The Guys Ride: 1050 km of trail testing.

Like my riding buddies Hal and Kevin, I include my family in snowmobiling. However, one weekend each year we head out for what is known as "The Guys Ride". It is not a race nor a weekend of trail destruction, it is three to four days of long riding with few stops during the day. (Unless I decide to grab an interview with a trailside guest, or grab a coffee, or if Hal decides to talk to someone about every bolt and rivet on their sled.)

I was trail testing the 2009 Nytro XTX. You can sure spot the Yamaha fans on the trail when you ride this sled! Yes, that is the historic steamer RMS Seguin at the distant Gravenhurst pier.

Hal spent a lot of time on the CrossFire 800. It was a challenge on the tight trails but it was a blast in the open areas!

We met Wolfgang on Lake Couchiching, his Yamaha looks good and packs a little gift.

Now that's a nice little friend to take along with you on the lake.....he has surprised a few people with that little add on.

We met another Kevin at the OX Narrows, north of Minden. His sled has a FAST air suspension.

Can you say low-rider? Kevin was roughing it for us, it was -25 when I took video of him riding his sled.

Riding on fresh snow near Gravenhurst, WOW, it does not get any better then this!

Do I need to say anything here?

This swing bridge is on the Trent Severn near Sparrow Lake. I boat here in the summer with my family, and yes, it is a lot warmer in July.
"Trail 4" connects the Muskoka area to the Coldwater/Orillia area. What a GREAT little trail!

Along trail 4 we found some room to play like the locals do.

We gradually wound our way back to the Barrie area where it was time to sit and plan the last leg of our 1000+ km journey and head home. (sigh)

Fergus to Whitney and Back! 3 Days: 1000km

Phil Molto, Hal Armstrong and Kevin Maggs plan a ride each year. The goals. To ride farther and to ride on new trails on the OFSC system. Oh Yeah , the ride has to start in their hometown, Fergus, Ontario and end there.

This past weekend they left Fergus at 7:00 am, Friday  and headed towards Whitney , just outside of Algonquin Park.

The trio rode 400km the first day and made it to Whitney at noon on Saturday. Then we turned around and headed back home.

On the trip we had two new 09 Sleds to evaluate . The Nytro XTX and Arctic Cat Crossfire 800 SnoPro edition.

 I rode the Crossfire and was anxious to put this sled through its paces.I quickly found out that this sled is a deep snow , lake smoking ride. Top speed? Lets just say it will run with the best of them. Even sitting in deep slush, when you hit the throttle the 1.5" lug track hooks up and lifts the skis and just hauls. 

On the trail, I found the sled hard to turn and non-responsive. The long 141" deep lug track simply overpowers the front end.  When running through stutter bumps, the un-coupled rear suspension struggles and the rider pays for it.

Surprises?   How  about 13.5 mpg over the 1000km ride!  This from an 800cc motor. The fox Floats up front never faded on the rough trails, the telescopic steering post allows you to change from a sit down to standup riding position on the fly and the engine reverse is a long waited feature Cat riders have been waiting for.

The Crossfire chassis  is a great boon-docking sled and if you live up in cottage country and spend most of your time running lakes or live out west where your looking for a x-over  sled that is a capable in deep snow without having a full blown mtn. sled this just may be what the Dr. ordered.

CSRA Snow-X in Owen Sound

While Hal was test riding in central Muskoka, I was over at the Snow-X races in Owen Sound. (I was observing, not racing....I've been grounded.)

Pro riders on the start line for the Blair Morgan inspiration race. It is a fund raising race at every CSRA event, and all proceeds go to help Blair.

Lee Butler and his 7C inspiration helmet from Duluth.

Lee looking towards the distant track and grandstands.

Alongside the Monster Energy trailer is this fine example of Arctic Cat heritage.

Speaking of vintage, here is a vintage heat. Hey is that Mike Fenton on a 500 triple Centurion?

More vintage snow-x races will be held at some upcoming events. Check www.snowcross.com

Team Kodiak's Andrew Sloot on the throttle in the Pro-Open Final.

16 year old Dave Joanis won the Pro-Open final. Simply amazing! He is telling Royal Distributing boss John Mochrie all about the race while the cameras are snapping......

And what race weekend is not complete wtihout a real wedding taking place at the start/finish line? Mr and Mrs Farris tied the knot in front of the grandstand crowd. I am not sure if the entire crowd was invited to the dinner.......

Yamaha Nytro XTX

This past weekend I ran the Nytro XTX for 300km in -20C weather between Sprucedale and Moon River.The bottom end torque allows this sled to run right with the Crossfire 800 we also had on the trip. Only on the lakes does the Crossfire have the legs to outrun the Nytro.





This is the 144" version of the Nytro. The Nytro delivered 20 mpg all day and the the skidframe on this baby just soaks up the moguls. The rear portion of the skidframe is kicked up so on the trail the amount of track is similar to a 121" which makes it a little easier to handle the tight and twisties.






Trail conditions on the Seguin were awesome. If you have not been up north riding this year, the trip is well worth the drive. The cold weather this past weekend kept a lot of people home as the traffic was light.



The Moon River Bridge was our 1/2 point. We headed back to home to some good hot food and hot showers to warm up

Phil and Hal trail testing the F5 and Dragon.

Well, Hal and I finally got out for a ride together. Here are some pic's of us riding with friends while we test the Polaris Dragon 800 and the Cat F5.

When you ride with Hal he likes to visit with everybody he sees on the trail.
Hal visiting with friends on the trail....they want to ride.....but Hal wont' stop talking.......A nice trail to do carry out some "real trail" riding evaluations.
After some moguls we noticed the rear skid on the F5 was rebounding too quickly. While I am sitting here nice and warm at the PC, Hal is in his garage swapping out a failed shock for a new one.....Hal was raised in Fort Frances and does not feel the cold until it hits -40, right Hal?

The Dragon and the F5 go back to the "SGC/STV Stables" tomorrow. We will exchange them for a Yamaha XTX and a Cat Crossfire 800. We will be doing more "real trail" evaluations on those sleds as well.

Stay tuned!

Phil.

Getting the trails open again.

Well, the big rain put a damper on things, but the clubs are working hard to get things reopened.

Trails are once again opening in the Grey and Bruce counties (and many other areas as well), so I decided to give the Dragon 800 a trial run in that area. (I left some X-Country skis for Hal!)

The signs and maps are all in place, the groomers are out, now we just need a bit more snow to fill in a few thin spots......
Bush trails in the region had ample snow and were cleared of any fallen trees from a recent snowstorm. That made a lot of unexpected work for volunteers. THANKS VOLUNTEERS!

This was a safe spot to take a pic.

This was a good spot to do a 180 degree turn! This is why some trails will be closed for a little while yet....a few wet areas just don't want to freeze.
After a few hours on the trails, I took the 136" track for some boondocking action on my brother's 100+ acre farm........that was fun.....lots of fun.......too bad you missed out Hal........
Now that the trails are opening again, I am officially in a good mood....a VERY good mood!

Phil.

The Dragon 800 SB runs great on and off the trail. Running the fence lines is a great place to test the deep snow capability of a crossover sled. The wider belly pan on the SB provides additional flotation that the Dragon SP 121" version does not offer.





This is the business end of the Switchback. A 136" Ripsaw bridges the bumps from the 121" track length sleds and is one of the reasons Polaris chose to eliminate the LX version of the IQ for 2009. The fully coupled rear skid frame features Ryde FX HPG IFP shock on the front torque arm and a remote reservoir HPG rear shock.