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Reckon it's time to take it off the trailer

2K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  papawattz 
#1 ·
Drag, a whole 200 miles and change.

Learned a bunch this season, and although tis just the end of February and anything can happen, don't see me getting enough snow in Kalkaska to make it worthwhile. If they're riding up there, it's on dirt.

Time to get one of the big open class Hondas ready for a solo assault of the Michigan cross country cycle trail.

At least I'll be ready for next season
 
#3 ·
Trails here open officially for like 14 days. A hundred bucks down the drain for fees. When they were open it was more like a moto cross track with all the mud holes and open water. Got a whooping 23 miles. Won't be registering next year. Will take my chances with a fine first. Cheaper in the long run. I feel your pain guys! :sad
I think its time to move on to a new hobby. Getting worse here every year.
 
#4 ·
Not ready just yet to throw in the towel, but when we had snow, I couldn't get time. No snow, all kinds of time.

Btw, big thanks to you Jeff. Your help was much appreciated and made those 200 miles a hell of a lot better than they could've been. You're always welcome over my place to ride mate. Hopefully next season be better.

Cheers
 
#6 ·
I understand where you are coming from but I don't give up till trails are closed. I've packed it up for the year just to get dumped on by snow and had to take it and everything back out to go riding again.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
The thing is here, the ground never froze. There is water everywhere from previous snows melted, and even with the last 18" plus, they would not open the trails here, and now the grass is actually getting greener. So, with that in mind, its over. lol
 
#8 ·
Tcat The best thing about this hobby is it's actually fairly inexpensive so if I have to sit and look at my sleds for a year maybe two before I get to use them that's fine but always keep them just for the simple fact that it's just space right? And when we do get to use them they are a lot of fun. Are used to drag race and that is a very expensive hobby. Sleds are the closest thing that I can get to that feeling without investing my life savings into another her drag car
 
#9 · (Edited)
inexpensive sport??
WOW never heard them two words used to describe snowmobling LOL

lets see, two sleds here (won't include price but a few grand for the two)
125 bucks for PA trail permits, and rode 80 miles on ONE sled before trails were done, only open like 8 days the whole yr and the first 3 and last 3 were on dirt , so NOT worth riding

NY permits 100 bucks a sled with also joining a club there

rode about 320 mile sin NY
spent about 600 bucks on lodging there, about that in fuel ( 600) to get there and ride,
so thats about $1900 so far, add in insurance and the small things we all buy along the way, (food on trails and things)
and thats an easy 2 grand for about $ 5.00 a mile
add in depreciation on sleds, storage of them, up keep, NOT to mention there a HIGH wear and tear toy
also add in I totaled one of mine this winter, broke a trailer going to get it, and well, things cost even more LOL
lest add in the stress of WANTING to ride and having NO snow, having to drive 5-6+ hrs to even get to any and??


IMO Snowmobiling is FAR from an inexpensive sport/hobby

and don't know about you, but just sitting and looking at sleds isn';t as much fun to me as riding them!

STill love them when I do get to ride, but be honest its NOT a cheap sport by any means

NOW since I played with a lot of toys
if you want a FAST toy like a drag car, and want to have it without all them costs
get a super sport bike
get like a older Suzuki SV 1000,(as an example)
do a little mod work and its a cheap rocket ship., you can USE almost 7+ months out of the yrs,
way more practical than a sled to be honest, but when snow falls, that bike will SUCK, don't care how much you like looking at them HAHA
I have owned a bunch, so speak from experience!

nothing like having the right toy for the season !
 
#10 ·
Well, like anything else, it's only money. Never saw a hearse with a luggage rack followed by a brinks truck.....


Ya never know when the lake effect machine will fire up, but for the most part, calling it a season. Already ripped my 73 Suzuki around the property a couple days ago, and the misso informs me there was a heap of turkeys in the yard. To me, that means sled seasons over
 
#11 ·
Hey, how about a pic of that 73 Suzuki. I always liked those!
 
#13 ·
Some of you guys have my sympathy. It's a minimum 10 hour drive one way for me, and I have 3 trips in so far...should be one more in a week or so...then maybe another at the end of March if mother nature cooperates.

Agree with the not having much money invested thought...one of my sleds was free, have about 500.00 in each of 3 other sleds, about 2500.00 in the Tcat, and the Z1....that's a different story. Gas prices being closer to "normal" helps a lot with the driving I have to do.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I think I got it here. The 73 Zuk RV125.

Tires for these are hard to come by, so I borrowed a piece of 9" round aluminum and made a spacer to put a rear wheel on the front. They make all kinds of 12" ATV tires, no 14s. A little lathe work and basic machining, wellah...... Damn thing is road rego too.....good for putting to the beer store
 

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#15 ·
Man, that's in nice shape. I like the rear rack on it too. Thanks for the pic. thumbguythumbguy
 
#19 ·
Mrbb I have 5 sleds with less than 6000 invested. Granted only one is newer. That said I still can't touch a rzr. I leave them at the house and get on them and ride. I take them to a lot of trails in Illinois where I don't have to pay club fees. Just the 30/3year sticker. I guess I'm just not into it like some. But I try to ride 1000 miles plus when we have snow. I have been blessed with low maintenance sleds. I come from a family of racers and I have seen $4000 in tires gone in a weekend. So compared to that yes (in my opinion) is is a fairly cheap sport. I have wanted a rzr for sometime but I can't even get close to one w/o my wallet catching fire.
 
#21 ·
well I am sure there NOT all new sleds then
and with that, I am also sure many other toys when bought in older models , its still a cheaper venture to play in

as you pointed out look at a UTV like a RZR
local shop has one on showroom floor for just $28,000.00 and change

if you buy that a sled looks cheap I GUESS??
but top shelf sleds are what 17-18k??
NOT cheap in wallet!

all hobby's can be costly

but to me sledding is far from cheap, due to your so dependent on SNOW and where IF it comes at all, its a SHORT season when it does come for MOST of us
so the amount of use you get for the price , isn't what many other things get you

I've owned a ton of motorcycles, from stock to high mod rides
raced from about the early 80's till about 2010 when I ran my last race on them

I've bought bikes from cheap a to costly
BUT I seem to get MUCH more use out of them, (some yrs back I had with full blown heavy studded tires for winter use)
so bang for buck goes way up as to a sled, and in return a cheaper sport/hobby due to more use

some of my worked up kx500, made some CRAZY Hp, as did my GSX1000's or my track bikes
and from almost stock bikes got cheap, to again $$ into them
getting 7-8 months of use over a sleds, in MY area, MAYBE 1,000 mile a yr IF your LUCKY
last 2 yrs less than 500 between the 2 !

I love sleds always have, sine the first one I SEEN being rode near my house

but again, in the BIG picture, sleds are NOT a cheap toy to own, ride, and keep in good reliable condition
" as to other things"
 
#24 ·
well I am not sensitive so??
and I replied based on yrs of being in this sport
I wouldn;t want new guys to read and BUY a sled thinking its a cheap sport when its NOT!~

what's cheap to you and what's cheap to me I guess are just different things!
NO need to be sorry
we all have our own views!
 
#27 · (Edited)
200 miles, what?



Man, how did you only get 200 miles put on this season? I swear every time I passed through Kalkaska, you guys (and Mancelona) seem to have at least a foot more than anyone else in the lower peninsula! :eek My home away from home is in the Pellston / Harbor Springs area and I've been passing through your town on the way up for the last 5 years now, and it always seems you guys always get dumped on with at least a foot more than in the Pellston AreaI dunno Was the 200 miles the whole season or one trip?? Did I misread that? one of these years I want to ride in your area, seems like a lot of sledders go there. I pretty much wrote off the rest of the winter, My last 2 planned trips I had to cancel because of lack of snow :sad I summerized my sleds and put them up, depressing. Hopefully next season will be better!
 
#28 ·
Man, how did you only get 200 miles put on this season? I swear every time I passed through Kalkaska, you guys (and Mancelona) seem to have at least a foot more than anyone else in the lower peninsula! :eek My home away from home is in the Pellston / Harbor Springs area and I've been passing through your town on the way up for the last 5 years now, and it always seems you guys always get dumped on with at least a foot more than in the Pellston AreaI dunno Was the 200 miles the whole season or one trip?? Did I misread that? one of these years I want to ride in your area, seems like a lot of sledders go there. I pretty much wrote off the rest of the winter, My last 2 planned trips I had to cancel because of lack of snow :sad I summerized my sleds and put them up, depressing. Hopefully next season will be better!

A case of not being able to get away when it was good, and having all kinds of time when it was marginal at best Papa.
Yea, they get a ton of people over my way, and it can get quite rough. Grand traverse, the 5 and 55 trails, don't see as much traffic as Kalkaska, as there isn't really anyway to get anywhere else from there unless you're familiar with the MCCCT. But it isn't a bad 75 mile loop, and they keep it well groomed. PM me next yr, I'm a loner usually, always looking for peeps to ride with.

Cheers
 
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