New Sledder, New Sled....Tips, advice and opinions

[flying frenchman]

Enjoy your sled. you picked up your-self a good sled with good power and reliability. If I was to start over sledding I would do like you and get an excellent sled and learn to use it. Thers always something to look up to. Shocks,susp,longer track,A-arms etc.
You make the sled, anyone can own big power , but your the one who controls what it does. You'll learn fast, things to do and not to do.
Have fun.

 

[DieselDemon]

Thanks, I agree with you on this one. I don't want to go out and be a moron, I don't want to hurt anyone or myself or worse. I just want to go out with vets who know what to to know what not to do and really I just want to have fun.

 

[karmson]

I was new to sledding last year. I was trying to decide which sled to go with and how long of a track. I was told to go with a 163 track and learn to ride it. I was told the more riding you can do in a day and not be stuck the happier you will be at the end of the day. This I found to be true. I found it good to ask anyone that is willing to give advise on riding which most are more than happy to give. I spent times just watching and asking some of the guys that new how to climb those hill on what worked best,sometimes I found it helpful following a guy and copying his riding, how he handle his sled as he rode. I started on the smaller hills or mountains and have slowly worked my way up still not ready for a lot I see guys hitting and not sure I ever will be. I have always found one learns a lot better if one does something with someone who is more advance than them selves. I have found everyone that I have run across to be helpful and willing to help out in many ways. This is a great sport the people are great, the only thing that I wish is that I took up this sport years ago. Thanks.

 

[enis750]

Thanks, I agree with you on this one. I don't want to go out and be a moron, I don't want to hurt anyone or myself or worse. I just want to go out with vets who know what to to know what not to do and really I just want to have fun.

this is only half the battle, but your on the right track

I was new to sledding last year. I was trying to decide which sled to go with and how long of a track. I was told to go with a 163 track and learn to ride it. I was told the more riding you can do in a day and not be stuck the happier you will be at the end of the day. This I found to be true. I found it good to ask anyone that is willing to give advise on riding which most are more than happy to give. I spent times just watching and asking some of the guys that new how to climb those hill on what worked best,sometimes I found it helpful following a guy and copying his riding, how he handle his sled as he rode. I started on the smaller hills or mountains and have slowly worked my way up still not ready for a lot I see guys hitting and not sure I ever will be. I have always found one learns a lot better if one does something with someone who is more advance than them selves. I have found everyone that I have run across to be helpful and willing to help out in many ways. This is a great sport the people are great, the only thing that I wish is that I took up this sport years ago. Thanks.

lets go back to the OP's original post
hes going to head west maybe once this year???
so WHY ON EARTH would be need a 161 or larger track?
i have riden a 162 superchagred Apex MTN in the flatlands and it WAS BRUTAL
sure you can lift the skis to the moon but thats about it
my buddy spent the whole day messing with his sled and also burned through $135 of race fuel to boot
riding a big mountain sled in the flats IS NOT FUN AT ALL

and this particilar sled wasnt meant for the hills
its a shorty extended to a long track and boosted to sh*t
is a link to that sled

this is also something to consider in that sled OP - im sure w that much HP its running full or least a mix of AV/Race fuel
do you have any idea how expensive it is to run a machine like this in the flats OR the hills?

im sorry, but you do need to check your ego, plain and simple
you wont come out and say it, but i know your stoked on the "IDEA" of supercharged sled and all that HP and telling everyone how fast this thing is
as mentioned before, you will find yourself at the top of some hill (when you do get west) and NONE of your buddies will be able to get to you
good luck unsticking a sled that weighs over 600lbs by yourself

were not trying to bash you or your sled
trying to educate your ass on what will work for a newb

you said you have riden cats (M8's and such)
whats wrong with buying one of those and learning on that? (lemme guess...its not boosted????)
learn to ride it and ill bet it takes you everywhere you need to go

i rode a freaking Yamaha Phazer mountain last year at chritmas while visiting my cousin
guess what...it has 80, yes 80 HP and i was NEVER left behind riding it here in the flats in actually some DEEP snow for SK
the sled handles like a piece of crap and iced up so bad i was standing on a skating rink......but i had a BLAST on it
why? because i was sledding and that alone was awesome enough for me, after taking last year off
i just wanted to ride

it lifted the skis, i jumped ditches, did big pow turns and climbed mini hills just fine
would i take it west? not a chance in hell, but it was fine here

do you see what im getting at????

 

[underdog]

Still want a boosted yammy after all this advice you are getting? How about a turbo phazer? Would be much more practical..

sent from a phone

 

[powderpilot]

This thread is hilarious!!! Thanks for the morning chuckle. Maybe Strat should have asked for advice on which sled to buy first, then we could have seen some real bashing But at least he's asking for advice now...

First of all, welcome to the most addictive sport on the planet!!!!

