one:

Sick new film

2010-03-16T12:18:00.001-05:00

This is the last 2009 film to surface... and it's no wonder why. What a beaut!

Planet Snowmobile - 2009 Full from Mikael Berntsson on Vimeo.

First race ever was a little rocky!

2010-03-14T20:13:00.003-05:00

Racing yesterday was bittersweet. I loved the experience and the runs that went well. Yeah... about that... I crashed the big double of the course on my first two runs. The motor ran VERY well, I just wasn't able to hookup as good as I wanted with the 121. I can't go back in time - I can only work hard to improve my race skills. I have no one to blame but myself. I figure I have less than 10 hours seat time in the last two seasons... which is not good. Scotty got first in both of the classes he ran. The sport 800 class only had two people, and his competitor had a bone stock F7. Video links are below... ouch! Unfortunately there's really no video of me doing well... which I guess is no surprise. :-)

Race 1
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=609471174572&ref=mf

Race 2
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=609471503912&ref=mf

Race 3
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=609471673572&ref=mf

31x = Ready to Rock

2010-03-12T08:21:00.003-06:00

I have conjured up all of the necessary safety equipment. I have Mike's TekVest, Mike's knee/shin-guards, and Jesse's Snell 2005 helmet if need-be. I also plastered my helmet with blaze orange. One of Scott's buddies is bringing me up a helmet-cam, as well! I'm very excited for what should be a really fun experience... I hope to see a few of you up there!

Blaze tape is your friend.

Didn't realize you need three numbers! Thank you black-tape...

Last hopes. Hillcross!

2010-03-10T23:33:00.003-06:00

I successfully tore my motor down, inspected it, and re-assembled. It is running well and the coolant system should be burped out nicely. I called Grandpa Sipple this evening and plan on running out there in the morning to test the sled out. I have no idea how much snow is going to be out on the farm... but I have to get the motor hot and make sure it is no longer sucking coolant. In my dreams right? Time will tell the tale.

If all goes well, I am hoping to hit the ski hills on Saturday and try my luck in WSA Hill-Cross. I am very excited to race, and my hopes are probably already too high that I will attend. Registration deadline is 2pm tomorrow (Thursday). I hope to be registered for the Sport 800 class. My options are pretty limited since I have studs... which are untraditional to the Hill-Cross sport. Hill-Cross is a neat addition to my repertoire, because it extends the season! Instead of ending early March, you can ride into mid April on the abandoned ski-hills. If my motor is still sucking coolant in the morning - I will be out of ideas. Flat out... with no motivation to wrench. I'm praying tonight.

Check it Out

2010-03-02T09:09:00.004-06:00

I installed a little Twitter gadget on my page... (directly below my banner) and created a Twitter account just for this purpose! It will include more brief and timely updates from yours truly. I can even update it easily on trips so you all know i'm still alive. :-)

Expect grumblings about wrenching on my sled, updates on trips from wherever I may be, and just simply the latest and greatest news.

Times is Changin'

2010-03-01T08:47:00.002-06:00

This morning I went out to start the truck and smelled spring. High temperatures later in the week of 38-40 degrees. I have all but given up on riding in Wisconsin. More and more, it just feels like sled testing grounds for something better. So far I have had a very weak winter of riding. A late start due to my own procrastination, leaks everywhere, motor troubles, no snow, and more motor troubles. So far this season I am tied with last season... one stinkin' trip to the U.P.

Last night I put on a stock 800 head from Scotty. He acquired it for cheap while building an 840 motor that he plans to put in an XP chassis. The sled started up well, but I couldn't test much in the dark. I plan to take it for a spin tonight on the ultimate test. If it runs well I hope to get it from him permanently. I hope my sled runs well for two reasons... 1) I want to make one more trip to the U.P. 2) Running sleds sell much better in the spring!

I hope to sell my sled and hold on to the cash throughout the summer... adding a few hundred whenever possible... then snatching up a nice race sled at HayDays. I'm keeping my eyes open for an XP 600 racer or an Arctic-Cat 600 SnoPro racer. I figure that I will spend more money this summer fixing my sled up to where I feel comfortable than if I just cut my losses.

Stay tuned!

Excellent Weekend

2010-02-22T21:00:00.003-06:00

The Upper Peninsula treated me well. We spent Friday at Evolution sled park. A foot of fresh powder and we were the only ones allowed access. I hit my first ramp, raced my first cross country track, and learned a lot about being a pilot... and my Rev's capabilities. I managed to keep the sled and myself in one piece. Saturday we turned to boondocking near Rockland in search of gnarly terrain. We certainly found it. Poor Mr Apps busted up his sled something fierce. Entire front end was bent up after he lost a ski rubber and caught a ski tip. Lesson learned and no one was hurt. I would estimate damages to be between $6-800.
On our last ride for Saturday my sled let out a huge mushroom cloud of burnt antifreeze. I need to figure out my head situation. Luckily a slow morning due to hangovers made it so that I only missed about four hours of riding. Weather throughout the weekend was amazing. I only wore my jacket for a brief period and didn't even get any insulated gloves on! Now I need to fix my sled and save up for another trip! :-)

Enjoy the pics.

Jumping the Fhead ramp over the cube van.

A view to behold

Heading North

2010-02-17T21:33:00.002-06:00

I finally painted my windshield and purchased the plastic rivets to attach it to my sled. Check out the pics:

Tomorrow evening after class Mike and Jesse and I will be heading to Mike's cabin in Land O' Lakes for 2 1/2 days of riding. I tested the sled tonight and it ran like a raped ape. All is well. I will hopefully be coming back with good pics, footage, and stories. :)

Until next time...

Just like that

2010-02-16T08:50:00.003-06:00

My head was most-certainly warped. I spent a couple hours last night at the Stout machine shop with a friend of a friend. Setting up for the cut took an hour and a half - and the cut took ten minutes... followed by twenty minutes of flat sanding. It looks really nice - and I am pleased with the results. All I owe the nice gent is a case of beer. Actually he didn't even want that... I just offered to be nice. I figure it would have cost me over $150 at a machine shop. It's nice to know the right people and not have to drop these things off at a place like Larrabee's.

Measuring tolerances... to the .001 of an inch

Preparing for the cut

Yay and Nay

2010-02-15T15:13:00.002-06:00

I went for a quick ride today to test out my recent fixes... only to find out the worst of news. My head is warped. Remember last year when I got a good deal on it with a bolt stuck in it? Well - to get it out my buddy and I had to weld a nut onto it... which in turn must have warped the aluminum head enough to make it leak coolant into the cylinders while running. Now I have to take it off and flat-sand it in hopes of getting the warp out. If that doesn't work my season is done and i'm looking for a new head.

