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BITEHARDER Better Traction – Better Trails Program

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BITEHARDER Better Traction – Better Trails Program

Glenn Welch and the team at BITEHARDER have just released a new program called “Better Traction – Better Trails” that is sure to be a win-win for the snowmobiling industry.

Born out of the necessity for repeatable traction performance that provides better handling and safety, BITEHARDER’s full line of carbide runner and stud sharpening tools have become widely recognized for their ability to provide riders with a simple and cost-effective method to “stay sharp” all season long.

As the developer and owner of BITEHARDER Products, Welch describes that he attended the 2018 International Snowmobile Congress in Halifax to understand more about what was needed in improving the future of our sport.

The two issues that resonated the loudest were reducing accidents/fatalities, and improving overall funding mechanisms for better trail maintenance.

Welch says, “With what I learned at the congress, I set out to develop a program that would help to solve these issues. The result was our Better Traction – Better Trails program where 10% of all BITEHARDER product sales are returned directly to the participating state snowmobile association (or provincial snowmobile federation), from where the sale originates. The win-win scenario comes in the form of snowmobilers riding on Better Traction and associations/federations having more funding for “Better Trails”. It could not be easier.”

The program was officially released at the 2019 International Snowmobile Congress in Grand Rapids Michigan where all of the associations and federations BITEHARDER approached agreed to participate in the program. Welch commented, “The states and provinces recognize the safety benefits snowmobiler’s get from better traction and welcome the extra monies BITEHARDER donates back.”

Over the 2018/2019 season BITEHARDER tested the Better Traction – Better Trails program in their home state of New Hampshire, and in the province of Ontario, with great results. Dan Gould, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association stated, “The board earmarked the monies to the trails committee.” In Ontario the monies were flowed down to support better trail maintenance and operations.

Welch commented, “We are extremely excited about watching this program grow over the next few years. It will definitely be a win-win for both snowmobilers and their respective associations/federations.”

To learn more about the “Better Traction – Better Trails” program or to purchase BITEHARDER products, visit biteharder.com. Additional informational can also be found on BITEHARDER’s YouTube Channel.

Highs and Lows of the 2019 Ski-Doo Grand Touring 900 ACE Turbo

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Highs and Lows of the 2019 Ski-Doo Grand Touring 900 ACE Turbo

After a season of riding, Luke is here to give you his closing thoughts on the 2019 Grand Touring 900 ACE.

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ANOTHER HAY DAYS COMES AND GOES

Mark Lester
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ANOTHER HAY DAYS COMES AND GOES

The annual kick-off to winter – the legendary Sno Barons Hay Days held in North Branch, Minnesota has come and gone.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of Hay Days we want to shout-out a solid thanks to the hundreds of SnowTrax TV viewers who came to our booth or just grabbed us as we toured and expressed your appreciation for SnowTrax.

We were overwhelmed by the number of you who made purchase decisions based on SnowTrax Test Rides. On behalf of Luke, AJ and myself, we are humbled by your comments and want you to know you make it possible for us to continue to produce the highest quality, snowmobile specific television content in North America!

So here’s my synopsis on the largest outdoor powersports event in North America. While Hay Days has changed somewhat over the years to include multiple powersports activities and vendors, the event is still largely about snowmobiles.

Yes, the grass drags ran all weekend and no I didn’t pay much attention to them. In terms of interesting racing it was the UTV Championships off road stadium style SxS racing that caught the attention of thousands spectators. After that it was clearly the ATV and SxS mud racing. Yep, people are riveted by high speed motorized forays through deep swamp chocolate!

Of interest to you – our faithful snowmobile readers and viewers – was the annual assemblage of OEM snowmobile displays and the associated vibes each of the manufacturers were giving off.

YAMAHA

Let’s start with Yamaha. They looked great in their jinormous display and it was well populated by snowmobilers. Lots of interest in the return of the updated 1049cc Viper and, of course, the Sidewinder variants – including reigning top speed champion, the SRX.

It seems the success of the SRX last year has attracted a lot of pure performance types to the Yamaha camp. We can tell you as of this writing no one outruns the SRX.

