vt_bluyamaha54

Gizz, see your dealer. They will u/d the clutch - I believe there is a kit - or they will swap it to the new tower design for about $500 (negotiable). It was not strong enough for the 1200 motor.**** Oops! My bad - you said SECONDARY ****

Thanks for your enduring efforts to continue promoting our sport Bill.

We are leaving Beauceville today and headed that way. Plans are - open - so maybe we'll see you guys OTT

Sadly, if they were serious about apprehending these miscreants, they could. Someone will unnecessarily be hurt - or worse before there is action. Society today will just yawn - only a snowmobiles - what's the big deal. Ridiculous!

YIPES! Too funny(Is that "brand bashing"?)

A great trip. The Eastern Townships have taken it hard the last few years with low snow / short seasons. We used to depart Derby (Pittsburg too) for Quebec trips years ago. Thanks for jogging some memories!

Always unfortunate and especially when there seem to be no extraordinary circumstances leading to the accident. My prayers go out to the families.

I am always interested in stuff like this Don. Thanks for a great 'backstory' and the pictures to tie it together Groomer - your pictures remind me of the old days (1980s) in Northern New Hampshire before they frowned on 'clear cutting'. The roads they built for logging then are snowmobile trails now.

Godspeed Nowa. That is an ambitious Day 1 and making good time in the Eastern Townships can be a challenge. Are you leaving from Derby?

Amazing trip and report Mark. I am always surprised by how well those remote trails are maintained. You stop and look around and can't imagine how they get to all of them!

I was glad your low oil issue was minor and everything turned out OK. The scenery, the friendly people, the food, and the challenge of navigating nature and geography are all elements that make it addictive.

Several years ago, we witnessed a flatbed wrecker pull into a motel parking lot one night for no apparent reason. The motel owner must have known something was up because he chased them off. I've always said: "locks only keep honest people honest". If someone is intent on taking something the best lock/chain/cable only slows them down. (But it may deter them from taking the item if it is difficult enough to bypass.)

Yuck. Sad to hear about theft rearing its ugly head in the Province -

Wow, the conditions look beyond great. Those of us stuck at work are soooo jealous!

It depends - mostly on the weather - and that can be a BIG factor. IF No big storms - 5 days is doable. Personally, rather than go strictly all the way around the "tip" I would go from RDL east on TQ5 then down 595 at St Paulin and then either cut across on the interior trail to 597 and north or to the end of 595 at New Richmond then back west to 597 then north to Murdochville + Mt. St. Piere. Much more scenic IMO To see "The Rock" you should plan to add Perce' to the itinerary

I think you had one of the best weeks Iceman. Not too cold, not dumps of snow. Thanks for the pics, it is always nice to see what shots others take of an area I know. I hope they get more snow to fill in - the cold is returning Monday.

I have always used The Weather Network - here showing RDL - http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/canada/quebec/riviere-du-loup We have had excellent results even when planning 10-14 days out for an extended trip.

IMO, your Vector should be closer to16-18 - depending on conditions. Your track could be tight, alignment off a bit, etc. On the other hand, I don't know what kind of a load you were carrying and how hard you were riding. My buddy rides a GSX 1200 and my 2012 Vector consistently take several litres less at every fill up than he does.

Maybe you're already past this but just another thought/question: if your oil level was OK before you left and you say it is down now, did you leak some ?? The Vectors aren't known for burning oil like the early RX-1's sometimes did. (although the Vectors will sometimes puke some out if there is an issue with the breather.) Many Yamaha owners don't check the level correctly. It should be fully warmed up and on a level area. (Since it is a dry sump system, it must be run to get a reliable check of the level.) Remove the harness attached to the cap/dipstick assy, unscrew it, wipe clean and reinsert without screwing it back in. It is best to maintain the level a bit over halfway between the lower and upper mark. Like others have said, a good quality semi-synthertic or fully synthetic automotive oil in either 0W-30 or 5W-30 should be fine.

Many clubhouses don't have facilities for electronic payments so I would recommend always carrying some cash. These days, US or Canadian dollars are pretty much interchangeable so they'll usually accept either. I have always made a point to go to an ATM in Quebec and use my bank's card to get a moderate amount of Canadian money to use anywhere I can't use a credit card.

Very sad indeed. Hopefully, they will be caught and brought to justice. Truly amazing how fast they can grab them.

Every time I read about these unbeleiveable accomplishments by the men + women of 'The Greatest Generation', I am in awe. I am not sure we could do it now because of our loss of manufacturing and engineering expertise. How far we have fallen -

x2 What is it you wanted to see in the 15s Brion? I know there were rumors of a front suspension redesign but the current overall package is so reliable a mis-step would be disastrous - and very unlike Yamaha. I would like to see them make a change to the reverse, go to a 'smart key' like Bombardier and add functions (temp, GPS, etc) to the gauge cluster. The electronic key would improve theft deterence and get them into the 21st century.

Looks like you are finally getting a big storm Jean-Guy - also lots of wind! Same storm left about 25-30cm here in Vermont. Also windy like hell. Very nice grips the mechanic added to the Gilbert tracks! Now you can go anywhere.

Relax inside Mike! Tomorrow will be a better day!!!! Andy X2 on that Andy! You understood it correctly Mike. When I checked The Weather Network http://www.theweathernetwork.com/ earlier today for RDL, the whole area along the St Lawrence is expecting very high winds with up to 100Km/hr gusts. I can only imagine the drifts! You are also right about those sledders headed out this morning into this - NUTS - and an almost certain encounter with conditions that they will not be able to handle. Hopefully they will go a short distance, realize their miscalculation and turn around. Mike it looks like quite a few sleds in the yard there. Is the hotel full? Is next week holidays for the schools there(?)