I did run into fresh snow tonight though - and had a blast. The above sled issue simply means that my engine is slowly drinking and burning antifreeze along with the air/fuel in the combustion chamber. I went for a half hour ride and lost a little over half of my coolant reservoir. Enjoy a few pictures... I have work to do!

wonderful

2010-02-15T09:12:00.002-06:00

We got a nice little snowfall of three inches last night... with another inch throughout the day today. The U.P got hit with nine inches of unexpected snowfall. I will be taking the sled for a rip tonight after my chiropractic appointment... and I need to remember my camera! Until next time...

Crappy Winter

2010-02-14T16:39:00.003-06:00

Well to sum things up this has been a crappy winter so far. Snow conditions have been bleak in many areas - including the infamous U.P. Much of Minnesota has more snow than the U.P. I am done posting "snow predictions" on here. It only seems to chase the snow away. That last storm where we were supposed to get 4-8 inches - we got less than an inch total. Everyone was way off there. Tonight we are supposed to get 2 inches... and I don't feel bad writing it - because it's already snowing outside.

I have been chasing around leaks in my sled for a few weeks now - and even damn near broke my back in the testing process. Those close to me know that I have been spending a few days a week at the chiropractor. A few evenings I almost couldn't get out of the bed after icing my back. I will be more careful from now on! As of this moment - I have worked on what I think is my final anti-freeze leak and am waiting for exhaust sealant to cure before testing. For Lindsey and I's two year anniversary, (Congrats Hun! Love ya!) she got me a really nice pair of gloves for riding, among other things. I will post pictures even though we had to return them for the 2XL's. Apparently I have very large hands. Enjoy the pics I have to offer - since there's not enough snow to get action shots.

A little pow in the air.

My New Gloves!

Shitts & Giggles

2010-02-07T10:06:00.003-06:00

Me and the boys spent a couple hours on the lake yesterday fooling around. There was a pond hockey tournament and lots of friends around. We ripped around for quite a while and had a bit of fun - despite low snow conditions. Scott got a bit of helmet cam footage of Mike pulling Big Jesse (panda bear) on a tube. I took a screenshot of the low-resolution video... so it's crappy quality... but you get the point. I also discovered that the Menomonie trail system runs about a half mile from my apartment! Who knew?! That will be very nice for testing and taking Lindsey out for a putt.

I guess John Dee was correct, once again, in his extended range forecast. He predicted snow on the 8th through 10th... and by golly we're going to get snow on the 8th through 10th! We are expected to get 4-8 inches here. All smiles!

Mike pulling Jesse K. As seen through Scott's helmet cam.

Upcoming storm forecast. Feel free to click and enlarge.

John Dee

2010-02-02T08:45:00.002-06:00

You heard it first here ladies and gents... (providing you don't check his website as often as I do. Which is highly unlikely.) He just added a snowstorm this morning for early next week. Not really any specifics yet... it just states "heavy snow". Get excited! With a little luck - I can finally get some action shots up instead of this flatlander babble. I am strongly convinced, as of late, that he is absolutely the best forecaster for Midwestern snow.

8-10 Day Forecast

Excellent. Kinda.

2010-02-01T14:04:00.003-06:00

The sled is in excellent condition. I have all electrical issues solved. Reverse works flawlessly, along with the brake light and hand/thumb warmers. The motor starts in 4-5 (short) pulls in the cold, and one when it's warm. I have all leaks figured out and fixed. Oil is switched over completely to Mystik... which i'm finding works okay and smells pretty decent! I have zero complaints about the sled as of late.

Weather is another story. The entire Midwest is suffering from low to no snow conditions. Even the U.P is hurting from some reports. A lot of the snow I was googling over in my previous posting blew around and got hard. We are supposed to get about an inch tonight. It's nice to even see a little snow in the air. It's been far too long for this area. I am praying for snow this week so we can make our U.P trip. They are calling for 8-12 up there Tuesday night into Wednesday. They need it!

A little white stuff in the air.

Pointed out the garage - she waits.

Trip Canceled

2010-01-27T20:38:00.004-06:00

The UP trip this weekend got canceled. Scott has too much going on right now... mainly being his start (hopefully) to student teaching. I was pretty disappointed in the decision, but cannot blame anyone. It's my fault for not having a 'big boy' truck right? I worked my butt of tonight getting my sled ready. I finally got my hand and thumb warmers working! I have exhaust sealant curing tonight, and tomorrow I can test my brake light and reverse. This pic displays how fun wiring can be... and why I have put it off for so long.

The most discouraging thing about this is the fact that the UP is getting hammered right now with snow. They got roughly a foot today with "a lot more on the way" according to John Dee. Hopefully things continue into next week and the trip can be made next weekend.

powski 4cast

2010-01-24T17:18:00.002-06:00

Check out the forecast for the U.P. The pics should pretty much speak for themselves, as well as my obvious anticipation for the coming weekend. (If you cannot read the numbers click on the pics to zoom in)

recoil, snow flap, and lack of snow

2010-01-21T19:06:00.003-06:00

Well I think my title sums up some of my past couple weeks with my sled. We are pretty low on ride-able snow here in western Wisconsin... and that goes for most of the Midwest I presume. I have had no guilt leaving the sled on the lift and getting some work done on it. My recoil spring broke so I had to master the art of the deadly recoil spring. Those things are pure death traps, and in my opinion a terrible design. Luckily, I got it back together and working... but now I need a longer cord for it. I also finally ordered a truckers mud flap which I ever so carefully cut to use as my snow flap. I have heard great things about them and am so far pretty impressed. (see pics) It cost me an entire $16 shipped. The sled is in good running order, except an exhaust leak which is bothering me. I may need a new donut for between my Y-pipe and main pipe.

Remember when I was talking about the UP this weekend? Yeah, that fell through. There is actually a lack of snow up there as well... which can't be said often. However, that will soon change. There is a plan to go up next weekend. Take a look at the snowfall outlook from John Dee. (below) I'm all smiles.

Yes - your eyes do not deceive you. It says 24+ by next Friday in the pink areas... which is exactly where we ride.

Braaaaap

2010-01-12T20:16:00.002-06:00

Got an awesome ride in today with Scott. Awesome drifts on 29 West of Menomonie. Check it out.

As good as it gets

2010-01-12T17:43:00.003-06:00

As I promised - I got a few pictures of my Krylon handy-work. This is as good as she'll look this year, I can assure you. Enjoy.

