5 Common Mistakes Made By Shade-Tree Snowmobile Tuners
May 24, 2013
Jason Houle, left, pictured at Haydays 2012 with a drag sled and two other guys who helped tune it. As the owner of Straightline Performance in Forest Lake, Minnesota, Jason Houle and his team produce parts big and small to create more horsepower and get more of that horsepower to the ground. In doing... Read more »
5 Tips To Lessen The Pain Of Snowmobile Repairs
Andy Swanson
January 18, 2013
Good communication with shop personnel usually results in higher quality work and fewer unpleasant surprises. If your snowmobile breaks down, repairing it could turn into a long, expensive process that keeps you off the trails for weeks and smacks your wallet especially hard. Fortunately, there are a... Read more »
One-On-One With Snowmobile Tuning Guru Steve Houle
By John Prusak
December 14, 2012
For Steve Houle, hardly a winter weekend has passed over the last 32 years that didn’t involve quality time with a snowmobile. The vast majority of those weekends have been at racetrack – he followed a mega-successful 19-year racing career with 13 seasons as the lead engine builder and tuner... Read more »
How to Inspect and Service Reed Valves
November 14, 2012
Reed valves might be one of the most neglected parts on a two-stroke snowmobile. That’s too bad because many snowmobilers might be giving up performance or dealing with an engine that’s hard to start because of worn reed petals. Research online showed that new reed petals are available from Arctic... Read more »
Engine Reeds 101
Andy Swanson, Managing Editor
November 14, 2012
Reed valves might be one of the most neglected parts on a two-stroke snowmobile. That’s too bad because many snowmobilers might be giving up performance or dealing with an engine that’s hard to start because of worn reed petals. Reed petals are situated inside a specially designed contraption known... Read more »
6 Pre-Season Sled Tips
Andy Swanson, Managing Editor
September 10, 2012
An unlucky snowmobiler might say that if there weren’t bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. Whether it’s a shelled chaincase, blown drive belt or lost drag race, this guy can’t seem to catch a break. While No-Luck Chuck always blames something else — the repair shop, the belt manufacturer or... Read more »
Yamaha Snowmobile Workshop Roundup
Andy Swanson
May 24, 2012
Snow Goer managing editor Andy Swanson, right, and other snowmo-journalists learn how to diagnose Yamaha's fuel injection system. A few members of the snowmobile media recently spent a few days at Yamaha’s snowmobile headquarters to learn about technology used in its snowmobiles. This was an interesting... Read more »
Springtime Snowmobile Trailer Maintenance
Andy Swanson
April 10, 2012
Spring is the time to slather parts of snowmobile trailers in lightweight oil and grease to protect it from corrosion over the summer. Taking, literally, a few minutes now to work some preventive maintenance into your springtime ‘to-do’ list will help prevent serious corrosion that could... Read more »
Prepping A Snowmobile For The Off-Season
March 7, 2012
Every spring, many a snowmobile coasts to a stop at the end of the season’s last ride — and there it sits. In the yard all spring, summer and fall for the world to see. Unprotected from the elements, it degrades. Fuel hoses harden, seat fabrics dry out and crack, and rust forms on internal engine... Read more »
How To Remove An Arctic Cat ProCross, ProClimb Drive Belt
February 14, 2012
The easiest way to remove a ProCross/ProClimb belt is to remove the driven clutch. Have you been stumped about how to remove the drive belt from a 2012 Arctic Cat ProCross or ProClimb snowmobile? We have, recently, and ended up using brute force to take the belt off the rear clutch of our Arctic Cat... Read more »
