P Hardy

Left some fun un-done a few weeks back up in the new snow  . So we return  ! 
Forestville to points west 

New Drop Bracket Fab.
I hoped the left and right bracket were identical, nope... I hoped the Air Ride mounts would still be mounted to the chassis, nope...
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-rear-mount-1.thumb.JPG.2efd63ca6553e3e7178027948bb663f4.JPG
Used 1/8th inch aluminum sheet to make the two templates that could encompass the AirRide Mounts and levers.
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-rear-mount-3.thumb.JPG.3ffdb327bf6f73bd5e045cbe2f2ee50a.JPG
10 test fittings later....
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-rear-mount-2.thumb.JPG.ba83cbaf4e8bae9e8df315a8bb6ed94d.JPG
Gave it smoother\rounded shapes to reduce the chance of stress cracks, like why airplane windows have rounded corners.
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-rear-mount-4.thumb.JPG.98755283b7949bc892d16d1324a99094.JPG
Transferred the templates to thicker aluminum....
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-rear-mount-6.thumb.JPG.174438734846584123a1c50e39a07dca.JPG
Pressed in some steel bushings to reinforce the wear points for the cross shaft
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-rear-mount-5.thumb.JPG.4c34ac3fa0698a1b3f83920981f08393.JPG
Now I wait for some barrel nuts, these will support the two sheets ( tunnel and bracket ) similar to a self piercing rivet and the bolt compresses the sheets together. With luck this will minimize movement and greatly increase shear strength and rigidity.
Later
GutZ
 

Woke up in Forestville at the Enconologe to a cold, sunny morning, this hotel can accommodate many and it right on the trail. Rode mostly local trails all day and they were AMAZING!  Highly recommend the 2 dead end trails straight north of Forestville; the scenery was spectacular and one of the nicest rides we’ve done in northern Quebec. We would have never ridden on those trails had it not been for the lack of snow in most areas this year….it felt like we were the only ones on the trail; met less than a dozen sleds all day. 
 
Absolutely fabulous day on the trails.

2' of fresh on the magnificent 330?...
 

"Better late than never…"
100%!
Thanks for sharing!
(Except for a little ptsd from the shot with the snow up to the front bumper, but I should be OK after a while!)
 

Did a similar run out of Complexe Hotelier Escoumins starting Wednesday after an 11 hour drive on Tuesday. Ran up to Le Chapelle on 3 and then 93 and back on 350. Thursday up to Forestville on 3 with a heavy wet snow. Got colder and really started to snow later in the afternoon coming back on 330. In the higher elevations it felt like a new foot had fallen on top of 3 feet on the ground. Was a lot of fun bounding through the fresh powder, not very often you get to do that anymore. Then Friday under some bright blue sky (finally) and chilly, headed back toward La Chapelle in the reverse direction over 350 and breaking some trail up in the higher elevations. Looped around to Auberge du km 31 for lunch (great spot) and headed back on mostly groomed trails before sled blew up about 50 miles from Les Escoumins. Wouldn't be a trip without a little bit of towing. Anyway great trip to an otherwise pretty bad season. Wish I took more photos but was too busy riding... and nobody swimming in the pool at the motel.

M&M Tours is off. Left Oliphant Sunday March 17th, pulled into the Best Western Premier Hotel Aristocrate in Quebec City around 8 and had a fabulous dinner at the in house restaurant, La Fenouillière. Off Monday morning and checked in to Complexe Hotelier Escoumins then spent 3 hours trying to find places to stay for them next 5-7 days. 
 
Rode loops for the first 3 days in a variety of conditions…good, bad & ugly mostly due to the new, wet snow even though the groomers were out. Des Bouleaux Blanc clubhouse is a great stop 40 km from town. Thursday morning rode most the day through storm conditions to the ski village Valinouët and stayed at a local rental house, Auberge du Yeti. Rode up 373 as far as we could then spent the night in a cabin at Auberge 31. A quick lunch at Piste D’or was tasty and the owner was entertaining-he sort of reminded us of Bernard 
 
Then back to truck and trailer, 93 did not disappoint-smooth, fast trails. Loaded up and drove to Forestville.

It Snowed in Maine yesterday. Northern and interior areas got quite a bit. I guess a few of the clubs might groom. Here in Southern Maine we got about four inches before it turned to freezing rain. My birch trees got tired and laid down for a nap. The power went out just after 9:30 last night. still out this morning just before 4:30. I am thankful for the stand by generator that I had installed last year.  I spent the day yesterday working on my motorcycle. Changing the air filter on my 2018 Honda Goldwing. I thought the previous generation Goldwing was bad. This is worse. A ridiculous process. It was a good day for it. I left a note for the next guy that does it. When I wrote it, I was determined that it would not be me....
Changing The Air Filter on a 2018 Honda Goldwing

Hmm...
 

The plan has changed 
from club today. 
 
THE TRAILS OPEN
After a few reports and information received, the groomers are in operation today. Some decisions are hard to make, but it's never too late to get back on track.
 
There don't seem to be any fallen trees, and the mandatory signage still seems to be in place. We'll be continuing our field checks today. You'll still need to be vigilant after the resurfacers have passed. We must also give priority to the resurfacer operators and volunteers in the field, as we have several hours of work ahead of us.
 
The conditions will be updated on Imotoneige at the end of the day once we've had reports from the operators. We'll be linking up with St-Eugène and prioritizing north of St-Narcisse, St-Marcellin and Mont-Lebel towards Rimouski.
 
An update
Contrary to what some people propagate, the club doesn't save any $$$ when the trails are closed. On the contrary, with the new financing system adopted by the clubs, the more surfacing hours a club does, the more revenue it earns. And we agree with this principle!
 
