Its a comparabe power to weight ratio of a streetbike, but on snow and way more fun.
1qikz, didn’t see your question earlier. Don’t bother with pendleton unless you plan to head southeast. Trails out here aren’t very good, main corridor between niagara county and everywhere else runs through here so it gets beat down pretty good. When you get into rapids/akron its pretty good and the further southeast ou get the better. Its mostly flat, both woods and fields. Lots of areas to do some drag racing if needed…
I just saw the pictures in this thread, and if the old style F7 is the best sled you have ever ridden you need to get on some of the new stuff. The new rider forward sled are amazing compared to the old style sleds, but I guess this depends on your riding style.
I ride pretty hard so this may be different for me than others.
Edit: I am always up for a race but more of a Point A to Point B thing, the whole drag thing doesn’t appeal to me
currently the twin spar chassis > all. end of story. period. although i cant wait to hop on the procross and see how that one is, it seems to be a cross between the twin spar and snopro. i dont expect it to be as smooth as the twin spar f’s but should be more fun as its lighter and went back to a chaincase instead of gears so itll use the power better. they feel awesome sitting on them.
and i think the op’s post was a typo in it being an '07. that f chassis was only to '06 and then they went to the first version of the twin spar(but if you get a twin spar you really want a '10+) i would say though that fighter jet if its a real one, it was only an '04 spring order correct? which means it was still chaincase so its a better one…if its a good one i bet you could get that thing to put a spanking on anything out there. the '03 f7 we race has almost 7k miles on it and was a beat up POS when we got it, just did clutching and gear and were running 116mph on radar on hardpack snow. cat had one thing in mind when making those f7’s…being fast. they dont handle as well as the zr’s but can handle bigger bumps better. dirtbike riders would feel at home on one…but theyre nothing like a twin spar.
figured i would let you guys know how im doing this season on the 111x Hebeler F7.
grass drag racing results…
Presque Isle grass drags in Waterford PA: 2nd in ISR700(due to some screwy isr rule regarding redlights lol), semifinals in ISR800, 2nd in ISR1000
Snowbash in Cold brook NY: 1st in STK1000, scratch in semifinals of STK700 and STK800 (sled broke)
Shawnee Snochiefs grass drags in Sanborn NY: 1st in ISR700, 3rd in ISR800, 1st in ISR1000
Hastings 500 in Michigan: October 8th & 9th
Smoking Pumpkin grass drags in Arcade NY: October 16th
Tearin up the turf in Schaghticoke NY: October 29th
if you guys want any info on any of these if you want to try out racing your sled let me know…I also have a bunch of clutching and gearing parts for cheap for CATS if you want to try setting up something, can also help with suspension setup…try it out! grass drags are a blast!
For racing you need boots (over the ankle, workkboots are fine) jeans, long sleeve shirt, tek vest, full face helmet and eye protection. Minimum. They also like to see shin giards especially on the mod sleds. Tether killswitch mandatory
I apologize for not clarifying but I meant during the winter time. Everybody keeps saying buy Klim stuff but it’s so pricey. I was looking into Coldwave gear.
Yeah, it’s an 04. Brain cramp on my end. I rode a Rev for a day in Tugg Hill and my buddies Fusion for a day, but they just give me a “tippy” feeling. Guess I would have to get used to it but I’m old school and feel like the F7 gives me the old ride style but does a great job in the bumps. I’ve never complained about it’s handling or suspension, especially with the Fox Floats up front. I plan on keeping this one as long as I can. Definitely has some power and yes, it is the chaincase version. Won’t be too long before it’s time to rip again.
I ride Klim pants which are at least 5 years old. Pricey but no rips, tears, or complaints. I ride with thermals or sweat pants undernweath for comfort and ease of movement (during backflips and such). Wore a Choko jacket for almost ten years with zwro problems. Wear a matching jacket now. I always look for a removeable liner and fine tune my layers till I get what I want. You have to try different variations based on conditions (cold, wind, etc.). I like wind proof gear that’s breathable.
I’m pumped for this season. I have ridden for years. I moved to Hamburg last year, so I joined their club, but spun a bearing as I was loading my old XLT on the trailer. So instead of fixing, I cut my losses and parted it. Over the summer, I traded my old Audi for a 1994 Polaris Indy Storm 800 triple triple. It has a lot less suspension than the XTRA 12 setup I had in my old sled, but I really want to get this one season out of it. Next year I want to pick up a Yamaha Phazer RTX. I also picked up a single enclosed clam shell style trailer.
Also, in Hamburg, by the railroad tracks on Rogers Rd, there are some trails that look like they get ridden. They aren’t on any trail maps, and heard it is trespassing to go on them. Does anyone know if they lead to any legit marked trails?
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Those are not part of the sled trail system. It is trespassing if you get caught on them, though its pretty unlikely, they’re rarely if ever patrolled.
Also, in Hamburg, by the railroad tracks on Rogers Rd, there are some trails that look like they get ridden. They aren’t on any trail maps, and heard it is trespassing to go on them. Does anyone know if they lead to any legit marked trails?
You are right in my neighborhood. Those tracks are right behind my house. That’s right, it’s trespassing but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone hassling the kids that ride there in 15 years. Been on em myself. We created a trail connector from the Hamburg VFW on Lake View Rd. last year so you can park and ride from there. Close to home and plenty of parking. HSC member.
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If you are serious, LMK. I’ll help you out.[/QUOTE]
im not one to give advice on this…i usually end up buying go fast parts instead of gear…haha. but, i have an arctic cat jacket, some castle x gloves. usually just wear a pair of insulated work boots and my ski pants. i have a full face and a snox helmet, but i wear a baclava with both always, and i have smith goggles when i wear the snox helmet…
i was looking into getting some pants and boots this year, what is everyones opinion on hmk stuff? it amazes me that ive been snowmobiling over 10 years now and have yet to really get good gear lol…
I always wear a balaclava with a full face w/heated shield. The shield really helps when you get caught in some freezing rain or even when it just fogs up. I have arctiva jacket and pants, warm and wind resistant. Even at 0 degrees or colder a simple hoodie is all I need under the jacket. Also has reflective patches for ease of being seen at night. I do need a new pair of gloves, on real cold days/nights even with heated grips the outside of my fingers get cold. Keeping warm is very important not only when riding but also in case you break down. Trail maps are also something I always carry with me.
I searched on craigslist and got a really good deal on a thick pair of snowboarding pants and snowboarding boots to rock. As far as helmets, whats the preference? Moto-x stlye w/ goggles or like a full face modular?
I have a pair of Polaris snowmobile boots I bought years ago if anyone wants to give me a couple bucks. I found that wearing my thinsulate work boots gave me better “feel” on the rails and were still warm enough. (also helps me do my 60 foot gap jump heel clickers). I thought my work boots wouldn’t be warm enough but surprisingly, they’re fine. As helmets go, I like an electric shield option and wouldn’t wear one without. So many people tell me they never fog up and then they’re the ones riding at the back 10 miles an hour because they can’t see a tree if they were 1 foot in front of it. I never wore the open with goggles. I got the matching fighter jet helmet when I bought mine and it’s like the open face but the shield comes with a brow visor, and yes it’s electric.
My buddies ride with the full face flip up style. They always seem to have some issues. One guy I rode with had the Ski Doo modulars when they first came out but he was always dumping condensation out of the mask and had to buy the diapers for that. One night the air vent froze up and he couldn’t breathe. Kind of funny.