Motorfist contest thread for Weds, August 1.

95 XLT trailing arms

My first sled was a 95 XLT. I think it was the second time I rode it I broke a trailing arm. We tied it up with some metal wire and rode it out. I broke so many trailing arms on that thing, it made me learn how to ride on one ski.

We dropped into a really nasty bowl with only one way out, back up the steep chute we came down. My buddies modded 800 Cat melted a hole in one of it's pistons. We pulled the motor, hauled it out, rebuilt it and hauled it back in. We couldn't get back to it for a week (work is soooo overrated). We had a heck of a time finding it, it was under about 4 ft of fresh. Installed motor and road rest of day in some epic pow.

We were riding in Fernie last year, a fair ways back into the notch, in early january. The snow conditions were ok but there was still landmines around. I was just going into a side hill along a creek and whaamy flew over the bars about 30 feet. Twisted up both a arms and the tie rod, which made the spindle tilt forward so the ski wanted to nose dive. First I attempted to ride out on one ski, which didnt go to well cause the other ski kept catching underneath and over the bars I would go again ( tried this about 6 times) after that we fabbed up a wood splint for the lower a arm, got some rope and a small ratchet strap and we manged to get the a arms, shock and spindle held together and ski held in a straight position. The bolt on the lower a arm to spindle had snapped off at the threads on impact, but we managed to get the end of it back in slightly just to tie everything together. It managed to hold together for the 35 mile ride back out at about 5 mph with no steering. Here is a few pics.




Managed to get all the parts i needed minus a steering post and got it back in shape that night in the trailer and rode the next 2 days.

I don't have any pics but some old friends and I were on a poker run and one caught a trailing arm on a broken fence post and broke it in half. Not having a tow rope we ended up having to cut a 3" dia. branch and securing it to the two broken pieces. We ended up using a bootlace, every single zip tie we had and an tire roll of duct tape. The image was quite comical but it actually held up good enough to finish the ride. Suprisingly.

Ok back in the DAY i had one of those cursed psi 990 motors with out really getting into that whole thing ,i was way back in the mtns with 2 friends. It was a place i had never been. I blew a water pump belt you know those flimsy little ones on the old polaris bb had well i had a spare and put it on we kept going further back in there dropped in to a huge hole and BAM it blows again .
This time i have no spare and a storm is coming in were trying to decide what to do all the other riders were leaving i told my 2 buddys to go out and get a belt and come back they reluctantly agreed and left it started to snow 30 mins later and was stacking up i knew i could not ride up out of there with no pump so i had both wp blts that were broke and started sewing(i was not sure if my buddys were going to be able to see to get back in there) I sewed with some small diameter wire going further back on the belt each time then the duct tape came out.This was my first attempt.

Only made it a third of the way when it went down so i had one more to try same thing wire and duct tape this one got me up out of there.

funny that i kept these but i keep stuff like that it's all hanging on the wall .

No pics, this was back before the video generation. Years ago (~1995) I got a phone call that a group of locals was going over the glaciers to Eureaka Lodge and back. As it was my work week I called in sick. We all met up at the neighbors house and rode from there. I was on my '94 storm I had just finished customizing with a 2" Kimpex Big Horn, a full Northern Lights Front suspension and thier aluminum/ceramic brake set up as well as their chromoly steer post and aluminum/ceramic mountain bars. Engine was massaged by SLP for competition hillclimbing. I had the Pro-TI titanium rods on the crank and the crank was lightened nearly three pounds as a result. The sled flat out rocked, with increadable acceleration. As the first half of the ride was familure territory being my backyard so to speak, I broke trail with my newly created monster machine. Across the Glaicier Stream Flats, onto the Valdez Glacier, thru it's three major crevis fields, up the head wall, down to Klutina Lake, hang a hard left and start up the Stevens river valley to the foot of the Stevens glacier. I had made it most of the way up the glacier when I noticed a few chutes to kill some time on while the others caught up. As the Storm engine was thirsty, I had an extra 5 on the tunnel and two 2 1/2's wedged in the foot wells, one in each. I pointed the Old girl at the first chute and high marked it without incident. The second one was a bit trickier, a rock band to the right forcing me to make an off camber left at the top. In hind sight I should have left the ten gallons of extra fuel at the bottom but I was young and confident in my skills. I head up and all is going well, carving the line I had chosen and I get to where I need to start the off camber left turnout. With my skinny little *** hanging as far off the sled as I can it is still going right! My high dollar mod is going to go over the sharp shale rock band and there isn't a damn thing I can do to avoid it! I pick my moment to let the sled ghost ride across the band and hope I can self arrest before going across the rock and myself. I get stopped right at the leading edge with only minor hydraulic leaks (bleeding). And watch my baby get cut up and flung violently as each ski catches on the sharp rocks. The sled makes it over and yard sales the rest of the way down to where the rest of the group has gathered to spectate, argh! Twenty witnesses damn it! I make my way down to the sled and survey the damage, one leaking gas can, tie rod on the right, spindle on the left, some radius rod damage but it will get me home. Get the tools out, swap the good spindle to the side with the tie rod, take off the right ski, rip the skid plate off and tie it under whats left of the spindle on the right side. Pour the rest of the leaking gas can in the tank. Ready to ride, two guys on Arctic cats show up that are just sight seeing and decide to follow me back in case there are other issues. We are fifty miles from anywhere and helicopter is the only other viable option. I take off trying to favor the good left front, they are doing their best to keep up but they are falling behind. I get about ten miles from home when the rear hiem joint for the right trailing arm fails causing the radius rods to bend the shock shaft. I take the extra parachute cord and secure the trailing arm forward to the bumper and tie off the rear so it doesn't puncture the tub just as the two guys catch up. I give them the thumbs up and continue on home. Installed my spare set of parts and was ready to catch them at Eureaka for the ride back but it was dark by then. People still talk about it to this day over the neighborhood bonfires! Awesome memories for all!

