10.   Having spent most of the fall working on Project Powertek REV, to say I was anxious and excited for my first ride would be an understatement. My hopes of a ride last weekend after our Blizzard Warning were dashed by heavy rains and subsequent three days of mild temperatures.

9.   Thankfully mother nature pulled through this past week and gifted us 20cm of fresh powder Friday evening.

8.   Sooley sold his sled, Long, Bill, & French were working, and Maffer was dealing with lost keys to his work truck, so I was faced with riding solo on my first rip of the year or staying home.

7.   Under beautiful sunny skies and sub zero temps I loaded up Project REV and headed to the Goulds for its maiden voyage after a major overhaul and a new motor. I had Maffer on standby who could come out and rescue me if needed.

6.   I unloaded the machine on Power's Road in the Goulds and took a run around the fields to the North, eventually picking up Chicken Farm Road. I stopped here and opened the side panels to make sure everything looked alright and no leaks. Everything looked great  so I continued on.

5.   I made a wicked fast run across Chicken Farm Road to see where my maximum revs were, they were spot on at 8100 RPM, again everything looked OK and the belt wasn't too hot.

4.   I continued on, crossed over to Northern Pond Road near the camper fields and headed in the road eventually picking up the poleless ole line back to the Goulds. I spent the next couple hours picking my way around every field I could find.

3.   In many areas Friday's snow caught up at the edges of eth fields creating drifts of 2-3' powder, needless to say I tore up every bit I could find. The roads and trails in the area were in pretty good shape. Wooded areas trapped most of the Blizzard snow, what was left was now frozen solid into a great base.  Barren areas were covered in fluffy powder snow, so you had to take your time to avoid damage from rocks, but they were easily ride-able. Cold temperatures this month have frozen the marshes and watery trails pretty good which made for nice clean riding. 

2.   Project Powertek REV held up very well. After closer inspection I found one loose hose clamp I forgot to tighten, which was an quick easy fix. The bed liner coating on the tunnel is holding up well, temperature gauge working great, and the sled pulls like a train. I am super impressed with the suspension set up, ride quality and power, all major major improvements over my old sled.

1.   All in all it was an excellent day. I logged about 50km, got that all important first test ride out of the way, and most importantly, had a ton of fun!

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith