Getting my stuff ready to go!!

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Rhino89523
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Getting my stuff ready to go!!

Post by Rhino89523 »

I saw that Roosty had added this section, figured I'd be the first to post. I have never ridden a snow bike so I bought one. I got a timbersled raw 120....my thinking on this sled is this. Yes I am a big guy but I live near Tahoe and our snow is affectionately known as the Sierra cement, I'm thinking the shorter track mounted to a 500 running right I should be able to spin good track speed for anything deep and remain high on maneuverability as my main thing will be ripping through tree laden hillsides behind work.....leave right from the shop!!! I am putting the whole kit on one of my spare 500's, it's a 1995 with 2001 forks resprung as siff as I could get made by Cannon race spring to coil bind at the height where the clamps bolt up so zero chance of smashing my seals out. I am running stock porting and a fatty pipe, pwk39 carb with a Panthera electric start kit, AME heated grips, and a LED baja designs race light left over from the "Baja Days" I am just sort of cruising along on the build and she will be ready by the time we have enough base to ride the thing. I have met a few people riding them so I can hopefully ride with them or I need to find some new friends.

The Raw kit was well priced, I'm a pretty regular guy at the local motorcycle shops in town, I snow checked it, got a deal from the boys at the shop and had it sitting in my garage for waaay cheaper than a 4 year old used kit. The Raw has no powdercoating on the side structure and the runners don't flex like the other kits which I don't think is going to be a big deal with the convex track they run now. My shocks are not as good as the upgrade kits but you ride these things on snow....thats suspension right there in my mind. I used to snowboard a bunch, I love riding 500's...put them together and you have this thing!!!! Looks like fun to me, guess we will see.

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Kuma
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Post by Kuma »

looks like fun,
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Post by sabreguy »

Wait WTH is up with the blue seat.........Rhino runs black...that's what I know...my world is now upside down :roll:
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Post by Rhino89523 »

Black on the trail bike, xr is kind of red and black, sand cr is 1990 orange....I figured it was time to mix it up!!! All white with blue accents. Has all blue hoses and probably blue number plate backgrounds and........wait for it.......maybe blue shroud graphics. Must be getting old haha
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Post by sabreguy »

I don't handle change well........this is going to take awhile....
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Post by cowboyona426 »

It should be a mean machine when you get it all set up! I don't think you'll regret going with the RAW as far as track length, I ride with a few guys who used to ride LT's and switched to the ST and have no complaints. I'm not sure if the shocks on the RAW are any different than what's on my 15 ST but if they are the same I doubt you'll find much to complain about with them.
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Post by partypete »

Looks sweet! Personally wouldnt bother trying to make the air box work. Another thing not really talked about is carb vent hoses. Make sure they are pointed straight down and have no place for snow or water to pool up or enter. Mine are cut short and tucked inside the carb jacket. Messy but work.
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Post by Rhino89523 »

The shocks are supposed to be a downgrade over the 2017 ST an LT but when you push on the back of the thing it feels good...plus in my mind you are on snow, I used to huck myself of cliffs with the suspension in my knees so I am thinking I'll be O.K. I am a pretty big guy, over time I have figured out how to use transitions to my favor with any and all air time.

All in all for now it's an experiment anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to ride it and if I can like it....but I'm pretty sure the answer will be a big thumbs up to both.

Our snow is so different, it's really thick and heavy, I think track speed and maneuverability are going to be better than the additional float a longer track would provide. we will see.
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Post by Roostius_Maximus »

Thats a good looking setup!
If trackframe shocks last like my old skidoo mach-1 stuff i had you'll bugger up the best ones as quick as the cheap ones. Just have a spare.
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Post by Roostius_Maximus »

iMessage heading your way on intake options
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Post by sabreguy »

I'm not used to it still.....
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Post by Rhino89523 »

My airbox plan was going to be basically cut the back off of it so I still had the sides but the filter would be flapping in the wind, then I was going to run a dry unoiled new filter with a flappy skin over it. Then I was going to starp down a tunnelbag from the brake to the rear. Do people cover the front of the tunnel? seems like you could cut down on a lot of trown snow by covering the front of the tunnel with some thin plastic. I don't know just something to play with.
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Post by partypete »

I tried cutting the box and all it did was give a place for snow to fan up from the track. End of last season i shielded the filter from the back and bottom, that worked best. Having it exposed on the sides helps i think. I think no matter what kind of prefilter you run some moisture gets through and eventually you just have a soaked or frozen airfilter lol. Some people got it to work but i couldnt make the stock airbox happen. Just go watch any of the cr or kx 500 videos that are in deep powder snow. If you listen most of them are blubbering or missing at WOT.
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Post by sabreguy »

