The Namesake

skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Thanks heckler56! I Think this is good advice whether you have a medical condition that might put you at risk or not. I have not checked out that particular Garmin but will definitely take a look. Even around home there are lots of areas where cell service is sketchy. Believe it or not, in my younger days I used to do a lot of solo mountain biking in the U.P. (checking out sledding routes) and I carried a SPOT satellite messenger. Thankfully I never had to use the emergency feature but the tracking and check-in features were pretty cool. It was great for looking at your route overlayed on an aerial map on your PC after a ride but you really had no idea where you were in real-time so a GPS was still necessary.
 
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euphoric1

Well-known member
skiroule, just checking in to see how you are doing? miss seeing the posts and updates on the RTX! hopefully you are doing well!
 
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skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Doing pretty well Mr. E. I’ll probably never be back to 100% of the way things were before but when I think about how much worse off I could be, I’m feeling pretty lucky.

Starting to make some little noises in the shop so I’m actually hoping to post an update in the next week or so. Lots of stuff needed dusting off. Hard to believe my last update on the sled was August 9th.
 
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Deleted member 10829

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Great to hear from you Kelly! Keep living the dream up there. :)
 
heckler56

heckler56

Well-known member
Good to hear you are on the mend. Do consider something like the Garmin 66i. Mine is programed to allow certain people to be able to track me on the internet. If I am not moving they will know. I wonder if they could link it to “Apple watch” that could send an alert when your vitals hit a issue?
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
heckler56 said:
Good to hear you are on the mend. Do consider something like the Garmin 66i. Mine is programed to allow certain people to be able to track me on the internet. If I am not moving they will know. I wonder if they could link it to “Apple watch” that could send an alert when your vitals hit a issue?
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I did check out the 66i and it sure looks like a good upgrade for my 10-year-old Garmin. I honestly think it would be well worth paying the subscription to have the SOS feature and ability to send and receive text messages via satellite link versus cell. Even up here, I can easily find areas that have no cell coverage. The Apple watch idea is an interesting concept.
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Well gang, I decided to pick things back up with a couple of easy tasks. One task was just to set the motor in place but before I could do that. I had to make a simple mounting plate for a fuel pump and figure out where to mount it, since the plan is to go with a Mikuni carb.

As soon as I can find a missing part. I can bolt the motor down. It’s some kind of bracket and I don’t know what it does yet but it’s held down by one of the motor mount nuts and it’s in my pre-teardown photos so I guess I should find it and put it back on.

Not sure of my next major move but I know it would happen faster If I didn’t spend so much time sitting in front of the stove listening to blues.
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kirk600

Active member
Kelly the Sled is looking good, you're back in the office, a fire in the woodstove and the radio's playing....... life is good! hope you find the parts you're looking for and we will patiently wait for the new updates!
Oh and snow... we are all waiting for snow too!!

Have a great Holiday,

Kirk
 
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euphoric1

Well-known member
skiroule said:
Doing pretty well Mr. E. I’ll probably never be back to 100% of the way things were before but when I think about how much worse off I could be, I’m feeling pretty lucky.

Starting to make some little noises in the shop so I’m actually hoping to post an update in the next week or so. Lots of stuff needed dusting off. Hard to believe my last update on the sled was August 9th.
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skiroule, happy to hear you are doing well, I know very well sometimes getting back into the groove seems harder and more distant to do and accomplish, and I also understand the thought of how much worse you could be but always remember as bad as we have it never forget there is someone with worse, not to down play your or anyone else's situation. For me I try not to dwell on my issues and find it most theraputic as difficult as it can be at times to stay in the norm as much as possible, I've learned my body will tell me no when I shouldn't. Like yourself I too doubt I will ever be 100% but doing what I enjoy helps me not dwell on the here and now and although I know I'm not going to be 100% that feeling of normalsy helps me forget that fact. Again I am very happy to hear you are doing well, also happy again to see your work and progress and hope you will continue your craft as I think its good therapy for you and all of us who enjoy watching and reading about your progress.
 
mezz

mezz

Well-known member
Good to see & good to hear you are getting back into the groove. Keep on keepin on, slow & steady wins the race. Take care & Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours.
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Yes, I especially have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. When I’m tempted to start whining about my limitations, I just have to think about how my cardiologist put it. He told me I could just as easily be spending the rest of my life in a nursing home. It could have gone that way. That gets your attention and makes you really thankful about where you’re at.

