Deep Freeze | Snow Bikes At The 2020 FXR Dealer Meeting
It was ironic that our rental car model at the Minneapolis Supercross was a Chevy Malibu because the upper Midwest weather could not have been any more opposite of south Florida. With temperatures in the negatives and snow on the ground, I eased out of the parking garage at the airport and prepared for the long, slow drive to Elk River. Living in California for nearly a decade hasn't hampered the snow driving skills I developed at the wheel of numerous beaters on St. Louis streets and it was fun to search out the clearest, quickest lanes while others white-knuckled their way up 494. Despite the confidence in the car, concerns were more on the snowmobile and snow bike motos that were planned for Friday afternoon at the FXR 2020 dealer meeting. Friends that had put their share of time at the controls of both were not afraid to bring up the challenges that come from the two unique machines and having never ridden either before, I knew that the plan was to stay ski-side down and not go for stunning speed.
After an hour and a half behind the wheel (along with one failed turn-in attempt due to the icy road), I had arrived at Elk River Extreme Motor Park just in time to snag a Miller High Life and dinner. Delays to Donn's flight meant he'd arrive far later than intended, so I kicked it with our friends Milt, Andy, and Carson of FXR, Jason from Insideline Connect, Mark, Travis, Chris, Darryl, and Michael from Hi-Torque, Rich and Zach from EKS Brand, and Andrew from Dirt Rider. Seeing as most of the aforementioned are California natives, the main topic of the evening was the bitter cold outside and how we'd all survive until Sunday's flight's back to SoCal. Between beers, I browsed through the massive collection of gear that FXR had on display and in the catalogs.
Quick backstory: Like most in the US, I first noticed FXR when they outfitted Jimmy Decotis during his stint in the Canadian National MX championship and Alex Ray during the privateer Spyder Energy Race Team, but knew virtually nothing about the company. When I went to the EICMA show in 2015 and saw that FXR had a booth at the Italian convention, it became a goal to start some sort of conversation between TWMX and FXR. Over the last three years, FXR has made a massive push in the motocross market with quality products and rider endorsements, and their lines of riding gear have become go-to pieces for swap and me but motocross is a very small portion of the company when compared to their snow segment.
So, back to Elk River, where FXR's 2020 products like snowsuits, helmets, insulated boots, and base layers filled a massive showroom. On one rack was the new collaboration helmet with 6D (basically the ATR-2 helmet with FXR logos, so while it's not "new" it will propel 6D's designs to a new market in snow motorsports), while another rack showed a pant and jacket with an info video that boasted about the F.A.S.T. design used in the apparel. The video is probably the most remarkable thing I saw all weekend, as it opened my eyes to a problem I never thought about for snowmobilers: The risk of falling through a frozen lake and into icy water.
What is F.A.S.T.? It's an acronym for "Flotation Assistance Safety Technology," which is layers of closed cell foam (think the small, paper-like sheets of bubble wrap) that provide up to two hours of buoyancy in the water, insulation against the cold, and interference-free mobility to help escape from the water. The video was one of the gnarliest things I've ever seen to sell motorcycle products. Luckily, there'd be no chance of the same thing happening on ERX’s motocross-style circuit next to a highway.
After seeing a glimpse of the motocross products FXR will push out for 2020 (sorry, an embargo will keep the public from seeing this stuff until July) it was time to suit up in the gear given to me by Carson, which included a bright orange Cold Cross set, a windproof base layer jersey, thick gloves, a neck gator, and a balaclava. Since we are a "performance-minded" title and were on a track, the Cold Cross setup was the perfect option, as the wind-water resistant material kept out the chill but didn't feel bulky or constrictive like a childhood snowsuit. It's easy to see the shared needs of snow and motocross that were addressed with the Cold Cross line, especially the stretchable fabric and overall cut of the chassis. The bright orange colorway with the sublimated name and number was a nice touch, as it all would have helped to find and identify my frozen body should something have gone awry. If you're exposed to cold weather in any way (there are massive casual and workwear lines), it seems like anything from FXR is up to the challenge.
I decided to try a snowmobile for the first moto and my lack of experience was made apparent almost immediately. Once on the saddle of the Ski-Doo sled, I hooked the killswitch cable to the loop of my pants and looked for the starter button. Since electric starters are the norm on motocross bikes, I figured the bigger engine would need a battery-powered assist, but there was no button in sight. After a questionable moment alone, I noticed the pull rope by my right knee and gave it a hard yank, which brought the engine to a quick idle. I figured now everything was good to go and squeezed the throttle trigger. The rpms rose, the sled vibrated, my heart rate spiked... and nothing moved. Yeah, turns out it takes a little more than 2000 rpm to get the track to start moving, something one of the track workers pointed out. Off to a stellar start.
