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Is more always better? 141 vs 153

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dp2826

Well-known member
Dec 31, 2007
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NW Iowa
I only ride in the west. 141 is my preferred track. 153 will get you a few more places on the super deep days, but not much more. There are a few guys on here that live by the shorter track mountain rigs. Realistically, if you only come out here once or twice a year, get a 141 powerclaw and never look back. If it's real deep, have your buddies blaze trail and burn up their fuel, then you can have all the fun in the rear.

Brett

yeah, cause I sure love following everyone, who wants to ride the untracked powder? I'd rather stay in back and save fuel, its more fun anway.:faint:
 

backcountryislife

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Backcountry I don't belive you take me to all the places in them pics and prove me wrong.:face-icon-small-hap

That CAN be arranged brother... just get here & we'll let the "challenge" begin!! You know either way we BOTH win!!:becky:


DP... 141 every day of the year no matter how deep (I could always borrow the wife's HCR-T 153, and have NEVER had a day where I wanted to) and I'm always the one breaking trail. I've actually been very happy with the fuel use compared to my 1000's on this turbo, I'm usually about a gallon or so ahead of where I would have been on the big boy.

Niner, come on our here with that 174, if you can keep up with me (not a judgement of riding ability here, I'm a very solid rider, but don't claim to be running Burandt off the hill here... ) on that thing, I'll give you my sled, and then you can have a sled that DESERVES a 174!!!

It won't happen though, aside from MAYBE 2-3 days a year where it's 4' plus of fluff. I play with 162's all the time, the 174 may have more float, but you'll need more than that to keep up with 85+mph track speed.:boxing: Heck, take that 174 off some booters with us too while you're at it, let's make this even more interesting!!:face-icon-small-win
 

niner

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Mar 16, 2008
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Backcountry you finally said one thing I finally agree with. Your sled does deserve a 174". Your machine with a 174" would be a complete riot to ride. 260 hp would be way better than my 162 hp M1000. I could always put a 121" on my sled and get up to 70 mph track speed. I've driven lots of 141" sleds, mind you that was in '96. That was a long track 16 years ago. Got a 156" in '99 and everybody laughed and said everything you do " you wont steer ,it won't carve blah blah blah" 2 trips later they all had em. Got the 174" in '05 same thing "that track is too long blah blah blah" 2 trips later they all had em. Like I said I'm glad you love your 141". Arguing over track length is like arguing over what your favorite color is. I like flat black. Let's argue about that for awhile! :)
 

backcountryislife

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260 hp with a 174... yawn...:face-icon-small-ton


HOT PINK... that's where it's at!!! flat black... pfft... (ok, I was heartbroke when my flat black sled went off the cliff & I had to buy this horrid green thing, but that would take the fun out of arguing about it!!!)
 
F
Aug 26, 2011
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You are limiting your self with the 141... go for the 153. when you drop in a valey that does not have blowed snow, 3 to 4' of fluff powder, you will need the skills and you better not stop. you will want to stop in some one else track and or down hill some where. My budy 141 would follow me prety much every where, but he needed to maitain speed. With my old 162" I was able to plow 3' of snow (up to the windshield of my rev) and pull out. no 141 can do that.
 
M

minet

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Nov 26, 2007
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i think its just a differnt style of riding .. a shorter track can pull more technical lines , it can turn sharper , faster, and easier .. hardly an arguable point on all 3

a longer track is better in the deepest poweder , it would be better taking hill climbs, and more forgiving stopign and starting .. again ,, not much to argue with there

you use all atributes in all kinds of riding ,, some more than others in each kind of area , bowls , steep hills , flats , ect ect

its a balancing act for everyone ,, and one likly not found until a certain maturaty has been reached skill wise in the mountains .. and then your preferance changes...
 
B
Nov 26, 2007
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Red deer Alberta
We are all like a bunch of kids on the playground, "my brother can beat up your brother". Niner and I have been riding together since Christ was a cowboy and we always have had the longest track possible. In the trees when its deep there is NO short track that has even been in the same ballpark unless they follow our tracks, we can sidehill with amazing control and I do agree it would be hard to whip a donut uphill and then sidehill across, I have done it just not with any grace. I run about 200 horse and have dangled with pump gas turbos in the trees and they compliment my machine because they have so many issues with bogs and keeping speeds up to make them work plus thier clutch engagement is higher to help with the bog, my machine just tractors everywhere, on the hill I can keep up with a pump gas turbo but I get wasted by the race gas turbos with shorter tracks by far. I will say that in the spring my track gets pushy for sure and I wish I had a 153 for those conditions but I am not a spring rider so I will continue to suffer with my 174 for 1 ride a year in the hard stuff. It is easy to talk trash here, I agree that we should get together and play a little, I love the sport and like to meet new people and if I get my butt handed to me it would still be a great day!
 

