Welcome to the Franklinville Snowmobile Club! “Trails are closed as of 3/7/09” Respect our landowners! Check for up-dates "Franklinville Snowmobile Club Annual Spring Raffle"Win a 32" Emerson Flat Screen HD TV. Tickets avalible thru most local members. Drawing will be held April 25th 2010 at the Franklinville Maple Festival.
"Annual Gun Raffle"April 17, 2010 5:pm --?Franklinville Snowmobile Club Annual Gun raffle tickets are in! This years feature gun is a Browning Citori O/U or $1,100.00 cash. Includes food & beverages, Side raffles & 50-50s. Tickets are available at the Ishua Valley Country Club in Franklinville, or from most of our local club members. Drop us an e-mail with your name and address, and let us know how many you like. Please get your tickets now. Tickets are $20.00 each
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You may also write to:Franklinville Snowmobile Club Inc.P.O. Box 22Franklinville, N.Y. 14737"Help Needed" Whether your a member, landowner, or someone that just wants to help, please contact our club or join us at our regular meeting followed with pizza & wings every 1st Thursday of the month at the Ishua Valley Country Club in Franklinville at 7:30pm Next Meeting is March 4th, 2010 at the Ishua Valley Country Club“Tip of the week” by Dusty Ramsey SOME LIKE IT ROUGH Ever wonder how those idiots can scream down the trails when they are torn up so bad you can't see over the next bump? How come these people don’t turn their insides into soup? How does the snowmobile survive more than one ride? Well, just like all good magic acts there are simple tricks involved. With the following tips and some seat time anyone can more comfortably, and possibly more quickly, traverse the rough stuff. Get to know your snowmobile! Most riders have no idea what their snowmobiles are capable of or what its limitations are. They just sit on it and complain when things are not working to their liking instead of working with it to make life better for both. You should know if it turns better one way than the other, lifts its skis or spins the track when power is applied quickly, or nose dives or stays level under hard braking. Knowing what your sled is going to do will allow you to avoid poor and possibly painful decisions regarding upcoming situations. Understanding human nature is another way to avoid issues. Here are three good examples. 1) Most riders will naturally try to make the shallowest arc possible through a corner. This means the inside edge of the trail sees the most traffic and develops the worst bumps. Slightly changing your riding style by moving your line through a turn outward one sled width will not make it noticeably harder to get through the turn but will make it noticeably smoother. 2) Most people tend to run right down the middle of the trail. Running along the edges requires no more effort and provides a much better ride. 3) Most riders also apply the brakes at the last moment so the last few sled lengths before an obstacle or stop sign will be the roughest. Slow down sooner and coast the last few feet and the snowmobile will not jerk around as badly. Learn to read the trail. Just like in life, planning ahead makes riding a lot easier. Look as far ahead as possible and not right in front of the skis. If you see something ahead, you can prepare for it instead of trying to react to it when it's too late. For example, if you see a dark area across the trail it is telling you that there is a high spot because the snow is worn thin or through. That means there has to be a corresponding low spot either just before or just after the dark spot. Now you're prepared to do what's necessary instead of crashing through it. The rear suspension has nearly one and a half times the travel of the front so try to make it do most of the work. Where possible, get the weight off the skis. When the trail gets rough, try the following when these conditions arise. If the surface is mostly stutter bumps (the ones created by snowmobiles that are evenly spaced with rounded tops) simply sliding back on the seat so that your arms are straight and applying a bit of speed will smooth the ride considerably. You will need to experiment a bit to find the best speed but it is usually just over 40 mph. If the bumps are naturally occurring (unevenly spaced and square topped) it will require getting as much weight as possible off the skis and a bit of physical exertion on your part. Move your feet back so they are under your butt and rise to a standing position as soon as the track drops into the valleys between the bumps. Drop to the seat as soon as the skis clear the crest of the bumps to keep the track down and the skis light. Basically, use your legs as extra suspension. Done properly, your head will stay at a given level. This is one you will need to practice. Get it wrong and you are likely to part company with your snowmobile. Ditches, whether man made or natural, that