OK I think just because the boat is blue it's starting to grow on me..........
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Post by scooter5002 »

Looks like fun, be interesting to get a ride report. Will you be wearing an Elmo snow jacket?
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Post by Rhino89523 »

Haha....if I can find one I will for sure...I need to come up with something to wear so people can see me when I'm laying in the snow. The thing looks so cool even if I can't figure out how to ride it I think I will be happy just looking at the thing in my garage. It looks cool.
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Post by cowboyona426 »

I would highly suggest building a pod intake setup of some sort. Some guys do build shields to keep the track from throwing snow on the back of the engine and carb.
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Post by Hellbear »

badass!!!
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Post by cowboyona426 »

So rhino, now that you've had a chance to ride the thing a few times, what's your take? Any issues with carb ice (I didn't notice if you were running a carb heater)? Any issues keeping the big girl warm? I'm kind of toying with doing what you did and setting one of my 500's up as a dedicated snow bike so I don't have to swap back and forth.
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I am running a carb heater built by the dude M5 on the snowest forum, it is similar to an avid but he builds it round so its not a big bulbous square thing. It originally hit in the electric start motor bolts pretty hard but I ended up running one of Roosty's VF2 cages that has a spacer built into it, it moved it back a bit and fits much better. I love the Electric start, it won't always fire up the bike but even when it doesn't want to fire it off I help it out with a kick or two and it fires much easier. The starter lets me run the light and the heated grips...the grips I have come to love and would have a hard time living without. We have had so much snow this year that I struggle sometimes on the 120" when the snow is really deep, I am buying a guys 137" at the end of the season who is going with a Yeti and I'm not sure if I will end up with 2 tracks and one bike, one bike with a 137 or two bikes. The 500 rips, I would be hurting without it, jetting hasn't been an issue as the temps have been fairly consistent as well as altitude we are running at. Everyone who has seen it running says "sounds like that thing rips!" I don't have the TSS so I am on a stock airbox with the whole bottom cut out. I took 2 airbox cages from a stock 500 and fused them together and only run the prefilter thing, the setup works really good. It gets packed up when I bail and I'll scoop it out but otherwise no issue. Had it running in really deep snow with no issues. I run with guys on 129 yeti's on 2016 KTM450's that weigh 100 plus pounds less than I do and my kit has held its own. I have had zero issue with the Timbersled part of my set up. I had to run a 13 tooth front spoket to get it all to fit, I sometimes think a 14 would be better but I cant get it in there so it is what it is and I'm not running a half link. All and all I am very happy w my set up.
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Post by cowboyona426 »

Rhino89523 wrote:I am running a carb heater built by the dude M5 on the snowest forum, it is similar to an avid but he builds it round so its not a big bulbous square thing. It originally hit in the electric start motor bolts pretty hard but I ended up running one of Roosty's VF2 cages that has a spacer built into it, it moved it back a bit and fits much better. I love the Electric start, it won't always fire up the bike but even when it doesn't want to fire it off I help it out with a kick or two and it fires much easier. The starter lets me run the light and the heated grips...the grips I have come to love and would have a hard time living without. We have had so much snow this year that I struggle sometimes on the 120" when the snow is really deep, I am buying a guys 137" at the end of the season who is going with a Yeti and I'm not sure if I will end up with 2 tracks and one bike, one bike with a 137 or two bikes. The 500 rips, I would be hurting without it, jetting hasn't been an issue as the temps have been fairly consistent as well as altitude we are running at. Everyone who has seen it running says "sounds like that thing rips!" I don't have the TSS so I am on a stock airbox with the whole bottom cut out. I took 2 airbox cages from a stock 500 and fused them together and only run the prefilter thing, the setup works really good. It gets packed up when I bail and I'll scoop it out but otherwise no issue. Had it running in really deep snow with no issues. I run with guys on 129 yeti's on 2016 KTM450's that weigh 100 plus pounds less than I do and my kit has held its own. I have had zero issue with the Timbersled part of my set up. I had to run a 13 tooth front spoket to get it all to fit, I sometimes think a 14 would be better but I cant get it in there so it is what it is and I'm not running a half link. All and all I am very happy w my set up.
I know in the past some guys have struggled with jetting and cooling, sounds like maybe the jetting bugs have been worked out thanks to the carb heaters. Are you running a coolant temp gauge and monitoring coolant temps by chance?
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I am not monitoring coolant temps, mine has run perfect every time. If I was on anything else I wouldn't be going where I can go o this. The guys I ride with are half my weight on new KTM 450's with 129 Yeti kits. So they are lighter than me with longer tracks and they can out climb me but my set up is hanging in there. I had my first mechanical issue this week which was with my carb heater...well not really the heater but my plumbing. I had a plastic heater line T in my radiator line as a return off the heater and that sucker melted down. I ended up turning off my heater valve and fusing the two hoses with a socket and filling my radiator with some gatorade and rode it out. Other than that my whole set up works pretty dam good.