Once on the track, things got better as I steered the skis through the snow as gracefully as a bulldozer in a demolition site. Hanging off the side of the sled, elbows up over the front-end, accelerating early, accelerating late, braking early, braking late. I tried it all and nothing seemed to help carve through the berms. Feeling the weight of the sled as I single-hopped over the jumps made it clear that there would not be big air in the future. After about 20-minutes of riding, I started to understand some of the basics of the snowmobile but would still botch every third corner and felt that a high-side was imminent. With that, it was back to the heated chalet.
The rest of the afternoon was spent on the snow bikes, which after a moto on the snowmobile, were much more familiar than I figured they'd be. That might sound weird, "a motorcycle is a motorcycle," but the massive changes that are made to the bike so it can ride on snow change the feel of the engine and chassis. Compared to the fast-revving engine, flying Volkswagen feeling that was the Ski-Doo, the converted Yamaha YZ450F was nimble to maneuver but too weighed down to feel recklessly fast. Maybe it was the pace at which I was riding, but there was almost no need for the rear brake since the weight of the rubber track slowed the bike down as soon as the throttle was rolled back. Cornering was easily the most fun part of riding the snow bike, especially through 180-degree turns. After the initial slowdown, a rider can get back on the gas early in the turn and power through the powder with confidence that the bike will stay planted on both-ends all while knowing the worst outcome is a tumble in the soft snow. Rolling over the jumps on the ERX track doubled the number of obstacles on the track for me, but this did allow me to learn how the bike handled and how to react to a cross-rutted jump face. In total, I rode for over an hour on the snow bike and gained skill with every minute, enough to the point that I was confident enough to launch most, but not all of the 50-foot tabletop and charge into jump faces.
To wrap the day up, the FXR crew pulled together a few media guys that were still suited up and paired them with a pro rider for a six-lap team race. Michael Lindsay's fortune put him with X Games silver medalist Jesse Kirchmeyer and I got paired with an incredibly nice local rider, Reggie. After a quick shakedown lap on my partner's CRF450R, it was time to line up for the start of the moto. I've claimed a fair share of good starts at A Day In The Dirt, so I figured the green flag start was something I could ace. As soon as the silk was in the air, I was off and headed into the first turn bar to bar with Jason McCune. The holeshot went to Hapa, thanks in part to his start spot towards the inside line through the first turn and my spot far outside and high around the berm, so I spent the next three laps in second-place and taking the snow roost thrown up by the rubber track. At some point in the moto, I apparently cut over on Lindsay and caused him to lose momentum but it was purely an accident, as my situational awareness was non-existent.
I handed the bike off to Reggie at the midway point and for a few laps, he trailed Hapa's teammate for what looked to be a sure second place finish. Unfortunately for he and I, Kirchmeyer went on a tear and climbed from third place to first-place with late-race passes, which made it clear why he's one of the best in the sport. Still, third place is much better than an ambulance ride and the celebration with Reggie was like a win.
The Media-Pro Team Race podium.
What are some takeaways after a day on a snow bike? They are damn fun, that's for sure. By riding a few different models over the course of the afternoon, I learned some of the traits that make a good snow bike (low ride-height for more stability and confidence, broad engine power and a durable clutch, heated grips, an open air box for more flow to the intake) and some of the riding style. The hour of riding gave me the utmost respect for the top riders in the category because there's nothing "easy" about riding one at pro-level race pace. Cornering is a blast with the power and long wheelbase, but it's crucial to be straight and true when going up a jump face as there's a lot of weight and inertia to bring back should something go awry in the air. When jumping you need to stay on the gas a little longer than you might think after leaving the lip to account for the long track and you can raise the front-end up in the air with an extended rev. The added weight of the track puts a tremendous load on the engine, so I can only imagine how much wear and tear a bike takes over the course of a snowy season, but the track can be carried to multiple bikes with a fit kit. As for having a ski on the front instead of a wheel, I never noticed a major difference and could point the bike where I wanted without much effort; The bigger concern was if the rear would follow. I'd love to get more time on a snow bike when I can, but think going to a wide-open backcountry area would be more fun than a tight track. Hopefully, an opportunity to do so arises soon...
