SkippyDoo

They use it at busy border crossings. They have one at the I87 crossing. You go online fill out forms pay money and whatever other hoops they make you jump through. Then you get to use the nexus lane to get through quicker. We just inquired the last time we crossed and technically your not supposed to go across with trailer in the nexus lane but the border guy said people do it and they don't make much issue about. If you cross at times when it's not busy you really don't need it.

If I lived up there I probably would be pickier on what I ride on too. I go to LaCabanon a lot for short trips not because trails are great but because it's close, I can get up there after work and gain a day of riding instead of driving. But If Skidoo closed its doors tomorrow, I would ride something else be it green, red or blue. If all I could have was my 1976 Polaris Colt 250 back, you can bet I would be riding it. I had some riding buddies that where brand loyal AC guys years ago that bailed when the Rev took over and the Firecat didn't live up to the hype. They hated Skidoo so much they quit the sport. I never understood that. All that being said, that 900 ace is an awesome trail sled if you can get past the lack of hp.

I did take the cap off and ran it. Water was flowing back into the reservoir. There was pressure too so that's a good sign it wasn't leaking either but coolant was full. The heat exchangers where getting hot so water was def flowing. My gauge will display actual engine temp. When I started it this evening at dealer it read the same as ambient air temp so likely not a sensor. The only thing left is the thermostat. Dealer says they have never changed one on an etec so who knows. They claim conditions, but if that where true I would have been overheating the whole way there. Trails where hard packed when we left RDL. Hard sn icy when we left PALC. Snow was not building in the tunnel like they usually do. And it was warmer than I like. But it never ran more than 4 bars on the temp gauge. I did not have scratchers on. So shame on me. That won't happen again. But usually don't need them up there in Feb. But after running the sled half in the snow on the side of the trail the best I could, and that didn't work, scratchers wouldn't have made much difference I don't believe. Se what they say but I'm thinking they are putting a Tstat in it.

I will be making the switch to 4 stroke next year. After running 595 and hearing that tic Toc while getting rained on I get it now. But I do like my little etec. They have been good to me. Sled is at dealer now. He says it was conditions. Well maybe but I do know I have been riding etec's/sdi in the 600 class since they where invented and if it had been conditions I would have been the last one to overheat. There are many reasons I ride those and that's one of them. It's gotta be really bad to make them overheat. And the first sign of snow the temp comes down immediately. Nobody else was overheating. Nobody I talked to at the copper was having problems either. I have seen much harder trails than what we where on that morning. Getting sled in loose snow which there is plenty of wasn't helping. And the 2 stroke Cat we towed it back with never went over 152. Kick a ski in the snow and it promptly went down to 130. We unloaded the gear, packed top of tunnel with snow and still got hot. Put the flap right down on the ground. Nothing helped. It would just slowly climb until the light came on. I saw no reason to push it into to limp mode. It acts to me like the Tstat was stuck in a partial open position and it couldn't control the heat. 2 weeks prior in excellent conditions in Vermont it was running at 3 bars which is kinda cool. It usually stays on 4 bars no matter what. I will wait to see what they say tomorrow.

I don't have the info sorry. I usually collect that sorta stuff too. The truck was from St Anne Des Monts. That's what was on the door. And we stopped at an Esso in St Anne for a driver change so that Esso was probably home base. Who knows where the car came from. I'm thinking a shop loaner car. But it was in desperate need of brakes. Maybe a customers car that they hadn't fixed yet lol. It was Quebec and any thing is possible up there.

Ha funny, just got done washing them. Not as bad as I thought. Just a light haze of salt spray on the front. They cleaned up easily. The truck and trailer where cleaner than usual when we got home too. Her windshield on the Cat didn't much like the highway speeds. Only 2 screws left holding it on. The others pulled the rubber grommets off. Much further and it woulda flew off. I also gotta say good job to Klim, FXR, and the Skidoo Absolute Zero gear ( or who ever makes their stuff ). After riding through that monsoon in the mountains for the better part of 100 miles, everything stayed dry, all the electronics survived. Pockets where dry. And everything was dry by morning, even the saddle bags. Packing everything in zip lock bags and water proof bags worked and only my tshirt was a little damp. So we where able to put on nice dry clothes for dinner. Everybody was mostly dry on the trail, only a few minor issues with water getting in. And we weren't wasting any time either. We where running 60 plus mph up 595 in a down pour. It sucked, not gonna lie. But wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was a hell of a ride albeit a shortened one. I'll never forget this one.

