95rxl650

Long shot that needs to be explored for sure. It'll be a long time coming at a competitive level if ever. Research and development I'm afraid will eat up any potential for it to be competitive any time soon. EV's themselves have a long way to go before they are ever more than a grocery getter. But, better to have light at the end of the tunnel than not.

Home depot yesterday. Purchased 3 pcs of non vented soffit, 3 2x4's and 4 interior use electrical boxes with switches/plugs. $167 Even basic home maintenance costs are getting out of hand. If I had to hire the corresponding contractors at a minimum of $100 per hour plus service call/consultation fee's it would easily be $1000. And that is a conservative estimate. Our kids dont stand a chance if they dont have family that can afford to invest in their futures.

I notice a few old sleds out with no pass but not anyone with money invested. Good to know not all hope is lost. I mainly ride through the week as the trails get groomed and if I ride weekends it's generally well after dark. I've always liked night riding. The days of snowmobiling being like the wild west are long gone and I guess the appeal of lawless freedom has gone also. We used to ride like a pack of wild banshee's exclusively at night. This offered the safety of headlights in the bush and blind corners giving us time to slow down and ride accordingly. I freely admit that I am not a good example of how one should ride on public trails. I'm still a ditch banger at heart but lacking the strength I once had. I learned that the hard way while jumping a road first ride out this year. Stiff and sore for awhile but in hind sight, lucky to be in one piece. As I said to my wife...it was my warning shot across the bow.

In my opinion, snowmobiling and boating have become victims of the times we live in. There was a time when taking a walk around town meant you had time to spare. It was social. Now it seems, folks rarely speak to one another or even smile and make eye contact. I stopped a couple times this past season where a group had pulled off the trail and was met with a feeling of intrusion and mistrust. Made me want to rooster them on exit. There used to places on the shorelines where boaters gathered and snowmobile clubhouses were parking lots. We used to make a point of stopping at all our local club shacks to socialize and I still do just out of habit, but rarely do I see a single sled. Not saying it's like that everywhere or all the time, but something is missing. I also notice the young guys that started out riding got married, mortgaged and made a family, have left all toys behind. I have to wonder if snowmobiling will still be around as they become a mature family and financially able to pick it up again. My kids all have young families and old sleds kicking around but have no desire to invest $$ in it.

And the morality to make it happen. It's a list that keeps getting shorter the older I get.

My personal feedback: We have introduced quite a few people to the sport with family oriented parties when the weather has been suitable. Everyone loved getting out, but most say their internet research says it is a dying and expensive sport with limited access. Most would rather invest in summer recreation. A few have already invested in camping or fish/ski boats. These folks are mainly locals that just want to be able to enjoy the outdoors with family on weekends without having to plan trips well in advance or rely on local snowfall and trail conditions. Year round 9-5 jobs for the most part.

I agree sledding has priced itself into the "exclusive" sport category. Gear and accessories alone can add up quickly. However, we have a few sleds that run around private farm lands and ditches and got used alot this year by friends and family that have never taken an interest in the sport previously. They got rolled over and stuck all winter and the riders had a ball. Three of them now have newer used sleds from those experiences. The heavy snowfall this year made it possible for them to have some fun they didnt know they were missing. The sleds are older but not eligible for classic passes so none were registered or insured for trail riding. As ofsc trails cross some of these properties I can neither confirm or deny that they may have seen abit of trail running in the hands of a couple folks, but either way, it brought them into the sport as legitimate riders. I think that if classic permits were based on 15 year old sleds again, we might see more people riding something more affordable just to have the experience. Once on the trails, there's the natural progression that comes with that experience. No different than fast cars or boats. It's addictive. Not all of us, but alot of us became addicts the first time we had the experience. The opportunity just had to present itself. Just the opinion of a hopeless addict with a tolerant wife. 😁

Holy freakin crap. 9 sticks today cost what a loaded 68 Dodge Charger cost when I started playing hockey. I was outfitted head to toe for less than the cost of one stick now. lol I'm looking at an old Hespeler on the wall right now. A chunk of lumber.

People that whine about permit costs obviously have no other outlet for fun and ride without a permit anyway. It's a small drop in the expense bucket. It cost me more to respool a few reels just for early spring fishing not to mention the rest of the years seasonal fishing. Whats a couple Starbucks a day cost? Or going to a concert or even taking the family out for a decent meal. People need to realize the cost of entertainment is always costly. A trail permit is about as cheap as it gets. Volunteers wont be there forever if they cant get an assist when Shyte goes south. It's alot of physical output to clean up messes like we've had and guys with time on their hands are usually older. I'm sure a rowboat a beer and a bobber to stare at seems more appealing on a hot summer day.

Temp, voltage and fuel. Good to go.

I get it, but it still burns alittle when it costs $50 to use $20. Car washes are pissing me off lately too. $5 to start and the soap doesnt flow for the first half of the cycle. By the time it does you have just enough time to add another $5 to rinse. lol

My house has always been a duplex. It gave all our kids their first taste of independence while having a safety net. It started off with a limited number of free bag tags but that vanished quickly. No more freebies

The slight of hand by the powers that be make me sick. more so now with all the attention on spending waste. Water, sewage and waste management were all part of property taxes years ago. Someone announced property taxes were not going up one year and we suddenly had water meters and bag tags to pay for. And how the heck does it cost more for delivery of gas and electricity than the actual cost of what we use?? Isnt that like a woman wanting to be compensated for time, cloths and makeup to show up for a date?? WTF I like my bacon crisp, not burnt. My bacon seems to be burnt alot lately.

Best way to go for me just because I turn my own wrenches. When I'm ready to buy I'm also ready to go pick one up as soon as I make contact with the seller. Find the best deal, be there first with cash, negotiate and get a bill of sale for a couple grand saying "as-where is". Now your another grand ahead of the game. I do this every year and sell before the end of the season. If I still want to ride I jump on the ol' back up sled. Most years I can recover my expenses completely and had fun with a different sled each season. The grand saved pays for pre season maintenance, trail pass insurance and even fuel if you get a good deal on purchase price. Every year I tell my wife I'm done with sleds but as summer goes by I forget the pain they cause me. lol

Most guys I know bought turbo's and immediately went to work making them straight line sleds. The tinkering is the fun part, the thrill is short lived. It's like a jet ski on an inland lake. It's fun for about 10 minutes. This on the other hand, looks fun. Trust you pilot.