Jesse Dodge (aka Winter_Thunder) is a remote service tech for a company that supplies dental equipment. He’s always been an avid snowmobiler. The first sled he ever rode was an 80 Kawasaki Invader. About 5 years ago he remembered and old Scorpion Whip sitting next to his parents house. He thought it would be cool to fix it up and ride it around just to watch heads spin as they see the old sled coming down the trail. After he got that sled done and starting riding it around, he found that is exactly what happened. The machine was greeted with big smiles and enthusiastic thumbs up wherever he went.
In his job Jesse has the opportunity to travel all over Southern Minnesota and several other states as well. He puts on about 60,000 miles per year. The travel aspect of his job has a happy side effect: It allows him to find old sleds – and get them for a great price.
But That’s not the only way he finds sleds. He actively employs several other tried and true methods for finding old iron. He’s got a friendly local UPS driver he can tap for leads. He uses vintagesleds.com lot. He goes to shows and swap meets a lot. He "networks" with other vintage sledders.
At the swap meets, things have changed a bit since his garage has gotten full.
“I used to go to swap meets and just hunt for stuff. But since I’ve been on the Bull Sessions, I have gotten to know so many people and new friends that hunting for stuff at swap meets is what I do early when I get there. The rest of the day, I’m shooting the breeze with all the people I’ve met online.”
Jesse loves to collect production sleds, but he looks for the more desirable sleds available from the dealers back in the day. His collection features sleds that were only available for one year – such as the Kawasaki Interceptor that was only made in 1982, or the hole-in-the-hood 72 Polaris ATX, or the twin exhaust Rollo-O-Flex.
First up with just 297 original miles on it is his 81 Kawasaki LTD. Since 1982, this has sat under a cover in a garage. Some time ago Jesse was looking for a cylinder for another Kawasaki that he used to own. He got a random email from some one that did not have a cylinder, but they did have a nice original 81 LTD for sale. Several hundred dollars later it was sitting in Jesse’s garage. Other than some paint on the skis and pipes, it is all original. It even came with the parts manual, the shop manual and the owners manual. Even the cover came with it. Jesse then tracked down a matching suit and helmet for the LTD that was once available at the dealerships.
Another random email (don’t you just love the internet?) came from fellow Kawasaki enthusiast. It contained information on a Kawasaki Interceptor in a barn in Iowa. Jesse drove down and picked it up. According to Jesse it is #278 out of 601 ever built. It is a candidate for future restoration.
The 78 Kawasaki invader 440 is one of his riders. He rebuilt the motor himself out of New Old Stock (NOS) parts. His 72 Polaris ATX started out life as a 335, but when Jesse found it, it was a bare chassis with no motor. So what is a guy to do? Why stuff a 530 FA Polaris motor in it! Jesse built the motor with NOS cylinders, pistons and rings. The crank was totally rebuilt. This will be one of his riders for the 2009-2010.
His 74 Roll-O-Flex sled is an interesting piece of snowmobile history. It has a Yamaha fan engine, and the suspension looks to be a knock-off of the Scorpion para-rail – lots of bogey wheels on a stick. He found some information on this Roll-O-Flex site, and the he’s learned more about the sled from Bull Sessions member "Mr. Plow".
The exhaust on this machines appears to be Roll-O-Flexe’s attempt at a tuned exhaust – using parts and ideas from several different manufacturers. Not many of the Rollo-Flex’s were sold with this set up.
Amongst his other sleds, there is a 1980 Polaris Centurion, purchased in "basket case" condition. Jesse is building an engine for it with a new crank and case halves. The cylinder shave been bored and new pistons and rings installed. Like all his other sleds, this one will be added to the stable of riders. He’s also working on a 73 TX for his lady, who got sucked into the hobby after a very popular appearance on this thread… and because she saw how much fun Jesse was having with all of this.
Thanks for sharing Jesse – and we look forward to seeing you at Live on Skis this year!