Paint-Boothin'

2010-01-10T12:36:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone! I'm finally back in Menomonie with some time to tinker on the sled a bit. I'm trying to get it in the most final form as I can for the remainder of the season. Hopefully soon I can 'Shut-Up and Ride'. The boys are up in the U.P. again this weekend. Of course, I couldn't afford to go along. Plainly put, I just spent too much money getting my sled running and ran out of riding money. Apparently the big ride of the season is in two weekends. The 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. This is the last weekend before spring semester starts. I HAVE to make the trip. I don't care the circumstances, I need to make it happen.

Riding around Western Wisconsin is poor right now. We need another storm pretty bad. The trails are surprisingly open, but packed harder than ice. My sled overheats if I stay on trail and it certainly isn't good for the hyfax. Enjoy a couple pictures of my makebelieve paint-booth. Hopefully in a couple days i'll have some pictures of the final product.

A Break in the Weather

2010-01-06T11:13:00.003-06:00

Finally, after probably a week of nasty low temperatures, things may be warming up a bit. Yestermorning when I woke up the thermometer read 19 below zero. The forecast has highs in the teens or twenties and even a touch of snow tonight. We are in a very dry period of the winter it seems. No decent snow in quite a while! :-( The trails are packed as hard as ice.

The sled is running excellent after a little work in the Nicholson garage yesterday. What needed to be fixed you ask? Well the other day my stupid pull handle knot came out and retracted inside the engine. I had to take all of the exhaust off, remove the recoil, and fix a couple loose bolts, etc. Now she's back in tip-top shape. Approximately 4 1/2 hours on the engine. No more crappy oil after this tank. I will switch over to my good full synthetic.

Pray for snow!

Gnarly Power

2009-12-29T22:31:00.002-06:00

Sorry - I don't have a picture for proof on this one. Maybe tomorrow I can have Linds get a shot. I figure out more and more about this motor every time I ride it. I believe I have an hour and forty minutes or so on it. It is running so flawlessly. I hate to speak to soon... but I think this guy might be a runner! I didn't think I would be making a post like this about a month ago. I certainly cannot complain at this point. (except maybe a bit more snow!)

I took Lindsey out on the trails for the first time of the year yesterday. She was uncomfortable and giving me kidney shots at about 1/8 throttle! It's hard keeping the skis on the ground just by myself... much less two people. I can't wait to take it for another rip tomorrow. We're supposed to get an inch or two tomorrow which should help cooling and aid in the trail conditions.

Until next time...

Check er out!

2009-12-24T22:25:00.002-06:00

Took the sled for it's first rip today. :-) Everything seems to be going well! I would probably consider it to be a "frankensled"... but I am getting a good feel for the engine and it's potential. I certainly wouldn't consider it a finished project quite yet. I know i'm speaking too soon... but the engine seriously purrs. It has been running really nice. As i'm writing this, it is snowing out pretty heavily. Hopefully it piles up! Can't wait to take it for a rip tomorrow!

3 Day Blow

2009-12-23T22:59:00.002-06:00

How cool is this? A little pow around home. I don't think we're going to get over a foot like they originally anticipated... but still enough to play / test in. I ran all over tarnation today and got the sled back to River Falls plus "all" of my parts from a real nice cat in Woodbury. I finally got the sled in condition to ride... and was about to take it for a spin when I realized I am missing a nut that holds a gear on in my chaincase. One stupid nut! I was able to idle the sled for a while and take it for a forty foot loop through the lawn without anything blowing up. I may be speaking too soon - but it is running excellent! From dead cold, it fires up in three pulls.
Enjoy a few pics of it really coming down here at the folks' place. With any luck I will be posting again soon!

hard work... so tired...

2009-12-22T15:26:00.003-06:00

Worked until 1am last night. Worked about se7en more hours today. Very close! If the postal service would have come through for me today I might have been able to play in the upcoming snowstorm. So far everything is working great.

Watch the video.

$63? Really?

2009-12-19T15:13:00.001-06:00

I see two hoses, 10 spade terminals, and one female wire housing. Ski-Doo sees $63. Tough to believe huh?

*Mobile post

Deer Brains & Finals

2009-12-16T17:38:00.001-06:00

First off I would like to apologize for not providing any updates lately. I have two excuses. #1, I got a bad case of deer brains during deer season. I put a lot of hours in the stand and got nothing done on my sled. That didn't help things. #2, Finals are upon me. I have really good grades going this semester and i'd like to keep it that way. I am basically done with all of my classes, but I have to study really hard to attempt the Cisco CCNP BCMSN certification on Monday. Updates should be more prevalent from this point forward. That being said.... back to the sled!

I have gotten a couple things done on the sled since the last update. Motor is mounted in the sled, cooler is mounted on the tunnel, etc. I hope to have it running this weekend. I have another $65 order at Sport Motors I need to pick up to finish the motor. Scott is bugging me to go to the U.P. right after my cert on Monday... but i'm trying to hold myself back. I know I can only afford probably two trips this year, so i'd rather get my sled tested and tweaked well; and go up when there's a big pile of snow.

Enjoy a couple pics of the project as it sits currently...

A Good Night

2009-11-11T23:30:00.003-06:00

Tonight was productive. I brought all of my engine parts over to Scott's house to assemble. He has all of the proper tools and even graced me with a little bench space. I showed up with four trips to the truck worth of parts and left with an armful of assembled motor. I would venture to guess it is 90% complete. I just have a little bit of work to do and then comes the moment of truth... testing! I don't even plan on running the engine until it leak tests and compression tests OK. Time will tell. This turned out to be about a four beer job... check out the pics.

Some people.

2009-11-06T09:50:00.004-06:00

I apologize for the lengthy gap between postings. I have been a little worked up lately. Not my usual self. Remember the previous post about the welder? Yeah, that turned out to be a horrific situation. One afternoon I sped down to his shop and offered him the $125 we had previously spoken about. He denied. Long story short; he wound up sending me a bill, to my parents house of all places, which included a threat about taking me to court. Knowing full well he couldn't probably get me in trouble, I forked over the money and simply let him know I wasn't happy about the situation. With all of my cooped up anger I headed to DooTalk and wrote up the entire story to see what others had to say. The title was as follows:

notice that nearly 2000 people have read the thread with 87 responses. The majority of folks were on my side after the story, and, needless to say, they were ALL on my side after I posted pictures of the welding. I got screwed... and now my engine might not go together properly. And if it does, it might not last long. I'm praying to the Gods of Snowmobiling that I can at least make it through the season so I can sell it. I will never trust this engine... ever. I clipped some responses from my thread to show you all.