Please proceed with caution while waiting for the groomer to pass. The river is closed and you must use the footbridge to cross the Rimouski River.
Enjoy the ride and thank you for your understanding!
 

BLAST FROM THE PAST!!!!!
Well, if no one noticed, this Winter Sucked.... We were able to ride with our good friends but not nearly as much we would have liked ( smiles per miles! ). So with no real damage or changes needed and an early start to the Off Season, I have some time extra time to bring this back from the dead!
After working on in the 670+ Engine I could not figure out why it would not REV past 6500 under load..... Engine was out then in, then out, checked case seal, etc.... ( Remember even with NOS it would not REV, and the NOS made it worse ).
So I pulled the y-pipe one more time, to look in the cylinders\Exhaust and see if any thing looked a-miss.... Nope....
Even flipping the shocks upside down made it no better. ( Dealership recommended it, they do it on all their New Sled Setups )
Then I disassemble the shielding on the Y-Pipe and found that there was a huge cross shaped crack right at the Y. Like any good idiot would do, I went and bought a welder, watched a YouTube or Two, then proceeded to burn a few holes in my riding lawnmower deck, in the end creating the worst weld seen by man. I did successfully weld the metal together and the lawnmower is ready for the grass... Coming off the high of melting metal together I grabbed the Y-Pipe and made the second worst weld know to man....http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_03/rr-Pipe-3.thumb.JPG.c1c51954a6b9b0dc61bd0c5fb9e4862b.JPG
And burnt my thumb.... Pro Tip.... Glowing Metal is Hot, Be Careful....
GutZ

I'm truly deplorable for not getting my act together enough to post live from up there, or since driving back down in Sunday's butt-puckery road conditions.
I almost made a crumple-zone out of a Honda, between my Nav being pushed down one of the big Charlevoix hills toward the salt/plow truck by the 4-place trailer filled with 5 old-school Yammis!

They are doing the right thing!!l
But I got 10 bucks that says they’re will be plenty of tracks on their trails this weekend 
 

That pic must have had a weird angle to make it look like that or they didn’t remove the clamp in the suspension yet
it was normal when I picked it up and yes the suspension bolts are in and torqued 

Will have this groomed and open tomorrow (friday)
 

That is why you got tbe good deal.
its a fixer upper

looking and thinking about this more I gotta call bullshit on this blackjack1 and someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Just because it will fit either way dosnt mean its right. Two things are obvious. The small warning sticker on the shock is upside down and more importantly you dont have the two surfaces where the piston arm goes into the shock body and the crimp around the two part shock body facing up where water and snirt can lay and collect on whatever seals are there. I'd bet my lunch money that BRP would say absolutely only one way it goes on.
Besides the up/down issue I found this last night and just about shit my bibs. It's extremely unnerving that a dealership would let something like this out the door. Imagine the bolt coming out and the shock dropping and suck you right into the woods or worse.

In Forestville today  March 21st on my 2024 Gade 900R XRS Smarht Shocks 4th trip to Quebec over 3000 Miles loving every minute of this Sled!!

Off topic 
here is a “boots on ground “ photo from an hour ago near les Escoumins

Surprised,  after reading this part I expect you were going to order another 4-Stroke.
 

A ride report on the '24 MXZ Adrenaline 600R 129.  2,000 miles.    "The great experiment"
Last 3 sleds were Renegade 900  Adrenaline 4 strokes.  Great sleds but did not like the front end push in looser snow and they also had a somewhat stiffer ride, front and rear, especially the front ski suspension.
Hoped for quicker handling with the 129 track and a chance to see how far two strokes have come.  This sled also moved me up to the RMotion X suspension and newer X skis. The new G5 also added more soundproofing to the 2 strokes.  Also new for '24 on the MXZ's 2 strokes was a taller ski suspension. I could easily see the front end sat up higher with the new longer travel.
First, the new 600R was fairly quiet for a 2 stroke, as I believe the G5 got more sound insulation added.  The engine runs like a fine Swiss watch, perfect all the time at all RPM's. Very impressive. Gas mileage wasn't too bad unless I had a stretch of fast speeds like a RR bed, then the mpg plummeted fast. But I really missed the constant 20 mpg of the 900 ACE. Especially since each sled, 2 stroke or 4, has only a 9 1/2 gallon tank. I thought I would hate the MXZ trail seat compared to the Renegade's comfort seat, but I liked it just as much.
The 600R rear suspension was very plush.  The ski suspension not so much, still too much feedback in the handlebars over bumps.  I also felt it even pushed more than the Renegades in loose snow. I found this made me really not enjoy the sled. SkiDoo skis just don't have a deep enough keel to grab, even with 6 inch Shaper bars.  
The sled handled good on hard surfaced trails, but once traffic chewed up the trails, handling went south. But the handling was not as good as the Renegades (which sat lower in the front). There was a noticeable penalty with  the new front end raising the front of the sled.  SkiDoos have always handled very good on hard trails, almost a go cart type handling.  The 600R lacked this feel.
I will just mention this in passing, the 600R hand warmer controls should be enough to make you never buy a 2024 SkiDoo.  They are beyond horrible.
With the promise of a new front end geometry  and all new redesigned ski for 2025, and good reviews by the sled  media, I traded/spring checked a '25 MXZ 600R  "X"  129.  Its been some years since I had a higher end model. This also moves me up to rack steering and high end shocks.   I am excited.
mike
 
 
 
 
 

Today March 18th / 10” of Snow yesterday!!! After this last Spring Fling then the Scooter comes out!!!! 👍

incredible ride ...wish they had a drone...snow pack is very kind to them this year as well as warmer temps...I would love to be with them...definitely a trip nobody will ever forget

Melty. 🧊 ❄️ 
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