Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Sierra_rider]

Post a video of saw cutting.

The vid is up there somewhere. It's got fresh rings in it, so I expect it to pick up a bit more power.

You ever use Wisco pistons ?

I was going to go the Wiseco route, but they've been out of stock for awhile on CCC, so I just went this route. I suspect that even the Wisecos on CCC's site aren't going to be a direct swap, not enough room on the intake side w/o grinding IMO.

Dose Wiseco machine pistons fir saws? I know they do fir dirt bikes. Im not a Wiseco piston fan. They're MX pistons are really light to shave weight fir MX racing. They don't last as long as other after market pistons like Vetex or as long as OEM from what I understand. However, I may be wrong about that.

They do, Wiseco will build a piston for anyone that has the money. Theoretically, the Wiseco pistons are better than the stock pistons, they're forged and have lighter weight w/more strength. The stock cast pistons can start to crack with high hours.

Wisecos gets a bad rap on a couple different things. First of all, they expand faster than stock cast pistons, so quite a few guys don't warm their bikes up well enough and cold seize. The other is that they often are just offered in one size for each application. As you probably know, bikes often come with A,B,C, and sometimes D bore diameters. Sometimes you end up with a bike that has a wide D bore, but the Wiseco is one sized with a tighter bore in mine. So you end up with piston slap.

In addition to my Betas, I've got my old big bore yz250. It has a 293cc cylinder(same dimensions as a Ktm 300.) Wiseco was the only option when I was running that bike...luckily, the cylinder was honed for that specific piston, so it had a nice tight fit. A lot of guys just buy a new cylinder when the nikasil wears out, but you save money and get a better product if you send the piston you want to use in with your cylinder to a plating company like Powerseal or Millenium. They'll hone the cylinder to perfectly fit that piston.

EDIT: I'll add that I run OEM or Vertex in my bikes nowadays. Nothing against the Wisecos, it's just that I get to pick what piston diameter I want and I replace the piston before cracking ever becomes a thing.

 

[Squareground3691]

I like how you mounted that first one on a natural edge slab.
My easiest "Rack Hunt" was the one I found while mushroom hunting . I needed a hat rack so I mounted like yours on a piece of Ash.
View attachment 1033128
And the hunter you described could be my BIL.

You say mushrooms Lol . Some of the best eating ones for sure

 

[Kodiak Kid]

The vid is up there somewhere. It's got fresh rings in it, so I expect it to pick up a bit more power.

I was going to go the Wiseco route, but they've been out of stock for awhile on CCC, so I just went this route. I suspect that even the Wisecos on CCC's site aren't going to be a direct swap, not enough room on the intake side w/o grinding IMO.

They do, Wiseco will build a piston for anyone that has the money. Theoretically, the Wiseco pistons are better than the stock pistons, they're forged and have lighter weight w/more strength. The stock cast pistons can start to crack with high hours.

Wisecos gets a bad rap on a couple different things. First of all, they expand faster than stock cast pistons, so quite a few guys don't warm their bikes up well enough and cold seize. The other is that they often are just offered in one size for each application. As you probably know, bikes often come with A,B,C, and sometimes D bore diameters. Sometimes you end up with a bike that has a wide D bore, but the Wiseco is one sized with a tighter bore in mine. So you end up with piston slap.

In addition to my Betas, I've got my old big bore yz250. It has a 293cc cylinder(same dimensions as a Ktm 300.) Wiseco was the only option when I was running that bike...luckily, the cylinder was honed for that specific piston, so it had a nice tight fit. A lot of guys just buy a new cylinder when the nikasil wears out, but you save money and get a better product if you send the piston you want to use in with your cylinder to a plating company like Powerseal or Millenium. They'll hone the cylinder to perfectly fit that piston.

EDIT: I'll add that I run OEM or Vertex in my bikes nowadays. Nothing against the Wisecos, it's just that I get to pick what piston diameter I want and I replace the piston before cracking ever becomes a thing.

Solid info Sierra! Thanks Man!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

You say mushrooms Lol . Some of the best eating ones for sure

Chicken of the woods is what we call that mushroom up here!

 

[Sierra_rider]

T

The view from just up the hill..

View attachment 1033129

Nice Xtrainer. I'm on my 3rd Beta. First one(now gone) was my '15 300re that I bought new. I then bought an '18 350rr-s, that I still have. My newest one is my '20 300re I bought a couple years ago.

I hear you on being able to ride out your door. I've only got a few acres to take care of(just enough for a trials riding area and an EnduroX track), but there is literally 10s of 1000s of acres of timberland/national forest across the street from my house.

Some of the bikes, not counting the yz, the streetbike, or my trials bike:

 

[Squareground3691]

Chicken of the woods is what we call that mushroom up here!

Winner there awesome had so much I was sell to high class restaurants they loved them .

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Nice Xtrainer. I'm on my 3rd Beta. First one(now gone) was my '15 300re that I bought new. I then bought an '18 350rr-s, that I still have. My newest one is my '20 300re I bought a couple years ago.

