Svartpilen 401 snow riding

[Stitchon2wheels]

Hi, this is my first post so have mercy

Ok, so the topic I want to discuss is as follows:
I’m planning on going to Finland especially the northern part in winter. And I’m also planning on using my 401 to travel and get around(yes I know it sounds stupid and a snowmobile or car would be sensible but I’m not here for sensible I’m here for fun, adventure and more) so as I was saying.
And I’m trying to figure out what options there are for something like spikes for the 401?
They need to be good on hard pack snow/ice and also some powder(I’m aware that spikes aren’t for powpow but that’s why I was debating to use something like tkc80s or so with spikes?)

Any ideas or inputs are welcome

Cheers

PS: I’ve attached some pics if my 401(the oem numberplateholder is replaced by a tailtidy one so that shouldn’t get in the why)

 

[BISavage]

I rode my 401 in the snow and ice alot with the original Scorpion Rally STR. (Sometimes with normal street tires, that's less fun though)

Would say like 10 to 20cm powder and packed snow and ice.

Regardless of tire choice, Rekluse Auto-Clutch is in my mind the best way to go when slippery or technical terrain is the aim.

 

[Stitchon2wheels]

Ok, interesting wouldn’t have thought the scorpions would do too well on packed snow and especially ice. Did you run a lower pressure?
Also what sort of riding(more travel/commute/hooning) did you do? As I don’t know how they would do on say longer journeys especially on hard pack snow and ice.

The clutch, going by your post I’m assuming you’ve got the rekluse upgrade installed? I’ve got the standard one and don’t know if the upgrade is worth the price. Especially as I can’t comprehend what the difference is between stock and rekluse clutch!

PS: Where did you do the snow riding and any mods or changes to the 401 other than the rekluse?(notably those that helped in the cold and snow)


As to my setup(might help):
Mods:
- mirrors mounted inside the bars
- Leovince slip-on
- headlight protector
- tailtidy
- crashpads(not bars)

Oh and it’s a 2020 Svart so underbody exhaust routing.

 

[BISavage]

As much as I liked the Svartpilen and took it about everywhere, I would imagine a big bike with wind protection, a big engine, heated grips, probably some sort of a shaft driven model, and maybe even an emergency rescue button... or something similar would be much more comfortable in harsh conditions.

 

[Stitchon2wheels]

Agreed, but that’s exactly why I want to do this with my Svart. As if you look around most travelling are on adv bikes and so, but where’s the real challenge in that? That’s why the 401 and also because it’s light, nimble and so.
I would agree totally with you but I’m up for the challenge and here to stay

 

[BISavage]

Well as long as you have the appropriate gear you should be protected against the weather conditions.

Below -10° it gets pretty unpleasant without wind protection, and the bike didnt like to start at those temperatures until the lithium battery I installed warmed up enough to spin the starter faster.

 

[Stitchon2wheels]

Too true, what gear did you use? Any recommendations or things to avoid?

How did you work around the battery problem?

 

[BISavage]

I recommend multiple Layers of cloths/gear, and typically had insulated motorcycle gear and then the full length thermo under cloths for snow boarding on.

Lithium batteries need to warm up, turning the bike lights in for some minutes or cranking the starter normally does the job.

Lithium is probably not the best option for super cold weather.