Blackstar

I've been following. Amazing group of guys to take this on.

Trail report for March 28, 2023 is sponsored by The Fed Husky left the shop yesterday and groomed L101 to King Kirkland then continued North on A108 to Bourkes TM140 headed South on A108 to the Blanche River and cleaned up the West side of the A109 on the way back

I'm not riding the area but they do a post on Facebook every day saying which direction the groomer went. Trail report for March 25, 2023 is sponsored by Auld Reekie Lodge Husky left Bourkes yesterday and did a 1 way trip South on the A108 and parked at the shop TM140 did a 1 way trip from the shop in KL to Larder Lake yard via A110Q Trail report for March 26, 2023 is sponsored by Rolly’s Restaurant and Motel TM140 left the Larder Lake yard and groomed A110Q to the Quebec border and touched up the East side of A109 on the way back to the yard Trail report for March 27, 2023 is sponsored by Quality Inn TM140 left the Larder Lake yard and groomed A110Q to KL and cleaned up some local trails around town before parking at the shop.

Haha... Honestly you probably could. My buddy has a shop on a property that long haul live stock truckers work from. They have a building set up as a wash bay for the trucks and trailers. There is a whole big procedure that they have to adhere to so they avoid cross contamination. Cleaning, compose, containment tanks, wash, sanitize and sterilize. Those trailers are probably cleaner than my kitchen floor. 5 second rule still in use here......🤪 Puggz, I will ask if any would take a sled.

I've tried Uship in the past. Your best rates will be found by calling around and asking different trucking companies. As Coldfinger suggested with livestock haulers, you need to find a truck that goes west empty most of the time. Several years ago I needed a load hauled up from South Carolina. Uship quotes started at $3500, after a few days it was down to $2000 then after a week it was at $1500. I started calling local freight companies and found a company that would do it for $1200. Turned out they had a truck sitting in Georgia waiting for a load to bring back.

Empty trailers don't smell.

Haha. Too funny.

That was Mar 2007. I don't throw anything out.....lol

Well, as much as I should keep my mouth shut.....lol Its simple. You need to put people in charge of the groomer who are available at a moments notice and dedicated to building trails. And by people I mean there should be a team of trained groomer operators so that it can roll 24/7. But I do realize that even with the best plan it doesn't always work.

I agree. I'm seeing 4 strokes for sale with descriptions like "near new condition" or "Mint". Then I go looking for kms (which it seems very few put in the typed section, its often in the pictures) and they have 10k kms or more. Geees, it may be nice and shiny on the outside but there are parts that are going to need replacing no matter how well its been maintained.

No offense, but I wouldn't touch your 850 with 6000 kms in one season...... I want something with less than 1500kms/year. My 2015 Cat has 7000kms. I may just end up buying new.

I seen your ad. Very fair pricing. Ive been watching ads for a month. Also got a quote from the dealer. Some of these people are asking the same for a 2 year old sled as it is to buy new.

That sucks Soup.

My last 2 stroke, I paid $11k for it. Sold it 4 years later with 11k kms on it, no warranty, got $4500 and I was hard pressed to find a buyer. Not doing that again. I didn't want to keep it because I felt like I could no longer trust it to go on trips. Oh course, the next sled I bought was the 2010 1200 Doo and I melted that motor down into a pile of goo in less than 10k kms..... Sold the chassis for $3000 though.

I have zero interest in going back to 2-strokes. Don't want the oil or the worry when miles stack up. Hoping to ride this next sled more than the Cat.

Snowmobiling is about enjoyment. Its a hobby/pastime that's gives us some pleasure. All you need shouldn't be a part of that equation in my thinking. Its about want. My buddy and I both bought REV 600 Sports in 2003 and we rode together all the time. He says to me Wednesday, "You remember those? That was all we needed. They were plenty fast." I said "Ya, I remember we topped them out at 164 kph many times. That was it. All they had. And that was why I bought a 900 Fusion next. I didn't want a sled that I could find the limits of. " As it turned out the 900 Fusion was barely faster than the 600 Rev but that's besides the point.....lol And he bought a 2007 Blizzard 800 next. I had a ZR7000 for one year. I was so disappointed that it was slower than the 1200 Doo I had been riding that I traded it for the ZR9000. I'm happy with the 9000. I did put a trail tune in it but I didn't need it. ....lol But I understand why people go to 250-300 hp. Power is additive and if you can then why not?

That statement is why I'm having a hard time buying my next sled. I had a '15 MXZ-X 800 for a couple years while I owned the Cat and when I rode it I couldn't wait to get back on my Cat. I thought I'd like to get back on a 2 stroke but I found the lighter weight too twitchy. I like the more solid, planted feel of the Cat. Stability at speed. Everyone likes what they like. But often what we like is what we get comfortable with. I'm sure if I rode a 900 Gade for sometime I'd get to like it.

With my Cat, I've noticed that the engine gets hotter when you shut it off. If its really warm and you shut it down for 5 minutes then restart, it will be balky and studder until you get rolling as the temp sensor tries to shut the motor off.

My old Zuki twin turbo has a 39 litre tank. I guess that extra cylinder took away some tank space. Its like when Yamaha changed the Vector engine to EFI and bragged that it improved fuel mileage. Well it did except the tank lost 6 litres of capacity and the fuel range actually got shorter.

As WinderFab said, Skidoo speedo is way off. My buddy that was following me on the railbed Wednesday said "how faster were you going? I seen 82 on the display." I was doing 75 tops and pulling away from you....lol I watched a Snowtrax youtube video tonight and they said the same thing. And all manu's lie, just some more than others.. Begs the question, Why don't they use GPS driven speedos at this point? The tech is there. Its used on Seadoos. Because they don't want to deflate any egos....

Good deal.

whoaaa. I’m just a working grunt. Make my living with a shovel and a wheel barrow. And I got a woman in Florida and a child in my basement I’m supporting…lol The sled is sexy. No doubt. I looked at the specs and I’m a bit disappointed that this thing has a 33.6 litre fuel tank. Really? That has to put fuel range well under 200 kms. It needs a new gauge package and track options. Where are the smart shocks? Even with the disappointments, it’s still the best looking sled on snow, just like the red/white and Blue/white editions. I seen an ad where a dealer was offering these for $24500. That helps. I haven’t made the call to my dealer for a price quote. But in the end I think I’m going back to Doo and probably lightly used. I passed on a ‘22 Renegade X 900 R last week at $15500. 4800 kms was too high for my next ride. Another thought thrown in to the mix. My buddy who’s been riding my back up sleds for 12 years since getting out of the sport called today to say that ride yesterday has convinced him to get back in. He’s disgusted with the prices but he’s shopping…..lol He’s talking trips next winter since I won’t be working and neither will he. Could means big miles.

As the title says, I’ve lost my wallet and keys. Parked at the groomer shed on Hwy 10 this morning. Rode to Markdale then to the Homestead for lunch. After lunch I put my truck keys and wallet in my handlebar bag but didn’t close the zipper all the way. we ran north from the Homestead through the east of Durham over to Markdale then down the railbed to the truck without noticing. Sitting here waiting for my son to drive me the backup set from home. if anyone has any information on the wallet, please let me know. Ride was good at least…..lol

Its really got me thinking. I realize I probably have minutes to make a call. Tough to justify spending over $30k on a sled when I rode less than 500 kms this winter. Kinda made a deal with myself last week that if I put over 2000 kms on my Cat next winter then I could buy what I want....lol I assume this will be a one year only paint scheme. Decisions, decisions.