Leaderboard

I've been reflecting on an experience I had a few years ago on a snowmobile forum. I had joined and was lurking and reading through old threads because I had just gotten an old sled that was still in excellent condition, and I was trying to sweeten my good fortunes by doing a complete motor-out of the frame teardown on that old sled, to replace any worn parts and replace old grease & lubes in every single moving part on it. This was a unique place in that there were two Admins there, one who seemed to be intelligent but didn't share with others in the forums at all... he would post industry news articles and such and he seemed to be focused on providing interesting things for folks to read and he managed the upper levels of the site, keeping the place orderly and insuring stray threads got moved into proper categories. He had good command of his skills, was a professional and reasonable fellah. The other Admin was very outspoken and was posting everywhere. He liked to talk about politics and guns in as many threads as he could and he came across as a demanding personality, who used language that was very raw and taunting, often provoking. Everyone seemed to be afraid of him and his Admin powers. He was the kind of person that expected everyone to bow down and agree with him, else he'd belittle them & attack them personally. I saw that happen a couple times to members, as I lurked & read through the site looking for information about my old sled. I noticed that there were two very knowledgeable members in that forum that seemed to provide the majority of the help & advice to thread posters & new members asking questions. One of the members posted often, while the other member rarely did, but it was obvious that they both knew their stuff. Despite there being thousands of other members on that site, most of the active chatter's stayed out of threads where a person was asking for assistance. The outspoken Admin pretty much ignored folks asking for help in new threads too, until a thread became hot, then he would show up and dominate it, he'd derail it all.... so he could brag about scaring the poor guy he just pulled his pistol out on that day and threatened to shoot. Or he'd bash Hillary or Obama some more... rant & rave about what so & so lapdog just said on CNN... or he might attack a thread starter by accusing him to be too stupid to be there. That Admin appeared to be a psycho mess... and I learned that he lived in the main city of the county that I had once lived in, which cemented my perceptions of him... I hated that county and it's peoples, they were snooty, arrogant jerks with holier than thou' attitudes. I had escaped to the UP to become free, now many of those disgusting old memories began flooding back in... polluting my pristine new to me paradise mindset. So anyway, I stopped reading the overbearing paternalistic psycho Admin's rants and raves and continued on with my sled refresh project. I ignored him, but since so many threads in that forum were also being ignored, and so many folks were arriving daily needing help... well, I began to respond to empty threads and new threads wherever I felt that I might be able to answer a question, or provide the person with some direct assistance. Soon every new thread in the forum was receiving a welcome and a few replies. I kept quiet most of the time in threads where the two expert members showed up, they were both knowledgeable & experienced, I wasn't nearly as much... but I posted in almost all of the other needy threads daily. The psycho Admin fellah was being good to me in threads and hadn't attacked or threatened me. He was punching the Like button often and he even sent me a thoughtful PM, thanking me for helping out with this 'n that. He asked about my past experience with sleds in PMs, what did I do for work and where was I from. I answered him truthfully but did not share that I was from the same area he lived in. I simply omitted that part of our conversation. 🙂 The best thing that happened to me during those first couple weeks of posting in the forums though, was the fact that many other members seemed to loosen up and many of them began to contribute inside new threads, which really added a lot of value to those threads, I felt. You see, I know two stroke motors very well, but I am no expert on all things snowmobile... I was grateful to see other long-time members begin to chime in to help. Some members even began to respond to new threads as soon as they posted, often arriving first to welcome & beating me to them. 🙂 We were having fun in there and the forums were zipping along. My project bargain sled refresh was almost complete too, with still two months left to go before first snow would land in paradise, da UP....! Life was looking really, really good! Then one day out of the blue the psycho Admin attacked me in a thread, accusing me of being a democrat! I have no idea where he came up with that idea cause I never talked about my views on the world, or mentioned politics or shared anything about guns or anything else that he was interested in. I had kept my head down and stuck to business, I hadn't ever shared anything unrelated to sleds or motors. But he came after me firing questions so I told him the truth, bluntly, that my views are apolitical. I told him that I do not vote. I told him that I don't pay any attention to any politician, I distrust AND dislike them all. Honest truth! My views are apolitical! He went off on one of his rants and called me a liar and a Killary supporter right there in the forum thread. So I logged out and left the forum. Never said another word to him, just bailed out. The next day I logged in and began to post in assistance threads, as usual. The psycho stayed away from new threads all that day, but I saw him ranting and raving about politics in another section of the forum in the afternoon, and read him bragging about shooting at someone in his back yard that one time way back then... about an hour later in another thread. So I decided to bail out early. Hoping to avoid the psycho, I logged out before supper time. That night he sent me a nasty PM demanding that I explain how I felt about the republican party. He asked me if I owned any guns. Do I shoot them. He demanded that I show him pics of my guns if I have any, to prove to him that I am "not a stinkin' commie killary lover" in his words. He cussed me up pretty good in that PM.... and it !!!! me off big time! I saw his PM notification from the forums land in my email inbox, so I logged in to respond to his PM, telling him that it was none of his business what I might own. I stated bluntly that I pity ignorant fools such as he. Leave me alone. I didn't cuss at him either... I just dismissed him. By the time I woke up the next morning and logged into the forums, psycho-macho had gone through every post in every thread where he had ever supported me or praised me in the past and had deleted all of his thoughtful comments. 🙂 He also had worked all night to toggle all of the "Like" button presses that he had ever awarded me during those recent couple of months, and he had toogled all of the "Like" button presses that I had ever awarded to him too! He also had deleted all my posts in every thread in the forums where I had quoted his words, and deleted every post in every thread where he had quoted my words too. Psycho-fool had scrubbed and scrubbed hard all night long to remove all references within the forums between himself and myself! Hahah... I am dead serious folks! He really did work very long and very hard at it! I had a couple gazillion posts scattered around in there! All prior love was now burning hate! 🙂 A couple hours later that morning I received another nasty PM from him. I saw the notification hit my inbox, but before I could open my PMs to read it.... psycho Admin BANNED me. I read his final passage from my inbox: "I am going to shoot your !!!" I went back to that forum about a year later to look around and see if my old psycho buddy might still be banging around there or not? But I couldn't find him anywhere. The only posts that I could find by his username were very old posts. I saw no posts that mentioned him either. So I assume that someone might have pulled the plug on him and set him free? Either that or some person shot the gun-waving psycho dead in self defense before he could shoot another innocent victim? Either outcome is fine with me. ------------------------------------------------- Nothing folks, And I mean NOTHING! -- Is ever worth fighting a fellow human over. Whenever I hear someone speak those words, (politicians, all of them do it)!!!! -- I instantly am aware that another disgusting psychopath believes that I am STUPID! Don't ever fight with anyone again, you're both being incredibly stupid! Psycho-macho ain't adult dadgummit!

