vt_bluyamaha54
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Posts posted by vt_bluyamaha54
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My experience has been that the site tends to be conservative posting conditions. When they are listed as 'Acceptable' you and I would say they are good/very good. When they say 'Excellent' there is generally LOTS of snow and perfect "table top" trails. I have ridden the Amqui/Albertville/Caspauscal trails when the site lists them as 'Acceptable' and I would have rated them 'Excellent'. Also, I believe FCMQ won't allow trails to be rated 'Acceptable' until they have been groomed multiple times and all signage is in place. This is a safety/liability item since any hazardous conditions (washouts, waterholes, etc) can be assumed to be discovered by the groomer operator making multiple passes and signs alert riders to trail changes, bridges, etc.
I would wait for Andyman and SMclean to post their trip report. They were riding that area starting I believe Wednesday 1/5 and always post very trustworthy and accurate reports with pics.
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Happy New Year Groomer!
I'm sure all QRs are hoping to see more of your great pics in 2012.
Let's hope it snows so you don't have to 'recycle' any more of the old grooming pics too!
hi john !!
always good laughs watching that video !!
just started drinking a bottle !!!ha!!ha!!
happy new year from the matapedia valley !!
jean-guy
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Guy I ride with has the GSX 1200 (1st year they came out - 2009?) and it starts fine in the cold temps although I can't say we have experienced -40F
As a sort of 'side note' I believe BRP dealers are using a full synthetic when they do oil changes on the 1200. (I believe this is also the spec?) That makes a big difference. Also, the batteries in any of these sleds may or may not be good enough to start in cold temps after they are just a couple of years old. This depends allot on the care they have gotten, etc.
Personally, I think many of the folks who ride 4 strokes with cold starting issues either have the wrong oil or a marginal battery - and maybe BOTH. Starting any engine when it is below -20F is tricky and requires a strong battery for sufficient crank speed, oil viscosity to allow that (4 strokes), and a fuel blended for the conditions delivered in the correct amount to combust. These days, fuel blend may be our biggest obstacle.
I am a strong supporter of Mobil 1 but Amsoil and others are good too.
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Jim -
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
This link from Homeland Security is definitive: Passport or enhanced drivers license required. Does you home state offer the enhanced licenses? That would be a little less $$ and easier to obtain also.
Best of luck -
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So sad to have this happen anytime but especially so now during the Holidays. This is not good for our sport.
Let's all remember the family and friends in our prayers.
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First day cross in Canaan, Rt523 to rt 55. Rt 55 to Thetford Mines or St Georges. Second day East on 35 or 55 to 5 to Riviere du Loop, From there do a search on this site, all kinds of opinions about which way is the best route around. Have a good trip.
I have done the trip a few times leaving from Derby and agree w/Bill. I have actually had better riding many times on 542/521 which is a secondary trail - than on 55 many times. Low traffic until you get close to St Georges.
As far as the Gaspesie piece goes, I personally like to take 595 or 597 and cut off the upper tip of going the full way around. Either of those trails are not to be missed and would be hard to also do if you go all the way around the peninsula. Just my opinion. Also, depending on the timing, 8 days could be optomistic if you get a significant snowstorm or someone has a sled issue. It doens't take long to lose most of a day trying to get a sled fixed.
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So very sad for the families + friends.
Only one person had the presence of mind to grab a life preserver before going in which is a shame because everyone could have survived this.
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Glad to hear the injuries weren't as bad as they could have been. Certainly the fact that there weren't large trees and/or rocks saved lives that day.
I am not familiar with that trail and it is hard to tell from the pics, but I wonder how they happened to hit the drag from the side since it appears to be parked parallel to the trail and well off to the side - or is that an intersection? Also looks like the drag was there awhile from the snow coverage on it.
I hate to see pictures like this.
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Here are two from a trip in February. Love the clear, cold sunny days - and of course the great trails and scenery of Quebec!
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Translation not too bad but anywhere it shows "guitar" replace with 'drag' or 'cutter'.
Good article Groomer. I know I took another snowmobiler with me who had never been in a groomer before and his eyes were opened! In Vermont, our trails can be very twisty through the woods so we are lucky to drive even 7km/h. Very true what is said about solitude and taking a "special type of person". You must like to operate machinery, be patient, and be ready for any conditions.
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My thoughts and prayers are certainly with this person's family and friends. Very very sad.
Doubly tragic since after reading the information in Groomer's post, it certainly sounds like this was preventable.
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Thanks for sharing. Great pics.
No issues riding out of RDL? Where did you stay there, Universal?
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hi vt_bluyamaha !!
woow !!this could have been dangerous !! just lucky the guy wear a ''full face '' helmet.a good kick from the moose with the front leg right on the ''nose '' and gone in the ''apples '' for a few mins.
a moose at 10' can be ''all smile '' ,but at 10 '' ,can be another story.look at ears how low they are.
groomer !!