Sleds going onand brown Kia in the background with a full tank of gas ready to go

We will for sure and thanks. We where talking about next year before we even left RDL to go home. I have to give her the credit for the rescue mission plans she made cause I hadn't gave up on the sled yet. I was ready to remove thermostat housing, tie it open and source some hose clamps to put it back together but after she presented the options, we all decided it was for the best to tow them home. Are Kia coming off lol oh and that had minimal brakes pedal went to floor if you pushed pedal hard enough

I think I will like it. I tried a short ride on a 900 ACE that was in the group and gotta say that was an impressive sled. I didn't get a chance to really work it out but on sport mode it was very responsive. It seemed pretty light for a four stroke too. Nice sled. The helicopter ride would have been cool for sure but an expensive way out. The group handled everything well. I'm pretty happy how it all turned out all things considered.

No, we where going to finish but my sled (2016 Rene X 600 etec)started overheating Friday morning for as of yet unknown reasons. Nothing I did seemed to help. The temp just went slowly up and up until the light came on. I tried to push on but we weren't making good time. The coolant was full, getting the sled in loose snow didn't help either. Acts like the Tstat is stuck. Then as we where towing my sled back to the copper with the ol ladies Artic cat the other guy in the group hit the bridge just north of the copper on 5 and bent his control arm pretty bad. (Yamacat) plus it's making a noise like the cooling fan is hitting something. Apparently he was nearly ejected over the side of the bridge. The rear of the sled was sitting up on the cable at a 90 degree angle to the bridge. That was the story being told by the 2 female observers that where behind him. Hopefully he learned the value of self preservation while riding when 2 days away from the truck. He was going too fast. We had two ladies with us on this trip, and even after the deluge and mostly miserable weather and trail conditions we had rode in for the better part of 100 miles they still where having a ball. My woman worked with the brother of the owner of the copper and came up with the rental car on the back of the flatbed idea. Somehow. Not sure how they pulled that off with the language barrier bet they did. I was outside with my sled ripped in pieces trying to find a problem. DNF's are unacceptable. In my mind at this point We where going to finish somehow. They first said there was a bus back to RDL that runs every day but we had missed that. Then they offered a helicopter ride that started out as 800 bucks back to RDL to get trucks. That turned into about 3500 when they wanted to charge to bring it in from Gaspe to Murdochville, then to RDL and back to its home port which I understood to be in Murdochville. The helicopter ride would have been fun and a good story but not for 3500. The flatbed and rental was 1350 split 2 ways minus the rooms we no longer needed plus gas food and beers, subtract US to Can dollar conversion and it was nearly a break even expense. And now I can cross off driving a car out in the Gaspe. 132 is a nice ride. The trip ended well with no regrets, lessons learned and a good time had by all. I'll be back next year with a rain suit and a shiny new Renegade X 1200. This was my first time in 11 years of riding in Quebec that I got a DNF, and first trip to the Gaspe

Just got back from what was supposed to be a four day trip. There is plenty of snow everywhere however parking lots roads etc where completely melted down and dry. The road into the copper was bare. Sentier Chic Chocs was not in good shape but passable. We crossed that in heavy rain, fog and winds. Tough sledding. The trail was narrow and moguled up in places. One massive crater at least 4 ft deep that nearly ended my trip right there. It was a very surreal experience. Nothing like that I have ever been through before You could see the massive amount of snow that they had just got though. We left Murdochville via black trail in a rental car that the flatbed we needed brought us. It was all good into PALC from RDL, good into New Richmond and 595 was great up to lacache. Trails looked great leaving RDL by truck this morning but they are going to get hard and icy for sure. Some cold temps and a little fresh snow thrown in for good measure and they will be in great shape.