You will have to click on the following link: LINK HERE

So close - yet so far

2009-10-30T11:51:00.003-05:00

Well ladies and gents, I hopefully made my last "big" purchase of the build today. I ordered pistons, rings, wrist pins, bearings, and gaskets. I got a smokin' deal on the order and it was only $200! That's what I needed. I got some sanding done on my panels last night, and am contemplating designs for them. Here is a picture of what i'm thinking... silver and black checkerboard! Any comments? (Obviously it would cover the entire panel... I just did the design up in a jiffy to demonstrate)

With fingers crossed - I will be able to show you a running engine next week! Once I achieve that... I can just tweak everything until the snow flies!!!

A Friggin' Roller Coaster

2009-10-28T21:48:00.004-05:00

So things have been just crazy since my last post. I ordered a big cooler and he sent me the wrong one... I went to the welder and he wouldn't take $100 (long / funny story there!)... my a-arm bushings are bad... I lost some hardware for putting my sled back together... etc, etc. Those being some of the negatives - there have been positives as well! I took my crank to Sport Motors and they thought it looked okay... the guy who sent me the wrong cooler is sending me the correct one and paying for the shipping to return the wrong one... I may have found a panel design I want to go with for the final product... I may have sold my bad cylinders... etc, etc. See! I told you it was a friggin' roller coaster!

I've even been tempted to give up at times. I cannot wait for a finished product. The bank account is getting low. I am praying for a season with a lot of money spent on gas and minimal money spent on parts. I need this motor to get back together and be rock-solid. I yearn for a time in the near future where I am praying for snow, and not for parts to arrive or for a motor to run well. "Time will tell" is my motto at this point.

Here is a picture of me grinding out the rivets that hold in the dummy-plate for the 440 chassis. That area will soon be replaced with a full sized cooler which will, in my dreams, keep the 800 cooled down.

Are you serious?

2009-10-21T17:40:00.003-05:00

I think it's pretty safe to say that anything that could possibly go wrong with this project is. Remember I said that I dropped off my crankcase at the welder? Yeah, I spent a couple hours there over the past few days helping him with it. I sandblasted it myself, helped him test it, cleaning, etc. The day I was helping him with it he ran out of argon gas in the TIG welder and had to finish it the next day (today). So I called him this morning and he wants $140 for the welding! He claimed he had 2.5 hours into it... blah, blah, blah. Well tomorrow morning I go raise a stink. I'm pretty sure I can get a good used one for less than that. Any decent welder claiming to be worth $55 an hour would have had this done in an hour. After all - it was just two cracks!

Nineteen Days.

2009-10-18T22:02:00.004-05:00

Estimated project completion is T minus nineteen days. That's November 6th. I have been hard (kinda) at work in the garage tonight. The chassis is ready for a pressure washing, and everything is starting to seem in line.

My next paychecks will be October 30th... at which time I will order my pistons, gasket set, etc. Up until that time I will be doing mostly cosmetic stuff and preparations for the completed motor to be dropped in.

Friday of last week I dropped my crankcase off at the welder to be properly TIG welded up finally. Tonight I also found a bad seal on the end of the crank, and a new one from Doo is $33! Can you believe that?! $33 for a piece of rubber.
I also finally settled on my new oil. Mystik JT4 Full-Synthetic. Since it is a full synthetic I will have to do my break-in period with some of my leftover Blue Marble... not a big deal. You can pick up the Mystik at Fleet-Farm for $19.99 a gallon. (Great gift idea! hint hint)

Try to keep up folks! I have a lot going on! ;-)

FINALLY!

2009-10-16T12:09:00.003-05:00

So it took nine months to finally catch a break. The exact break I have been looking for. I never jumped on a set of cylinders because I simply didn't feel comfortable spending that kind of money for what I was getting. Even at HayDays dudes were asking $250 for a single used cylinder. Do they think it's made out of solid gold or something? I must regress and admit that Scotty said it best; "That 800 is the magical number man. Guys think they can charge whatever. They have their heads up their asses."
Long story short - yesterday I saw a guy posting "Trygstad 800 HO Mod cylinders" for $500. I got talking to Scotty and find out the guy is just north of Menomonie and has bought parts from him before. That very night I was on the phone with him trying to make a deal. He seemed very firm on $500. I thought about it long and hard and left him an offer of $450 on a DooTalk message. Sort-of like fishing, right? Well this morning he bit... saying he'd be in Menomonie this evening and we should do the transaction. I was jacked. Honestly - porting from a professional ski-doo motor builder costs upwards of $800. So you have to figure good 800 cylinders are worth $200 apiece, plus that porting cost. Oh wait, it comes with the tweaked RAVE valves and I get to keep my old cylinders? WOW! Now we're talkin'! I showed up to Wal-Mart to meet him and the cylinders looked Amazing. Notice the capital A. Cross-hatch and all. So i'm $450 down, but have junk cylinders and stock RAVE valves to sell.

Here are some of the pony specs:
Stock 800 HO motor : 137 HP
Trygstad mod cylinders : +8 HP
V-Force 3's : +3 HP
Cudney tweaked head : +2 HP

Can anyone do the math? Wait I took calc... that's about 150 HP with plenty of room for piping, etc. The guy who sold me the cylinders suggested a dynoport single pipe which could add another 8 HP.

Enjoy a pic of the beauty that is Trygstad...

I Smell an Epic Winter

2009-10-12T08:17:00.001-05:00

It's snowing like a banshee for the second time already... Its October 12th. :-) Definite accumulation on the grass... Not so much on the asphalt.
At this rate I had better kick it in gear huh? I finally got time to organize my garage... But still trying to figure out my cylinder situation.
Stay tuned!
(Mobile posting)

Honey, i'm home!

2009-10-07T20:45:00.002-05:00

Dear Luke,
Where the hell have you been? I have been sitting here in your grandparent's dirt floor shed for too damn many months! I have no shocks, no engine, no side-panels... frankly i'm a bit pissed, man. So you're just going to strap me in the back of that teeny little truck with my lift rubbing up against me? Ugh... fine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well as you can tell my sled is a bit frustrated with my lack of action lately. Well... direct action that is. I have purchased a few things that it doesn't know about.... yet. I have also been researching a lot of things for my 800 build. I'm still waiting on my cylinder situation, which is still kind-of the same as it was last season. I have one really bad one and one sketchy one that I should PROBABLY replace. The problem is that they're $200 apiece. I'm trying to pull some strings... stay tuned!
Enjoy a few pics of the sled finally back in my garage... where it should be year round. Don't mind the dust...

