kgallis

Bill, How many miles did you finish the year with? Did you reach the 10k mark again? My bro and I will be up at the HI at some point next week. Hopefully the weather holds out and we are able to get a good week of riding in. Have a safe trip home. Karl

It sure looks like it to me. What happened to the TNT? Karl

Bill- How many miles so far this year?

Mike, Thanks for the review. There are a few '08's left at our dealer in PA, but I'm not going to touch one of them. I'm probably going to go for an '09 TNT (if they make it), since I don't want to be a guinea pig on the first model year E-tech. My brother picked up a new Nytro, which is a nice sled. Everything about it is better than the '07 and earlier Rev's with the exception of the slight push in the corners- it doesn't handle as good in the tight turns as my 500SS. The seating position, power and refinement of the engine are very nice. The only thing that is a negative is the smaller gas tank. I'm going to go with the XP next year so we can switch back and forth during our rides- it's nice to change it up a little bit. Thanks for the info! Karl

Sounds great so far. Any issues with rear wheels or belts, etc.?

I'm on the fence about a new sled for next year. I had the opportunity to get a few hours of seat time on a new Nytro but I have not ridden with anyone that has an XP. How do you guys like the new sleds? Rob, Mikerider, others? Anything to share? Thanks, Karl PS. It's 33 and raining in Havre de Grace, MD....

Last night on dootalk it was 21 mpg.... Oil ratio was in the 100:1 range, but that is now elevated as well.... It does look like a nice sled though. The questions I have are about the lubrication of the crank bearings. With only 100:1 oil going directly into the cylinder, those crank bearings are going to be prone to failure. I heard on an evinrude e-tech engine, there is some sort of system that keeps the crank lubricated. Hopefully this engine will have a similar system. Otherwise, it will be hard pressed to last 10-12k. Time will tell. Karl

Glad to see that you are up at the HI. We are all looking forward to your daily reports. Karl

Any GSM or Quadband phone will work throughout the world (ATT/Cingular). Verizon uses there own network and service is very limited outside the US. It will probably work in Montreal, Quebec city, but outside of there it is anyones guess (I switched to ATT from Verizon for this reason since I travel internationally a few times/yr). Karl

It got pretty much the same mpg as my 500SS (~ 17 mpg depending upon the snow conditions). The last day it was warmer and the snow kind of sticky- it ran out of gas with 102 miles on the trip meter. We carried extra fuel so the range was not too much of a problem. The ergo's, engine and fit and finish are excellent on the Nytro. It pushed a little in the corners, but we adjusted the limiter strap on the front shock of the rear skid, so that should help give it a little more ski pressure. Overall, it is a much more comfortable sled to ride than the rev- once we dial in the handling it will be an excellent machine.

on the way to Mt Valin From Auberge 31

12/25- drove all night from Scranton, PA and arrived at Bernards at 6:30 am on Wednesday. Got on the trail by 8:00 am and arrived at the HI at 7:30 pm via Mekinac, LaTuque, Lac Edouard, St Andre, Jonquiere. Trails were groomed but a little hard, 6.5/10. Rode 281 miles. We had breakfast at Auberge Beau-Lieu in Mekinac. Jean was very good host (we stayed here last week too) and served a great breakfast. It is definitely a good place to stop when in this area. 12/27- Rode to Mt Valin and had lunch at Auberge 31 and then back to the HI. Trails were 9.5/10. Groomed flat with ~ 3" of fresh snow on top. I wanted to see how far I could go with my '05 500 SS with fuel before running out. I made it 168.5 miles and gassed up at the station by the HI. I still had 3 L of fuel left. The SDI's and 500SS's have great range. 12/28- Rode to St Raymond via 23 through the Laurentides park. This was the first time we rode these trails and they were great. 9.5/10. Groomed flat wtih 5" of fresh snow on top. The scenery in the park was absolutely gorgeous. We got gas at eltape and we were able to pay with a credit card. We stayed in St. Raymond. Rode ~ 200 miles. 12/29- Rode #3 back to Shawinigan. Trails were in very good shape and we made it back to the truck in 4 hours (a little over 100 miles). All in all, it was one of the best saddle bagging trips we ever did. The sleds ran great, the food/beer was great and all the people we ran into along the way were very nice. All the trails are in great shape and are ready for everyone. Get out there and ride. I'll post a few pic's when I get a chance to download them from the camera. Back to reality.... Karl

trails I n great shape . Rode 285 miles from bernards to hi

I read that the other day. Any first hand info?

Fellow riders, I'll be riding my '05 500 SS this year, but this will be it's last season. I am interested in either a TNT or a Nytro for 2009. With people beginning to get out riding, does anyone have any impressions of the new iron yet? Think snow!!! Karl

Chris, I think it is one of those "you're damned if you do, damned if you don't" type of things. I would check the usual suspects (oil/grease behind drive clutch, leaking intake boots, etc). Changing pistons/rings is not going to do anything to prevent spinning a crank bearing, etc. It's a coin toss. I wish the Yamaha Nitro's were 100 lbs lighter. Until they make a light 4 stroke, we're going to have to put up with the lack of reliability of the 2 stroke engine. I have an '05 500SS with 5,000 miles on it that will be traded in at the end of the season (I usually average ~2k miles/season). I cleaned the power valves, checked the intake boots and checked for grease behind the drive clutch and I'm going to run it as is. If it grenades, hopefully it will happen close to the truck!! Good luck. Karl

I agree. Especially when you trailer 750 miles one way getting 10-12 mpg to get to the HI. Diesel is running $3.20/gallon here in MD which would translate to approx $480.00 for fuel just for the truck (making the false assumption that the cost of fuel is the same in US as it is in QC). That does not include fuel for the sleds, lodging, meals, broken parts on the sled or the ballet... Also, there are 3.785 L in one US gallon.

Rob, I was reading in another forum about tires, specifically the Goodyear's with the silent armor technology. The vehicle was a full size Dodge Ram and the person experienced a little bit of a squirly ride, especially when the truck was loaded down. The people on the board attributed this to the use of Kevlar in the tire, resulting in a sidewall with a lot more flex. The person actually returned the tires for another brand. I also have the Goodyear triple treads on my wife's car. The car does not seem to handle as crisply as with the Michelin's that were on it previously. I'm going to be returning to Michelins when it is time to replace them. Treadwear and wet traction, however, have been very good. For what it's worth... Karl

Yep, that's the one!

Nice !! I converted the scanned image to a .pdf file- I found it easier to read. Karl

Nice!!

looks like fun. Where did you guys start from?

Skidoo modular helmet. They run small and the breath deflector is a little tight around my mouth, sometimes making it difficult for others to understand me on the communicators. It is the best helmet that I have had so far and will use it this season again.

I was actually favoring leathers due to their weight (heavier) and ability to stop the wind (the rev does not offer much wind protection). Does the Kilm system offer an advantage over leather?

Greetings fellow riders! I had the opportunity to ride with Bill and MikeRider last year on Mt Valin in some really cold temperatures, ranging from -20 to -35 C, and I have to say that I froze my balls off. I am interested in picking up some gear suited for cold temperatures- boots, jacket and pants. I am considering leather and also a layered Goretex system (such as Kilm). What do you guys wear, and what are the pro's/con's of each? I will also be purchasing a tekvest this year, so it will have to fit under the jacket that I choose. Think Snow, Karl