When I saw the pic + story you are the first person I thought of! Glad you enjoyed it.
I remember you telling the story of your friend, brother + uncle. Very sad to go through life with that.
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This picture was posted by a guy who was riding in northern Vermont. His group encountered a moose calf and when it ambled into the trail he stopped his snowmobile and tried to "pet" it on its nose when it lowered its head slighty. Amazingly he was unhurt and the sled had only a few scratches according to his story. I can't believe he didn't get a broken wrist/arm - or worse. Got to be one of the craziest things I have seen in awhile!
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Thank you both for your input,I appreciate it.These trailers looks pretty good indeed.Have you seen the full coverage diamond plate.
Are they available in Canada? or only from the Factory in NH.Thank you.We are a long way if any problems occured or need new parts.This is an issue that I must keep in mind.
I know that http://www.alcomusa.com/ sells Mission Trailers and there is a Dealer in the Ottawa region.are Mission good trailers??
Considering the USD vs CAD.....it might be a good idea to cross the border.
As far as I know, ProLine is still only selling from the single Milton, NH location. Depending on what you are seeing for cost of the unit you want to buy there in QC, it may (or may not) be worth considering Proline. I understand what you say about being a long way from them if you need a part - then again many Canadians seem to have decided to buy there. It would be 8+ hr drive? Other than things like seals like I mentioned, I cannot think of parts that would not be easily available and if not, they could ship(?)
I can tell you that the way the units are made does seem very strong and it tows straight and true. I think his design of the sides tied into the well designed frame are part of that. He uses the a system like a garage door has to raise/lower the rear door. (A torsion spring around a heavy shaft to assist raising and cushion lowering) Very smooth. My riding partner has the 101" unit w/dual axels and he also added the side door. It has the full diamond plate covering - I think all Prolines do.
I have not hear many positive things from owners of Mission trailers. Mission is the result of the merger of the former SnoPro (who mostly made covers/tops) and another company. They are made in Maine but have distributors as you found. The problems I have hear involve quality issues (poor workmanship, fitting, etc) A member of our club has one and says he would not buy another.
It is allot of $$ so I completely understand your concerns.
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Mid Range,looked at all the big name trailers I think you should look at a company called proline,bought one last fall, better built than a Triton and less money, go on line if you have any questions call Tom the owner.
I was going to suggest that also but most people just buy a Triton without much shopping. My riding partner bought a Proline a couple of years ago and it is very well made and less money. They are made right at a small factory by the owner and his son in NH. You can visit and see them being made. I know some people have done this. We see allot of them in the ME, NH, VT area as well as in our travels in QC. Many of the testimonials on their website are from folks who come down from QC so it may be worth getting some references. They seem to be less $ than Triton and the quality is at least as good - maybe better.
It doesn't seem like a big deal but I would suggest considering getting it somewhere where you can return if you ever need parts. Like anything else, trailers need thing from time to time. (Door gaskets come to mind for me.) I was glad my dealer was there to order them because it wasn't something you can find on any street corner.
Good Luck whichever one you choose!
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Crashing is never a good idea. I've seen SDs take an easy roll and end up with airbox pieces inside the motor for a $2,000+ repair. Lightweight equals vulnerability to forces outside the design criteria. I don't think that anything I rode would take kindly to ramming the A arm into something hard.
Gotta ask: What are you riding now Greg and what have you owned over the years?
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I am under the impression that a US purchased sled is not covered by warranty in Canada. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? I still believe that if you ride Canada a Ski Doo is the sled to have, plenty of parts...
Last week one guy with us blew a chain & it went thru the chaincase, 19 hours later he was running again. He purchased a used chaincase but it is a non wear part...
I agree with Mike the new Cats have me thinking...
The warranty for sleds purchased in the US with respect to coverage in Canada is I believe the same for all brands: NO COVERAGE. BRP is the exception which has coverage within North America.
So beware, even the extended policies offered by some manufacturers don't cover outside the US which in my opinion IS RIDICULOUS considering the amount of technology (things can go really wrong) and the prices we pay for these things.
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Salut, on a démonté la tête du moteur ce matin pour voir qu'il y a un cylindre de grippé et un bout de métal pris entre une valve d'intake et son siège, la valve a tappée sur le piston. Le bloc va devoir être percé+ pistons et rings= job de tête, reste a voir le crankshaft. La machine est d'année 2006, achetée démo, avec pas encore 1800 heures. C'est un Husky. Pour avoir parlé avec un mécano qui connait très bien les moteurs Mercedes LA 904, c'est de bons moteurs qui font beaucoup d'heures normalement. On va voir lundi matin comment on s'enligne dans la réparation. Nos voisins du club de La Coulée de St-Fabien sont entrain de surfacer la 5 pour nous. Un gros merci à Charles-Henri. Bernard01 directeur
fyi:
etang du moulin club have a bad engine problem on their groomer.club from st fabien are grooming their part of tq 5 right now .
groomer !!!
