Quad River Rescue

Dramatic rescue of ATV and rider as they got swept away by the South Saskatchewan river.  This is an area in the Nisbet Forrest that we have ridden many times. Thank God for well inflated tires that kept her afloat. Very happy this story has a happy ending.

Penland Exhaust at idle on Can Am Renegade 800

Product Review - Muzzy vs Penland Slip On Exhaust

Muzzy Renegade pipe in black

I purchased my 2008 Can Am Renegade 800X in January of 2012, and unfortunately the weather has not been cooperating. At the time I am writing this article I have only managed to get in two rides on the machine, the first ride was with the stock exhaust and the second was with the Muzzy. So my thoughts on the comparing the two are nice and fresh.

Last season I rode a 2007 Can Am Renegade 800 with an Penland exhaust, so I will be bringing my experience with that pipe into this review as well.

Penland  

The Penland exhaust installed on my
2007 Renegade 800

The Penland pipe came installed on the used 2007 Renegade I purchased earlier that year, I wasn't sure what to expect from this pipe as I bought the machine used from a dealer nearly 800kms away and had it shipped to me. My jaw dropped the first time I hit the starter and heard the purr. I had never owned a twin cylinder machine, it reminded me of the sound of a Harley.
When I finally got it on the trail in spring I realized some of the problems with a loud exhaust. On the trail, a normal cruising speed would be somewhere in the range of 35-40kph depending on the terrain. It seemed like this cruising speed was also the speed where the RPM created a droning sound that nearly rattled my fillings out of my teeth. It rattled my eardrums enough that by the end of that ride I was seriously considering buying another pipe.
Funny thing is that somehow I got used to it, I cannot remember any other time riding that season that I was affected by that droning sound, at least not to the same extent.

We tend to ride around a lot of cabins, camps and lakes on trails in the Northern part of the province. At one of the smaller lakes that we ride at there was a comment about how my machine could still be heard on the other side of the lake. I was sufficiently embarrassed by the comments that when we went back to that lake later in the summer for family camp, I chose to ride a quieter machine and leave my Renegade at home.

Factory

When I bought my 2008 800X I had never heard what a factory exhaust sounded like, so when I heard it start for the first time I was reasonably impressed. It still had some growl to it and wasn't nearly as anemic sounding as I thought it would be. That being said it had to go, after having the Penland on my other Renegade stock was just too quiet.

Muzzy

Muzzy pipe (in polished finish) installed on my
2008 Renegade 800X

I decided that I needed something quieter than the Penland but louder than stock. Surely there must be something in the middle. When reading on the forums I came across the Muzzy brand. It was more expensive, but from what I had been reading online most people were saying it was a quality built pipe and quieter than a lot of the others. The decision clincher  for me was the fact that the Muzzy had a removable "Quiet Core", meaning that you could make adjust the loudness of the machine for your situation.So I ordered it up.

Install was quick and easy, basically two bolts and a clamp and it was on. Unfortunately it does hang a couple inches lower than the factory pipe, probably not a big deal for most, but for me it meant that I could't close my tailgate on my truck.

My first startup with the pipe surprised me, the sound was nowhere near near as loud as what I though it would be. In fact I had a hard time telling the difference between it and stock. Maybe it was because I was expecting something closer to the Penland but I was disappointed. On the trail you could tell it was a bit throatier, with a bit more growl but not as much as I had hoped.

As of the morning that I am typing this review, I realized that the "Quiet Core" that I mentioned earlier is actually pre-installed. So I will be removing it very shortly and updating this review at that time.

*Update - Once I removed the quiet core I was much more satisfied with the volume than with it installed. Removal was quick and easy and once removed I never did reinstall it. It was that happy medium I was looking for. 

Funny how things change over time, I have now sold the 2008 Renegade 800X and am now riding a 2011 Can Am Outlander XMR 800. I purchased the machine used with an HMF swap series pipe installed. I have never complained once about the loudness of the pipe even though it is likely as loud as the Pendland pipe and have come to enjoy it.

Creating GPS Tracks Tutorial - Drawing with Google Maps

In my constant hunt for GPS maps I have realized that most people don't know how to use GPS maps and map software. So I will be doing a couple of tutorials over the next while which will hopefully help those of you who would like to submit maps but don't know how.

For this first tutorial, I will show you one of the most basic methods of creating a track using Google Maps. The neat thing about this one is that you don't even have to have been on these trails to draw a track.