On the project front, I ordered some replacement handlebar grips this morning. Not an exact match but they have the same general look as the original set. I also found the missing mystery bracket and got it cleaned up/painted so the motor install can continue. I wouldn’t be surprised if I spend a fair amount of Thanksgiving Day enjoying some shop time.
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Trying to work off a little turkey today.

Motor is now snugly mounted. Had to go to the Skiroule experts to learn the function of the “mystery piece”. Turns out it’s a deflector to keep one of the front motor mount bolts from tearing up the belt. This was probably a lesson learned the hard way on the part of the manufacturer.

Also got the exhaust system installed. Stretching those exhaust springs made it obvious that I really need to start working out :). Guess the next move will be to start messing the handlebars.

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K

kirk600

Active member
skiroule said:
Trying to work off a little turkey today.

Motor is now snugly mounted. Had to go to the Skiroule experts to learn the function of the “mystery piece”. Turns out it’s a deflector to keep one of the front motor mount bolts from tearing up the belt. This was probably a lesson learned the hard way on the part of the manufacturer.

Also got the exhaust system installed. Stretching those exhaust springs made it obvious that I really need to start working out :). Guess the next move will be to start messing the handlebars.

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That's the first time I have heard of a deflector plate for the drive belt! Usually it's just a belt guard......Thanks for the lesson Kelly
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
kirk600 said:
That's the first time I have heard of a deflector plate for the drive belt! Usually it's just a belt guard......Thanks for the lesson Kelly
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Considering that the deflector is actually there for the belt to rub on it’s an interesting approach to a problem. Guess they didn’t have a lot of options for a faster solution.

Gary, a lot can be accomplished on these projects by just being willing to put in the time. A little mechanical inclination is helpful but much of the work doesn’t require any specialized skillset. Also, not being afraid to step outside your comfort zone is an asset. Of course, that can lead to spectacular failure but even in failure, there can be something to be learned (even if it’s only to never attempt that again).

I’m hoping that if there is another project, I will try to start with a sled that isn’t all busted up, although that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it would be any easier to finish.
 
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kirk600

Active member
So true Kelly, they aren't too difficult once you dig into them. Sometimes it is mind over matter and the fear of the unknown as you disassemble one for the first time. I took your approach, kept my focus on the Polaris TX generation of sleds 1976-1981 so for the most part they didn't change much so the next one will be more comfortable, like the saying " like an old hat". Sure things will have to be repaired, but as many know the consumables on these sleds are similar across all the brands.
Slow and steady wins every time. Do what you can , enjoy your days and nights and keep a positive attitude! That and stay hydrated with your beverage of choice!! Soon you're going to be outside playing in the snow
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
I received an awesome, American-made carb adaptor boot from Rick down at Rick’s Rupps here in MN, which allowed me to mount a Mikuni VM36 carb instead of the original diaphragm version. The adaptor for the Sachs manifold has to have 3” bolt centers, which makes them a little harder to come by but he had one.

Since jetting is a crapshoot at this point, I decided to stay with the jetting (35 pilot, 310 main) that came with the carb and tweak it as needed, assuming it runs at all. It might not actually be that far off for my purposes.

Hooked a new throttle cable up to the carb and the throttle block on the bars. I couldn’t believe how well it fit the throttle block, considering the block wasn’t designed for the Mikuni cable. Drilled the block out just a hair so the cable still fit tight, pressed the cable in, and tightened the set screw – done. Couldn’t resist squeezing the throttle 5 or 6 times (OK, 10 or 20).

Also, test-fit some other handlebar stuff (mostly for morale purposes). Once I’m satisfied that everything is ready, I’ll fasten things down for good and put the handlebar grips on.
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