After a solid winter in the Midwest, the feeling in the Yamaha display was upbeat and optimistic. Yamaha has a strong interest in Snow Bikes as a result of the popularity of their legendary YZ450F motocross motorcycles. It’s pretty clear a lot of Snow Bike buyers attach the kits to Yamaha Off-Road bikes.

SKI-DOO

SD always occupies a lot of space at Hay Days and this year was no different. The legion of yellow underwearers was out in force and the Ski-Doo booth was mostly packed all weekend long. Ski-Doo put a lot of effort into the launch of a new film titled Escape Mountain featuring most (if not all) of their deep snow ambassadors.

The film which was debuted at Hay Days is not just a cornice jumping, extreme riding visual smorgasbord but more of a dramatic film where the riders are challenged by the world’s most extreme escape room on a mountain.

While the film was met with mixed reviews by Hay Day onlookers, we are curious to see what impact the film will make on attracting non-endemic viewers into the sport. Escape Mountain will be broadcast on Velocity channel later this season.

Ski-Doo’s focus appears quite obviously skewed to the deep snow, mountain market this year. According to industry sources the mountain segment is now the largest segment in the sno-mo-biz.

Ski-Doo wowed the racing fraternity with the intro of another edition of the MXZX 600 RS sno-X weapon. It is no secret Ski-Doo worked hard to get to the top of the sno-X podium last year. They appear committed – as far as competitive product is concerned – to continue to dominate sno-X racing around the world.

POLARIS

Polaris as a brand and in particular their display at Hay Days had something going on this year. There was an upbeat feeling among the Polaris staff, racers and ambassadors on site – like they know something’s shaking and the crowds in their display appeared stronger than we’ve seen at previous Hay Days events.

Interestingly the new RMK KHAOS, the Indy XC 137 and Indy XCR received overwhelming attention from a legion of Hay Day’ers.

There’s no doubt the return of the Indy handle has amped up intrigue in the brand. The company is proudly celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic Indy moniker. We felt almost disproportionate interest in the 129 Indy XCR. This was not just witnessed at the Polaris display but through-out the event.

With the mountain market becoming the most fiercely contested battle ground between Polaris and Ski-Doo the company is pushing the envelope again with the intro of something a little different – the Khaos. This sled is targeted at advancing the skills of newer and less experienced deep snow pilots with less effort. If you’re a hard core vert rider the Pro RMK is still your ride. Yeh, Polaris has something going on.

ARCTIC CAT

The Arctic Cat snowmobile display at Hay Days was surprisingly short on, well, snowmobiles. On Saturday morning the international snowmobile media were brought into the Team Arctic Race Trailer for an official update and Q and A led by division Vice President Craig Kennedy. The session lasted about 40 minutes and was intended to help clear the air on a number of contentious and misunderstood moves the company has made the past 12 months.

Kennedy is a likeable and personable individual who is obviously working overtime navigating the snowmobile division through some tight disciplines set out by parent company Textron. The message was: ”Arctic Cat was not profitable in the recent past but the moves made thus far will ensure the brand will be profitable”.

We’re not sure how not selling current year snowmobiles helps profitability. The question of mass cancellation of dealers was discussed as well but seemed a little touchy with those in attendance. More on this topic soon. The ball is in Arctic Cat’s court right now and it’s time for them to deliver on the promises we’ve heard.

Stay tuned…

2020 SKI-DOO MXZx 600RS

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2020 SKI-DOO MXZx 600RS

BRP introduces a refined 2020 Ski-Doo MXZx 600RS E-TEC specifically for snocross racing in North America that further advances the extremely successful redesign of 2019 which led to multiple championships and podium dominance last season.

The MXZx 600RS E-TEC continues to leverage the industry leading REV Gen4 platform for superior rider ergonomics and handling in rough conditions, while increasing durability, and performance.

The Gen4 layout delivers a narrow design with centralized mass for agility and responsiveness while the Ergo Step side panels and beveled tunnel gives racers enormous freedom to ride the way they want – without interference from the chassis.