PS: My boss was pissed because he had heard there was a group going and had considered taking the day off also, so when he heard the phone message he was instantly suspicious that I was faking sick to ride! He got over it and we laugh about it now.

It was mid December of last year and my buddy and I who live in Omaha, NE planned to head out to Laramie late that night. First trip out and all excited, we finally left town around 9pm at night. Made a check list of everything we needed as we always do before each trip and started on our way.

Just before Cheyenne we stopped and got fuel at about 4am, walked around the trailer and noticed a low tire. Put some air into it and took off again. Just past Cheyenne the tire blew and pulled over at an off ramp. Went to go get the jack stand and 4 way, took the blown tire off and realized all we had was another tire and it was not mounted on the rim.

After calling every place we could think of for help, we decided to take the blown tire off the rim and replace it with the new one. With a carpet knife, multiple screw drivers, and 4 letter worlds we got the tire off the rim. Then we had to put the tire on the rim and bead it so it could hold air. We finally got it on and filled it with our air compressor and on the way we went. We arrived at the top of the mountain around 8am and rode until dark, being up for almost 30some hours it was a good laugh at the bar.

All this was done at 10deg blowing snow miserable weather, but our vision of shredding fresh powder kept us going. We not only mounted the tire and wheel, but it held air all the way back to Omaha after 4days of riding.

Truly a moment I won’t forget and will appreciate the rest of my life.

Last week in March 2012.

I went mountain riding for the first time in my life. At the Snowy Mt range. I went with a friend who has plenty of experience. I was riding his back-up sled. A 2002 RMK. My buddy is about 75 lbs lighter than me.

Anyway, the first time I went to pull the sled over, I broke the steering stem. First day out, and I break somebody elses stuff. Great. I have always been a trail rider in the midwest, so if we break something, we just send somebody for the truck and trailer. HAHA, obviously this doesnt work out west. Luckily, he has experience fixing stuff out in the snow.

He started gathering tree limbs. Im like what??? After he has a bunch, he whips out the fix'all for everything, DUCTAPE! We duct taped the branches to the 2 halves of the steering stem. And let me tell ya, we used ALOT of duct tape. Got it all secured the best we could, and started making our way back. While it wasnt ideal, it did the trick. We were able to limp it back and weld it up. We did use a pocket knife to cut the duct tape off.

You cant get any more MacGyver than duct tape and a pocket knife, to save yourself....lol


BTW I did buy new Motorfist gear, jacket and pants, just for that trip at the dealer in Laramie, WY.

Sorry, I didnt take any pics. I really wished I would have though. It was the funniest, most ridiculous thing I have ever experienced snowmobiling!

not the best but gotta try

Buddy popped his dragon on a day of fresh and early season snow with no base. Started towing him with some mule tape that someone else had but it kept breaking and we kept getting stuck. Put a snobungie on the bumper and looped the mule tape through it and smooth sailing the last five miles.

Different time I re welded a trailing arm bracket that mounts the radius rods with some eutectic 680 worked great. But didn't look at the other side, well that broke 20 miles deep same way as the other side. Had a letherman scouted around and found some barb wire fence in an easily repairable spot next to a road in the wide open. Broke the letherman trying to get a piece of wire. Managed to break a piece off to tie the rods back on the trailing arm. Had to re tie it a few times but management d to one ski it out out the 20 miles.

Watched a guy zip tie his blown track together this year but definitely can't clam it haha

Our group is all Ski-Doo....they don't break down and will destroy anything in their path so I don't have a story. :face-icon-small-win


Here's a picture anyway.

i know of 1 doo.



4 people.2 sleds.10 miles from the truck and my bro goes out solo on a new doo and forgets to push in the decompression button and melts a new piston like fried eggs on a hot skillet.dad threatens to take off his belt and beat his azz for being a dumbo and then threatens to belt my azz for laughing at my bro getting in trouble.LOL. anyway,the skis come off and get turned around and handlebars get tied straight so they dont get caught in track.then its pic time.it kinda looks like bro is staring at moms rear end but its dad saying...look forward and say cheese.we made it back.the end.

I had to use ski-doo bolts from an xp to fix my nytro to get it home. All my rivets broke holding the rear drop brackets in my tunnel. So we pulled the sway bar off an xp and used those bolts and bent some allen wrenches in the holes so we could ride out of the back country.

