Does anyone no how to ride a snowmobile?

[TWOCANE]

I can ride a four wheeler and I am going to New Hampshire to my in laws. My father in law has a couple and we are going out on them any advise? On steering, stapping. the basic stuff. I dont want to break anything. Thanks guys, Wayne

 

[Coach Z]

Drive fast, take chances!=devil

 

[SuperMaxx83]

i have rode sleds for years and years and you really have to watch out for the shinney glare off the snow because you can't see whats REALLY there. I found that out when i broke my elbow in 4 places and my shoulder in 2 places. My left arm will never be the same. Its all good i can still grab the throttle with it just fine.

 

[Rolex]

Wear a full face shield or you won't be able to see through the tears created by the cold rushing air, and you won't be able to yell for help through your numb and frozen mouth.

Avoid all sheer vertical surfaces, whether they go up or down.

Never wear brown shoes with a black tux.

 

[TWOCANE]

what about steering? do you lean into it?

 

[ImBroken]

Steering is all about leaning... If you feel your in some deep snow, DO NOT STOP... lol
Other than wearing some seriously warm clothes, and keeping your hands and face covered.... Just hold on, and have a blast bro... Oh, and contrary to what you might think, they stop on a dime... I found that out the hard way... lol

 

[Lessen]

Oh, and contrary to what you might think, they stop on a dime

That's interesting. I've never really given that any thought but that certainly isn't what I would expect.

 

[TWOCANE]

Cool, I leave in the morning for two weeks.

 

[olds97_lss]

Here's to hoping you don't have one day of "Oh crap" and 13 days of recovery.

 

[Timmahh]

been on sleds since i was 2, so thats since 68. lol damn I'm getting old.
T

 

[TWOCANE]

so are they easy to steer? How do you steer?

 

[Rolex]

so are they easy to steer? How do you steer?

They steer with the handlebars, but you need to lean to the inside of the turn just for balance and more 'bite'.
If you rode quads, that would be the closest comparison.
They don't tilt into the turn like a bike.
You will be amazed at how fast they can take off or stop on something as slippery as snow. That drive belt is all about traction.

 

[TWOCANE]

Rolex, with mmy balance being impared like I told ya. I can still rip it up on a quad just can't jump very well, I have never done the sled thing. He has a Ski-Doo 800 and a Polaris 750, all I know is they are crazy fast that is why I want all the advice I can get

 

[Karl M]

Sleds are easy, it will take you about 2 min. to get comfortable with them. Just watch for anything ahead of you, unless you plan on doing extreme stuff there won't be any jumping. Stick to the trails, and wide open spaces, and you'll be fine. Most of all, have fun.

 

[TWOCANE]

It is crazy, they have hand and feet warmers.

 

[olds97_lss]

Just go easy on the gas until you get a feel for what it can do. You don't want to be sitting there on the ground with a sore butt and a dumb look on your face as it runs away from you.

I took a spin on a relatives quad a few months back. Hadn't ridden or driven anything but a car in over 11 years. Last thing I drove was my uncles harley when I was 19... nice sportster. Anyway, I was surprised at the snap those big utility quads have. It's just on and gone. Even with my 250lb butt on it, it would take off without an issue. With, or without me. Once I got the hang of it... It took a crowbar and a threat of my life to get me off it. I spent about 6 hours on that thing running trails up in northern MN (hour south of fargo). I woke up the next day and could barely move my arms... I didn't realize the beating I had taken just steering that monster.

 

[bentover]

Drink lots of rum to warm you up prior, helps with the chill, also helps wih the in-laws too.

 

[BOUTCH]

My opinion

YA!!! i'll take a shot of that. Ya i drove a snowmobile just three times in my life but was a LONG time ago but, can still remember that its a different feel than the four wheeler i find. :spit:

 

[Rolex]

They are only as fast as you want them to go. When guys rent Ski Doos at a lake, all they want to do is go at top speed, jumping wakes of other boats. Often there's a wake for them a couple of days later.
Be careful, get used to the controls, and never go faster than you feel comfortable.
I don't know if the controls have changed on snowmobiles in the last 5 years or so, but recently I drove a quad with a thumb trigger accelerater instead of a twist grip like a motorcycle. Simple things like that will slow your reaction time when you're used to other setups.

 

[TWOCANE]

I am used to the thumb throttle but I guess Ill just get on and hang on. My wife is saying she is taking out life insurance on me tomorrow. Thanks guys for the info,Wayne