It took awhile as there was a lot of snow, but we had room for everyone to park in no time and had an awesome day riding.

Just after the February Cabin trip I came across an awesome deal on a project sled from Bennett and picked up this 2006 REV 800 Power Tek for a great price as it needed work.

First order was a thorough cleaning and de-decaling of all the extra stickers!

I did a bunch of work over the next month or so replacing all the bushings & ball joints in the front end, new skis, exhaust gaskets and general maintenance. The motor had a strange noise so I knew it would have to be replaced or rebuilt soon, all of which was fairly reflected in the purchase price.

Later in the month our neighbour had their car catch fire right in the driveway! Luckily the wind wasn't from another direction or there could have been a lot of collateral damage.

Area51 location Cabin, is a little different from home but even with low snow we certainly enjoyed our March trip to the Sooley cabin. I got a chance to break in Project REV and got a feel for the new machine. It's certainly a step above my old S-2000 chassis machine!

This Spring Maffer finally bit the bullet and picked up a brand new 2012 Can Am Outlander 800xt. This is a large V-twin powered beast with power steering, upgraded 26" tires, fender extensions, and WARN Winch. I can't wait to see him in the bog with this weapon!

We took a night in the shed to do a few things with Maffer's new bike including anti-seize on the lug nuts & axel castle nuts, and di-electric grease on all electrical connections.

Next it was on to Project Foreman which was still operating in Front Wheel Drive after stripping out the rear axel last fall.

The rear axel was replaced with a new Honda Unit while the ring gear came from a supplier in the states. The full repair story can be found on the 2012 Repairs page on Project Foreman.

In October French and I had an excellent day duck hunting managing to bring home a few birds and a couple grouse as well.

With fall approaching it was soon time to get back at project REV which after the March cabin trip finally needed the engine looked at.

It turned out that the engine wasn't salvageable since the crank split the engine cases when it let go. I managed to source a good used donor motor in Bay Roberts and had the new power plant home in short order.

With the motor out I cleaned up the engine compartment and installed aftermarket bulkhead braces on either side of the frame under the engine to prevent damage if I strike a rock or stump.

Lastly I cleaned up the look of the sled by coating the faded dull aluminum tunnel with textured aerosol truck bed lining for a very tidy sleek appearance.  For the full story and repairs check out Project REV on the main Area51 page.

With my REV project buttoned up it was on to Maffer's 2006 REV 500ss. There was a mess of exhaust oil all over the motor and we found the exhaust manifold bolts were loose, a common problem. We removed the manifold, cleaned the engine and reinstalled new bolts with red Locktite.

Next it was on to repairing the gas gauge which would stick in one position and you had no idea how much fuel was remaining. We followed directions on Doo Talk ad modified the gauge so now it works perfectly. The full story can be found in the How To's section of this site.

Lastly, Maffer loved the look of my REV's tunnel so we did the same process on his and it turned out equally awesome!

Cheers, MIKE