HayDays 2009

2009-09-17T09:28:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday I spent the day with Tony at HayDays in Lino Lakes, MN. HayDays is the largest snowmobile gathering / swap meet in the world. Here is a picture that gives some justice to the enormity. This pic is about half of HayDays.

I did not, however, find any good deals on sled parts. My primary target was cylinders for my 800 motor. I actually only found one nice set, and it was overpriced compared to what I can get them for online. Tony scored a huge 1/2" Snap-On torque wrench for $40! It had a slight crack in it... hopefully he can get it warrantied. I found a 100,000 BTO torpedo heater for $50! She looks like new and will certainly keep the garage plenty warm.
The freestyle show was pretty standard for HayDays. We saw Cody Borchers, Sam Rogers, and Burandt (although he wasn't freestyling). Pretty cool event and I didn't spend as much as I anticipated! Enjoy a picture of some of the freestyle madness. That is Borchers on the Ski-Doo there.

Sick new movie

2009-09-11T12:59:00.001-05:00

This movie looks insane! Everybody should give it a watch.

Fourcast Movie Trailer Draft from Jorli Ricker on Vimeo.

Slowly but Surely

2009-02-21T15:20:00.002-06:00

I sincerely apologize that my blog posts have not been as cool or interesting as they may have been if I were still riding. However, unlike the last few seasons, I actually have some money in my bank accounts! I haven't used any of my credit cards basically this entire semester. I figure if I slowly surf and buy parts off DooTalk I will be able to do this correctly and for less money. This project is actually going to end up costing me less than earlier anticipated. The head posted below is a Bill Cudney (The God of Rotax snowmobile engines) custom cut stock head. It is supposed to burn better, cleaner, and add a few ponies. The only drawback is that I have to run premium fuel... which i'm used to anyways with the 440 mod. I picked this head up on DooTalk from a guy in Michigan for $75 shipped. Most guys were asking $125 + shipping. I think I made out okay. Patience has proved to be my virtue when perousing for parts.

I have also found someone that will sell me completely remanufactured & plated cylinders for $200 apiece. That's a really good deal. I'm basically going to have a brand new 800 motor in my sled! How exciting! When it's all said and done... it will be pushing about 150-160 HP.

Check out the pic below... and thank you for reading!

Not too broken

2009-02-10T13:59:00.003-06:00

No... not my engine... my moral. It rained for about 20 hours yesterday into today, and has been above 35 for like 3 days. Just a week ago, Stout's campus was entirely white. Now, there is green everywhere. I'm not calling out the end of the snowmobiling season, since there will be more snow eventually. It's just nice to have my decision to trade engines backed up by another variable.

I am starting to find parts for cheap on DooTalk. I plan on just buying some things here and putting it all together this summer. I hope to be living in River Falls so that I can work on it in the Hartleben's garage with Lucas. I'm actually excited to get going on it...and also to break in the engine once it's done! I've never had to do that before, but I can assure you it will be done right. I now have some more tools to work on the sled with, thanks to Lindsey! She got me metric hex sockets and torx sockets for our one year anniversary. They will definitely go to use.

I have also made the decision to change oils for the 800. I am going to use Phillips 66 - Injex oil. It has a lot of the same properties as Blue Marble, but about a 3rd of the price. I found a 6 gallon case for about $90! Blue Marble is 4 gallons for $150. That will be a nice change and much less burden. I plan on selling my remaining 2 gallons of Blue Marb for $35 apiece... which nearly pays for my 6 gallon case of Injex! How cool!

I will be getting my case welded soon by a guy in Menomonie and purchasing some parts... Here is a picture of the very intelligent previous owners JB-Weld on a hole in the case. Don't quote me on this, but i'm sure that's why this side blew.

A NEW AGE

2009-02-04T14:48:00.002-06:00

My motor got here on Monday. (sorry it took so long to make a post!) It was all in one piece and in fact, it was not a piece of lead that weighed 140 lbs. Some people asked me about my made-up 'no one gets screwed plan', "what if he just put in a piece of lead or something to make you think there's a motor in the tracking?". Well I had no plan for that, but my motor came and I am quite happy. Everything is in excellent shape except the top-end of the motor, which I knew. The trader was completely truthful in every aspect and I have no real complaints. I am splitting the lower-end of the motor today to see what may have caused the motor to blow, and what precautionary measures I need to take to resolve the issue. I figure it will take me roughly a grand to make the sled rideable, and some more to properly setup the powerband and repair the shocks, etc.
It hasn't been too painful not having a sled yet, since it hasn't snowed in like a month. Hopefully we don't get a real beautiful dump... but i'm sure we will. Below are some pictures of the mashed head and a blown cylinder. Enjoy at my expense!

Update!

2009-01-28T19:53:00.002-06:00

Just as quickly as this season started, it has ended. I just shipped out my 440 motor to New Hampshire. I am very likely done riding for this year, and the best of the snow probably hasn't even fallen yet. On the bright side, I have a complete 800 HO setup on the way! With some new cylinders and pistons, I will be nearly set. My sled will most likely undertake quite a makeover this summer. I will have a fully polished tunnel, freshly rebuilt shocks, full length cooler, 800 motor, clutching, trail can, and a new track. I need a full length cooler to keep the big bore 800 cool. Otherwise it will overheat with my existing 440 racing coolers. I need ot rebuild my shocks, because both my rear shocks are sacked. I need to do some clutching to dial in my power, and for sure need a new helix in my secondary so I can use RER. What's RER you ask?! REVERSE! I finally will have reverse on my sled so I don't have to break my back taking it out of my truck and every other time I want to go backwards. I don't need a trail can, but want one to drop about 15 unnecessary pounds from the existing "suitcase". I definitely need a new track. Mine has seemingly fell apart. Just on my trip to the U.P. I lost 4 lugs and put a big tear in it. Haydays will be the place for that!

Lindsey got a brand new helmet and some Oakley goggles (just like me!). After I told her that Whitey might be dead soon, she said we better get out there! So we went out in poor snow conditions and rode! She got to ride Tony's old 440 leaf blower and enjoyed it! She also got to ride the Rev a bit. Either way, it was a great learning experience, and I think I have her hooked!

Did anyone hear about that storm out east? There's a place in Western NY called "Tug Hill". It is a big recreational area that has notoriously high snowfalls, much like the U.P. Anyways, they got over four feet of snow in three days! Pretty incredible. Can't wait to hit the U.P. next year with the revamped Rev! Here's a picture of Linds on Whitey havin' some fun! Until next time...

