Snowbike seem to be catching on......

Bnorth said:

I was talking with a cat mechanic last week and he led me to believe that the delay was due to regulations. Cat wants the bike to be registerable as a snowmachine so it's fully legal and not in a somewhat grey area like the current snowbike setups.

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That be 2yrs since the unveiling. They be way behind by the time it gets out. They should have had their poop in a group before the hype.

broke'n'nuts said:

The camso is pretty new. Haven't seen one on the hill yet. There is some reviews on snowest. Definitely a cheaper option to get into sport

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this Moto Trax one looks cool too.

NoBrakes! said:

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I think we are a few years off a factory unit. With X games now and the exponential growth in this segment, we are in for a lot of changes quickly. The transmission/shifting and proper control comforts are the big problems. You need heated grips/headlight and maybe a 3 speed with handlebar shifter?

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It will grow quick. Has already, there is such a personal preference for ride, power, 2 to 4 stroke, trans ratios etc that it's hard to nail down a factory kit. Lack of power will be the hardest to overcome with killing the wallet

skegpro said:

I agree the shifting part sucks.

Not impossible but definitely not ideal trying to shift in a winter boots or in snow deeper than the pegs.

Would be a real game changer if they could figure out a CVT for this application.

I still believe that snowbikes are really going to influence future snowmobile design, there may just be a really cool middle grounds.

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I don't find the shifting that bad. Even though I haven't had dirt bikes for yrs I've always had 2 wheels of some kind to ride. Hard part is remembering to shift when in the O s#$t moments lol

broke'n'nuts said:

I don't find the shifting that bad. Even though I haven't had dirt bikes for yrs I've always had 2 wheels of some kind to ride. Hard part is remembering to shift when in the O s#$t moments lol

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I am always in o **** mode. Lol

skegpro said:

I am always in o **** mode. Lol

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Same here. Getting better at it lol

skegpro said:

I agree the shifting part sucks.

Not impossible but definitely not ideal trying to shift in a winter boots or in snow deeper than the pegs.

Would be a real game changer if they could figure out a CVT for this application.

I still believe that snowbikes are really going to influence future snowmobile design, there may just be a really cool middle grounds.

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I think the cvt gives up too much power in an already underpowered machine

broke'n'nuts said:

That be 2yrs since the unveiling. They be way behind by the time it gets out. They should have had their poop in a group before the hype.

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been a long time since I've seen the pics but didn't the cat setup look a lot like the camso kit?

Bnorth said:

been a long time since I've seen the pics but didn't the cat setup look a lot like the camso kit?

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I do believe its the same, I heard Cat was going to use a different "tunnel" than the plastic sheeting one Camso uses

The moto trax does look interesting, I still havent been able to see one in person.... I heard their last years kit required fixes constantly but supposedly the new billet connection block was supposed to remedy that. I would like to see a demo here in CANADA... I seen pics of a bunch of Rogers Toyota Trucks from Lewiston pulling trailers full of Mototrax bikes for their US demos

I have both. Both have their days. I'd say if your buddies have snowbikes then go that way. They are certainly a lot of fun when you are in a pack of 3 or more.
Love my Yeti on the YZ450FX.

4th season now on bikes for me, total blast in trees I barely ride my sled. 6-7 bikes now to ride with helps and always have a good day on bikes.
yammi/yeti breaking trail for timbers 

first pic yeti in the back just sayn

that was so much fun and that was a once a year deep day bikes did great

Bnorth said:

I was talking with a cat mechanic last week and he led me to believe that the delay was due to regulations. Cat wants the bike to be registerable as a snowmachine so it's fully legal and not in a somewhat grey area like the current snowbike setups.

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Yup Snowbiking is catchin my eye. Was on one for a couple of days and it was DAM fun. Nice change forsure. Opens tighter tree lines. There is going to be some interesting advancements in the next few years.

