mikerider

No studs. I have found in this situation that with studs, AND new carbides I would have been fine. But carbides don't stay sharp long and duller carbides with studs I think would not have made it through the curve and gone straight into the trees. IE, studs and dull carbides wouldn't have made the curve and hit trees instead of rolling it when it caught on snow. Who knows? MIke

As of tonight I have about 725 miles on the TNT ACE. Still saying best of the my 60 or so sleds,,,,,by far. Conditions are fast and usually get 90 to 95 on the big RR beds. Getting 20 to 21 mpg US, but again, conditions are hard and fast right now. Seems strange not to be looking for gas at 125 or so miles. In my opinion there is absolutely no telling this is a four stroke weight wise in the handling department, it drives like a two stroke always. Wasn't sure I would like the lack of engine noise, now I love the quietness. I almost always get a bigger windshield than the medium that comes with it. Not this time. Today got very cold as the morning wore on and I was chilled a bit all day, was wearing what I usually wear for 20 below with no problems. GET the higher windshield. Was frozen last 75 miles. Did bend the right handlebar this afternoon in St. Parmphille. Haven't seen a patch of ice anywhere on the trails this week. Came thru a blind tight corner immediately onto a 40 foot long patch of ice. Got sideways, hit snow, and rolled it hard. Slammed me to the ground on my back like a gorilla threw me down. A might sore tonight. Sled still drivable but one handlebar has a good bend. No problem driving it back to RDL. My only other mention is again, I would guess the Renegade will be slower on top end. The TNT's acceleration to 60 or 70 is incredible. Very hard hit coming out of the corners. Very, very fun sled. mike

Ray, hurray up and get here. The Hotel wants you to pay your bar bill.

Don't worry, Crazy, I know who made you do it, I recognize a strand of his wife's red hair floating in the water! mike

That's too funny! Robert Redford's face and my body, right?

Well, looks like I took quite a beating on QR today! However, there was no beating on the sled. Finally can give a ride report that occurred outside the hotel walls. Trails were nothing less than awesome. 200 miles, just perfection. Some areas had up to a couple inches of new snow, some areas still had trees caked in snow. No bumps except a few small drift ridges in a couple places. Only met a few sleds all day. Basically headed west on trail 5, dropped down to 35 making my way southerly, then up 85, and hit a few other trails in between. Brutally cold and windy all day. A great day of sledding. Very serious, just totally awesome riding. Couldn't believe it could be this good. mike

Ray, If you are going to take this long to get here, at least call the bar and give them your credit card number. Thanx in advance. Got to get the cheerleaders tanked before we get into the hot tub! Like that 50's kid song Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda Here I am, in Riviere with lots of ta ta the cheerleaders, are entertaining they get sloshed and think an old man can sustain em

Said the mafia guy from New Jersey!

Jackstraw, great picture. More exciting than my life today! Weather reports are all over the place for the weekend. Cold thru Friday, then depending on who you listen to, a general warm up over the weekend with either flurries, snow, sleet or rain. mike

Uh oh, hope none of you really believed the cheerleader bit ('cancel the QR gathering in RDL, cheerleaders booked the place'). I knew Ray would believe it and be half way here by now, but that was okay, he would buy me a good bottle of Vin Rouge. But Iceman's cheer is great, he makes the team!

Cold this morning, parking lot is a sheet of ice, and not as wintry looking with no snow clung to the trees. Things look hopeful, the 3 inches of new snow, along with the sleet, absorbed the light rain very well. I walked over to the trail by the old SkiDoo dealer where the trail goes into the woods. There is a light crust on top with good powder underneath. Two sleds had gone through in the rain and under their footprints it is very hard. As of right now there zero lubrication for the slides. My best guess at this point is there will be good riding after the groomers get out. The clerk at the desk at the hotel says the groomers are supposed to go out today and tonight. Also I don't know how things are even ten miles from here, whether they got more rain, got the few inches of snow etc. mike

Pics of the snow, hot tubs, or college cheerleaders? My thoughts of right now is that conditions MAY? be fine. The 3 inches of new snow absorbed what little rain we got. Now getting cold. The riding may have to wait til the groomers get out and break up the top crust and bring up some powder from down below. I doubt they will go out tonight, but probably Tuesday night. It is getting cold out now and very windy. mike

Happy hour, the posts start going downhill. mike

I should mention the RDL Universal Hotel has added about 50 rooms and a new spa. Also have an outdoor patio with a bonfire pit (must be gas), and two new outdoor hot tubs with a waterfall going into the hot tubs. Might as well host the QuebecRider gathering here this weekend! Oops, never mind, college girls cheerleading competition this weekend. Dave, I'll be posting everyday unless it looks hopeless and I go home. mike

Calling for 80 klm gusts tonight, tomorrow 3 degrees F. No wind right now.