appear in flat surfaces or occur on up hill grades are most comfortably crossed by literally jumping the snowmobile. If your snowmobile spins when power is applied quickly you will need to get your weight back onto the track. Move your feet back, pull back on the handlebars and push down with your legs. Use only enough power and force to clear the ditch, no use wasting fuel or energy. If you can not see the landing area on the far side or if going down hill you are better off not trying to jump a ditch. If the trail is simply so torn up that there's no way to avoid the bumps and no way to comfortably zip across, slow down and stand up. Relax your arms and legs and look well ahead. Try to find the least gnarly path and as long as nobody is coming at you use the entire width of the trail. Set a speed that will allow the sled to maintain consistent forward momentum without damage but not so fast that your feet loose contact with the running boards. Allow the sled to bob and weave beneath you. This is tiring but far less abusive than trying to bounce through. You may have noticed that newer snowmobiles are designed specifically for this type of riding. Ultimately this is a sign of the times, more snowmobiles and less workable snow means rougher trails. We are all going to be facing rougher riding conditions and will have to do what is necessary to keep the ride enjoyable. The simple tricks described above and a bit of innovation can keep you in the sport for years to come. "Notice of Trail Closure"Trail C2A over Poverty Hill will be Closed between Ellicottville Rt. 219 north to Lindbergh Rd. (Stone Creek) for the remainder of the 09-10 season. We are currently looking for a re-route. If anyone has ideas or knows a possible re-route, Contact us at
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Remember: You abuse trails, we loose trails. "Snowmobilers"It is UNLAWFUL to operate a snowmobile: 1.) at a speed greater than reasonable or prudent under the surrounding conditions, or at a speed greater than 55 mph 2.) in any careless, reckless, or negligent manner 3.) while the operator is intoxicated 4.) without the required lights 5.) on the tracks of an operating railroad 7.) in any tree nursery or planting in a manner that damages growing stock 8.) on private property without the consent of the owner 9.) towing a sleigh or toboggan except with a rigid tow bar 10.) in any way that the operator fails to yield to an emergency vehicle approaching from any direction 10. in any way that fails to comply with a lawful order from a police officer 11.) on a frozen body of water within one hundred feet of a skater, ice fisherman, ice fishing house, or other person not on a snowmobile except at the minimum speed required to maintain forward motion 12.) within one hundred feet of a dwelling between 12 midnight and 6 AM at a speed greater than the minimum speed required to maintain forward motion Attention All SnowmobilersStay on trail and stay off of Ellicottville school property on C2 at Rt. 219. That is not a trail or a short cut. Watch carefully for temporary trail changes. Remember, it's private property your riding on, and a privilege. If you abuse it! we loose it. Ride carefully and enjoy a safe season. "Enchanted Mountains"Please respect our land-owners Download the NY Snowmobiler February Issue Here (Featuring Franklinville N.Y) "Memership"09-10 Vouchers are in. Please go to mebership in the main menu to download your application or contact
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to have one sent to your home
NYS Snowmobile Registrations affect trail funding for all Clubs in NYS, and you are failing to pay $45 to Register your $7,000.00 sled before Nov. 1st. If we loose funding, we loose our trails. It always snows in the winter in WNY, So why wait?Please Register your sleds early "Image Gallery"You could be one of the many mugs on camera! Check out image gallery for photos "Groomer operators"We currently have three large groomers, and are looking for operators for these machines. If you are interested please contact the club or one of the officers. Our goal is to provide those land owners, who allow us to use their land with liability insurance for the snowmobile trail. Other plans include rebuilding bridges, marking trails, clearing and upgrading the trails and enjoying the sport of snowmobiling here in the Southern Tier.This club now maintains over 60 miles of beautiful trails that connect 2 villages and 7 towns. We are constantly working on new trails to accomodate the snowmobiles who visit the enchanted mountains regionYour support by joining the Franklinville Snowmobile Club will help to improve local snowmobile trails and strengthen the voice of the snowmobilers in the area. Single memberships, $25.00, Family memberships, $35.00 Meetings are the first Thursday of the month at 7:30pm at Ischua Valley Country Club. Trails open Please Respect our Landowners |
