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Snow bikes

When I was about 8, I had a dream about riding some mystery motorized thing across the water. You rode it like a motorcycle but it was designed to go across water. Never forgot that dream. They actually came out with these things a few years later. Never got one, but many years later, got my fill, so to speak, by doing several water crossings on my 600cc SkiDoo thru the channel in Dorset (about a 1/4 mile of open water) Craziest thing I've ever done. But I digress.
Ah the wet bike. I still may get a seadoo hx at some point. Apparently stability is so low that you cant get on until they are planing. Sounds like fun to me.
 
When I was about 8, I had a dream about riding some mystery motorized thing across the water. You rode it like a motorcycle but it was designed to go across water. Never forgot that dream. They actually came out with these things a few years later. Never got one, but many years later, got my fill, so to speak, by doing several water crossings on my 600cc SkiDoo thru the channel in Dorset (about a 1/4 mile of open water) Craziest thing I've ever done. But I digress.
 
I just found a YouTube video shot in Dorset that shows an exact carbon copy of my fun in Dorset. Its uncanny.
My sled had 100 HP and slightly better than standard track in terms of paddle height...so maybe 1.2" high..
Get up to 80 km/hr, hit the water, and just keep it at about 3/4 throttle
Sorry to muck up the thread. Just can't help myself, this was back in my good old days.

 
Ah the wet bike. I still may get a seadoo hx at some point. Apparently stability is so low that you cant get on until they are planing. Sounds like fun to me.
The original Kawasaki Jet Ski was pretty cool that way too. You had to develop some balancing and coordination skills just to get on one, much less ride it well. It was a naturally unbalanced machine that made it fun to ride even in a straight line. Shame that they no longer make them.
 
The original Kawasaki Jet Ski was pretty cool that way too. You had to develop some balancing and coordination skills just to get on one, much less ride it well. It was a naturally unbalanced machine that made it fun to ride even in a straight line. Shame that they no longer make them.
I haven't had the chance to ride one but apparently to get the hx going, you lay in the water beside it holding the bars, give it the beans to get it planing and then climb on. Pretty awesome.
 
The original Kawasaki Jet Ski was pretty cool that way too. You had to develop some balancing and coordination skills just to get on one, much less ride it well. It was a naturally unbalanced machine that made it fun to ride even in a straight line. Shame that they no longer make them.
I stand corrected - Kawasaki apparently do still make a stand-up model after reintroducing them 5 years ago, but much bigger and heavier than the originals.
 
The original Kawasaki Jet Ski was pretty cool that way too. You had to develop some balancing and coordination skills just to get on one, much less ride it well. It was a naturally unbalanced machine that made it fun to ride even in a straight line. Shame that they no longer make them.
How much of an environmental disaster were they?
 
How much of an environmental disaster were they?
From crap dumping into the water probably not all that different to every other two stroke boat motor. They did step up the annoying noise game as most boats arent constantly on and off the throttle.
 
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They're cool but if I had them and could get 15K USD for them, they would be on the to the next owner.
15K - I gotta think that's a typo. They are not that rare. When Chrysler sold it all off in the 80's somebody bought all the stock. When I got mine maybe 8-10 years ago you could buy a brand new old stock unit for about 1700 USD.
I'm watching an auction where one is up to 2000$ (including about 30% for buyer premium and tax). I think it's over priced.
 
15K - I gotta think that's a typo. They are not that rare. When Chrysler sold it all off in the 80's somebody bought all the stock. When I got mine maybe 8-10 years ago you could buy a brand new old stock unit for about 1700 USD.
I'm watching an auction where one is up to 2000$ (including about 30% for buyer premium and tax). I think it's over priced.
Not a typo, they actually sold for that price. Based on the comments, most people think the buyer was nuts. Chrysler made (or at least branded) a lot of cool stuff in the 80's. I know a guy that restored one of their catamarans. Not sure how these products fit their business model.
 
Like you found out from the OFSC, trails are a no go with snow bikes. You need to go where the backcountry sled guys ride. In Ontario Wawa is the popular backcountry riding area. Others go to the chic-choc mountains in Quebec and Upper peninsula in Michigan.

You can play around with the crown land atlas to try and find some rideable crown land closer then those 3 places I suggested. It's not easy to use but there are some youtube videos around that explain how to find what your looking for. Not all crown land allows motorized vehicles. Geocortex Viewer for HTML5

The compound in Muskoka (think Bracebridge area) is a snocross practice track that I believe they allow snowbikes to ride on.
^^^This. And to add, groomed trails will not be fun on one of those anyways so you'll need powder to make it enjoyable and for that you'll have to go north to the places suggested.
 
If I were to snowbike, I'd head to cottage country (Bancroft for example) and look for seasonal cottage roads. There are hundreds of kilometers of them, and they would be perfect for snowbikes I would imagine. I don't think there would be any rules against riding on them, and you can just park your trailer along the side of the road for an hour or two and move on to the next one.

I took my sled down some of them and it's just like non-groomed OFSC trails... non-groomed is way more fun anyhow!
 
Thanks for all your suggestions
Just an update, I contacted OFSC, then OFTR and Ganaraska also, got the same answer everywhere, the snowmobilers rule during the winter months
 
Thanks for all your suggestions
Just an update, I contacted OFSC, then OFTR and Ganaraska also, got the same answer everywhere, the snowmobilers rule during the winter months
Look into Rally Connex. Lee does a huge snow bike event each winter called the Snowdown, he also does several other snowbike weekends etc.
For snowbikes, he's the man in Ontario.



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Watched a SnoRunner sell last night on a live estate auction. After buyers premium and tax $3400. Crazy.
 
They do look like a lot of fun in the right environment. It's ashame that local snowmobile clubs are going through the same fight as skiing vs snowboarding. The newcomer must be banned as it's evil. I am sure snowbikes can make a mess of the trail but so can sleds when driven in anger.

@Lightcycle are snowbikes permanently off your to do list or still on the sometime in the future list?


 
@Lightcycle are snowbikes permanently off your to do list or still on the sometime in the future list?

Depends on if we're going to stay or travel full-time again.

If we stay, we'll need to buy a place with a bigger garage because we currently have no more space for toys. If that happens, then snowbikes are a for-sure thing.

If we head out again, we're going to have to start selling bikes and other stuff instead of accruing.
 
I rode a snowbike in BC in 25 cms of fresh pow just before Covid, and it was absolutely awesome. But as soon as you got on tracked trails, it was horrible. Rough ride and hard to control. If I lived in BC, I'd have one for sure. Here, I think the best place to ride would be frozen lakes, after a big dump.
 

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