Boom or Bust

2009-01-22T17:15:00.003-06:00

Wow, I have run into quite the deal on Doo-Talk, apparently. Some kid out in New Hampshire wants to trade me his 800HO complete (with one bad cylinder) for my 440 motor. This would make my sled worth a LOT more money (from 2600 - 4000+), save me $$$ this summer, and give me a way better sled. The BIG negative to this project would be the end of the current season. There is probably no way I could complete this by the time the snow melts. Here's a pic of the infamous Rotax 800HO. The best 800 snowmobile motor ever built.

Cuttin' Onions

2009-01-21T16:16:00.005-06:00

There is nothing for snow in west-central Wisconsin. I went out on the trails yesterday, which are somehow open, and my sled nearly overheated. After riding on half dirt trails, I put my hand on the rear-cooler, and for the first time it was so hot I had to pull my hand off immediately. That was when I said "screw-this" and kept to the ditches. I did run into a beautiful flock of turkeys, but rather slowed down and observed them instead of trying to run them over like those idiots on the east side of the state.

There is no snow in the forecast for the next five days... pretty depressing. On the other hand, the U.P. is breaking records. They are over the 200 inch mark by the 20th of January! I'm predicting they get over 350 inches this year. I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT UP THERE AGAIN!

Anyways... these conditions have me putting my helmet & goggles to another use. Cutting onions.**PRAY FOR SNOW!!**

U.P. MadNeSs!

2009-01-14T10:31:00.003-06:00

I'm just going to write an entry, without putting a picture up. Why do you ask? I HAVE TERRIBLE LUCK GETTING CAUGHT ON CAMERA DOING COOL STUFF! I never pulled out the digital camera, because someone who was with us had a really nice camcorder and was taking video. Every time I had a nice climb, whip, etc. it never seemed to get on film. So this is my tribute to my poor luck!
Well i'm sure you're wondering how the trip was... let me just say that our riding time was limited, but we figured out in a hurry that the powder is already too deep for our 121's. Pretty incredible stuff, really. Once I got stuck going up a hillside, got off the sled, and went up to my chest. I think I got stuck about 16 times. Back to the limited riding time thing; one kid that came with us bought Jimmy Blaze's 2007 600 mod on the way up. (side note: Jimmy is a douche-rocket) Well... it never worked properly. We tore it down to the chassis one night and found nothing wrong. We think it is the secondary clutch. Then another kid that was riding with us was having problems with his 700 transplant! I pretty much sat there and twiddled my thumbs for hours while 'ol whitey was ripping like crazy!
I'm going to try to make another trip up there with Scotty... and stay at a hotel. He found a hotel that charges $27 a night for the whole room! Dirt cheap!
The weather outside is frightful... no riding in the next few days forsure. It was 17 below actual temperature yesterday morning. We are in desperate need of a big snowstorm in order to do any riding around here. I'm almost tempted to put a 136 and a big motor in my sled and only do U.P. trips and race a few hillcross races. Screw riding around here. After riding in the deep pow and gnarly terrain of the U.P., riding around here seems moot. It is confirmed that I do forsure at least need a bigger motor! I bogged out a lot with the 440 in the super deep stuff. I need to figure out what I want!
Until next time...

The time has come

2009-01-08T12:03:00.003-06:00

The time has come for me to head north and finally put the sled to work. There has been literally an inch of snowfall here in the last two weeks. It's pretty sad.
Heading out today; we have three really good riders, plus me, staying at Mike's cabin to ride the pow. (Mikes cabin is in Land O' Lakes, WI... which is right on the border of the UP) I hope everything goes well and we should have a blast.
John Dee wrote on his website the other day, "today was the first day in 37 days we haven't had measurable snow." Wow, rough! Then, the very next day, he got eight inches. They are over 160 inches this season, and on pace to break the elusive 300 mark.
Look at the map below, see those pink areas? That is the color for 40-50 inches of standing snow! See the purple all around it? That's 30-40 inches. No matter where we ride, it's going to be sick! I'm 100% certain that we will be wishing we had longtracks at one point. Pictures will be up as soon as we get back. Stay tuned!

Meh...

2009-01-04T21:58:00.003-06:00

I'm sick of almost every non-snowmobiler saying, "Oh my goodness you're a snowmobiler? Wow, it's been a great winter for that! We've had so much snow!" I say, "Blah, blah blah." We've had one or maybe two weeks of good snow, the rest has been mediocre at best. The last two snow storms have been forecasted for 6-8 inches, and what do we get? Let's see, two storms ago we got like three inches and the most recent we got some sleet and about an inch of accumulation. What a joke! Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that there is some snow on the ground here in Midwestern Wisconsin, but I can travel in any direction north, south, or east and find much more snow.

This past week or so I was able to get some riding in with Danny. We went on a quick ditchbang and were able to find a few good drifts at his Grandpa's farm. (Picture below is of Whitey quite stuck. I got on top of the biggest drift and decided to stop) I'm excited for my trip to the U.P. this coming Thursday. Conditions up there look great. 30 inches of standing snow! I'm all settled in back in Menomonie, and will be working on the sled a bit and getting everything primped for the trip.

20% chance of snow Tuesday... we'll see how that pans out! Until next time...

Sine Wave

2008-12-29T21:43:00.003-06:00

That's how I would describe my snowmobiling season thus far. We are probably 1/3 or 1/4 through the season, and definitely have not seen the best of it. Seriously, back to this sine wave thing... start at the very bottom (me with no sled), then part way up (snow with no sled), then top (snow with sled), then downward (sled with no snow), then bottom (sled with no snow and knowing you can't join your pals in the U.P. this weekend because you're poor), and finally back up (snow storm coming tomorrow morning and U.P. trip next week). Sorry if that was a long and unorthodox sentence, but that's how things have been! If you were able to decipher that previous sentence, you can see that currently I have a sled that is rippin' nicely, lots of snow in the forecast, and a trip to the U.P. coming next Thursday. I guess I cannot complain... Not one bit. I try to be fortunate for everything that I have in my life and everything that I get to do. I am so tickled to have been able to get into this hobby (Lindsey and my Family may call it an obsession) while in college. I will be such a better rider and have that much more knowledge when I get out and actually have money.

