PTS Flowbench Forum

One of the quickest things I've ever driven was a Skidoo with a triple 800 Rotax, 0 to 90mph and back down to 0 in under 200 yards. I have no idea how the thing was able to hook up so well on snow but the acceleration was shocking, it damned near launched me off the back of the sled, if not for my death grip on the handle bars, it would have!

86rocco wrote:One of the quickest things I've ever driven was a Skidoo with a triple 800 Rotax, 0 to 90mph and back down to 0 in under 200 yards. I have no idea how the thing was able to hook up so well on snow but the acceleration was shocking, it damned near launched me off the back of the sled, if not for my death grip on the handle bars, it would have!

I rode a Polaris years ago that was a 3 cylinder that was way scary. Like you said there is no way they can hook like they do, but they do hook. Scared the crap out of me!

Yeah, them things are nuts!
Keeping in line with the thread, I worked at the Co. that makes all the clutch and drive-line parts for these, programming and CNC work, robotics, etc. Some friends of mine did the R&D work in the 60's and 70's. Crazy hobby.

86Rocco Wrote
acceleration was shocking, it damned near launched me off the back of the sled, if not for my death grip on the handle bars,

Jfholm Wrote
Scared the crap out of me!

Some how I can picture both ED & John faces when the took these sleds out for a test spin in the snow ! I did get a laugh out of your remarks

Like Death grip !

Scared the Crap out of me

This is funny guys

I remember when we were first married we were invited to a friends cabin in the high Uintah's here in Utah. My daughter was about 2 or 3 and I talked my wife on getting on a fast skidoo with me. My little daughter was between us on the Skidoo. My wife said be careful!!!!! She should not have said that as to me it said the challenge was on. I took a corner a little too fast and we went off in the very deep powder and tipped the sled over. It took a minute to find my poor little daughter who was about three feet deep in the powder. to this day my wife will not go to the races with me, ride on anything that does not have a seat belt with me and she sure the heck won't fly with me.

It's kinda funny, my wife won't sit in ANY kind of a hot rod with me. Thinking of trading her in...

you have reminded me of my first ride on my bike .

i decided to build a cheap fast bike for the rd ,mainly to keep fit , so no fairing or anything .

i found a cagiva mito 125cc frame down the scrapyard ,and after measuring it fitted a 1998 honda 500 twin engine ,and a old t25 turbo off a 2.5 citroen diesel van.

big intercooler off a 2 litre lancia thema.

on the dyno , it stuttered and missed at 4k ,and would not run well , until i positioned the carb bowl breather dynamically .

in the end it had 135 bhp at 9500 and around 80 to 90 lbs ft at 7 to 8 k ish. with some wheelspin and clutch spin .

it weighed 170 kg wet.

first ride..... i rode to a local town ,wallingford, quite gently ,then on the way back , up a long hill at about 60 mph ,gave it full throttle ..

now,,,,,,, im not a swearey type of chap, but i have to admit ,i could only hang on for dear life and splutter bbblllooodddyyy heeellll in my crash helmet ,,as the blasted thing very nearly had me off the back .

my vice like grip on the bars remained necessary all the way up to 95 mph ,when the front wheel started to hover around 2 inches off the ground ,as the intercooler became more and more effective.


after a while the combination of 15 psi ,9:1 cr and 24 d timing was a little too on the edge,,and it nipped up a piston , so i reduced it to 8.5:1 and a little less timing , but even then, on one occasion , it pulled 155 mph with me ,wearing a rucksack of all things , on the rev limiter ,chasing a gsxr with n20 up the rd .

its a tractable bike , easy to ride slowly , but boy does it pull hard above boost onset.


robert.

Malvin wrote: Some how I can picture both ED & John faces when the took these sleds out for a test spin in the snow ! I did get a laugh out of your remarks

Like Death grip !

Scared the Crap out of me

This is funny guys

LOL, you have no idea, I wish I had video of that event. Prior to that, the last time I'd been on a snowmobile was as a passenger when I young child in the early 70's, it was a sedate even boring ride, this time, I got on the sled had no real idea what to expect, I slowly maneuvered it through an orchard and when I finally got to an open area, I pinned the throttle, I had been sitting in a relaxed upright position and in a heart beat that went to arms out stretched, chest on the seat and ass hanging off the back. Death grip indeed, and the really frightening part came next because I needed to relax my grip to release the throttle, I really didn't want to but my nice open area was rapidly giving way to forest so I had no choice. "Scared the crap out of me", excellent (and accurate) choice of words,

I love this thread as it now reminds me of all the times I have escaped deaths grip! Roberts turbo bike reminds me of a time my buddy came by the shop with his new Yamaha 1100 Shadow. He had just got it back from RC Collins in California and was fitted with a turbo system. He throws me the keys and says take it for a spin and see how fast it is. CHALLENGE ON!!!! 1st and 2nd gear were like stock, maybe even a little less. Went through the gears so fast that the engine did not load enough to boost. BUT 3rd gear was a whole new story. Boost gauge pegged and the ride was on. Both Ed's description and Robert's applied to this situation. arms outstretched, butt hanging off the back of the bike and front wheel skipping off the ground!!! I became a religious man in a hurry. As you get pushed off the back of the bike it rolls your hand to further open the throttle which I was now barely hangin on with just my finger tips. I finally got the throttle rolled off and gently took the bike back and told him "NO THANKS!" He raced it a couple of times and was way into the 9 second bracket at approaching 140 mph. Sorry but just too much for this guy.

chasing a gsxr with n20 up the rd .

NICE! Well written story...had me there with you.

Sleds and bikes now are like Ma' Barker shotguns...point it, and shoot it. That first time underestimating is a trip.

As far as hanging onto the throttle, saw a guy try a burn out on a hopped-up Harley....only 60 ft. from a building and aimed right at it. It suddenly hooked. The bike was completely destroyed. He broke his neck. Weirdly, the only people freaked out were the ones that had to dive out of the way. Everyone else either shook their heads or laughed. For some reason Karma seemed appropriate. There's a back story, but...