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Finally, a Snowbike Exhaust Cooker! (And complete custom CVT bike)

egesledder

Well-known member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2009
222
213
43
West of Boulder, Colorado
Its the number one problem with snow bikes, no place to warm your frozen convenience store burrito or that glorious cuisine they call "hot pockets". I decided I couldn't live without it anymore, so I built myself a backcountry snow bike cooker.

While I was at it, I figured why not have twice as much power, CVT, custom geometry, e-start, reverse, and a seat heater to warm the taint.

Here's the cooker, in all its glory:

31924203026_d54ad749e4_h.jpg



I built the whole bike in CAD, then got to work making the real thing. Its all thin wall 4130 tube minus a Yamaha YZ250F head tube and is impressively light and stiff:

29728983931_251a5ac32c_h.jpg


Made my own 2-stroke pipe from scratch. I measured and re-created the stock pipe in CAD to get all the diameters, lengths, and angles correct and then used that data to create my own pipe layout with 42 different cone sections. These were cut out on the water jet, rolled together, and welded.


31121499764_b73717b84f_h.jpg


31961401835_7a402442d3_h.jpg


More Pics:

31728838251_f30074ebb8_h.jpg


31807365876_d203808451_h.jpg


31472273810_4fb7382e99_h.jpg


And a finished pic:

31151749253_350a825aa7_h.jpg



Ready to load up and head out for a test ride!!:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNF0EdUwNp8



Hopefully I'll have a test ride video in the next few days
 
Last edited:

KMMAC

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Feb 7, 2008
1,461
207
63
Mount Vernon, WA
Nice

Its the number one problem with snow bikes, no place to warm your frozen convenience store burrito or that glorious cuisine they call "hot pockets". I decided I couldn't live without it anymore, so I built myself a backcountry snow bike cooker.

While I was at it, I figured why not have twice as much power, CVT, custom geometry, e-start, reverse, and a seat heater to warm the taint.

Here's the cooker, in all its glory:

31924203026_d54ad749e4_h.jpg



I built the whole bike in CAD, then got to work making the real thing. Its all thin wall 4130 tube minus a Yamaha YZ250F head tube and is impressively light and stiff:

29728983931_251a5ac32c_h.jpg


Made my own 2-stroke pipe from scratch. I measured and re-created the stock pipe in CAD to get all the diameters, lengths, and angles correct and then used that data to create my own pipe layout with 42 different cone sections. These were cut out on the water jet, rolled together, and welded.


31121499764_b73717b84f_h.jpg


31961401835_7a402442d3_h.jpg


More Pics:

31728838251_f30074ebb8_h.jpg


31807365876_d203808451_h.jpg


31472273810_4fb7382e99_h.jpg


And a finished pic:

31151749253_350a825aa7_h.jpg



Ready to load up and head out for a test ride!!:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNF0EdUwNp8



Hopefully I'll have a test ride video in the next few days

A prime example of someone who sees the future of this sport...
 

d1100t

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Nov 30, 2011
1,814
400
83
Saskatchewan Canada
Wow

Awesome job.
I wonder what's taken the factories so long to build this type of snowbike.
It's what I'm waiting for.
Thanks for sharing your build with us.
 

Merlin

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Oct 7, 2004
1,183
300
83
Medicine Hat, AB
Nice job!

Sure interested in seeing how your machine performs as well as Sheetmetalfab's.

Both show some real promise! :yo:



Its the number one problem with snow bikes, no place to warm your frozen convenience store burrito or that glorious cuisine they call "hot pockets". I decided I couldn't live without it anymore, so I built myself a backcountry snow bike cooker.

While I was at it, I figured why not have twice as much power, CVT, custom geometry, e-start, reverse, and a seat heater to warm the taint.

Here's the cooker, in all its glory:

Ready to load up and head out for a test ride!!:

Hopefully I'll have a test ride video in the next few days
 

egesledder

Well-known member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2009
222
213
43
West of Boulder, Colorado
Well, the first test ride is complete. Nothing broke and it rides pretty great. There are a few things that could be improved like clutching, fork, and a few other little things, but nothing major. We weighed it before heading out, full of fuel and ready to ride it was 394lbs. Definitely heavier that I was expecting, but the weight seems to be in the right place and you can't feel it that much while riding it. The next version will be lighter.