My advice, now that you have a wicked machine that most of us are jealous of, watch and learn! If a group is going to be gracious enough to take you out (because most of us would look at a newb on a supercharged 650 lb machine as a huge liability), be considerate. Watch and listen for your first few rides out with the new group, so you don't prove them right about you being a liability. Learn how to dig out a sled, and be there to help others before you get yourself into situations where you are the one needing the help. Once you form a bond with a good crew, they will be there for you when you need it, but that won't come without putting in some blood, sweat, and tears, and proving yourself as a contributing member of the group. Just my .02

Enjoy that beast!!! Have fun and be safe!!!

 

[KatMan]

you need to put a monster sticker on it before you hit the mountains

 

[E to the v]

So you ride a 600, hope your happy w that. You dont have to dig the yamaha out so dont worry so much

 

[underdog]

So you ride a 600, hope your happy w that. You dont have to dig the yamaha out so dont worry so much

You really need to learn how to quote who you are talking to. Just a suggestion.

sent from a phone

 

[E to the v]

You really need to learn how to quote who you are talking to. Just a suggestion. sent from a phone

The guy w a 600. There was no room for my writing after his storybook of complaints. Turd

 

[powerclaw]

you will have more fun on a sled you can handle based on your experience and be safe then on a sled you think is cool or want to brag about.started on a 1995 yamaha 600 vmax and had a ton of fun and didn't know any different.

 

[Skinnykid]

Sounds like a sweet sled. Have fun and be careful! Once you learn your sled i'm sure you will enjoy it. It is very easy to get into a place you don't want to be with the new sleds but I am sure you will have no problem finding someone that will show you all the do's and dont's. After all, most of us didn't just up a go to the hills by ourselves, we had somone show us the way. JMO

 

[Barry Barton]

hope u have a good time great sled heavey yes but very reliable i've help pull a lot of other brands down the hill I drive a 2007 apex sc but i've been up their for 8 yrs and I just sc mine. Yes alot of guys are right u should start smaller and get some experience first but if your heart is set on the sled then use common sence and listen to the experienced riders. Try to get with a group who will have the pations to stay with u and keep u on some easy hills and not the real killers because that sled will go places u don't want to be so please start with small steps and u will love it if u take the big step u could hurt yourself or even worse u could hurt someone else. I was at the end of the world at the chapel when a kid ( praire rider) went of the end and helped get him out I don't think he's ever been back which is to bad he was a good guy but he had no experience and the dropoff was 550 feet so please be careful because the mountains are very very dagerous. I've heard to many horror storys and another one would not be good and even the guys that call u a idiot are the ones that care and those are the kind of peaple up their so like everyone has been saying just be careful and have fun . CHOW

 

[BC Sno-Ghost]

DO NOT GET A PHAZER!!!!!!! Turbo or otherwise! (POS!) I know...I couldn't get rid of mine fast enough! Get out a few times and see how it goes and then judge for yourself if you are gonna be Ok or not on your machine. You know your capabilities better than anyone so try it and see. Just make sure you're avy smart and with good guys to help you out.

 

[SidewaysInto3rd]

good thread !! here's my 2 cents

My first sled was a rev 800 (some said that was a bit much, but I disagree). My first ever motorcycle was a 750 katana, everyone said that is too much, but I disagree again.

Here's the main difference between learning to ride a sled and riding a liter bike or driving a modded diesel truck (yes, had one of them too)

The phrase: "when in doubt, throttle out" truly is the case when it comes to sledding. Quite often you need to grab a handful of throttle to make it go where you want it. This is NOT the case with your liter bike or your 5000 hp cummins.

Guess what's going to happen when your riding buddies tell you to pin it and pull the sled over to make it turn... well, you're going to find out the hard and painful way that your 240 hp and 600 lbs machine isn't something you want to be learning on. It's almost like learning how to ride a bull on the most vicious animal on the planet... most cases you do need to pin that throttle, and if you don't already know how to handle 240 hp on loose snow then there is no room for learning.

Hope you are a strong fella and a quick learner .. wish you all the best.

 

[v10rider]

C'mon, folks are so negative around here.........................what could possibly go wrong?

 

[KatMan]

Found this on amazon.com for you

[h=1]Monster Energy Sticker - Black in Color[/h]by monster
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews) |

(8)​

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Price: $2.49

 

[JaySimon]

Found this on amazon.com for you

[h=1]Monster Energy Sticker - Black in Color[/h]by monster
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews) |

(8)​

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Price: $2.49

He needs less HP and here you are trying to tack on an extra 5-10HP per sticker. Comon now people...

 

[shoppingcart111]

I dont get it, if you know what you want, why dont you get it? I drive a 3/4 ton diesel truck that is modded, and its my first truck and by what your saying is I should have bought a stock rear wheel drive ford ranger. Or my first bike is a GIXXER 750 supersport, should I ride a vespa, or a honda 125 instead? Just saying I believe if you have a respect for the equipment than why not go big? Just seems like a colossal waste of money buying 2 or 3 sleds to work up to a high horsepower one IMO.

Umm, there's no such thing.

 

[trench]

You picked a tough sled to learn on, good luck to you!!