As far as coolant temps go if anything I am probably running a little cool because the thing hasn't used up any coolant and boiled out until I blew that little plastic guy, I haven't heard any pinging like its hot, sometimes when we sit for a few minutes I have to choke it to get it to light off but other than that no problems. It must not be too bad because I keep getting invited back by a couple of guys, they have friends with snow bikes they don't bring because of drama and them not wanting to get into anything crazy. These guys love riding on the side of some steep tree covered hills...we have been getting pounded this year so it was a great year for a snowbike and I'm glad I did a 500. The one guy I have been riding with asked me about how it was running at really high altitude, I said great!!! if it feels like it's loading up, open it up!! It's a snowbike so you can crack it all the way open whenever you want. I'm impressed with how this thing runs.
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Post by cowboyona426 »

Rhino89523 wrote:I am not monitoring coolant temps, mine has run perfect every time. If I was on anything else I wouldn't be going where I can go o this. The guys I ride with are half my weight on new KTM 450's with 129 Yeti kits. So they are lighter than me with longer tracks and they can out climb me but my set up is hanging in there. I had my first mechanical issue this week which was with my carb heater...well not really the heater but my plumbing. I had a plastic heater line T in my radiator line as a return off the heater and that sucker melted down. I ended up turning off my heater valve and fusing the two hoses with a socket and filling my radiator with some gatorade and rode it out. Other than that my whole set up works pretty dam good.

As far as coolant temps go if anything I am probably running a little cool because the thing hasn't used up any coolant and boiled out until I blew that little plastic guy, I haven't heard any pinging like its hot, sometimes when we sit for a few minutes I have to choke it to get it to light off but other than that no problems. It must not be too bad because I keep getting invited back by a couple of guys, they have friends with snow bikes they don't bring because of drama and them not wanting to get into anything crazy. These guys love riding on the side of some steep tree covered hills...we have been getting pounded this year so it was a great year for a snowbike and I'm glad I did a 500. The one guy I have been riding with asked me about how it was running at really high altitude, I said great!!! if it feels like it's loading up, open it up!! It's a snowbike so you can crack it all the way open whenever you want. I'm impressed with how this thing runs.
You're really tempting me to give up on my FX and set one of my 500's up as a permanent snow bike.
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I would do it again in a minute and may. I am getting a 137 kit off a guy for next year and have not decided yet what route I am going to take, weather I sell my kit, or build another bike, if I build another bike should I make it a 500 or build up another bike more as a loaner.

For me if it wasn't the 500, I would be at a serious disadvantage with the short track and my weight...500 makes up for a lot.
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Post by Rhino89523 »

O.K here is my year end wrap up.

Timbersleds are awesome and super fun, kind of like riding sand dunes in the woods hanging off the side of a cliff in the middle of nowhere. The terrain goes forever and you can get to places others will never see in minutes. Reliability is obviously paramount!!

Things I learned about a 500 in the snow. They run cool in deep powder and they run hot in the spring. I will be running a 137 LT next year with a tunnel cooler, 1 radiator, overflow tank, and thermostat. Routing will go one head tube to carb heater back to upper radiator inlet on right. Other head tube will run to bypass thermostat, bypass will run to waterpump inlet, thermostat outlet will go to tunnel cooler. Tunnel cooler is off of an RMK and fits real nice on the tunnel behind the brake and in front of the gas can and all that. the return line off the cooler will go into the lower radiator inlet that used to be the inlet from the left radiator. The little crossover that runs at the top will be plugged off and the overflow will go to tank mounted in place of the left radiator. Hoping this set up will keep it warm in the deep and cool in the spring...probably run some additional engine shrouding. My Electric start still doesn't really work right. It will start my bike one out of every 20 times, need to figure that part out but I love the power supply to the heated grips and ability to run a light. Roosty's reed cage works killer and the 500 is an absolute ripper.

I love this thing and if I wasn't remodeling my kitchen I'd still be riding it this thing is so fun. I'll get done with the kitchen and then it's time to start getting ready for the 1000. This is the 50 year anniversary should be good.
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