Money... money had me thinking a lot today. What if I won the lottery? How could I treat myself to a dream-come-true as far as sledding goes? Well, that's what I thought up. My dream would be to build three amazing sleds around home (believe me, I thought out exactly what they'd be and all... but didn't want to bore you) here for a few months and gather up supplies on the side. Then get a 1-ton Dodge truck with a 24x8 foot enclosed trailer to pull behind it and a nice V-Plow up front. I would load up tools, potbelly stoves, canvas hard-framed cabin, portable garage, satellite TV, generator, etc etc... Then print out a map to Turnagain Pass, Alaska and hit the road. Somewhere, about three nights in a hotel, dozens of pit stops, and 3281 miles later, i'd be there. Plow out a lot, set up camp, get to know some locals, and ride for a few months. I don't think there's any way to make yourself a better rider or gain experience any faster than riding exactly where the pros ride. Heck, I might even make it on a Slednecks film! Alright, enough with my dream, as i'm sure that's all it will ever be!

On another note, I am proud to annouce that I finally have tools, thanks to Lindsey and Mom! Enjoy a picture of my toolset/chest, and Logan sitting in a little box my tools came in while giving me QUITE the smile.

Why oh Why?

2008-12-27T14:29:00.002-06:00

I got down to Black River Falls on Christmas Day with my sled, had a great time with Lindsey's family, then took the sled out the day after Christmas. There was an amazing amount of snow. I found a few places that had soft drifts up to my waist, and the entire field in her front yard had at least two-feet sitting on it. It was pretty hard to turn when taking people for rides, because any weight on the back sank the skid and took more weight off the skis. No accidents or anything to speak of though.

So I was excited for riding all weekend and putting some miles on, and then the temperature just decided to climb up to 38 degrees with a mist, and melted half the snow. Still plenty to sled on, it's just a lot less and much more packy. Why oh why?!

On a brigher note, the sled is running great, and I am putting it through the paces. I got it probably as hot as it will get the entire season, and it ran like a champ. I am proud to say that I got my old leaky fuel tank full of ten gallons and it didn't leak a drop. I think it's finally fixed. Lindsey even got to drive whitey for the first time.

Today (Saturday), I took Lindsey out on the trails and ditches for about five miles, and she had a blast. I even popped the question... no, not that question. I asked her if in the future she'd rather we had a bigger sled to ride two-up on or if she'd rather have her own sled so we could drive separate. She's supposed to get back to me later on that one. ;-)

Enjoy a picture of me and whitey after I got stuck and finally got it turned around.

What a Day...

2008-12-23T09:47:00.003-06:00

Woke up at 6:50, went to the bank, picked up Tony, drove to Menomonie, went to Fleet Farm, then FINALLY to my place to get started. We figure we started at 9:30 or so and we literally worked until 8:30 pm. It took us about 11 hours of work minus another run to Fleet Farm for nuts & bolts and a quick Burger King stop. All whining (or whatever that just was) aside, we were able to get my sled running well. There were only a few minor hangups towards the end with the sled running, but we were able to get it purring. Literally... it purrs like a cat. Also, we were able to get my uninsulated garage up to 60+ degrees. I actually got hot and turned the heaters down at one point. We had a small electric heater, two propane sunflower heaters, and big halogen lights. A little suprising, seeing as how all of that is probably only 20,000 BTU's...

I'm not sure if Tony reads this at all... but thanks alot man for all the help! It was a fun day hanging out with ya, and the final outcome put a permasmile on my face which is, sadly enough, still there.

This sport is something different for me. I get the chills watching good sledding movies on the computer or DVD, I think about it often, and I spend too much money on it. My girlfriend, family, and friends can all attest to this. Well I suppose... my coffee is gone and so is my yogurt... so i'm headin' out riding! I'll take a picture of the sled in the snow, if i'm lucky i'll get stuck in a deep ditch.

Case of the Mondays

2008-12-21T09:28:00.002-06:00

Luke: Let me ask you something. When you come in on Monday, and you're not feelin' real well, does anyone ever say to you, 'Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays'?
Tony: No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man.

Okay, okay... this wasn't really a conversation between Tony and I, for those of you who aren't Office Space fans. (originally Peter & Lawrence) The point of this entry is all about tomorrow... Monday! I currently have all (I hope) necessary parts in my possession to get the Rev back together and running, AND a day free of obstructions and prior engagements. My brother-in-law, Tall Tony, doesn't have to work tomorrow, so we are heading to Menomonie with heaters & tools in hopes of getting my sled all back together in one day. I'm only nervous for a few of the planned operations, but most of our work is pretty routine and simply time-consuming. For example; clean out and install fuel tank, install stator & magneto, reinstall heads, install new grips, install new flipper, move steering stem, place & mount motor, hook up electronics & cooling, reinstall & seal exhaust, fill anti-freeze & fuel, try firing engine. Try firing engine... wow I think i'm going to be a bit nervous for that. I've had the itch to ride for a month and i'm hoping Monday is the day. Fingers crossed.

I believe that I have a big tool-set and a rolling toolbox on the way for Christmas. Something that is long overdue... but I am quite excited to start my life-long tool collection. After Christmas, all I will need in my garage is a big heater and it will pretty much be amazing. A further update on our U.P. trip, we plan to stay at Mike's cabin in Land '0 Lakes to save money, and commute north to the powerlines in Twin Lakes. It's about a 50 minute drive if the roads are okay... which simply means waking up a tad earlier to get to where we need to go. Mike and the guys are going up to his cabin on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of January to ride at Evo... we'll see if i'm ready by then and if the pocket-book grants me permission.

Enjoy a few pictures of the recent snow-fall at my parents place in River Falls. Until next time...

Holy Cats!

2008-12-17T11:01:00.002-06:00

WOW this season is flying at me a hundred miles per hour! We got 4-5 inches last night, 8-12 Thursday night, and another 4+ over the weekend. I cannot complain, except my days driving down to the cemetery landing are probably done. I was down there yesterday afternoon ice-fishing and BARELY made it up. Guess i'll have to rely on my friends with 4x4's for the rest of the winter.
As far as my sled goes, my stator got shipped back to me today and is in the mail from Quebec. I will have all the parts I need to get it back up and running I believe. I will be going for my 642-901 Cisco Certification tomorrow morning, then heading back to River Falls with the lady. My plan is to head back here to Menomonie to get the sled back together on Monday / Tuesday of next week. All i'm hoping for now is that I have the necessary tools, help, and know-how to get it all back together. The white whale will be rippin' here very soon. I'm hoping that it will be in working order so that I can have it accidentally in the back of my truck when I go down to Black River Falls post Christmas.
Enjoy a pic of the forecast... these are the addicting little teasers that John Dee (www.johndee.com) uses to get people like me excited.

