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Snow bikes


RIVERMAN

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I just read on another snowmobile website a guy got a OFSC trail permit, for his arctic cat  snow [ dirt] bike . I guess were going to have to ride around one foot wide trenches this winter.

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Artic cat was not able to build a snow bike that could be sold legally as a snowmobile, so I guess he wasted his money on the ofsc permit

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8 minutes ago, northstar said:

Artic cat was not able to build a snow bike that could be sold legally as a snowmobile, so I guess he wasted his money on the ofsc permit

Actually, that's how he got the OFSC permit. He has a snowmobile ownership for the snow bike. He has pictures on Facebook.

 

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1 hour ago, RIVERMAN said:

I just read on another snowmobile website a guy got a OFSC trail permit, for his arctic cat  snow [ dirt] bike . I guess were going to have to ride around one foot wide trenches this winter.

While I am still personally undecided regarding snow bikes on the trails (my biggest concern regarding this is how they need to lean into turns making them functionally much wider than they appear stationary), and having tried them they certainly are not something I am interested in.  Having ridden on (non-OFSC) trails with some of the most powerful snow bikes out there (KTM/Beta 500 4-strokes, 300 2-Strokes) I have to say damage to the trails are the least of the concerns with the bikes.  They have way less power and weight than a sled and the lack of a CVT transmission makes it significantly harder to spin the track.  That and the fact that many people I have spoken to that ride them do not find them fun to ride on trails for a long distance, more something that has to be done to reach a location, I do not see them becoming a widespread issue on the trails.  

 

That combined with the cost of admission, if you think sleds are expensive price out the cost of a kit, mods to the bike needed to make it run well in the cold and especially the cost of a bike with enough power to run a kit well.  All this for something with less range, power and trail comforts than a sled.  I really don't see snow bikes ever becoming more than a niche market mostly for use off-trail (hopefully in legal areas only but that is a whole other issue).  

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29 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Actually, that's how he got the OFSC permit. He has a snowmobile ownership for the snow bike. He has pictures on Facebook.

 

I would like to see that , I guess you could sneak it through the service Ontario office to register it as a snowmobile but doesn't make legal . What year is it ?

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31 minutes ago, matt17 said:

While I am still personally undecided regarding snow bikes on the trails (my biggest concern regarding this is how they need to lean into turns making them functionally much wider than they appear stationary), and having tried them they certainly are not something I am interested in.  Having ridden on (non-OFSC) trails with some of the most powerful snow bikes out there (KTM/Beta 500 4-strokes, 300 2-Strokes) I have to say damage to the trails are the least of the concerns with the bikes.  They have way less power and weight than a sled and the lack of a CVT transmission makes it significantly harder to spin the track.  That and the fact that many people I have spoken to that ride them do not find them fun to ride on trails for a long distance, more something that has to be done to reach a location, I do not see them becoming a widespread issue on the trails.  

 

That combined with the cost of admission, if you think sleds are expensive price out the cost of a kit, mods to the bike needed to make it run well in the cold and especially the cost of a bike with enough power to run a kit well.  All this for something with less range, power and trail comforts than a sled.  I really don't see snow bikes ever becoming more than a niche market mostly for use off-trail (hopefully in legal areas only but that is a whole other issue).  

Well said

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2 hours ago, RIVERMAN said:

I just read on another snowmobile website a guy got a OFSC trail permit, for his arctic cat  snow [ dirt] bike . I guess were going to have to ride around one foot wide trenches this winter.

They don't qualify under the MSVA as a snowmobile. He threw away his money.

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CAN I PURCHASE AN ONTARIO SNOWMOBILE TRAIL PERMIT FOR MY SNOW BIKE, ATV, SIDE BY SIDE, DIRT BIKE, ARGO OR SNY SIMILAR STOCK OR MODIFIED VEHICLE? 

The short answer is no, in accordance with the Motorized Snow Vehicles Act of Ontario (MSVA), only vehicles designed, manufactured and registered with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) as “motorized snow vehicles” are eligible to apply for an Ontario Snowmobile Trail Permit. 

 

http://www.ofsc.on.ca/experience/get-started/permits/termsandconditions

 

 

You can enter any valid vin# into the permit sales database, car, truck, atv or whatever. It doesnt mean it qualifies under the MSVA and in fact you are actually falsifying the MTO document..

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I do believe Cats snowbike is purpose built as a snow vehicle right from the factory as designed, manufactured and registered and anyone owning one could argue against it being illegal.  It has not been converted to a snow bike like the Timbersled kits that are installed on dirt bikes. Weren’t the snohawk bikes that never caught on legal as well as a purpose built snow vehicle? 

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This.

Unless the MSVA is re-written, there will be some bikes riding right through that loop hole.

Seriously, do you think Cat did this for a lark? 

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3 minutes ago, manotickmike said:

This.

Unless the MSVA is re-written, there will be some bikes riding right through that loop hole.

Seriously, do you think Cat did this for a lark? 

I think Cat did it to be able to race in the new kind of Snowbike SX circuit that’s been going on.  They are heavily invested in racing. There’s one in Peterborough for sale. Looks bad ass but not my thing. Too much atheletisism involved. Lol 

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13 minutes ago, manotickmike said:

This.

Unless the MSVA is re-written, there will be some bikes riding right through that loop hole.

Seriously, do you think Cat did this for a lark? 

The 2018 model cat did not qualify as a snowmobile as per MSVA and I don't think that they built a 2019 model

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53 minutes ago, FrostyTheSnowman said:

I do believe Cats snowbike is purpose built as a snow vehicle right from the factory as designed, manufactured and registered and anyone owning one could argue against it being illegal.  It has not been converted to a snow bike like the Timbersled kits that are installed on dirt bikes. Weren’t the snohawk bikes that never caught on legal as well as a purpose built snow vehicle? 

The Snohawk was a purpose built snowbike built by Boidvin sp? in Quebec. My son's had a 600 Rotax sled engine in it. Very dangerous on hard surface or plowed field as you had to lay it way over to get it to turn. Son finally realized he was getting hurt almost every time he rode it and got rid of it.

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The Arctic Cat SVX450 was never approved as a snowmobile.   That was one of the reasons that they pulled the pin on the project .   Just because someone got theirs licensed as a snowmobile is irrelevant.

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It's spelled Sherco.  Maker of endurance racing and Trials bikes.

Sadly, the Canadian distributor tried to pull a "heavy" on the manufacturer, and got dropped. 

 

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9 minutes ago, dirtybeacher said:

Those svx’s are being sold by the dealer with snowmobile ownerships.  

 

Whos is going to stop him from riding trails?  It won’t be the opp. 

They are legal but there is not many of them 

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33 minutes ago, manotickmike said:

 

It's spelled Sherco.  Maker of endurance racing and Trials bikes.

Sadly, the Canadian distributor tried to pull a "heavy" on the manufacturer, and got dropped. 

 

Now distributed by CMI the same distributor as CFMOTO Sales are not expected to be huge 

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I am good friends with the US Sherco Dist and he told me that Arctic Cat only "built" 36 of the SVX450s for retail buyers so the chances of seeing a bunch of them on the trail is pretty remote.   

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Few will becomes Many quit quickly .Article can be read at freedom shedder under current events page 3

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This is a post from FS from ODOT on the arctic cat snowbike.

 

Funny, was just discussing this very thing on Saturday. It's manufactured to be operated on snow, it's registered as an MSV and you have a trail pass.  Good to go.  Ohhh...need your insurance card!!!    

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