Mjunkie

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You are limiting your self with the 141... go for the 153. when you drop in a valey that does not have blowed snow, 3 to 4' of fluff powder, you will need the skills and you better not stop. you will want to stop in some one else track and or down hill some where. My budy 141 would follow me prety much every where, but he needed to maitain speed. With my old 162" I was able to plow 3' of snow (up to the windshield of my rev) and pull out. no 141 can do that.

IMO you are limiting yourself on a longer track, but I'll be the first to say, opinions are like a$$holes, everyone's got one. If you like to "tractor" around in the deep snow then you probably would like a longer track. I LIKE maintaining lots of speed, to me it is much more intense and therefore much more fun, so I don't have a problem with the shorter track in the deep stuff and have never once wished I had a longer track (even in the deepest and fluffiest stuff there is), and again I'll say that extra hp CAN and DOES compensate for a shorter tracks ability to go in the steep and deep, but that's me bearing my a$$hole again :face-icon-small-hap.
 
B
Nov 26, 2007
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Red deer Alberta
Dont kid yourself when I say tractor I still have it to the bars but it takes so much less effort to go the same places, in Caribou last year I was breaking trail with some local riders in Revy and they were all on pump gas M8's and we were all stuck within 50 feet of each other, the difference was they were sunk to china with all the trackspeed, my trenches were way less and it was easier to get my machine out every time, most times I didnt need help. Those boys were impressed because no one could keep up to them before and they liked me cuz I was out and helping them get unstuck from the huge holes they were in, I still feel that a long track has more benefits than not! I will say that I dont have the same wheelie factor as any short track but I would rather have my skis about a foot off the snow at any time anyways. This is a good debate but I will say that if they come out with a 184" track I will be first in line.
 

WyoBoy1000

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Only good riders can handle a short track :boxing:

I guaranty you can't follow or take the same lines you can on a 153 vs a 174, you may float better and where you can follow or take the same lines the longer track will go farther. But when you take a 153 in very tight trees and wip it around a tree and go in the other direction I highly doubt your going to follow, It may be possible but unneeded and you would have to work so hard at it that it would take the fun out of it. Run a KMOD on a 153 and you can eliminate the wheelie factor.
 

niner

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I agree with you wyoboy,it is harder to wrap a 174" around a tree that's what makes it fun. If I wanted easy I would get a shorter track. You keep saying it takes skill to go in the trees,try taking a 174" in the trees and making some sick lines. One minute you say long tracks are BORING then the next you say there harder to carve. I love a challenge, putting a 174" where guys say it doesn't belong is very much FUN.
 

backcountryislife

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I agree with you wyoboy,it is harder to wrap a 174" around a tree that's what makes it fun. If I wanted easy I would get a shorter track. You keep saying it takes skill to go in the trees,try taking a 174" in the trees and making some sick lines. One minute you say long tracks are BORING then the next you say there harder to carve. I love a challenge, putting a 174" where guys say it doesn't belong is very much FUN.

WELL... Then you & I have more in common than I thought! It's just plain fun to do things that other people don't think should be done!! :becky:
 
A

ACMtnCat

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Nov 26, 2007
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Utah
I agree with you wyoboy,it is harder to wrap a 174" around a tree that's what makes it fun. If I wanted easy I would get a shorter track. You keep saying it takes skill to go in the trees,try taking a 174" in the trees and making some sick lines. One minute you say long tracks are BORING then the next you say there harder to carve. I love a challenge, putting a 174" where guys say it doesn't belong is very much FUN.

A 174 is like taking a stretched hillclimb bike on a single track trail, Compared to a trials bike on a the same single track. It can be done but why? A lighter more manoeuvreable bike is way more fun and a heck of alot easier, accept when the snow is 4' deep. That's when the skills come into play!
 

WyoBoy1000

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Its the challenge that I'm after,

From my experience the instant ability of the 153 over the longer tracks has its place and when you can't see past the branches your about to fly through and have to take on the next predicament your long track is going to over come your ability. FYI, I used to be a firm believer in the 162, so far I have gone all the same places on the 153 and in some cases less power, they may have done it in a straight line and I went all over the place and spent 3x as long to get there but if I can get there on a 153 why would I want to remove the challenge with a longer track,
 
F
Aug 26, 2011
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We are all arguing about the track lenght... That is all fine, as long as you can queep the the RPM (in the sweet spot) and track speed! the longer track = lower gears or more hp = $$$ = more tuning and maintenance.

I for one got out of all of it, 2010 M8 Snopro 153, MBRP muffler and clutch tuning. I want to spend more time on it then in it!!!:face-icon-small-ton
 
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