This is a situation where commentators on forums can (and often do!) become very hazardous to your financial health. 🙂 To be honest, I cannot be 100% sure that your rod is bad. I can't see it and feel it firsthand like you can, so you've got to judge the value of my replies and toss out anything I say that runs counter to what you can see and feel yourself. I want to believe that your rod is fine. So do me a favor and answer two questions for me, please? Look inside the bore of the top of the rod using a light... clean the bore out first and look it over really good. Can you see any galling in there? Can you see the factory cross-hatch honing marks in the metal, is there any place inside that bore where the cross-hatch pattern is worn through, to leave the bore smooth & shiny? Thanks.

My herd.

Can you upload to drive.google.com and send me the link, I can add to our huge stash of manuals, pm me if you need help on doing that!

Dude', @SlammedRanger is the sprocket guru , I just tagged him , he should be along !!

2014 TRX420FM 2004 TRX350TE 2000 TRX450S 1985 ACT250SX 250SX has been sitting in the lower level of my barn for about 8 years now with lots of dust and grime on it!

No problem bud! Always glad to help!

As an awareness... You seem hesitant to tear the engine down further w/o being sure it's bad. You can split cases w/minimal effort if you have it stripped down and inspect everything inside. From bearings to gears to anything else. Slap a new gasket on it and put it back together w/o messing with the crank. Give you a chacne to check your pickup screen and be sure everything inside looks good. I can think of one seal you'd likely have to replace(Front output seal for front driveshaft) as it'll likely get chewed up a bit. YOu just need to lay the case on its rear(I made a stand out of some scrap lumber I had. Still use it for this and that...lol. Its in the garage getting kicked around undder the bench)

Yea we are getting a warmer day & sunny after a messy evening/night. Right around 40F, good day for a drive to the ocean 🌊

Uploaded the manual and sent you a PM with a link to google drive

Your response seems a bit vague & unsure but if you are confident then you may as well run with that crank & rod. In your video you were checking that rod wrong anyway.... wobbling the wrist pin inside the bore of the rod determines nothing... ya gotta push & pull vertically to determine if there is any slop in it. So I'm gonna support your opinion of it. Lets move on.... replace the cam chain, the head and get the jug rebored with a new piston kit in hand so you can ride it!

i had lots. The afr would never dial in, never start proper, ect...once I went to. Carb & no electronics.. no issues...

