Automatic on ICE?

This question is about automatic Huskys on ICE, not snow. Think ice riding on ponds and lakes. Are the freewheeling automatics any good for riding on ice with screw tires or does the lack of engine braking make them less practical?

I bought a used 420 from a guy in Maine who got frustrated with it however he showed me a newspaper article and picture where he was really flying. That rear wheel with the extra piece of tire in it was so much out of balance it was kind of amusing.

The automatic is at it's best in snow/frozen terrain but any bike won't work too well if the snow is very deep. I have only done car studs and Trelborg friction spikes. Actually the friction spikes provide more traction in a lot of spots than anything else I have used.

My vision of what the automatic was for is as follows, You have a bunch of soldiers somewhere on a battlefield. It appears the position is about to get over run. Each soldier gets on one of these automatic bikes and gets it started. Now they can fall over come to a stop go around bomb craters in the road without having to worry about stalling and re starting. That is it a one use vehicle only has to last as long as it has fuel in it which should get you to safety. Well it was really not my vision but one a friend dreamed up.

Unfortunately they all got captured because they could not start them

Ice Riding....ICE.......with an automatic......not as good as a clutch bike or the same? Automatics freewheel so no engine compression braking. I have no ice experience so don't know the answer

I was asking about automatic on ice not snow and not skiis. I should have left the ski and army reference out but I was hoping to avoid the references and focus on the ice. Guess that was a bad idea.

This is what I mean:

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=r4V6akjhnFw

huskydogg, there are some factual errors in the article like dogs in the transmission engaging higher gears and the number of gears in a 390. What I read about the five days of training was interesting but once I spot one falsehood I can clearly identify .......

More toys, sorry I removed flash player and YouTube must want all the spying it was doing or I suspected them of doing. If you can explain how you want to ride on the ice maybe I can answer to some degree. My snowmobile friends go like 100mph in a straight line and have helmets with double thick plastic. My ice racing friends install screws on half the tire and go round and round. You also make the semi false statement that automatic husqvarna bikes have no engine braking, once in high gear they have engine braking similar to a normal bike without a clutch lever to pull in. It seems the engine must go slow enough for the first gear clutch to let loose before it will coast again. I know I tried to coast down a mile plus hill on the highway and it wasn't going to happen even moving the lever to N. I suppose if I stopped and started coasting at 25 mph or so it would but I didn't want to coast that bad.

Fran

Good idea, since the YouTube example didn't work for Fran and possible others, here are some photos:

http://www.dieseljo.com/ice_riding_pictures.htm

I was hoping someone on Cafe Husky had some experience doing this as it really comes down to experience learned of how the dynamics work at this as opposed to theory.

In the northern States and Canada it's popular to install ice screws in the tires of motorcycles, commonly dirt bikes, and ride on frozen ponds and lakes using plowed tracks. I'm speaking strictly of the informal variety where a bunch a guys get together to "play" and ride around in both left and right turns (screws on both sides). I'm sure it would still be entertaining even if the lack of engine braking was an issue to the overall. Personally, I don't see myself consistently fast enough to lock up in 4th gear. I'm old and slow. I'll go post the engine braking question over on a forum where there are some folks that have experience on the ice to see what they have to say about the engine braking question.

The guy I bought the 420 auto from which did ice racing thought the way the proper gear was selected when you twisted the throtle was an advantage. I forgot exactly what he had done to lower the ride height. I didn't see any evidence of carb icing mods.

not related to ice

The guy I bought my first husky from told me that I should try riding on snowmobile trails they were the best but you ruin them and don't want to get caught. The father of an AA teenager told me that the snowmobile guys sleep late and the trails are best early.

Maybe once every two years there are conditions where the crust on the snow is such that you can actually ride on top of it. Unfortunately I have slept a little late on those days so far.

This is an article frqm the Aldermaston Nomads club newsletter
Their website is http://www.aldermastonnomads.co.uk/pages/news.html

Mike Tizzard is a regular rider in the MCC events and our Pathfinder Trial. Here is the article that he wrote in the MCC Newsweek.
I must be the only serving member of the Army riding the MCC events now, and although I brought a team along a few years back, they did not enjoy the event and I should not think they will be back. They are young you see and prefer doing more dangerous things like Enduro and Motocross. I will still persist however and see if I can get more to come along. I’ve been involved with Army Motorcycling for years and seen the B40, Can-Am , Armstrong and finally and most regrettably the demise of the Harley Davidson, in my time. It’s true, the Army has no General Service motorcycle, but Army Motorcycling lives on and we have our own Championships once a year where I am Clerk of the Course. We have been competing against the Swedish Army since 1954 and every year either we go to them or they come to us. Imagine my delight when this year I was asked to take the Army team to them!We arrived in Stockholm where it was balmy minus 9C, and began the long road journey north. On arrival it was minus 24C and by the morning it had dropped to minus 31C; it was cold. The Swedes provide the bikes, clothing and all of the support and are geared up for the weather. The bikes are Husqvarna 250cc automatics, and for winter running you fit a rubber cover that ducts the air from the cylinder over the carb to prevent icing, fit skis to a bracket mounted on the front engine mount, and add a cup of neat alcohol to each tank full of fuel. Tyres are the standard Trelleborg Army Specials with no studs. The skis articulate up and down and fore and aft, and are sprung to keep them off the road. In north Sweden only the main roads are cleared so all of the back roads are packed ice and snow, driving is a way of life and they are used to it with no fuss and bother like over here. To ride you simply put the bike in gear by engaging the lever on the top of the engine, take your feet off the footrests and place on the skis and twist and go. By positioning your weight either on the skis or saddle you can make the bike do what you like. Riding on sheet ice roads is no problem, to turn, dab the handlebar mounted, back brake to initiate a rear wheel skid, full throttle will spin up the rear wheel and hey presto you are going sideways into a corner speedway style. After a bit of practice, you can go quite fast too!! Chicanes at speed are great fun flicking the bike from side to side and you cannot help giggling to yourself, it is so much fun.