Who else is psyched for SnowBike season to start?

Ben 500RR-S · Oct 23, 2018

My first season with my 2017 Beta 500 RR-S and 2018 Camso DTS 129 kit was last winter and it was an awesome season thanks to all the help y'all gave me last year.

Depending on how the weather goes, I'll either have my kit on by the end of November or early December as I have all I need from last year and just need to put it all back on and as this will be round #2 it should be a LOT easier this time.

I have a powersports quick connect harness from Weego so I won't even need to take my seat off to jump start my bike as I had learned from last season that when it is too cold out, to just jump pack the battery and the bike will fire right up. That harness comes tomorrow and just connects to the +/- battery terminals=easy.

I also got a new AGM this past August so I'm all set for battery power for this upcoming season. Now just waiting for the snow to fly up north. It is coming and almost getting too cold here in MA to even ride the bike to and from work.

Anyone else excited for this upcoming 2018/2019 snowbike season?

2smokin · Oct 23, 2018

Definitely pretty pumped as well, getting ready to put my new 120 raw kit on my 18' 300xc in the next few weeks here. there is already some snow in the mountains here so i'm hoping to have enough on the ground to start some early season tuning soon. Cant wait to see how the counterbalanced 300 rips through the snow, its been a monster on the dirt. Hows that Beta 500 been treating you? havent had the chance to ride one yet.

chumbilly1 · Oct 23, 2018

Super stoked to run the BRC 500SX with a Yeti 129SS out back. Should be first year that Im not feeling underpowered! Oh yea the 450 with ninja back-up and the 300SX will be fun too!

Ben 500RR-S · Oct 24, 2018

2smokin said:
Definitely pretty pumped as well, getting ready to put my new 120 raw kit on my 18' 300xc in the next few weeks here. there is already some snow in the mountains here so i'm hoping to have enough on the ground to start some early season tuning soon. Cant wait to see how the counterbalanced 300 rips through the snow, its been a monster on the dirt. Hows that Beta 500 been treating you? havent had the chance to ride one yet.

The 478cc four stroke, Fuel Injected motor is fantastic. Linear and smooth and with way more power than I need for both the dirt/street and snow. I have been loving it since 02/22/2017.

I have had some time on my BIL's 2008 KTM 300 XC-W and it too, is an awesome bike on the dirt. Again, way more enough power for me on the dirt and so, so light compared to my almost 300 lb Beta.

He will be getting a Camso DTS 129 kit for it any day now that I'll be putting on for him. I'm getting psyched for snowbike season for sure.

rhino89523 · Oct 24, 2018

Pumped for the season to start, ours is usually pretty late before coverage is good. I've been on a CR500 for 2 years and it has worked well. Did it up with a tunnel cooler last year and a thermostat set up and it never overheated and ran well. I would like at least double the HP, or even closer to triple would be cool. I think a CR500 puts out around 60ish. I've seen people claiming more out of other bikes. My buddy has some big bore stroked KTM 500 or something bored and stroked to like 660 I think. We went out to the dunes 2 weeks ago and the whole way out he was blabbing HP this and bla bla that. To be honest he stomped me out in a drag on kind of a flatter hill that is the sand drag area, but when we got into real dunes that were steep my bone stock 500 AF was running away from that thing and I weigh like 70 more LBS than he does. When I pulled out my sand bike (ported CR500 with other stuff) it was close in a drag...I can't keep the wheel down but in the dunes it seemed like he was on a minibike. we switched bikes and that big 4 stroke was so underwhelming after being on my sand bike for a while. He runs that bike in snow and it does really well. It was a 570 or something like that last year and he stroked it this year...should go good. It's a funny trade off in the snow. The 4 stroke has way broader power....he doesn't have to switch gears and the thing torques like crazy. He has a 6 speed so the roads to get out there or flats he stomps me bad. When we are climbing the 500 rips...but so does the KTM and it seems to be less effort and he doesn't have to be sitting in the powerband it has it everywhere. I like his set up a lot in the snow, I like the price of mine and how it works when it's really steep or really deep better.