Just got out of the hot tub, does that count? Happy hour T minus one hour.

Right now RDL could go either way. Got about 3 inches of snow overnight, then few hours of sleet, then few hours of very light rain. Started to clear a short time ago and now back to very dark clouds. If no more rain it might be okay in a day or so, after groomers mix up this top layer, stay tuned. mike

Trails perfect yesterday. Awoke this morning to 3 inches of new light snow. Snow at 6 AM just turned over to sleet. Figures, ten days off and this happens! Will update conditions, as I will at least stay another day or two to see if it is ruined or comes back. mike

Might as well add that conditions at RDL are awesome, trails groomed to perfection and traffic is light. Very lightly snowing off and on late afternoon and this evening. Waiting to see what we get, forecast is all over the place from rain to snow. mke

Arrived RDL today, out riding by noon. Put 110 miles on the TNT ACE 9. So far I love this sled more than any I've owned or ridden. The RMotion is the real deal. The motor pulls hard but may lack top end for some of you. Got down on RR bed trail 35, couple new inches of snow overnight and with sleds going over it, top couple inches of trail was soft. Sled could just barely touch 85 mph, but cruised effortlessly at 70. It has to be the quietest sled ever built. Very, very happy so far, but again, decide if you need more top end. Heard the Renegade has less top end. Acceleration on my sled is outstanding. Got in at dusk so could not really tell if headlight is good or not. mike

If you are used to the Doo 600 carb motor, just be warned they made some changes to that motor in 2012. After having one in '08', '10, & '11, I bought a '13. The '13's power was disappointing in the upper midrange of the power band compared to the others. Also the gas mileage was down. The '13 kind of was irritating to drive, felt rich and non responsive after 60 mph or so. mike

Don't know if I can help. I had a Cat '12 ProCross and didn't really like it; low hard seat ('14 has softer taller seat), many recalls, reverse didn't work, handling just fair, rear suspension stiff & harsh. One of my concerns of the new Viper is some models are supposedly using Cat's ACT shocks. Cat used these for a couple years in the late '90's and early 2000's. They were junk, had two sleds with them and nothing but grief. They are made by RydeFX. Maybe they are better now??? I only have 100 miles on my TNT ACE 9, and those miles were done on narrow curvy central Maine trails so hard to get a feel for the sled, but I did get well over 20 mpg that day and quick spirts the sled would get up to 85 mph no problem and was still climbing. I thought acceleration felt like a 600 two stroke. Headed for Canada this weekend so will be able to give a better report on the sled by mid week. My only concern is if the 900 is comfortable at 75 mph down long rail beds and doesn't feel taxed at those speeds. I'll update my findings. One concern about the Viper is I heard they actually only hold 8 gallons of gas, not 10 as advertised, not sure if that is true or just an internet rumor. Also be careful, as Cat has been using really cheap bearings in their sleds in recent years. Hope that helps. Mike

First QR post for the new year! Happy new year to all. Working, but pretty quiet. Lots of people let of fireworks few minutes ago. mike

My initial impression of the 900 ACE, after one ride of 100 miles, is that I absolutely love it, got low 20's mpg, in quick bursts of the throttle will do 85 mph no problem, and acceleration is about like a 600 two stroke, (but probably less top speed). It is the quietest, by far, of any sled I've driven. Acceleration feels really meaty due to the 4 stroke torque. I will know more, hopefully, when I start vacation in Quebec this coming weekend and try it out on real trails. So far my test ride was on trails more narrow and not like Quebec trails. Owners of the 900 are reporting on Doo Talk that they are extremely pleased with this sled. Mike

Nice Andy! How did you get Steve off of his Cat and back on a Doo? mike