Let's define what a GPS track is. Simply put, a GPS track is a method used to track a route on a map. Most handheld GPS's have the ability to create a track, it takes coordinates at regular intervals and then connects those coordinates with a line. Think of it like connect the dots. We are going to create and connect the dots manually, using Google Maps. The downside of this method is that you need to be able to see the trail on Google Maps. If you can't this method can still be used but it will not be as accurate.

Here is my Google Map I use to mark trails and places I would like to visit
http://goo.gl/maps/1KtOf

Getting Started

1. Your will need a Google account, if you have Gmail that will work, click on this link:
https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?dg=feature


2. Once signed in you should have a screen that looks like this:

Along the left are the saved maps I have created, also a red button that says "Create Map". Underneath the button it says "Or create with classic My Maps", this is the option we are going to use as I am more familiar with the classic view.

3. You can now name your map if you so choose in the title field.

In the upper left hand side of the screen you now have three buttons that you do not normally have on a Google map as highlighted in red on the above picture. The first is the hand, that will allow you to easily navigate with your mouse and move the screen. The second is "Add Placemark" tool, this will allow you to drop a pin on the the map that can be seen at any zoom, very handy for marking areas you would like to ride. The third is the "Draw Line" button, which is the main tool we will be focusing on.

4. Now zoom into an area that you know has clearly visible trails. I am going to use the Ottopasso Trails South of Saskatoon on the Chief Whitecap Trail (the highway that takes you to the Dakota Dunes Casino).

5. When you have the "Draw Line" function selected and your move over the map you get a dialog box that says "Click to start drawing a line". You can now start to place your "dots" on the map.

6.I am using the south East practice track at Ottopasso to draw my track. Each click will leave a white box and will connect you to another line. To make intricate curved lines you will need to use multiple dots, use as many as needed, there is no need to conserve.

To end your line, click the last point (your mouse will turn to a "finger" when you are directly above the last point) or the first point which will create a circle. When completed and you click done it should look similar to this

7. Now that you have your tracks drawn in you can share the tracks you just created, make sure the map is marked "Public", if it is you can send a link to your map by using the "Collaborate" button and emailing it.

What I will usually do with my track at this point is to export it to Every Trail (www.everytrail.com). To do this, go back to your main Google "My Places" screen, click on the map you just created and you will see a link that says "KML" in the summary bar on the left (see picture below). This will export your track to a KML format, save that file somewhere you can find it and import it into EveryTrail. I will have a tutorial soon for importing into Every Trail.

RidersWest Magazine Article

Your's truly had the opportunity to speak with Kirsten Armleder of RidersWest Magazine earlier this month to talk about my passion for ATVing and Sask Trail Riders. Take a minute and check it out.

East Nisbet Trail Review

Located just 10kms North of Duck Lake, not many people know about trails to the East of the highway. Although not as plentiful as the West side, there are many areas to ride with varying terrain.

We have traditionally unloaded just past Duck Lake but there are many entrances to the trails. Almost any road to your right when heading North will get you to the trails.

Terrain: Mostly sand trails in bush and forest, also steep river banks and sandbars. Warning, some of the trails have sand moguls. They have been caused by erosion, and are not dangerous but can be tiring on the body. Imagine large speed bumps that are continuous for 5kms of trail.

Some of the neat places of interest on these trails include:

-The Dead End Hill

-Muddy river trails

-The South Saskatchewan River

-Sandbars

 

Three Wheelers

Before we had four wheels, we had three. The first mass produced ATV was a three wheeler, it was called the Honda US90. Honda did very well with the US90, before it's introduction offroading was limited to dirt bikes. But with a three wheeler, riders had a new level of stability in loose terrain and you could ride rain or shine.

Honda officially introduced the trike to America in 1970, at a price of $595. The original US90 was based on an 89cc single cylinder engine that sent its 7 horsepower through a dual-range four-speed gearbox with automatic clutch. A big feature of this machine was called Swivel-Lok, which allowed for quick handlebar removal for easy loading in a trunk of a car or a station wagon (remember this was the 70's). Later that year the US90 was renamed the ATC90 when Honda trademarked the ATC (All Terrain Cycle) name, and three models carried that Honda ATC monogram through the 1970s. The ATC70 gave younger riders a scaled-down version of the fat-tire experience. And by the end of the decade, requests for more power turned the original ATC90 into the ATC110 in 1979. The ATC was as evolutionary as it was revolutionary from the beginning.