The short answer is I'm pumped, for the season and pumped to see how the CR does against his new stroked version of the KTM.

2smokin · Oct 24, 2018

chumbilly1 said:
Super stoked to run the BRC 500SX with a Yeti 129SS out back. Should be first year that Im not feeling underpowered! Oh yea the 450 with ninja back-up and the 300SX will be fun too!

How much did the BRC end up running you? and what carb are you using? saw that the target hp for that was around 60? seems that there would be a lot of room for gains with all those cc's. 450 with ninja?lol and lets here some more about the 300sx setup, also where you out of?

2smokin · Oct 24, 2018

Ben 500RR-S said:
The 478cc four stroke, Fuel Injected motor is fantastic. Linear and smooth and with way more power than I need for both the dirt/street and snow. I have been loving it since 02/22/2017.

I have had some time on my BIL's 2008 KTM 300 XC-W and it too, is an awesome bike on the dirt. Again, way more enough power for me on the dirt and so, so light compared to my almost 300 lb Beta.

He will be getting a Camso DTS 129 kit for it any day now that I'll be putting on for him. I'm getting psyched for snowbike season for sure.

Hows your bike do against the ktm 500's? definitely hoping my saved weight will help a bit, used to ride a 520 and you can sure tell the difference.

2smokin · Oct 24, 2018

rhino89523 said:
Pumped for the season to start, ours is usually pretty late before coverage is good. I've been on a CR500 for 2 years and it has worked well. Did it up with a tunnel cooler last year and a thermostat set up and it never overheated and ran well. I would like at least double the HP, or even closer to triple would be cool. I think a CR500 puts out around 60ish. I've seen people claiming more out of other bikes. My buddy has some big bore stroked KTM 500 or something bored and stroked to like 660 I think. We went out to the dunes 2 weeks ago and the whole way out he was blabbing HP this and bla bla that. To be honest he stomped me out in a drag on kind of a flatter hill that is the sand drag area, but when we got into real dunes that were steep my bone stock 500 AF was running away from that thing and I weigh like 70 more LBS than he does. When I pulled out my sand bike (ported CR500 with other stuff) it was close in a drag...I can't keep the wheel down but in the dunes it seemed like he was on a minibike. we switched bikes and that big 4 stroke was so underwhelming after being on my sand bike for a while. He runs that bike in snow and it does really well. It was a 570 or something like that last year and he stroked it this year...should go good. It's a funny trade off in the snow. The 4 stroke has way broader power....he doesn't have to switch gears and the thing torques like crazy. He has a 6 speed so the roads to get out there or flats he stomps me bad. When we are climbing the 500 rips...but so does the KTM and it seems to be less effort and he doesn't have to be sitting in the powerband it has it everywhere. I like his set up a lot in the snow, I like the price of mine and how it works when it's really steep or really deep better.

The short answer is I'm pumped, for the season and pumped to see how the CR does against his new stroked version of the KTM.

Was your 500 overheating without the tunnel cooler? You should post a pic of that bad boy sounds interesting, Will be interested to see how your friends 500 holds up with all the mods, what year is that bike? I know you can do a crazy bore and stroke on the old rfs bikes somewhat reliably. also where you out of Rhino?( can you multi qoute in one post on this forum? havent figured it out)

Ben 500RR-S · Oct 24, 2018

2smokin said:
Hows your bike do against the ktm 500's? definitely hoping my saved weight will help a bit, used to ride a 520 and you can sure tell the difference.

No idea. All I do is trail-ride and see what others post about power and all that jazz. I know that I have all the power I need in both the snow and the dirt and street and in the snow, more power would not have me going any faster as I use maybe 75% of the power anyways as I'm already going fast enough as being here in New England and all Vermont riding, the terrain up here is a LOT different with the hills I ride going from about 600' to maybe 1,500' at the most so outright power is just not needed and I'm having a ball with the power I have.

