My hunting partner corrupted me. Mid winter March 1972 and snow up to the ears of a tall graffife and he shows up with a used 1969 Scorpion snowmobile. Had a Jlo single cylinder engine I think around 18HP. We rode all over the place on that thing and I was hooked.
Monday morning I went shopping all the dealers In Cadillac Michigan and looked at several. Sno Prince dealer had a left over but they (dealer ship) didn't look like they would last. Wasn't any used ones around either. Some how I ended up at the Mercury marine dealer who also sold Rupps. He was out of rupps but had a 1971 Mercury Rocket with a 25 HP engine (Canadain Curtis Wright) It was 68F by the time I got it in the pick pu and and home where I rode it for about an hour before I left for the week to work.
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It wasn't very fast nor all that stable but it always started and ran, didn't fowl plugs or eat up belts and I had fun the rest of the winter. several snow storms in the ensueing weeks had us snowmobileing till nearly mid April. I still own it today and use it a bit every winter.
I decided I wanted a new sled For the 1972/73 winter so did a lot of reading of magizines during the summer and started visiting dealers when I saw them at the county fair and they said they would have them in stock in mid August. Bought a Artic Cat Puma 440, Little short one up sled. had a 18 inch wide cleated track. people started warning me about them whe rideing icy back country roads and how the sled would go into spins if you took curves to fast. I studded the track to solve that problem.
It was powered by a 439cc Kawisaski engine. It wasn't every fast either it turned oput but with th e18 inch track was stable.
My hunting partner bought a new 1972 Scorpion 400cc. I could beat him on ice because of the studs and cleats but other wise he ate my lunch.
My brother bought a Chapperal 440 SS fire bird and that thing was fast really fast. He had plug foweling isues if he rode it to slow, Had to keep the hours up on it.
I rode that puma cat all of the 72/73 winter and learned to cuss the cleats as they were always breaking (the 73/74 model they came out with 2/3 cleats and a internal drive lugs on the track. I rode that cat al thru the 73/74 season also. It was a hill climbing beast and likes freash deep snow where it shined
But for the 74/75 season I knew I had enough and Mercury was bring out a hot rod sled a Snow Twister 400cc to compete in thr USSA race circuit.
I went to the marine dealer where I bought my first one and also my out board engines for the boat and put my order in for one. Came in Sept.
That thing was sexy fast just setting still. Race it on Saturday and trail ride it on sunday and mondays before I went to work for the week.
Won a bunch of money drag raceing it on grass in the summer and ice in the winter.
the engine seized on me in 1976 but Mercury had a deal you could swap it for a 340 or 440 for $300.00, it was not a detuned engine either. I chose the 340 as I felt the 340 was plenty fast and I was right. I was eatting my friends Eltigre 340 Z so much he stopped wanti9ng to race me. My brother bought a new 1978 Polaris 340 TX and it was no match for my twister.
I still own it and take it out during the winter to race across the lake a few times.
But it although stable sled and freaky fast didn't do well in the UP deep snow. My brothers TX liked that deep snow so for 1979 I bought a Polaris 340 TX, should have waited a year for the Polaris indy txl 340 to come out.
I sold the 79 TX and bought a 1981 Polaris indy TXL. Loved that sled and road it for ever but by 1999 I wanted oil injection so bought a Polaris 550 ss. didn't car for it missed my Indy. sold it after the one winter. Bought a 2001 Indy 500 Classic at the end of the 2001 season. Is what i ride today and probably won't ever buy another sled.
Al