E-start and reverse are awesome. Wide seat and butt warmer are great. Motor is super smooth compared to any single cylinder snow bike I've ridden. It handles pretty close to how a normal snow bike does, but different just due to more rotating mass. Either way, I could ride this thing all day, the power is addicting and the CVT makes it super easy to ride. I was still able to thread it through the steepest and tightest trees that you can fit a bike through. One comment from a guy who was fairly new to snow bikes thought it was just easier to ride than his KTM 500, just because of the CVT and knowing the power was there to pull you out of any situation.



31919235222_c49cf0f076_h.jpg



And a quick ride video. Oh, and yea, the exhaust sounds excellent!


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gEZVAZgHlfA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://youtu.be/gEZVAZgHlfA
 

KMMAC

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Feb 7, 2008
1,461
207
63
Mount Vernon, WA
Keep up the great work! Will the narrower track be enough? I kind of thought a slightly narrower 2.6 powerclaw
track in the 141" length would be a good match for that kind of power.
I love this stuff!!!!
 

egesledder

Well-known member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2009
222
213
43
West of Boulder, Colorado
Keep up the great work! Will the narrower track be enough? I kind of thought a slightly narrower 2.6 powerclaw
track in the 141" length would be a good match for that kind of power.
I love this stuff!!!!

I think this track length will be plenty, especially with the 2.5" track. It feels pretty long as it is, so the next one might be a short track version. With the power, you can get crazy track speeds in the deeper snow, so its not really needing MORE track length. I'll have to report back after a 2'+ day and let you know if my opinion has changed, haha.
 
K
Jan 2, 2016
19
11
3
I like your setup very much.
Compact and solid looking "bike".

How does the weight distiribution compare to normal conversion kit?
Bigger motor higher on the back and more power = never stopping "wheelie" monster? :face-icon-small-hap

Would it make sense if track and driveshaft could move forward then it would be possible to use longer track to help with floatation at slow speeds without losing agility or making the whole ride longer.
 

roo

Active member
Premium Member
May 12, 2008
295
39
28
sedro woolley WA
Probably around 5 gallons. That 2 gallon Rotopax will be swapped out for the 3 gallon one soon.

394# - 31# of fuel = 363#
(5 gallons @ 6.2 #s/gallon)
You should be stoked!!!!

What are you 70ish#s heavier than a bike conversion with close to double the h.p.?

There has got to be a minumum weight limit (without using exotic material, carbon fiber, titanium etc.) Where you will start to sacrifice strength. Really curios to see how light this type of build can get.......363#s is sweet, nice work!

Time to start hucking this thing and see if you can break it in half!!!!!!!
 

Sheetmetalfab

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Oct 5, 2010
7,902
6,639
113
……..
Well, the first test ride is complete. Nothing broke and it rides pretty great. There are a few things that could be improved like clutching, fork, and a few other little things, but nothing major. We weighed it before heading out, full of fuel and ready to ride it was 394lbs. Definitely heavier that I was expecting, but the weight seems to be in the right place and you can't feel it that much while riding it. The next version will be lighter.

E-start and reverse are awesome. Wide seat and butt warmer are great. Motor is super smooth compared to any single cylinder snow bike I've ridden. It handles pretty close to how a normal snow bike does, but different just due to more rotating mass. Either way, I could ride this thing all day, the power is addicting and the CVT makes it super easy to ride. I was still able to thread it through the steepest and tightest trees that you can fit a bike through. One comment from a guy who was fairly new to snow bikes thought it was just easier to ride than his KTM 500, just because of the CVT and knowing the power was there to pull you out of any situation.



31919235222_c49cf0f076_h.jpg



And a quick ride video. Oh, and yea, the exhaust sounds excellent!


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gEZVAZgHlfA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://youtu.be/gEZVAZgHlfA

Hook up a tach?
Sounds low on rpm.

Time to get that thing in the deep!

Is it a 600?
 

egesledder

Well-known member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2009
222
213
43
West of Boulder, Colorado
Hook up a tach?
Sounds low on rpm.

Time to get that thing in the deep!

Is it a 600?


Yep, after looking at the clutches, they're only shifting half way out and they're definitely upshifting too fast based on the riding I did. Something isn't right in there, but I've got a full clutch kit coming for it and all new bushings for everything.

And yea, its a 600HO motor with a fresh top end, so it should pull quite a bit harder than it is right now with proper clutching.

Colorado is getting hammered between now and this weekend, so deep snow is coming!
 
J
Sep 24, 2015
1
0
1
Size of tubing?

I'm curious; what diameter and wall thickness was the chromoly you used to build your tube frame?

Very nice build.
 
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