@Wheeler truck sounded healthy on the dyno! What kind of problems did the efi give you?

Thanks to all for welcoming me here!

Here is a pic I found , the 450 head is on the right , 400 on the left , you can see the difference in the combustion dome

I'll bet you have, just not in boots. 😬

I also have a 2020 Rancher. As far as I know 2014-2021 is the same. I have a manual for 2014-2019 that is 229 MB which is too large for me to post. I would be happy to share it if someone gives me some direction on how to do it.

One picture of my fishing buddy, one of me.🤨

she needs a carb job and starter, as of right now she's at my land renters place Dennis's shop, i just have room for dry storage, and have a few forks on my plate to work her at the momment, and i wouldn't take the chance of storing her at the main shop at my pops place, even tho it's a very larg shop, we had an issue a few years back when a highered hand broke the plastic, so i just won't go back to that, i never get him to fess up, but the proof was there, a muddy shoe print / scuff was on the break, and he fell and broke the front, but he gone now.

Mine were $1450 and I only live on 1.75 acres.

That 450 head is still in that bag ready to go , pretty , eh , I can't let that one go , it is a spare , but I should have a good used one , that will need a lap job and new stem seals

Got to give you a thumbs up freebo , your making head way , I ain't going to lie , I was bumming thinking you were going to quit

I saved a few copies for me of parental guidance songs , you be into the deep dark new wave country , if you get something good , send it PM again , cause I'll listen to it --- I am looking for a clean version of Born and Raised , can't find it yet , that's different , I need to go back an delete that one ------- you'll working me , I have to listen all the way even if I don't really like it , DJProof/Jockey LOL

Come on guys , I just listen to two songs and had to delete both them with in seconds , we are trying hard to keep it clean , no cuss words in the music , if you hear it , let me know so I can delete it , I'll slip myself , so many versions of the same songs ---- I know it is hard , so much cursing in the music today @Wheeler @_Wilson_™

Dang there is a fishing thread here! Hit the river one day last June—caught over 25 catfish all about 4-5 pounds. going catfishing hard this year! Need a new rod tho. Looking for a whisker seeker!

I am a little more prepared this time , this model Mongoose has been modified by others , so it's not virgin grounds like last time ---- Simple build this time , 2 stroke , jack shaft , extended crank shaft , expansion pipe , center kick stand and a seat E-Zip reminds me of Eric Von Zipper ,remember him , biker from the Beach Blanket Bingo movies ,with Fankie Avalon

Unless it's hot as heck, it takes FOREVER to harden. Once it does it's tough as nails.

that's a slick old classic dodge.

Nicer yes, but you can get more races done with a "sleeper".... ask how I know

Yes I had the same thought. I have never saw the video for most of the songs I posted. Korn cover of Word Up really caught me off guard.

okay..... for shade, and Bcs .... my old 86 tank.... yes this is the bike i got stuck in mud pond with.... shade i was wrong... i had forgotten about the busted right plastic... but that happened after i sold it to Dennis ... also that missing right side cover .... i ran into brad... a friend of mine who was working at the honda house at the time, and we just happened to start talking about the old riding crew... and he asked me ... did you ever find out what happened to that side cover ... i said ..naw, then he said ... someone in the shop... took it off, while you were inside looking at new tires... now, she's in dry storage in Dennis's big shop....(40-50 miles away) you see the foot gaurds (cmp) the front bump is also cmp, not sure on the hand guards, and wide fender flairs .... then ... the rear left fender that busted plastic.... we had talked about the tires... now, those are not h-track tires, but they don't look all that bad... but I'll probobly replace them, i know if i do ? i will go with mud lite at's .... all she needs is a oem carb refresh.... and a complete go over ... brakes, battery, air filter, plug, fluids, master cylinder rebuild etc..... anyways the good thing is, Dennis is giving this bike back to me at a loss of 1500.00 ... when i get cought on some things... ill turn my attention to her, he stoped using this old girl because he purchased a kubota utv diesel .. with a/c radio, and hydraulic outlets etc.. ill admit she's rough looking ... but you can't beat free!

I think my mom still has the cassette she took from me at the time.... But I turned out fine listening to this....?😋

This is most of mine, missing a 02 foreman and a 96 300 but this is the others. From left to right, 03 foreman 450es 86 200sx 85 trx 125 02 rancher 350es 2000 recon 250

I got into these guys when I heard '' free bird '' , was hooked then !.

I listen to what they play on Octane, Turbo, Ozzys Boneyard, Lithium, and ch 26 what ever that is, oldies....