First ride of the season

[fap67]

I took my Honda powered Hus-ski out for a little ride after Thanksgiving dinner. Not a lot of snow, but enough for a ride around the yard. Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

[Barrie2777]

We had 8 inches fall yesterday. I am itchin' to get out my most recent acquisition ...a 444 with less than 1/16" of wear on the original cleats. I have never seen gas pulled to the carb so easily. This one is NFS.

[math]

Wow, show us pictures!!! do you know why it has never been used? Do you know the story?

[Barrie2777]

I don't know the original owner but it had sat outside for a long time as there was rust over the entire body. Someone has painted it with a brush however the color is good. I will overlook the brushmarks for awhile.

My first ride of the year with my 400 was today in the abundance of powder snow we have. What a ride!! Last year I was having track problems so I put on new tracks last week. The cleats were worn through to half their thickness and the sliders were also worn out. It purred today and went everywhere I pointed it. The side note to this machine is that I found it in a field, under a tree in a nearby town. The belting is original as well as the piston, rings, engine seals, points, condenser and both coils. This engine is a testament to the durability of these JLO engines.

[Barrie2777]

All the bearings were changed and new tracks assembled on this original 444 (except for the paint which someone applied with a brush). I had driven this machine a few days but I knew it only good sence to do the mechanical restoration. I found several bearings which were missing the dust cover, one missing a ball bearing and I could not turn the front axel by hand. Even though it appeared to run well, a lot of damage may have happened had I continued to drive it. It was -35 today so it is a good day to test the "super" lubricant a friend brought me which apparently cures all recoil issues in cold weather. He claims the recoil will work as freely today as it would in July.

[Barrie2777]

It has been -22 all day and the recoil is still as loose as when I put it outside. -28 now so we will see in the morning!!!!!

[Barrie2777]

This has been only a one day test but at -30 this morning the recoil was still rotating freely. This stuff really seems to work. It is called "FLUID FLIM' and is apparently also used to keep gun mechanisms working in cold weather.

[Barrie2777]

I had driven my newly restored 600 last spring but only on packed snow. I took it out yesterday for its first ride of the year. We have about 24'" of powder snow. It purrrred along fine on any track I had made with the 444 but the moment I veered off the trail I TELL YOU WHAT MISTER !!! /#@!!THAT BEAST heaved and dove right, then left then right twice and left once more before I hit an existing track and was able to tame it to go straight. If I was on the wildest bull at the Calgary stampede the ride wouldn't have been wilder. MAN OH MAN OH MAN@@#!!! I straightened my hat, made sure both feet were tightly shoved into the toe clips and once again headed into the deep snow this time with confidence having been through the wildest ride of my life and lived to tell about it. With no trees in this 14 acre field I felt moderately confident I couldn't run into anything...if I could just get turned around and head home. Right, left, nose dive, left twice , on its side, nose up , nose dive, jack knife right and hoorrahhh!! we are heading home. Its in the garage now and may become a trailer queen. Despite its reluctance to go where I wanted it to go, it had plenty of traction and never got stuck.

[Barrie2777]

It was just pointed out to me that I had not made it clear that this ride was on a 600 single track. It was on my single track. I imagine the ride on a double track will be another experience to remember.