I like the setup. I was wondering how people where saddlebagging on the G4

When we stayed there last year you could put them in a garage across the street.

The last time I rode it, it was a great trail. Not a lot of traffic. The 33 headed east through Manawan rocks. Wide, fast and low traffic.

Or magnets of some sort in Edelmans gloves

I don't the think they can cheat their way out of this one. All of New England has gone quiet.

Yeah in 2007. Middle of Feb, -40, short windshield and no gauntlets on an 06 Rev. 50 mph right down that rail bed. My hands where cooking on the inside and froze on the outside. To this day I don't know how I survived that run. Tall windshield and gauntlets, don't leave home without them.

I would think that if the iMotoneige app or fcmq map was showing trails not being groomed for few days or more in an area where farming is likely, good chance it's closed ? Just a thought.

Ok so just got back from Lacabanon. The Lanaudiere map shows what I now call the old 23 being open again. IMotoneige app, fcmq map nor Quebec trek maps show this trail at all. You get on it by going 345 NORTH out of Lacabanon then make a right on 23. People familiar with the area from years ago will know what I'm talking about. It's open all the way through and groomed however when I did it it hadn't seen a groomer or much traffic in a few days and not well marked but was on good shape and was a decent ride. We where second tracks down it on a Saturday morning. This trail has not been in use for 3 years I think. I have the gps track that I did Saturday if anybody wants it. If you where coming from Sacacomie or points east on 23 and thought you where on the trail iMotoneige app shows you as 23 you will turn right on 345 N and be going away from Lacabanon instead of towards it. Hopefully you figure it out before you hit the bridge or runout of gas. Make sense ?? Lol Another way of putting is the new 2017 Lanaudiere paper map is correct.

Uh oh.. This seriously complicates my vacation plans

I'm sure a lot of people will chime in here, but for your drive time from Ottawa, Comfort Inn Mt Laurier/Laurentides region or LaCabanon in St Zenon/Lanaudiere region are good choices for doing week long day trips out of. Many loops available from both places right at the mileage you are looking to get. The downside to these areas is that they get busy on the weekends. Mt Laurier has the famous Devils Mt and Black Mt is easily ridden to from LaCabanon. Both have food available on site, gas across the street from Comfort Inn, On site at LaCabanon, but pricey there. 1 day,3 and 7 day passes available at the counter at LaCabanon, not sure about Mt Laurier but I believe they are. FCMQ has an interactive trail map you could look at. The paper maps for the area's should have suggested loops to make it a like easier to plans. If I where choosing between the 2 areas, LaCabanon would be first choice as they make their living catering to snowmobiles. I offer these two choices for the simplicity. There are many more.

Yeah I guess the money is all set. They need a bridge put in ?? Just need the go ahead to get it done from the transport ministry

345 goes right through it.

We just came back from there. Weekend ride, so only rode Sat and 1/2 day Sunday. Plenty of snow. LaCabanon is about 85 miles. We did St Michel. That's was about 100 from the hotel one way. La Glacier would put you in the 165 mile mark on an out and back. Sunday we went up to St Donat on 43,33 into town. Stopped at Timmy Ho's went over black mt and down 317. That was an 80 mile loop. You could take 33 over the top of St Donat and back down 317 and that would be around 100 or so. But you could ride around the area and get 150 miles pretty easy. Trails where decent over this weekend but get beat up badly sometimes. Good scenery though. Black mountain is worth the ride if you never did it. Montagne Noire. Lake Archaumbault is staked and good to go. A word of caution, 10 sleds where snagged from 3 trailers Sat night in the contant brp dealer parking lot. They left there trailers there Sat night and drove trucks back to hotel. I think they where at Super8 too. Not much room there for trucks and trailers as we discovered. we trailered to Contant BRP Sunday morning, and the cops where there along with the unhappy Ontario owners. Not a good scene. According to some locals we know in the area they are trying to get the trail to Tremblant opened up. Waiting for a signature from the transport minister I guess.

Just don't follow the sled trails in your truck lol. We saw it twice in Saguenay last week. The one was up by Passion. They made it pretty far up TC93 before they buried it. The other one was on 368 if I remember right