Cadillac riding this weekend on the Excel V!

ws6transam

ws6transam

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Joined
Sep 4, 2007
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59
Location
Haslett MI
No pictures yet of the Excel V on the trails, but we managed about 120 Km of loops around Cadillac. Mostly routes 6 and 37: Very beautiful, but today it warmed up above freezing and then the trails rapidly got whooped out.

I also had something happen in the track I think, because it howls pretty bad now. I put it back on the trailer because I was afraid the track might seize up. The motor is running really well though, but I burned through 4 gallons in 40 miles. The plugs look tan, and I'm runing the lean jet. I think the track must have a lot of friction, I think... I didn't hardly ever need to use the brake, I just let off the throttle and it slowed down nicely.

...bad track bearings?

2008January_055


2008January_056
 
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Yeah, I really ought to get another spring, but it only came with one! What do you think of the white flame proof paint on the exhaust? It's been 120 Km and it's no longer white. It's sort of a light tan color now. I might do the exhaust in white if I can get around to it. First thing is to find and fix that howl that's singing in the drivetrain. It got awfully noisy for those last few miles: It ought to be easy to find.

Unfortunately the 50 degree weather today ruined all the snow so there's no more easy testing for a while. Maybe Houghton Lake's vintage ride will be good for next weekend. If I can find & fix the howl, perhaps we can test-ride by then.
 
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On a related note, my buddy (who was riding the Enticer) ended up getting us temporarily diverted onto a snow-covered road, and once we figured it out (about a mile down the road) we turned around and while I saw 100 KPH (55 MPH or so) my brother in-law left me in the snow dust on the Enticer. When we got stopped, I asked him and he admitted to seeing 120 KPH (75 MPH) on the speedometer.

I was a little too chicken to try going faster, especially with the track making noises. However I'm impressed that these old machines have the guts that they do. Gas mileage, however, was not impressive. I used about five gallons in 36 miles in the Excel, and about 3.5 gallons in the Enticer. The plugs are tan, and don't show themselves as running overly rich. That's 7.2 and 10.3 MPG, respectively. That sounds awfully low. Are snowmobiles typically that fuel hungry? It's not like we were running balls-out or anything, I think we averaged about 40 to 50 kph, with some bursts to 80 kph. I wonder if my abysmal mileage is related to the track problems... I guess that when I tear into it this week, I'll find out.
 
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