MINTURN — A funny thing happened to Brett Blaser on his way to Minturn. He had a flat tire.
While the hilarity of the circumstance might be lost on those who have suffered through similar situations in winter weather, the comedy comes in the ironic reality that Blaser is in the business of changing tires. Converting them, actually.
Blaser is a partner in Nampa, Idaho- based 2Moto Snowbikes (www.2moto.com), manufacturers of conversion kits that enable traditional motorcycle dirt bikes to travel through snow by replacing the front tire with a ski and the back tire with a powered paddle track. The “RadiX Dirt to Snow” conversion kit essentially turns almost any brand of dirt bike into a singletrack snowmobile capable of everything from aggressive hill climbing to over-the-handlebars powder turns.
“It’s basically a snowboard with a motor,” Blaser said.
Truth be told, the machines, which are gradually attracting attention since their commercial debut three years ago, have little in common with snowboards beyond the width of their footprint and a preference for powder. But the motorized snowbikes invented by Vernal De- Lloy Forbes of Boise, Idaho, could have a similar impact on the snowmobiling market that snowboarding did on skiing, or mountain biking had on cycling.
The company has set a goal to sell more than 1,000 conversion kits this winter.
Yes, there is something intrinsically odd about the 2Moto — until you get on one. Then it’s just like riding a bike. Anyone already comfortable on a motorbike should be able to master the skills necessary to ride the 2Moto on snow.
The peculiarity quite likely stems from the surreal sight of seeing a motorcycle pushing its way through a powder field like it was built for the task. Motocross is a dirt and desert game. Snow? That’s for snowmobiles.
“I grew up dirt-biking in Australia, and my buddies in Vail all try to push me into snowmobiling,” said Peter Cope, who test-drove the 2Moto during a recent demo day in Minturn. “But this is a whole different thing. The thing that’s fun on these is that you can lay it down almost like a street bike. Literally, you can drag the bars in the snow. It’s much more maneuverable than a snowmobile.”
According to 2Moto mechanic Dan Renk, temporary conversion takes about two hours. The kit adds about 40 pounds to the weight of a dirt bike, although the track is engineered and balanced to ride similar to a short wheelbased bike. The company has more than 250 patent claims worldwide on everything from the long-travel suspension to a deep-lug, curved track design enabling riders to carve turns as they float through the powder.
“The crossover between dirt biking and skiing is like the perfect blend for me,” said Steve Hill of Edwards, a 25-year ski instructor who converted his 400cc Yamaha from dirt to snow in January. “I’m almost getting more of a ski buzz than a dirt biking sensation. You know how sometimes when you ski powder you wish it was just a little steeper? On this thing, you’ve got horsepower to get you to go.”
If there was a common complaint (beyond the $4,200 price tag) among motorheads lined up to try out the machines in Minturn last week, it was that the bikes lacked the guts of a genuine snowmobile on steeper climbs. Most were willing to overlook the decreased power in exchange for the increased mobility, however.
The nimble snowbikes easily ride side hills without wrestling the weight of a snowmobile, fly high over jumps with a disconcerting lack of fear for fluffy landing zones and slalom through thick trees with ease. Because they ride on snow and not dirt trails, terrain options are limited only by land management agencies.
“It’s like waterskiing. You can go anywhere,” Cope said. “You can basically go from point A to point B without taking trails. That’s a cool aspect of it. It’s only a foot-and-a-half wide.”
The diminished profile equates to far less weight than a high-horsepower snowmobile as well. That means less gas consumption and considerably less effort dislodging a bike buried in snow.
So will winterized motocross become as popular in snowy climates as its dirt-friendly counterpart? Perhaps.
“I think it’s much lower impact (when you crash) because the snow is soft,” said Hill, who hasn’t ridden his snowmobile once since converting his bike. “Even when you’re on the machine, you’re not getting as beat up. I feel like I could do this later in life than I can ride my dirt bike.”