After few trips of riding my bike and slowly changing the build I have give my 2 cents. I am definitely enjoying the bike, overall less exhausting. I tested it in some deeper snow conditions 2.5ft with semi base underneath and it was a blast. However, there reaches a point in that deep of snow what incline the bike will climb. Snow was deep enough that day that I would not drop in any area that didnt have a lower incline to get out. Even on the trial punching to the alpine and poaching a track that had been hit numerous times it did chug along to the top but as soon as I hit a fresh line I would loose 98% of my momentum. Not sure if a longer track would have helped that day or not. Now coming down the hill is a hoot like no other. You can fly down the hill and carve any line you want. The second day of that trip I took the sled up as the snow was just too much of a challenge for the bike. I am sure if my entire group had bikes we just would have played around at lower elevation. I do notice now that most videos or pics of guys crushing deep snow are typically going down hill. Another trip I was on had about 1.5ft of fresh and bike could chug along a bit better up the hill but it took some longer sidehills and switch backing. So I am still thinking deeper days will be sled and rest will be on the bike.

Also bike on pavement sucks, hard groomed trailed with lots of sled tracks is also not the most fun. With more seat time I was getting used to the trail but the bike always wants to be on edge and it is hard to 100% trust the ski not swapping out. I hit a stump coming down the trial and it sent me sideways, didnt wipe out but it did get my attention. Backcountry non groomed trails are good and bad. If I can get to the side enough then it is ok as you take a fresh line but in the trolly tracks of a single track gets old pretty quick again the ski likes to wander around. Noticed in tight trial spots on the sled where I can 1 hand the willows away on the bike kind of have to take them in the teeth to keep moving. Riding a new tree area I was following a sled track and again gets a bit tricky has the ski gets to one side you cant put your foot down or you just fall over. Where on the sled you can just follow the track with ease. Now most times I would just take my own line but snow was semi deep and it was a new area.

New seat helped with bumps as I find it difficult to ride standing for too long. I am thinking wider/lower footpegs might help as I feel hunched over to much and gets tiring and again have to trust the ski. I have 1 inch risers but still hunched over too much. I am 6"1 and ridden bikes all my life. Same set up I ride all summer with and dont mind standing but with the snowbike just not comfortable yet I guess.

Thermostat and engine blanket bike usually runs 170 or so in the super deep snow. Once the bike is covered in ice/snow after a fwe hours of riding it just seems to be a perma block of ice.

As mentioned before need to get different pegs and probably put on some handwarmers. Eventually the hands start to freeze. On the pegs I also notice if I ride more on the ball of my foot the back of boot hits the tunnel. Maybe wider pegs will help.

I am loving the snowbike just a few things other riders dont seem to talk much about.

09kx450f with ST TS.

They are not perfect but even sleds aren't perfect. I liked how we could play cat and mouse at mach one.. Can you ever maneuver around tree wells and most of the hazards that usually cause a wreck with a sled. Deep snow maybe a problem but that's why the sleds are so long with bare minimum 800cc motors or larger. Cold fingers ya that's a concern but heated bars are one of the answers. Hard trail riding totally agree, can be pretty wild. Seat cushion needs a bit more padding. Wife with a bit of lotion will make that feel better though. I'm lookin forward to whats coming. Cooper and Cey from Lloydminster are pretty decent bunch and are on the cutting edge of this new way of exploring the riding areas.

i think i would love a snowbike, but im going to wait a few more years till some of the major issues are sorted out. This will happen when the are built to ride stock.

They are built to ride stock. We do all sorts of stuff to sleds to make them special to us and it is no different than the bikes. The one I rode was stock and it was a blast. More goodies = more power but that will never change no matter what your riding. Another few years you will have cooker cans on them. I HOPE..

etecheaven said:

i think i would love a snowbike, but im going to wait a few more years till some of the major issues are sorted out. This will happen when the are built to ride stock.

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You'd figure a manufacturer would build a sled snowbike hybrid.

I think the big boys are afraid of change just like we all are. Why change if what they have is doing just fine for them. Ha they are building we just won't see it right away.

Bernoff said:

I think the big boys are afraid of change just like we all are. Why change if what they have is doing just fine for them. Ha they are building we just won't see it right away.

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Cause they are loosing market share and it isn't even to another snowmobile manufacturer.

Polaris attempted to stop some of the bleeding by buying timbersled but they still don't make any money off the bike sale.