I personally have a lot of history with three wheelers, and so I have a soft spot for them. When I was a kid I had a fear of loud noises,  engines in particular. This concerned my Dad, so he decided to buy an ATV hoping it would help me overcome my fear. He thought a three wheeler would be good because I would be able to ride it by myself without having to worry about being tall enough to touch the ground. And one day he brought home a brand new 1984 Honda 200M ATC on the back of our truck.

Dad and I at the Ottopasso Trails in 1984

It worked! I was no longer afraid of engine noises. My Dad and I would go riding a couple times a year at the Ottopasso Trails South of Saskatoon, which at the time was still a public facility and run by the province. We would also bring it to my cousin's farm when we went to visit them. I loved the freedom the trike gave me, anytime I was bored I could hop on my machine and go explore. Most of my memories are good, but there were a couple accidents. One of the incidents happened shortly after we got the 200M. My Dad and I were riding around the Beaver Creek Conservation Area just south of Saskatoon, I was just a little guy and was riding in between my Dad's legs. Neither of us were wearing a helmet. My Dad attempted to go down a steep hill at an angle, but three wheelers don't do well with angles unless you can hang body off the side as a counter weight. Needless to say we rolled, tumbled all the way down the hill. In the carnage I ended up hitting my head on something, I can remember touching the back of my head afterwards and having a lot of blood on my hand. It was scary at the time, but the blood dried and I had a way cool battle wound to show my Mom and friends when I got home.

Terry and I on our machines

Riding changed for me when I was 10. I met a guy that lived near me, who would eventually become my best friend. His name was Terry, and he was very passionate about riding. When he found out I had a three wheeler we were instantly friends. He had a dirt bike when we met but it wasn't too long before he sold it and got a three wheeler. My Dad introduced me to riding, but Terry is the one who ignited a passion in me for ATVing. We had a number of off road adventures together over the coming years, a couple of which involved being chased by police.

Fast forward a number of years into my early teens, I ended up selling the 200M to buy a dirtbike. Less than a year later I sold that dirtbike to buy another three wheeler. But this trike was nothing like the last, it was like the 200M on steroids, enter the 1983 Honda 250R ATC.

Terry's 200X and my 250R

The "Pyscho" 1983 Honda 250R

The 250R was psycho. If a regular three wheeler was dangerous then this was an absolute suicide machine. It had all of the instability of the three wheeler with almost twice the power and a very torquey 2 stroke engine. You could wheelie the 200M if you really tried, but with the 250R you had to do everything in your power to keep the front wheel on the ground. We bought it in 1992 used from Redline Harley Davidson in Saskatoon. The engine blew shortly after we got it and so Redline rebuilt the engine for us under warranty which increased the power even more. I can remember riding across a stubble field at approximately 80kmph and if I kept it in the power band it would effortlessly raise the front tire off the ground. Low profile tires were becoming quite common at the time and they would have dramatically increased the stability but I was still riding on balloon tires. I semi-jokingly say that I believe this machine tried to kill me as there were a number of incidents that I shouldn't have been able to walk away from, but I had angels watching over me and I never did sustain any serious injury.

My son on our 1984 Big Red 200ES at the Ottopasso Trails
in 2012

A couple of years ago I purchased an 84 Big Red to relive some of the memories from when I was a kid. Found a gorgeous machine on Kijiji, very similar to our 200M. On one of my first rides I got a little over confident. I was bombing along a trail beautiful sandy trail in Northern Saskatchewan getting some good speed when I came up to a curve to the right. As I entered the corner I realized I was going  too fast for the for the traction conditions. I tried to break the rear end loose in order to keep it flat and slide the rear end around the curve but the knobby tires bit into the sand and held firm. Before I knew it my inside tire was coming up and I was in trouble. At that moment you have two choices, turn out of the curve and into the bush or roll. I decided the first would be a better option and I plowed into the bush. Thankfully there were no large trees and the brush just slowed me down. It was a good reminder how a small miscalculation can turn into a wreck. Yes I wasn't being careful but this kind of situation just doesn't happen on a four wheeler.

Are three wheelers dangerous? Absolutely yes! A novice rider can get onto a quad and learn to ride it in a relatively short time and become proficient (knowing how to predict what the machine will do in a particular situation) at riding within a couple of months. Because of the reduced stability of the ATC that same proficiency takes at least twice as long.

In conclusion, I will always love three wheelers, and I don't plan to ever sell my Big Red. But they are different, and ultimately more dangerous than a four wheeler. Some want them banned all together and I will never go that far but they need to be treated with even more respect than your average ATV.