For 2020 the rear of chassis has been re-designed with a new tunnel, heat exchanger, bumper and taillight that better fit its race focused purpose. All shocks receive the Integral Base Valve that was seen on the factory shocks from last season. The rear suspension receives a new rail design that’s sturdier, the front shocks have the reservoirs turned inward to protect them in close quarters racing and the engine gets a new cylinder design for more horsepower.

Additional refinements include a new fuel pump that delivers the last few drops of pre-mix so racers can run with minimal amounts of gas, a stronger brake backing plate to provide consistent chassis performance and reduced load on the bearing and new suspension and engine calibrations.

The RAS 3 front suspension features a long spindle that allows higher cornering speeds and a unique power steering system that provides ultra precise handling with less effort so racers can change lines easily.

New this year, Integral Base Valves on all shocks add the ability to adjust not only High and Low Speed Compression but also High Speed rebound. Often seen as a factory only component in the past, these new adjusters are now offered as standard equipment to all racers. Changes were also made to the front shock reservoirs by having them turned inward for protection in case of contact.

The Racing rMotion skid frame in back is 137” length for maximum traction and holeshot performance with proven motion ratio geometry for both front and rear arms. All four KYB Pro shocks (40 mm front and 46mm for both rear) are Kashima coated for less friction, longer life and consistent performance. For 2020 all shocks will have new calibrations with the ski shocks and rear shock featuring high and low speed compression and high and low and speed rebound adjustment, while the center shock features high and low speed compression and high speed rebound control. Also for the start a new mechanical holeshot device is added that allows for more efficient weight transfer and quicker response off the line.

The Rotax 600RS E-TEC engine gets a new cylinder that delivers more horsepower above 6000 RPM with new calibrations for stronger starts and better pull in high load, deep bump situations. The Rotax engine features E-TEC direct injection, that always delivers quick response and perfect calibration no matter the altitude or weather conditions so racers and their crew have less to worry about. Other features include booster injectors first deployed on the Rotax 850 E-TEC, a short intake tract with double reeds and digital eRAVE.

The Brembo brake system gets refined with a new larger, stronger backing plate that ensures the chassis and brake stay in alignment all while reducing bearing load and wear. The four-piston brake caliper is located for easy maintenance and mated with a stainless-steel rotor to deliver the stopping power required in rugged snocross races while keeping costs down.

Chassis changes include refinement to the lightweight Lexan hood and LED lights along with the new, straight rear bumper that works better with the tilt tunnel, plus a redesigned heat exchanger for increased cooling.

2020 MXZx 600RS Highlights

REV Gen4 Platform:

• NEW Design Taper/tilt tunnel
• NEW Short heat exchanger with internal loop
• 137” Track
• Lightweight Lexan Hood
• LED Lightweight Headlights
• Reinforced E and S modules
• MX inspired seat
• NEW taillight – moved to seat
• Racing foot box
• 5-gallon fuel tank
• Lower center of gravity
• High Air Flow Left Vent

RAS 3 Front Suspension:

• NEW shock calibration
• NEW Integral Base Valve Adjuster
• Kashima coated 40mm KYB Pro R Series shocks (High Speed /Low Speed compression and High Speed / Low Speed Rebound adjustments)
• Rack steering with power assist
• Long Spindle design (Stronger + better speed cornering)
• Lightweight Pilot R2 Ski – Reinforced

Racing rMotion Rear Suspension:

• NEW rail design – stronger
• NEW Integral Base Valve Adjuster
• NEW shock calibration
• 137” length
• Lightweight Front and rear arms
• Kashima coated 46mm KYB Pro Series piggy back center shock w/ High Speed / Low Speed compression and High Speed Rebound adjustment
• Kashima coated 46mm KYB Pro Series piggy back rear shock w/ High Speed / Low Speed compression and High Speed / Low Speed rebound adjustment
• Optimized geometry (race proven motion Ratio front and back)

Rotax 600RS E-TEC Engine (599.4 cc):

• E-TEC direct injection
• NEW Mono block cylinder design with Plasma coating- delivering more horsepower
• NEW engine calibration
• Intake booster injectors (850-inspired)
• Shorter intake length (850-inspired)
• Double reed valves (850-inspired)
• eRAVE (850-inspired)
• Lightweight exhaust system (Stainless steel tuned pipe)
• Racing Throttle Block – Ready for 50% throttle applications
• Reinforced engine mounts
• Hot Start Button

