Timbersled Riding Tips
Created as an alternative to traditional snowmobiles, the Polaris Timbersled takes the best of a snowmobile and combines it with the best of a dirt bike for a crossbreed vehicle sure to excite with every ride. If you are new to this type of vehicle, you might be on the hunt for suggestions to make the ride easier or safer. Let’s take a look at a few common Timbersled riding tips to help you make the most of every ride.
- Always wear a helmet:
The most important of all the Timbersled riding tips is to wear a helmet. While you might think it’s cool to get out there without one, you will soon learn how wrong you are in that notion. When you are riding, the wind and moisture will hit your face and leave you cold and downright uncomfortable. More importantly, a helmet protects you in the event of an accident where you are thrown from the snow bike or collide with something else. A helmet is just a must have for this type of vehicle, especially if you intend to play around with the speed factor.
- Take turns slowly:
If you are familiar with the way a typical snowmobile handles on a turn, you might think a snow bike handles in a similar fashion on turns. They are not the same, however. A snowmobile has a slightly bulkier design than a Timbersled so it can take turns without as much thought on your part. With a snow bike, you need to pay more attention to your speed and which way you lean when taking a turn. If you go too fast or lean into the same direction as the bike on the turn, you are more likely to flip it over.
- Don’t flip it on purpose:
One of the more important Timbersled riding tips is not to flip it on purpose. A Timbersled is designed for fun and speed over snowy terrains much like a dirt bike over normal terrains but doing tricks with it or showing off will only lead to you flipping it or wrecking it. When you flip your snow bike or spin out, you have to flip it back over and make sure you didn’t accidentally pack ice in the track, and reboarding it can be difficult in the snow once you flip it.
- Never ride over ice or hard surfaces:
While this type of vehicle is intended for snowy terrains, it doesn’t mean you can ride over all surfaces without consequences. The Timbersled comes with a deep lug track for riding in deep snow. They can ride over deep snow and typical snow alike without worry. You start to run into trouble when you try to ride over hard packed snow, ice, or hard ground with your snow bike. If you ride over these terrains, you will inevitably damage your side rail at first and then your track and track rods which can be costly to repair.
- Don’t take on too much hill:
Understanding the abilities and limitations of your ride is one of the most crucial Timbersled riding tips. This machine is made for fun and riding on trails. It isn’t meant for competitive riding or taking on super steep inclines. While it can get you uphill with enough ease, you have to make sure you aren’t going up too steep an incline. If the ride keeps flipping on you while you climb an incline, chances are it’s too much hill for your ride and you should set your sights a bit smaller.
- Don’t stop it the way you stop a regular bike:
When you stop a dirt bike or motorcycle, you are used to putting your foot down and leaning slightly towards that foot as you come to a stop. While this works fine on a motorcycle on hard surfaces, doing it in the snow on your Timbersled in soft snow is another matter. What will end up happening if you try to stop it like a regular bike in this fashion is you end up knee deep in soft snow and hopping off your bike before it topples over. To stop a Timbersled, keep both your feet in the riding position to create better weight distribution and balance while applying the brake to help settle the track in the snow for even better stability.
- Practice how to mount the bike in the snow:
Since mounting a snow bike isn’t the same as mounting a regular bike, it’s a good idea to practice this a few times and get used to where to put your body weight. If you don’t do it right and you are already in the snow, you could struggle to mount because you keep pulling the snow bike over on yourself. A good rule of thumb is to keep the majority of your body weight as close to the bike as possible while stepping vertically straight up with your foot on the foot peg and then pull yourself over the seat. This is the easiest way to get on without flipping.
- Ride with a buddy:
Another great idea regarding safety when riding this vehicle is to ride with a buddy. If you have a friend with their own snowmobile or snow bike, going out for a ride together is not only fun, but it’s also safer to have a buddy system in case of an accident. If you choose not to ride with a buddy, you should at least make sure you tell someone where you are going riding and what time you expect to be back as a general safety tip.
