snowmobile fun

[Keen]

At the weekend we took a little excursion with some friends to Isola, a ski resort just 90 mins drive from Nice (up a very fun mountain road, I think I'll be back up there in the spring with the bike).
Anyway, seen as how I've never ski/snowboarded before and my girlfriend didn't fancy it because last time she went she busted her knee up, we decided to try something else- so we rented a motoneige! ('snow motorbike', or snowmobile).

This was our steed for the afternoon, a BRP Lynx 800cc 4 stroke v-twin:
https://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o33/jimbokeeno/CIMG0531.jpg

As I understand it this model is at the touring end of the snowmobile market (the pillion seat looked like it was off a goldwing), if it was a bike I'm guessing it would be a deauville or at a stretch, a vfr.
Of course, they're not gonna let you loose to tear around the hills at will with vulnerable skiers all over the place, so we had a guide leading us. His machine looked a little higher spec'd:

https://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o33/jimbokeeno/CIMG0527.jpg

Initial impressions were good. The bars were wide and the seat comfy, there was a handy luggage rack at the back for our stuff, the grips (and levers!) were heated and very toasty. Brake was a little lever only long enough to get 2 fingers on it on the left bar, throttle was a thumb paddle on the right.

https://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o33/jimbokeeno/CIMG0526.jpg

The guide explained the controls and some of the subtleties of riding one of these beasts before we set off. He warned that the brakes were lethal (proved to be true) and that only the slightest progressive squeeze was needed to slow it, anything more would lock the thing up. When taking corners or riding along slopes it was important to lean in to reduce the risk of it turning over, which felt weird because there's no counter-steering, you lean left and actually turn left to go left, which feels alien when you're used to bikes. Also when going down steep hills, you have to keep a little throttle on and apply the brakes at the same time, this is so that you keep the track turning and stop the thing from breaking grip and sliding down out of control.

These things are great fun! the guide took it slow at first while I got acclimatised to the motoneige and how it handled, but once we'd been out a bit he started quickening up and we went on some pretty scary trails, up steep gradients, through trees and along tracks with sheer drops and not alot of room for error. The descents were the scariest, up hill you just gave it full throttle and hoped for the best but going down required more thought, especially when you know locking it up means sailing straight off the edge!
The views throughout were incredible, I'd never been skiing before so I've never been to a place like Isola. We stopped a bit to take it in and snap some pics:

https://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o33/jimbokeeno/CIMG0519.jpg
https://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o33/jimbokeeno/CIMG0520.jpg

Overall it was a great day, more my kind of thing than skiing and something that I think you'd enjoy if you're into bikes
____________________
"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[quacker_boy]

Looks good, me and my dad rented a couple of 2 strokers when we were in Lebanon and set off in a party of about 15 razzing about the moutains behind a guide.

F**king quick little machines!
____________________
wizzzard wrote: Imagine God just stopping by, tidying your front room up and then quietly letting himself out again. Statisticly more likely to happen than Korn being on here.

[TOM M]

Looks awesome

Are they like riding a quadbike??
____________________
Now owner of a 1200 Bandit

[Keen]

[jaguar65uk]

Ah no way, that takes me back - I rode some in Bulgaria skiing with family a year or two before my interest in bikes took hold (so no idea what they were - four stroke twin i think) great fun though anyways, we were only out on ours for about an hour - looks like you got a bit more involved.

They are fucking quick though aren't they? I remember riding with my dad's mate and he'd hold back from the snowmobile infront and then open it up - properly quick.

You fly into Nice then and drive up the mountain? Just for one weekend? Seems like a bit of a mission.
____________________
Past: Aprilia SR 50, Aprilia RS 125
Current: Aprilia RS 125, Yamaha Teos 125

[Keen]

[riichy]

wounder what the equivalent of a GSXR1000 is
____________________
.......... PLOD ............ zx636 2004