2smokin · Oct 24, 2018

Ben 500RR-S said:
No idea. All I do is trail-ride and see what others post about power and all that jazz. I know that I have all the power I need in both the snow and the dirt and street and in the snow, more power would not have me going any faster as I use maybe 75% of the power anyways as I'm already going fast enough as being here in New England and all Vermont riding, the terrain up here is a LOT different with the hills I ride going from about 600' to maybe 1,500' at the most so outright power is just not needed and I'm having a ball with the power I have.

Oh yeah must be a rocket that close to sea level we get up past 10k here and everyone is fighting for more hp.

Misha Subo · Oct 24, 2018

Very keen to ride this weekend up in Muskoka. The snow is already there but it will melt so we're planning a 50KM loop - as long as the ground is not frozen we're going to keep dirt riding. It's the best time of year IMO!!!

Having said that, I'll be bringing the two Camsos back from the cabin, to the city, for their refit back onto the twin XCWs. Getting a new garage slab repoured next week with heated flooring. It's going to be the "garage-mahal" with new cabinets and benches so I can finally find my tools etc. Just bought a newer lathe and milling machine and sold the old stuff. A warm floor that we can wear socks on, double insulation on the garage door, thermal break around perimeter, couch, projector screen...wait, I'm getting off topic here but can hardly wait.:wine::wine::wine::wine::wine::wine::lips:

Norma Stitz · Oct 24, 2018

There’s roughly 30% less oxygen at 10k than at 1k so I suppose we can assume that the power loss would be following that ratio as well. That’s a big loss, but also figure in deeper snow and it may feel even worse by seat if the pants. That’s why we need that insane 100hp dirt bike engine that doesn’t have any logical application otherwise.

rhino89523 · Oct 24, 2018

2smokin said:
Was your 500 overheating without the tunnel cooler? You should post a pic of that bad boy sounds interesting, Will be interested to see how your friends 500 holds up with all the mods, what year is that bike? I know you can do a crazy bore and stroke on the old rfs bikes somewhat reliably. also where you out of Rhino?( can you multi qoute in one post on this forum? havent figured it out)

My 500 would overheat when you were pulling hills hard and I would have to let it cool off, mostly spring snow where you are sitting on top of the snow, when it was powder and deep the motor turns into a big heat sink and it was no problem and ran fine. Now it works pretty much perfect with the tunnel cooler but I don't get quite enough spray off the track where I really need it on trail. I don't ride much trail if possible and last year if I had to do long trail stretches I would just pack the cooler on top. I either need to move the cooler forward or all the way to the back. I put it in between the rails on a timbersled and it's a little too centered. When You are ripping hills now it cools off, it works perfect everywhere but boring flat trails that are groomed even with the scratchers down....Hopefully we get a better winter than last year and I don't have to trail it much.

The motor on my buddies bike is all done up by Thumper Racing it held together great for 2 seasons as a Big bore 610 or whatever it was and now as a stroked 660 I don't think the reliability will be any different. I think it's like a 2015 or so...It's fuel injected and has some controller thing on there he is always talking about called a dobeck or something. I think it has a cam as well and it's piped w a header.....500 still stomps the doo doo out of it climbing in the dunes but I guess its got crazy HP and Torque and all that. Don't really get it because my CR500AF trail bike the motor is bone stock everything, Ignition, pipe, carb, reeds...everything. My sand bike is ported to run like a 125, has CR250 ignition, a Vforce 2 reed set up with a 50mm stand off plate, PWK39mm carb with a slight bore and polish on that stock pipe and no spark arrestor. The thing runs away from that 660 like he's running an xr200. I rode the 660 and it is fast, it is smooth, and it would make a good all round bike. To be fair my sand 500 would make a totally crappy unrideable bike at anything other than a sand dune, the thing is stupid. All that said from what I have been told modding out a CR500 doesn't really change the HP numbers it just modifies the delivery. I just don't totally get it because if it is still 60horse the thing is way faster than the other 60hp bikes with my 300lb in gear butt on it. The thing was running on 450's on the steep hill with dudes who weigh half my weight, everyone who rode it thinks its scary except me.