Broken rear wheels and rails punched thru track.

I was on a Colorado Snowmobile Association Convention group trail ride outside of Walden. It was a beautiful blue bird day after some recent dumps. 3/4 of the way thru a somewhat boring trail ride with the wife and the board members of CSA, I spied this pristine beaver pond and creek area and an untracked hillside of freshness on the other side.
After being restrained to the trails all morning we were a little pent up. A few friends and I proceeded to tear up the entire area and rejoice in the goodness.
I was wrapping up my fun by hammering in and out of the creek bed as only a turbo sled truly can. On one of these runs thru the creek I launched vertically out of the creek into what looked like 2 feet of powder. Turns out there was a big flat table of a rock just under the surface of the pow. I was instantly ejected and launched off the sled.
I got up, rolled the sled over, hopped back on and hit the throttle. Instantly I was surprised by a cloud of black smoke and the smell of burning rubber.
Hmmm brake's not on, the track wouldn't spin. Flipped the sled onto it's side to find I had broken both rear wheels and jammed the rails straight thru the Camoplast 156x2.5 track.

Macgyver mode: I loosened up the rear axel and suspension to get the track loose. Still wouldn't roll. My friends and I dragged that heavy beast over to some packed snow and proceded to ratchet strap the track, rails and suspension to the VanAmberg tunnel. Then we lifted the entire back of the sled onto the back of a Skidoo XP and cam straped the track and tunnel to the XP. I rode out on the towed Yamaha backwards much to the delight of the board members of CSA.
HC

we were out riding early season broke off an a-arm

had to cut off a tree branch, and de-limb it to tie the skis together, first tried black tape but ran out, then tried piece of recoil rope wasn't long enough, ended up using bailing wire, finally after a combo of tape, rope, and wire we were able to pull the sled a grueling 25 miles back to the trailer. now i always carry lots of wire, lots of rope and lots and lots of tape. was a huge pain in the azzz. we didn't get home until after midnite that day. this happened to me story #2 happened to a buddy. 07 m1000

#2, about 20 miles back in the mtns a buddy hit a stump square on with his 05 m7 and broke the jackshaft, so we had to remove the jackshaft, remove the track and pull it back on the highfax 20 miles back to the trailer took forever, sled didn't track to well. up canyon creek

Last March was riding a good powder day till I hit a buried stump and it busted both a arms on the right side, the tie rod was bent, shock and steering post bent...tied a strap on the front of the spindle to pull forward and another to pull towards the back and rode out the 15 miles to the truck...

Well i made it...


Ha ha I going to WIN!!


Well this goes Back to my first Snowmobile...

1971 Ski Doo TNT 440! I was 12!

So.. First day i got it there was roughly a foot of snow on the ground that day it was an Amazing first Real Ride on my OWN sled! I was Happy! Parked it in the garage and went inside, Next Morning i was so Ready to going riding!

So i got on all my gear and went out to the shop.. Fired it right up! BUT, i was grinning from ear to ear, AS, it had gotten LOUDER over night FREE MOD, i couldn't of been happier! Kid with a PIPED sled! O yes Please! So with that, i pulled out of the shop, up the road to my best friends house nate, he go his Cheeta out and we carryed on out of town for a day of FUN! We had a blast.. Till his sled broke down, ( left sled in road ditch) Two uping it back in to town, Just about in to town as my sled ran out of gas! GRR, walk in to town to the local truck shop ask for a gallon a gas for my sled. O sure i'll help ya out, So we got the gas and went back to the sled, Fired the sled up and took the gas can back. Low and be hold the sled is running Faster, crisper, louder, as now pushed 10pm.. PITCH DARK! Not wanting to take the trail home, Frezzing by now, We go right to the Snow covered Road! ( ops) Flyinh down the road at 60 MPH on this 1971 Ski doo TNT, Now remember it was a little louder in the begin of this day, well we are going to find out why~ As i make the last cornor to my road Trigger to the Bar mind you, all i remember and Bang! the Engine locked up, and the sled going in to a spin, Engine locked up the belt, as did the track, Hmm Holding on for dear life, sled coming around once, twice, and the third time it didn't get around all the way we plowed in to the snow bank!




HMMMM... why did it get LOUDER the second day??

Well if you know anything about the ski doo's (old ones) the Exhaust came out at the Center of the TRACK! well the day before i as riding and a HUGE ICE block over night had formed and blocked the exhaust off from getting out of the sled, This in turn putting all the heat back on to the main bearings.... Which they took the heat from it all DAY!... But when the gas was added just outside of town, it was JUST GAS NO OIL.. OPS!

First sled Twop rides.. Cost me $140!!

If it moves LUBE IT!!!

Smacked a tree stump hidden under powder last March on my Pro...broke both right side a arms, bent shock, tierod and steering post. Put tie down (borrowed from somebody riding by parked by us) on front of spindle to bumper to hold forward and rode it 15 miles out...



Here is what the a arms looked like when I took them off...