Reports from Hell indicate it froze over when I actually drove a Ski-Doo for the first time and loved it. That’s Jerry to my right, wondering if letting me ride his sled was such a clever idea.

Let’s see… the last time I had this silly of a grin on my face was 2000 when I got to drive Doc Jim’s 1972 800cc Starfire.

I still think I’m dreaming, but Jerry McGee actually let me rip around on his 74 Ski-Doo SnoPro! Not only my first time riding this year, it was the first time my butt has been on a yellow sled, and I get to ride the best one they ever made.

It was a really slick introduction to the Bombardier family. My never ending thanks to Jerry for a once in a lifetime rip around lake Waconia! Jerry one his class with the sled, also won the award for furthest traveled. Paul Rioux also got to take a ride… and made a point out of driving through Arctic Cat alley.

Got some great photos Jim Dimmerman and the one and only Cat twin-track 1981 SnoPro, and got a killer story out of Larry Coltom over lunch.

Thank to the Bull Sessions, I was handed a rare decal I needed by a total stranger for a sled I’m restoring. God Bless Waconia.

From WorldCarFans.com
Bombardier is about to unveil it’s latest product, and here’s the spy photos: A futuristic looking, 3 wheel motorcycle (2 in front, 1 i back). It has a 130 HP Rotax V-twin in it, and will likely be marketed under the Can-AM name. It is set to launch on February 7th, with deliveries starting in the fall of ‘07. Interesting.

Indian River Michigan’s Dick Wilson (VSCA Member also) took his skeeter out for a ride… and made the local papers. Read all about it at the Cheboygan Daily Tribune website.

A recent Minneapolis Star Tribune article about moderate winters slowing U.S. snowmobiles contained this gem a of a quote from Eric Pedersen, a Big Bend Wisconsin snowmobile dealer who just doesn’t get this whole vintage thing:

“We have guys who are still fixing their 1979-vintage Yamahas and some other dinosaurs,” Pedersen said.”

Oh boy. Someone near Big Bend needs to run over to his dealership and educate him. The same article points out that the target market snowmobiler is 42 years old, married and lives in a household of $70,000 income…. really? Could the slow sales of new sleds be because they are marketing to the wrong people?

Reliable sources tell us scores of Polaris executives are in route to Roseau to let 200-300 some people go. That number likely includes people from places other then Roseau, but it’s still a big number and not something we like to hear about any manufacturer. I’ll update later as news comes. One thing is for certain, Polaris is in for a tough time under current management.

Here’s the official line from Polaris:

“This was not an easy decision; however, we’re facing a tougher external environment in the ATV, international and snowmobile markets and need to realign resources throughout the organization,” said Tom Tiller, CEO, Polaris Industries. “This is part of a three-pronged initiative designed to make Polaris more competitive over the next 12 to 15 months and we are confident that these changes will allow us to better invest resources into the competitive ATV business, adjacent markets and new product opportunities.”

The staff reductions include 53 salaried positions and 24 temporary, intern and contractor positions worldwide. This represents two percent of the total Polaris workforce of 3,500.

Mark Kemmerer (you may remember him as owning the stunning original condition Yamaha SSR) found some new treasure. He snapped this photo this morning after walking out to the shed three times just to see if it wasn’t a dream – and he got it for FREE! Mark recommends getting to know your local sanitation engineer. They come across this stuff all the time. Mark’s local sanitation expert found this excellent 74 El Tigre and just like that, it was at Mark’s house. It’s still out there!

When a couple of sleds are this dang sexy, I just can’t help throwing a picture up. These are both in the Snowmobile Hall of Fame. I believe both belong to The Krueger family. Thanks to Loren Anderson for sharing the photo – including the top secret one I cannot show just yet….

Speaking of the Hall, the latest issue of Supertrax magazine has a blurb on the Jerry Bunke 1978 440-X RXL in the hall of fame. It features a GREAT photo of the sled (That’s your poster hall of fame! Sell copies of that photo!) but the story has some details incorrect about the sled. I hate to get nit-picky about this stuff, but I can’t let it go…… For the record, what is pictured is not a “1978 Starfire”. It is in fact, a 1978 440X RXL (that’s why the RXL logo is on the hood!). It is one of only 3 made. It does not have a 1978-1979 hood on it. That’s a 1978 hood. The 1979 hood had a windshield, and a 3-tone blue paint job. There. I said it. I feel better.

9/14/2006

The photo is vintage writer Hal Armstrong on his original 1972 Polaris ATX 335. He’s wearing his dads original suit from 1971. You likely recognize Hal’s name from many of the articles he’s written for snowmobile magazines about vintage snowmobiles – including one in the current issue of Snowtech on the Brut.

Hal picked up this sled in October of 1971 with His dad. Pop Armstrong was the western Canada sales rep for Polaris at the time, and he worked out of the Polaris office in Beausejour, Manitoba.

Hal got to travel down with his dad to Roseau in the Polaris sales van and they actually got to watch it get assembled! The sled was then loaded right into the sales van. Hal and his father raced that sled for two years. Hal took a 4th in Junior 340 in 1972 with it at Beausejour that year.

The sled was later used for trail riding, hauling moose out of the bush and even driving it in the summer in the muskeg pulling a skiboose to get minnows. This was prior to ATV’s. One guy would sit in the skiboose the other drove the sled. The swamp would keep the sliders cool. We would drive it into the small lake where we had our minnow traps. The minnows were dumped into a plastic garbage bin and the guy in the skiboose would sit with the garbage pail between his legs so they would not spill. The sled was fired up and they dragged the skibosse back to the road.

The sled is totally restored now and Hal always takes it to the Lake Belwood Vintage Rally in Fergus, Ontario each year.

Watch as this guy runs his 71 Ski-Doo down a busy city street – in the dead of summer. Way to go Jimmy Tomczak!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udm8JxfM7k4&eurl=http://www.vintagesleds.com/archive/Q4-2-2006.php

For vintage restoration guy and collector Dave Larsen, the lure of the 72 ATX 500 was just too much… again. When Dave found this one all alone in a wharehouse and looking for a new home, he just couldn’t resist. I think this is the 3rd one for Dave, and he’s really excited about driving this one this winter.

I like the ATX 500’s so much that I had to get another one as well… my best memories of vintage riding over the last six or so years have been on an ATX 500 or 335. They just start so nice, sound so cool and run so well. Plus them big “bug-eye’ headlights really get attention on the trail.

	Dave Larsen’s got another ATX in the garage…
	And I’m expecting this one any day…