I am out of Reno, for dunes I ride mostly a place called Sand Mountain, been to Glamis and Pismo once each and been to Dumont a few times. For dirt singletrack I ride right out of my garage the most but ride everywhere from California, Utah, Colorado, and I do a lot in Arizona each year and of Course Nevada. I like the nastiest singletrack I can find but I Ironmanned the Baja 500 so I don't mind a little fireroading as well. Snow I'm all Sierra's so far, have not been on a snow road trip yet. I have ridden with people at a lot of the passes here in CA/NV Sierras...the snow sure is fun.

I guess the short answer on this one is I live in Reno and I really like everything with a motor especially motorcycles and I have the worst brand loyalty ever. My current collection is 3 CR500's all use specific, 2 XR650's, IT465, DRZ250, BW200, CT70, vespa250, Z50, and a Harley Road King I put 100,000 plus miles on so far.

I love motorcycles.

rhino89523 · Oct 24, 2018

Misha Subo said:
Very keen to ride this weekend up in Muskoka. The snow is already there but it will melt so we're planning a 50KM loop - as long as the ground is not frozen we're going to keep dirt riding. It's the best time of year IMO!!!

Having said that, I'll be bringing the two Camsos back from the cabin, to the city, for their refit back onto the twin XCWs. Getting a new garage slab repoured next week with heated flooring. It's going to be the "garage-mahal" with new cabinets and benches so I can finally find my tools etc. Just bought a newer lathe and milling machine and sold the old stuff. A warm floor that we can wear socks on, double insulation on the garage door, thermal break around perimeter, couch, projector screen...wait, I'm getting off topic here but can hardly wait.:wine::wine::wine::wine::wine::wine::lips:

I built a 1200sqft garage a few years ago, I love it but wish I had gone bigger. My floor isn't heated but we don't get super cold, the building is heated and the door insulated as well as all the walls and it's finished out. I don't really have room for the couch because I have some workout equipment in there because I have the propensity to weigh about 1000lbs so I have to stay on it. I do have a nice big TV and a good system out there and I love it. I did the whole thing myself from the digging of the foundation to pouring the slab, all the framing, electrical roofing sheetrock...everything. Congrats, I have zero regret other than maybe making it twice the size. haha

2smokin · Oct 24, 2018

Norma Stitz said:
There’s roughly 30% less oxygen at 10k than at 1k so I suppose we can assume that the power loss would be following that ratio as well. That’s a big loss, but also figure in deeper snow and it may feel even worse by seat if the pants. That’s why we need that insane 100hp dirt bike engine that doesn’t have any logical application otherwise.

I would loveto see a nice small 100hp engine, somehow i feel like youll need a carbon fiber skid for your balls when the thing grenades though :face-icon-small-dis

2smokin · Oct 24, 2018

rhino89523 said:
My 500 would overheat when you were pulling hills hard and I would have to let it cool off, mostly spring snow where you are sitting on top of the snow, when it was powder and deep the motor turns into a big heat sink and it was no problem and ran fine. Now it works pretty much perfect with the tunnel cooler but I don't get quite enough spray off the track where I really need it on trail. I don't ride much trail if possible and last year if I had to do long trail stretches I would just pack the cooler on top. I either need to move the cooler forward or all the way to the back. I put it in between the rails on a timbersled and it's a little too centered. When You are ripping hills now it cools off, it works perfect everywhere but boring flat trails that are groomed even with the scratchers down....Hopefully we get a better winter than last year and I don't have to trail it much.

