seanmx57 wrote:Maybe I'm a bit of a pansy but I won't go on ice until I see people fishing, trucks etc out there. Still waiting and trying to get in touch with the local network to see when they ride. We just got a foot of snow so the bare ice is gone.
Just bought the kids a mini z snowmachine, gotta get a twist throttle on it today and get some registrations for our sled too.
I have a couple rims that have some bad dings in them. I'm considering either pounding it flatter or using a press. Not sure if they would be good enough for ice use afterwords or not. Anyone ever fix a rock ding on a rim?
I have used a couple crescents to work a dented rim, go slow and don't move it too much at a time. Find out what rim the tire was profiled for. HD spokes are better, the most important part is to keep them tight. The wheel will see torsion loads (traction) a normal tire will never provide.
A wider flatter rim will flatten a tire profile making it behave like a square profile, it will hook better in a straight line, and will have less corner traction. The tire size and shape determins the rim width required.
I have a 2.5 rim I could use as well. It's got the heavy duty spokes so I'm thinking that will be better for ice than stock spokes. Do you guys run heavy duty spokes?
Does the wider rim corner better or go into the corners better?
So what's the trick to cornering. Come in hot and use the rear brake to get a drift going or exactly the opposite? All I know is MX.
Do you set up your gearing to top out in 5'th at the end of the straight for oval work?
I gear all my 500's tall, to use the torque. Since they don't rev as fast as the little bikes, but like to pull, I gear them up.
On the ice I used 3, 4 , 5th gears, sometimes 2nd for the start, but ususally 3rd.
if its a 1/2 mile oval you might use 5th, if its a 1/4 mile oval, you will never see 5th gear. Not with my tall gearing.
The old transmission with the close 5th is better for ice racing IMO, less gap with taller gears.
all of the decelleration will occur before 1/3 of the of the corner ,and most of it before conrner entry. as soon as I had scrubbed off enough speed, I would give it full throttle to bring the rear around and rear steer through the apex, as the corner opens up, reduce your counter steer to bring it straight and drive forward.
Tire pressure, and suspension will affect the way the bike slides and reacts to power. personally I like the suspension stiff, and the tire soft.
Serious guys want the power to the ice, and use regular chains.
rear axle and wheelbase depends on the handling of your bike. If it hooks so hard the bike wants to do 12"0 clock wheelies, then extend it. If the bike is difficult to turn in, and get sliding, shorten it up.
corner speed is what wins races, so that is the most important thing to focus on.
If a 250 out corners you by 10 mph, even a 500 will have a hard time making up for that on the straight, since half the track distance is corner distance. Our sanction doesn't allow front brakes. I would think oversize wouldn't hurt. Those wheels have allot of kinetic energy with all the iron in them.
Do you run oring chains on ice?
swingarm axle all the way forward? or back?
Oversize front rotor?