This old garage (part 1)

2008-12-09T22:23:00.003-06:00

ahah! (queue the Eureka! tune) I never imagined I would be this far behind getting my sled ready... but at the same time I never imagined I would have a cool little garage to myself and be able to make it perfect for what I need. Yes, maybe it is lacking a few things (tools mainly), but hey... i'm only a novice behind the wrench.
Thanks to Mikey (ie bringing over his tools), I was able to pull my motor and fuel tank, then begin the teardown of the motor. Yes, we did pull the ever-crucial stator which we believe is fried. It did look pretty sketchy... and is safely on it's way to Quebec via the USPS to be repaired. It's going to take a while to get there the way I shipped it, but i'm glad in a way, because I need time to get the rest of the stuff done on my sled.
Anyways, tonight I took some pictures of the garage after the teardown (parts everywhere) and before me starting the massive cleaning job. I never knew my sled could be so filthy. I have been through two cans of degreaser and probably need more. Pic 1 is of my garage setup, pic 2 is of my beautiful bench being put to use (thank you Tony and Danny), pic 3 is of my engine compartment of the sled... very dirty, pic 4 is my dirty motor, and lastly; pic 5 is of one of my cylinders. Let me tell you one thing, $35/gal oil is well worth it. You can literally still see the cross-hatch in my cylinders after x amount of hours/miles by the previous owner and well over a thousand hard miles from me last year.

Enjoy!

While I was slacking

2008-12-07T23:11:00.002-06:00

While I was slacking around River Falls, with no running sled, Mike and Kris were in the U.P. at Evolution Sled Park ripping it up. I don't have a ton to write since I wasn't there, this is just basically a post of jealousy. For those of you who don't know, Evolution Sled Park is just a huge terrain park with natural hits, ramps, tracks, and lots of snow. When you show up you have to sign your life away on a waiver, then it's wide-open. Mikey won't let me make it through the season without going, so I hope to be posting a story and pics with ME in them.
Anyways, enjoy the pic of Mike hitting his first ramp!

a New Beginning

2008-12-04T16:41:00.004-06:00

Well according to my eyes, there's snow on the ground... already. How did I fall so far behind?! I'm not 100% sure what happened to my summer and fall. I never got enough money to get a big bore. Hell, I never even fixed my existing engine. So this all brings me to current conundrum... snow on the ground with no working sled.

To remedy the situation thus far, I have reorganized the garage, placing those inferior motorcycles in their respective corners, stacking one shitty couch upon another, sweeping, and other various organizing. I even purchased huge halogen work lights, and will be building a work-bench this coming weekend. I guess in a weird & funky way, my little dream of my own sled shop is coming true. I will hopefully be pulling my motor, sending in my stator, fixing my fuel tank, and doing many other fixes in the coming week. All I desperately need now are some tools...

I have also started to plan our big trip up to the U.P. for Winter Break. We will not be going as far up this year, but going to a place with uber snow depths and infinite powerlines. To the likes of 'Dumb and Dumber' fans, "I'm thinking of a little place called... Aspen." But really it's Twin Lakes, Michigan. When I say uber snow depths, I mean they already have nearly two feet currently. It's actually quite humorous to look at their weather forecast. Chance of snow everyday is between 60-100%.

Anyways, enjoy the picture of the snow in Twin Lakes! I borrowed a compression tester from Mikey and did that the other night. It told me I have 112 PTO and 119 MAG. I guess I should buy new rings and do a light hone to get my cross-hatch back. Until next time...

The End.

2008-03-26T12:57:00.006-05:00

It's hard to admit, but I think it's safe to say that my season is now over. No stator for my sled, no time to fix it, no place to work on it, and no more snow to ride. Now I have to decide whether I want to part out my engine or fix it and sell it running. I will be heading back to River Falls this weekend to store the sled until I have time and money to work on it. It's kind of funny how quickly us hardcore sledders start preparing for the next season. I can't wait to drop in a big-bore and test it on the water! I hate everyone who is still able to ride... (aka Alaska, the Rockies, and the U.P.) Until next time...

Decisions, Decisions.

2008-03-10T11:57:00.006-05:00

My last two to three weeks have been great, don't get me wrong... but lacking my usual adrenaline rush. I have had no time to properly troubleshoot and or fix my sled. I am depressed by the fact that i'm pretty sure my problem is the stator, held deep in the bellows of the engine, behind the recoil. Oh, and apparently they don't give stators away? I had to have my buddy Scott come over to help me hoist my dead sled into the back of my truck, so now hopefully I can bring it to Mike's and get something done on it. My garage is just lacking too many tools to be successful at wrenching.

The picture up and right is of Jeremy from the L715RU (Local 715 Riders Union). They are a group of aggressive/freestyle riders that ride together and put on freestyle ramp shows at local establishments and such. I basically have a withstanding invite to go over, sign a waver, and try out the ramp. Too bad I don't have a working sled, huh? This is my greatest motivation to get my sled fixed this season.

Another note, that is what an 800 motor can do in the Rev chassis. I can't wait! Oh, i'm sure you're wondering why my post is titled "Decisions, Decisions."? Well the decision i'm faced with is whether to spend the money to fix my sled this season or not. It's tough, because I could spend the money and only get to ride one more time. My head is spinning with decisions about the sport I love so much... I guess this is what addiction is? Did I mention that they don't give stators away? Shucks.

A potential ending to a great season...

2008-03-05T16:46:00.003-06:00

After purchasing my 2004 440 Race sled this past spring, I was nothing but impressed from the get-go. Lots of snap, and without a doubt a great chassis for my riding style. After countless miles around midwest Wisconsin and a trip up to the upper peninsula of Michigan, my lucky finally ran out. My girlfriend has never been snowmobiling, so I decided to take her out, and sure enough after about five miles my sled died. After many pulls and some basic troubleshooting, I found out that I had a serious electrical problem. After a buddy picked me and my sled up, I did some more work to figure out that my stator was dead. Not a fun, nor inexpensive fix for someone in my position. This may spell the end of the season for me, which is saddening/depressing/sickening. The sled I waited so long to ride finally got sick of the beating!
I see this as the end of a season, but the beginning of an off-season full of fun work and modding, and probably some spendy purchases. I guess I don't see how people who only ride their sleds during the winter and store them away the second the season is done can keep their passion for the sport. I find working on my sled is half the fun of the sport. As you can probably see by the poll to the right, I am seriously considering getting a larger bore trail-style motor to drop into my sled. The 440 gave me a GREAT season, but proved to be extremely picky and lacking mid-top end power/torque. My goal would be to buy a complete sled that contains the engine I want, transplant engines, and part out the remains on forums & eBay. Time to start saving money!
Until next time-
Luke