The motor on my buddies bike is all done up by Thumper Racing it held together great for 2 seasons as a Big bore 610 or whatever it was and now as a stroked 660 I don't think the reliability will be any different. I think it's like a 2015 or so...It's fuel injected and has some controller thing on there he is always talking about called a dobeck or something. I think it has a cam as well and it's piped w a header.....500 still stomps the doo doo out of it climbing in the dunes but I guess its got crazy HP and Torque and all that. Don't really get it because my CR500AF trail bike the motor is bone stock everything, Ignition, pipe, carb, reeds...everything. My sand bike is ported to run like a 125, has CR250 ignition, a Vforce 2 reed set up with a 50mm stand off plate, PWK39mm carb with a slight bore and polish on that stock pipe and no spark arrestor. The thing runs away from that 660 like he's running an xr200. I rode the 660 and it is fast, it is smooth, and it would make a good all round bike. To be fair my sand 500 would make a totally crappy unrideable bike at anything other than a sand dune, the thing is stupid. All that said from what I have been told modding out a CR500 doesn't really change the HP numbers it just modifies the delivery. I just don't totally get it because if it is still 60horse the thing is way faster than the other 60hp bikes with my 300lb in gear butt on it. The thing was running on 450's on the steep hill with dudes who weigh half my weight, everyone who rode it thinks its scary except me.

I am out of Reno, for dunes I ride mostly a place called Sand Mountain, been to Glamis and Pismo once each and been to Dumont a few times. For dirt singletrack I ride right out of my garage the most but ride everywhere from California, Utah, Colorado, and I do a lot in Arizona each year and of Course Nevada. I like the nastiest singletrack I can find but I Ironmanned the Baja 500 so I don't mind a little fireroading as well. Snow I'm all Sierra's so far, have not been on a snow road trip yet. I have ridden with people at a lot of the passes here in CA/NV Sierras...the snow sure is fun.

I guess the short answer on this one is I live in Reno and I really like everything with a motor especially motorcycles and I have the worst brand loyalty ever. My current collection is 3 CR500's all use specific, 2 XR650's, IT465, DRZ250, BW200, CT70, vespa250, Z50, and a Harley Road King I put 100,000 plus miles on so far.

I love motorcycles.

nice, I used to do my fair share of riding around you, we even cruised the dual sports all the way from truckee on the dirt roads to check out hot august nights once. The only thing i could think of that would have these high hp 4 strokes losing to you if you have less hp would be gearing. I guess maybe they have more trouble then you keeping it at peak hp. seems odd as the 4 strokes make pretty broad power but we all know when you let the throttle rip on a cr500 it finds peak hp real quick!

Ben 500RR-S · Nov 1, 2018

I'm going to put my "snowbike-handlebar" on my bike this upcoming weekend as it is getting cool/cold and having the heated grips and the G2 flag handguards I was using last winter will be the start of the conversion.

2smokin · Nov 1, 2018

Ben 500RR-S said:
I'm going to put my "snowbike-handlebar" on my bike this upcoming weekend as it is getting cool/cold and having the heated grips and the G2 flag handguards I was using last winter will be the start of the conversion.

What grips are you running, and how do you like them?

Ben 500RR-S · Nov 1, 2018

I got the Bikemaster heated grips and like them a lot. I got lucky last fall or early in the winter when I was building my snowbike and was able to buy 3 sets of my stock Beta handlebars(by Neken) for like $30 per bar as I had read that once the Bikemaster heated grips are on, they are on.

Install is easy, once the grips are beaten-on the bars and as there are 5 heating levels, the hottest gets hot, even with aluminum bars and temps down to -10 and wind-chill and all, as I had run all five levels of heat, they all worked perfectly to keep my hands nice and warm.

I'd buy them again if I ever needed to. Less than $60-cheap.

Ben 500RR-S · Nov 5, 2018

Step one of the conversion as begun.

The snowbike handlebars, with their heated grips have been installed along with the connections to the battery for the heated shield.

Just need to install the seal savers on the lower fork legs along with the front ski and the track and that is it.

Who else is psyched for SnowBike season to start?

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