Thanks Groomer! You are such a great resource for all of us that ride throughout Quebec 'relaying' this kind of information.
Wow a 2006 Husky w1800hrs "ate" an intake valve?? Very expensive problem!! I hope Prinoth is going to help out the club w/those repairs=@ :angry:
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So sorry to hear. Best wishes to your girlfriend for a full recovery.
It seems any accident is a bad accident because we forget how far we really are from help when we ride and something happens.
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Anyone have any info on these areas?? Will be there next tuesday and wednesday. Thanks in Advance Jim
We went up 5 through RDL + Rimouski last week. Maybe not as much snow as some years but no bare areas - except some fields where the wind has blown it off.
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We are heading toward Rivierre du loup on March 5th for a Gaspesie Loop .
How's the snow / trail conditions , are they good everywhere or is there some area's to stay away from.
Have heard some rumours that Rimouski and Bonneadventure areas are a littlelow on snow.
Is this true?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance
Mark
We rode up 5 through RDL + Rimouski then over to Amqui last week. Plenty of snow so you should have no issues on the north and west sides.
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Just wondering if this would be an easy day ride or crazy far! FCMQ interactive map was driving me crazy! Thanks
Nowa, depending on your riding ability it can be crazy as well as doable. When me and 3 other buddies did Gaspe about 6 years ago we started from Thetford Mines and went to Rimouski in one day. It's between 375-400 miles. The thing that stunk for us is it was about -30 below zero without the windchill. We left Thetford about 8:30 and didn't arrive at Hotel Rimouski till close to 11pm. There was a Forestry guy in the lobby at the hotel who spoke english and couldn't believe we were out riding let alone coming from Thetford. We were hitting 5-10 foot drifts which slowed us down the last 100 miles. With limited stops the trails are pretty fast especially on Trail 35 past St. Marie which are railbeds that you can easily average 75 miles per hour. We then head north on Trail 551 (I believe) up to Montmagmy and get on Trail 5. From Riviere Du Loup to Rimouski the trails are pretty fast as well. I'll admit that we thought it would be an easy ride and I believe it would have been except we had to make more stops than normal to warm up. In fact the gauntlets I now have on my sled are a reminder of that trip since I bought them at the Polaris dealer on Trail 5 in Riviere Du Loup. As you can imagine hand warmers don't warm up in those kind of temperatures. If you do decide to do the trip hit me back and let me know how your adventure was.
We were there last week. 5, 35 and 55 were all good except for about a 40mi section of 5 on either side of Montmagny. Brian's mileage estimate is pretty close. We have left outside St Georges and gone to RDL in a day and it was about 260mi. It is another another 40mi+ to TM and then 80-100 to Rimouski from RDL from so depending on what time you left TM, you would be several hours after dark.
Could it be done? Maybe. Should you really do it? Probably not - and here's why:
1) You have no idea what conditions you are going to find. I have seen all of the trails discussed in this thread vary from tabletop to truly awful at various times - and that includes TQ35. To say you can easily average 75 miles per hour - even on the RR beds - (in my opinion) is crazy because to average that speed you will have to go even faster. There are road crossings and bridges on 35 and (my opinion again) going that fast is an accident waiting to happen. I have seen both deer and moose on 35 too so call me a sissy but I think if you are going over 60 I'll just pray for you and leave it at that. You also will likely encounter radar on TQ5 anywhere between RDL + Rimouski. We have seen them almost everytime we've come through there and that seems to be a favorite for them.
2) Many gas stations in the smaller towns close around 6PM and you are going to need to stop at one or more of these to be able to make this trip. Also, FYI some of the clubhouses are closing early and may not be serving food during the week - or only serving for reduced hours.
Good luck. Be safe
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Nice report and great pictures Andy! Definitely beautiful Feb 22-24 (Tue - Thu) with some of the bluest skies of the winter.
We were riding on the south side of the St. Lawrence 2/19 - 2/24 and also found low traffic and some signage issues. Not sure if it is due to the late start to the season, the uncertainty caused by the farmers issue or a combination but most of the (few) sleds we did see had Quebec registrations - very few US. Most of the places we stopped commented that business was way off also. Many of the clubhouses close early and/or stopped serving food earlier than in previous years. (Albertville's hours changed to close @1600 during the week) Some have stopped serving food at all during the week. Secondary trail signs were generally missing from intersections so if you weren't familiar, knew for sure from looking at your map what it was, or had GPS, it was sometimes a bit of a craps shoot.
Like you, I absolutely want to support the clubs and business and sincerely hope the businesses come out whole on the other side of this. It is absolutely the BEST trail system in the world and we are all incredably lucky to have the privalege of using it.
Quebec Rider Winter Gathering 2012
in General Discussion
Posted
I believe they are good at Selectotel in Amqui also