I hear you on being able to ride out your door. I've only got a few acres to take care of(just enough for a trials riding area and an EnduroX track), but there is literally 10s of 1000s of acres of timberland/national forest across the street from my house.

Some of the bikes, not counting the yz, the streetbike, or my trials bike:

How would you compare the Bete to an XC or XCW?

 

[Honyuk96]

So much for steel toed boots. That had to hurt like a SOB

Yes it did. You don’t ever want to do that w an X27 !

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I have posted these pics before, but since we are on this "and other stuff" topic. Figured I'd post again. These are all old WW2 monumental ruins literally just minutes from my property on a quick bike.

Helo pad


Pill box


Munitions bunker


Ride to Live, Live to Ride!

 

[Sierra_rider]

How would you compare the Bete to an XC or XCW?

It depends on the model of Beta, they've got the regular RR and then the race editions(my 300's have been the race editions and my 350 has RE suspension.) The RR compares to the XCW and the RE kinda compares to the XC. All of them are E-start, have a counter balancer, have lights, etc.

The 300s were pretty similar until KTM went with TPI and now TBI. The TPI Ktms are pretty docile compared to a carb bike. I'm not ready for fuel injection on my 2 stroke, so I stuck with Beta. My 350 is fuel injected and has been great. The dual port 4 stroke Betas run much better than the dual sport Husky/KTMs IMO. Guys are having to put expensive aftermarket ECUs on the Ktms if they want to get anymore power out of them. One of my friends ended up spending $800 on a new ECU just to upgrade the ultra-restrictive muffler on his Ktm 500exc.

Beta gearing is kind of in between the xc and xcw...it's got a 6 speed like the Ktm. On my 350, 1st gear is walking pace, yet I can wind it out to 90mph in 6th.

I like the RE suspension on the Betas. Earlier forks had anodizing issues on them, so I had my first 2 Betas hard anodized. It's not the outside coating, but rather the inside coating that wears out on the bushing surfaces. Ends up chewing the fork tubes up and leaving a sludgy mess in the forks. My newest Beta came with Kayaba forks like a Yamaha.

Other things are nice about the Beta, like the seat pops off with the push of a button. If/when I buy another new bike, it's probably going to be another Beta.

 

[svk]

Definitely not where I live. The animals around human development are way more skittish than the animals in the refuge that have never seen or been hunted by people and don't know what a human is. At least thats my experience. However, the number of game and area's of remote wilderness far out number people and human development in the Sate of Alaska!

You have a normal environment, we do not.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

It depends on the model of Beta, they've got the regular RR and then the race editions(my 300's have been the race editions and my 350 has RE suspension.) The RR compares to the XCW and the RE kinda compares to the XC. All of them are E-start, have a counter balancer, have lights, etc.

The 300s were pretty similar until KTM went with TPI and now TBI. The TPI Ktms are pretty docile compared to a carb bike. I'm not ready for fuel injection on my 2 stroke, so I stuck with Beta. My 350 is fuel injected and has been great. The dual port 4 stroke Betas run much better than the dual sport Husky/KTMs IMO. Guys are having to put expensive aftermarket ECUs on the Ktms if they want to get anymore power out of them. One of my friends ended up spending $800 on a new ECU just to upgrade the ultra-restrictive muffler on his Ktm 500exc.

Beta gearing is kind of in between the xc and xcw...it's got a 6 speed like the Ktm. On my 350, 1st gear is walking pace, yet I can wind it out to 90mph in 6th.

I like the RE suspension on the Betas. Earlier forks had anodizing issues on them, so I had my first 2 Betas hard anodized. It's not the outside coating, but rather the inside coating that wears out on the bushing surfaces. Ends up chewing the fork tubes up and leaving a sludgy mess in the forks. My newest Beta came with Kayaba forks like a Yamaha.

Other things are nice about the Beta, like the seat pops off with the push of a button. If/when I buy another new bike, it's probably going to be another Beta.

Nice! More solid info. Thanks again!
My 300 is an 09 XCW carberated five speed before they went to a six speed in I think 2015/16. I wish mine had six with lower 1st and 2nd gears. Plus the jump from 4th to 5th is a little further than Id like. I really have to be on the pipe and build some speed in soft sand to make the jump from 4 to 5, but it'll do 90 in 5th on hard pack. The bike is on its third but recently fresh top end and on its second bottom end, also fresh with low hours. Its also on its second suspension. I had the suspension refit by Factory Connection. Its a good bike, but I may be leaning more towards Beta fir my next 300 from what I've read these last couple years.

 

[Sierra_rider]

Plus being Italian, they're prettier and you can run 'em on olive oil.

Yeah, I've always thought they were nice looking bikes, even before I owned one. When they came out with their first 300 in '13, I felt tingley all over about that frame...made it look like a dirtbike version of a Ducati.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

You have a normal environment, we do not.

I totally understand and get that! I feel for ya bud!

 

[svk]

Didn't know you could put up permanent blinds on public lands. In IL state parks you're allowed to keep a stand up "overnight". No saying how many. My Brother, who uses a climber, would scout for signs only to look up and see a deer stand. He stopped trying to hunt public land for fear of running into the A$$hole claiming that to be his spot.