Drivetrain:

• NEW larger brake backing plate
• Brembo Brake System – large diameter rotor, easy maintenance caliper
• pDrive primary clutch
• TEAM TSS-04 secondary clutch
• Revised slip gear – Better durability, less maintenance
• RS drive axle (Lighter)
• Lightweight belt guard – better air flow

skidoo.com

Highs and Lows of the 2019 Polaris Switchback Assault 600

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Highs and Lows of the 2019 Polaris Switchback Assault 600

With a full season of riding under his belt, Luke lays down his final opinions on the 2019 Switchback Assault 600.

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Highs and Lows of the 2020 Polaris 850 INDY XC 137

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Highs and Lows of the 2020 Polaris 850 INDY XC 137

Luke shares his initial thoughts on the 2020 INDY XC 137 featuring the Patriot 850 engine.

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Highs and Lows of the 2019 Ski-Doo MXZ X 600R

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Highs and Lows of the 2019 Ski-Doo MXZ X 600R

AJ sends out his closing thoughts on the 2019 MXZ X 600R.

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SuperClamp.net: Introducing Interactive Trailer Configurator

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SuperClamp.net: Introducing Interactive Trailer Configurator

Our new tool makes ordering a snowmobile tie down system easy and intuitive.

NEW WEBSITE TOOL

Build your trailer right here: https://superclamp.net/build-your-trailer-now/

TRACTION BAR

– Enhanced traction for snowmobile tracks on all trailering surfaces
– Enhanced traction for tires on atv’s/utv’s and dirt bikes
– Made from highly durable composite material
– 6 per kit, 15″ (38cm) long, .875″ (2.25cm) tall

JOKE OF THE DAY

I’ve decided I’ll never get down to my original weight and I’m okay with that… After all, 6 lbs 3 oz is just not realistic.

MAINTENANCE

As the winter season comes to a close it is once again time to stow away our winter sleds in favour of summer wheels. But just as important as caring for and securing our snowmobile for its summer hibernation, we must not neglect some simple care instructions for our other important winter accessories, like our Superclamp Front and Rear Tiedowns!

Yes, they are tough. And yes, they are built to last. But, after a long, hard winter of holding firmly to your most prized winter asset, they, too, deserve and require a little TLC. Here’s some simple tips to help ensure your Superclamps can do their job just as well next year as they did this year:

1. Superclamp (with Chain Style Assist) – Clean and generously oil the chain and lubricate the threads of the centre adjustment knob where the J-hook is.
2. Superclamp (with Cam Lever Assist) – Remove dust cap, clean, and replace. Lubricate the threads of the centre adjustment knob where the J-hook his.
3. Superclamps should be cleaned of any debris and excess moisture and stored in a dry place.

Sooner Or Later This Was Going To Happen

Mark Lester
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Sooner Or Later This Was Going To Happen

So here we go! The revolution (or what appears to be a revolution) of electric automobiles has migrated to our sport. Let me clarify a few items before we get too deep into this genre.

First, electric snowmobiles are a long way from making it into the mainstream. Problems exist in a number of key use parameters – not the least of which is charging capability.

One of the most powerful detractors to the wider acceptance of electric cars is the sparse existence of Stage Three charging stations. Specifically a DC charger which can “fill up” an electric car battery to 80 percent in about twenty minutes. Stage Two 240 volt AC chargers can do their job – so it’s reported – in about 2 hours.

Stage 1 chargers would be the equivalent of a 110 volt extension cord from your house to the car and require upwards of 12 hours to charge car batteries. As you can imagine a Stage Three charger costs significant jing but is clearly the most credible way of feeding energy to an electric car.

The issue for snowmobiles or off road vehicles in general using electric power comes down to the necessity for an infrastructure of charging stations in what are arguably remote conditions. To be specific, who is going to provide and pay for the charging infrastructure necessary to support even a tiny percentage of recreational snowmobiles using electric power?

Interestingly, Taiga – a Canadian company with some pretty impressive credentials and financial backing – is not being unrealistic about the aforementioned realities. Taiga has wisely targeted what I will agree is an opportunity with pretty strong potential. Taiga’s brain trust consists of past team members from the SAEs (Society of Auto Engineers) heralded Clean Snowmobile Challenge competition sponsored by the Keweenaw Research Center in Houghton, Michigan.

The idea of the event was for aspiring Engineers from technical learning institutions to compete head-to-head in a competition to produce the cleanest and most efficient snowmobile using unique or existing technologies or a combination of both. SUPERTRAX Magazine covered the Clean Snowmobile Challenge with a number of feature stories.

Without getting into too much detail at this writing it appears the Taiga – available in utility/two up, X-Over and Mountain configurations will initially be targeted at ski-hill maintenance operators and snowmobile rental operators. There is genius in this plan and here’s why. The Taiga fleet all use batteries which provide a claimed 120 – 150 kilometer range. That’s less than 100 miles. Knowing rental operators – like the myriad who exist in places like West Yellowstone, Montana, have daily rental routes much shorter than the Taiga’s range means the Taiga two–up model would be easy to integrate into this kind of service.

Clearly the Taiga’s environmentally responsible flavor would be welcomed with open arms by the US Park Service. Even snowmobile renters – who are overwhelmingly neophytes – might pay more to rent from an electric snowmobile provider than a BAT (Best Available Technology) fossil fuel powered snowmobile rental company.

The potential for commercial use of a Taiga by ski-hill maintenance staff is a natural. There would be significant opportunities for Taiga to market to the down hill ski industry.

So what about you and me? Will we want a Taiga? We’re going to hold judgment on this question until we’re able to close a couple loops. First and foremost we have to actually see and touch a Taiga. That’s happening in August when we visit Taiga in Quebec. Beyond this we need to actually ride a Taiga – hopefully early in the 2019-2020 season and see if it appeals to the hard core sled nuts around this place. It would be unwise to get into a huge RAH-RAH about the Taiga when we have no, zero, zip experience with the vehicle. We owe it to you – and ourselves – to let the Taiga do the convincing.

That’s why I haven’t delved into the spec charts and details of the Taiga’s engine – actually “motor” – chassis and suspension in any detail. None of that will matter unless the Taiga wins us over with its snowmobile prowess.

Stay tuned for an update after our Taiga plant tour. Taiga has promised another surprise for our August visit.

Check out the details at taigamotors.ca

Introducing the Taiga snowmobile lineup

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Introducing the Taiga snowmobile lineup

Say hello to Ekko, Atlas, and Nomad

We’re proud to introduce our first 3 production snowmobile models launching on the TS3 platform: the mountain Ekko, the Atlas crossover, and the Utility/touring Nomad. Explore the models on our snowmobile page and find out more about the technical updates behind the TS3 Platform in our blog post.

Ready to ride electric?

We are now accepting reservations in North America & Europe, with customer deliveries targeted to begin end of 2020. To secure access to a test ride and your place on the waiting list you can reserve your snowmobile by placing a refundable deposit.

The Founders Edition

Taiga will mark the launch of the electric snowmobile with the Founders Edition- a limited series production run of 300 snowmobiles featuring exclusive design elements. Plus, Founders Edition reservation holders will be invited to the Taiga unveiling event and gain access to other perks.

Are you a fleet operator?

Commercial fleet operators are invited to join Taiga’s Fleet Program. To learn more about the program, please fill out our fleet information form and we will get back to you with further details.

Calling all dealers

Taiga is partnering with dealers to bring the future of snowmobiling to market. Dealers will also have the chance to co-host a demo this upcoming winter. If you are interested in working with us, please fill out the dealer application form.

Your questions answered

We have created a FAQ page to provide much more information. Check it out, and if you still have questions, please contact us.

Thank you enough for your interest in Taiga and support on this journey. Attempting to shift an entire industry forward is no small challenge, and we couldn’t do it without you.

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    SNOWTRAX has established itself as the most watched snowmobile TV series in North America.
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