95rxl650

Forgetting the politics, it seems to me that a bad winter hurts all business associated with the need for snow. No snow, no sales. A good winter hurts the clubs and volunteers. Volunteers burn out and clubs go broke trying to keep up and maintain. Nothing about it makes me want to invest. The sport was once run on passion and a shoe string budget. Competition within the industry was fierce and the sport was affordable for near anyone wanting in. Now, $10k buys a sled that might implode on itself the first time the flipper hits the bar for more than a few seconds. The price of riding gear and maintenance items are ridiculous. If your not handy and rely on dealer maintenance, wow. A couple old 4 strokes I owned required a nascar pit crew to change a plug trailside. The layout required to enter the sport have made it so people have unreal expectations. I really dont think the cost of a trailpass is a deal breaker for anyone who can afford to get into the game to begin with. Just my opinion.

Getting spoiled cost money. I think I remember an old track skidder dragging bed springs while we road sleds with bogie wheel suspension.

I normally ride a different used sled every year but havent had time to even get the yard ready for snow. Most years I wrap up work by Christmas but I'm buried in it this year. I cant say my feeling are too hurt with all the bs going on with cuts. Looks like I'll just toy with my ol' beater for the season and see what comes out in the wash. Not sure I can even find an ownership for it. lol

I ride district 9 and havent seen active enforcement in years. Not saying it isnt happening, I've just never seen it. Why not train auxiliary police and trail wardens to assist a single patrol officer on the trails? Sounds like a good retirement gig for enthusiasts. lol I think I might enjoy seeing trailcan/trespassers get some justice. I wonder if a deputized warden can deploy tazers, mace or use a billy bat?

The older I get the taller my windshields get. I wear a balaclava with back and chest protection to eliminate any neck breeze, deer skin gloves from Work Wear with muffs. No cold hands, ever. Hot Paws in my pockets for trailside coffee breaks where my gloves go inside my jacket. I also carry mitts on board for the times I may need them. It all works perfect for temps down to around -15. I've rode in colder with this setup but trailside stops arent happening. At -20 I'm just heading somewhere warm. Home or a motel, either will do. lol Hot Paws are cheap and my best friend. Early "ice out" on the water or sledding. There are days that I hit Georgian bay at first light and sledding in the afternoon. Good days.

Definitely good advice. I had one pop off years ago on a speed bump. Thankfully it was in a lumber yard at 5mph. Not so thankfully, I hit the brakes and the tongue caved in the rear van door.

I cant help going back to trail permits being to cheap. It cost more to keep a 2 stroke full of oil for a season. How much does it cost, on average, to attend the snowmobile show for the day? How much does the average rider spend on new riding gear they didnt really need? I'd like to know how many frivolous lawsuits the ofsc has to defend against every year. Near none have merit, but still have to be defended to some extent? My point is that sledding has become a sport for deeper pockets than alot of people can even consider getting into. The last report I seen said that over 60% of riders have an income of over $100,000. People that have to finance have much higher costs per season that make the sport less appealing or unsustainable. I'm sure the folks that can afford to ride wouldnt mind keeping up with inflation as they do in every other aspect of daily living. Gotta pay to play. Lets start by fixing atleast that part of a broken system. Snowmobiling etiquette says obey speed limits, dont trespass and dont tear up the trails, yet manufacturers build sleds that make obeying the laws of this etiquette nearly impossible. Trail maintenance has become impossible to keep up with. Trails that require a reroute for what ever reason take alot of money and time to develop. Online support costs alot of money. Big money has ruined the sport in my opinion. Just like many other sports. More money invested means more regulations and rules to protect the investment. I enjoyed the sport alot more when sleds were low horse power, no ITG and little to no enforcement. Whats next...self driving sleds?? The independence and sense of adventure is gone. The late 70's and 80's seen the downfall of alot of things, but snowmobiling was a blast. When the snow showed up, you rode. Simple as that. No plans, no online support, no gps, just plain ol' fun.

My wife said it was snowing everywhere around us last night. I am nowhere near ready for it yet. I've had zero time to get to anything winter related. I'm over 200 service calls behind and the phone wont stop ringing. Thoughts of sledding are on the back burner until I hear that first sweet sound of a 2 stroker screaming down a side road. At that point my inner child takes over and work suffers. lol

I use Fluid Film or Honey Goo to get to everything they dont get and any surface rust that may have started. Same with trailers. I recall old school independents collecting and using anything oil based all mixed together in drums. Definitely didnt park on your drive for a few days. We used to find a good dusty gravel road to coat the oil. On another note, the van certified today.

I found free paper maps in a trailside dispensary last year.

I found that spraying takes alot more effort than most shops put into it. The amount of work and time to do things right would put the cost to high to be appealing to most folks. I get our vehicles done at Crown every year and I believe it helps, but it's never going to stop the salt/sand from creeping in. If you drive it in the winter, it's going to rust. I can only imagine how much salt and sand creep into winter service vehicles.

It's not worth his time to be distracted going after some shady used car dealer for a $5000 vehicle. He called them and tried to negotiate for parts but ended up hanging up in frustration due to a language barrier. No surprise. The van was intended for use by a family in need of transportation. Their current van that failed was be used for most of the parts needed and new rockers are on the way. The recipient is handy and thankful, but it's disgusting that people will take advantage of folks that cant afford much to begin with. Another buddy donated his shop, hoist and time to swap everything over yesterday. We got it all done and cut the rockers out. They are supposed to be here today according to plans so it should ready for the cert on Monday. Had to pull parts with the other van suspended from the tractor . Sketchy. A couple cans of PB Blaster and some broken bolts but we got there.

Looks like the shady used dealers are up to their old tricks. Even with the new standards. My buddy bought an old Caravan that the cert recently ran out on and took it straight to his local shop. You'd think it would be ok but as soon as the mechanic seen it he said "no way it passed a cert". Spray foam in the rockers and oiled. Both rear shocks were rotten and both springs broken. Ebrakes hadnt worked in years. Front stabilizer links are shot. Has a muffler from a mystery vehicle welded on and no resonator/tail pipe. Apparently, some have a network of shady A-Holes to call on to get pics and video of passable vehicles. So if you find yourself with a great deal on a recently certified vehicle dont be afraid to roll around in the rain to get a good look. Body was touched up but decent and it had all new tires and brakes. At a quick glance in the rain it looked like a good deal. On the bright side, I guess a hot safety is obtainable again.

Did an unplanned high miler in 23/24 season and was begging to see a random motel or B&B sign. My wife laughed at me for the next 3 days. I heard her say, "the old fool" while she was on the phone too. I got zero pity.

All I hear so far is, lets close trails and hope for more permit sales to make up the revenue gap. I just cant make any sense of it. Unfortunately, IMO, the government needs to step up. Saying that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.