Here it’s technically illegal to build permanent blinds and VERY illegal to claim ownership. For instance you can have temporary set ups out in the woods, can park a camper out there for a certain number of days, ETC. Obviously if you have a very strict law enforcement agency nearby things may be a little tougher and if there are problems with turf wars they are very likely to destroy any type of permanent structures left behind.

From what I hear, they don’t care at all about primitive deer stands but if you have something that has the walls, roof, and windows then you are likely to get a ticket or get it torn down.

 

[svk]

During deer season, Minnesota has ATV hours of 11 AM to 2 PM and in the dark. You cannot operate an ATV in the woods outside of that time unless it is on private property or you are driving down a county road that allows ATV use. Unfortunately this rule is often not followed and very much not enforced because our conservation officers are spread very thin.

Last year I was hunting on the top of a ridge that overlooks a logging road. Well after ATV hours, a couple of idiots roll up on their side-by-side and start glassing the hill I’m on with their rifle scope. Meanwhile I’m standing in my small deer stand waving my arms and whistling to make sure they see me. It took them quite a while to see me and then they mumbled to themselves and got on the wheeler and drove away.

I’m not a “call the authorities” type of guy. But I really have been tempted to call in all the outside of legal hours wheeler traffic around my area. Of course with my luck the warden will come out and check me and I’ll have forgotten my deer license at home or get a ticket for some other stupid thing I forgot.

 

[Sierra_rider]

Nice! More solid info. Thanks again!
My 300 is an 09 XCW carberated five speed before they went to a six speed in I think 2015/16. I wish mine had six with lower 1st and 2nd gears. Plus the jump from 4th to 5th is a little further than Id like. I really have to be on the pipe and build some speed in soft sand to make the jump from 4 to 5, but it'll do 90 in 5th on hard pack. The bike is on its third but recently fresh top end and on its second bottom end, also fresh with low hours. Its also on its second suspension. I had the suspension refit by Factory Connection. Its a good bike, but I may be leaning more towards Beta fir my next 300 from what I've read these last couple years.

Each bike has their strengths and weaknesses. My Ktm friends roast me about having to do fork anodizing on my older Betas or having to run a Suzuki rectifier on my 350 to get the correct voltage, but then they're running $800-1k GET tuners and doing fork cartridge swaps, so it all evens out. Actually, the fork anodizing thing was only about $250 a set and the rectifier cost me $70. It's annoying that you need to do this on any of the bikes, but I guess you pick your poison.

My only Ktm was my old 06 300xc. I liked the XC transmissions better than the XCW when they were 5 speeds, just because of the gaps.

I actually kinda miss that bike...I got it for a screaming deal, because it ingested some sand that wiped out the main bearings. Cylinder was fine, so new mains, new con-rod, new Vertex top end, I only had about $2k into that bike, sold it a few years later for almost $5k.

It was a special bike, built by Dicks Racing for a 24hour race. Special taper-bored carb, ported, they did things to the forks so it had rebound adjustments on one fork, compression on the other. The motor was unreal on it...it'd probably get beat by most of the new mx 450s, but a decade ago it would pull 450s all day. It wasn't the easiest bike to ride, but the power was addicting...didn't have that nice mellow powerband that 300s are normally known for. It was actually featured in a magazine back when it was new, supposedly had $15k of mods done to it...so it was by far the best deal I ever made.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Plus being Italian, they're prettier and you can run 'em on olive oil.

Most definitely a good looking ride! I've never based the pleasure or performance of a bike on it's appearance, but IMOP. KTM dropped the ball about ten years ago on the looks of their bikes. IMOP A dirt bike should look mean and sexy! Betas are definitely sexier than the new KTM's!

 

[djg james]

During deer season, Minnesota has ATV hours of 11 AM to 2 PM and in the dark. You cannot operate an ATV in the woods outside of that time unless it is on private property or you are driving down a county road that allows ATV use. Unfortunately this rule is often not followed and very much not enforced because our conservation officers are spread very thin.

Last year I was hunting on the top of a ridge that overlooks a logging road. Well after ATV hours, a couple of idiots roll up on their side-by-side and start glassing the hill I’m on with their rifle scope. Meanwhile I’m standing in my small deer stand waving my arms and whistling to make sure they see me. It took them quite a while to see me and then they mumbled to themselves and got on the wheeler and drove away.

I’m not a “call the authorities” type of guy. But I really have been tempted to call in all the after hours wheeler traffic around my area. Of course with my luck the warden will come out and check me and I’ll have forgotten my deer license at home or get a ticket for some other stupid thing I forgot.

Conservation is spread thin in IL also. Brother and I found a stand on public land that was up year round. I emailed the CPO and asked if I could have it. He said no it would be taken down and auctioned off. He only removed the ladder and later I got the stand. I have it set up in my small wood to photograph the deer.

 

[djg james]

Chicken of the woods is what we call that mushroom up here!

You have Chicken of the Woods up in Alaska? Didn't know they ranged (pun intended) that far.