SCORPION SETS WORLD'S RECORD

Press Release - January 1977
Grand Rapids, Michigan - A Scorpion Whip 440 covered 1,172 miles in a 24-hour period to break the world's record for snowmobile endurance.  The event started at 1:00PM January 1st and concluded at 1:00PM, January 2nd on Gun Lake south of Grand Rapids. The previous record of 984 miles was set in 1971 by Mercury.
   Scorpion went after the record with two completely stock 440 Whips, the second totaling 1,108 miles.  Twenty eight local snowmobile club members served as drivers, and The United States Snowmobile Association sanctioned the event.
   During the event, the two sleds required a total of two sets of spark plugs, two belts and one set of chain tensioners for replacement parts.

SNOCROSS, STOCK RACING HEATING UP FOR 1984

There was more qualified stock racing and more action in 1984 on the part of at least three sledmakers and they were promising to make 1984 a very good year for snowmobile competition.
   Fifty six horsepower stock racers with high-tech suspension systems from Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha, together with some form of racing program from all three provided more color and intensity on the snocross, sprint and endurance circuits when the new season kicked off in December, 1984.
   Experienced competitors say the best years for racing are those when all or most of the snowmobile factories build new, qualified sleds.  With announced plans from three majors for '84, racing fans had planned on some hot competition and classic track duels to punctuate the '84 season.

ARCTIC ANNOUNCES SPORT VAN WINNER

May 1974 - Thief River Falls, Minn. - Press Release
Grand prize winners in Arctic Enterprises Pre-Freezin' Season Sweepstakes are Mr. and Mrs. Milford Egland of Albert Lea, Minn. Their prize is a Dodge Swinger van.
   Egland is a retired police chief and his wife is a fifth grade school teacher.  They have three children and stated that their favorite past time is weekend camping.

THE 1974 SUZUKI SNOWMOBILE LINE

November 1973 - Forty years ago, the people at Suzuki Motor Corporation said that if you want the most rugged, reliable machine you can drive in the snow, buy a tank.
   But if you want a machine that's rugged, reliable and a lot more reasonable buy a Suzuki.
   They stated that Suzuki makes more 2-cycle engines than anybody in the world and they start easy even when its cold and they run all day without a whimper, even if there hot.
   They also said, a tank has a lot of iron, but a Suzuki snowmobile has an ironclad warranty.

THE 1972 SKI-ZOOM SNOWMOBILE

November 1971 - FOREVER - The New 1972 Ski-Zoom Snowmobile.
   Forever means a rich relationship with styling designed for the most demanding. Ski-Zoom's structure of rust-proof aluminum provides lightweight performance powered by Sachs engines.
   Ski_Zoom is harmoniously together and a snowmobile for the discerning of taste and free of Spirit.
   Ski-Zoom is made in Quebec by Autotechnic Inc.,
Montreal 133, Quebec

SNO-CYCLE FIGHTS HEAD TO HEAD WITH SNOWMOBILE DRAGSTERS

December 1983
Brothers kim and Mark Watzke have been running the Sno-Cycle head to head against snowmobiles in some of the grass drags.
   During the Michigan snowmobile Drag Racing Association championships at Perch Point Conservation Club it was a split in two matches.  The rear tire wide with heavy treads, is made for sand but doesn't get the bite of the ground that well studded snowmobiles can.
   But the Sno-Cycle has the muscle.  The boys toke a 650 Heath motor for the power plant, getting 430 RPM in 300 feet, installed an Arctic Cat clutch and drive train, and Mitchell aluminum wheels.
   We get it running about 80 miles per hour in 300 feet and close to 130 MPH in 600 feet.  We win some drags against snowmobiles and lose some.

NEW PRO RACE CIRCUIT SET

October 1974 - Green Bay, Wisconsin - Press Release
Four companies, including three snowmobile manufacturers and an accessory manufacturer, have thus far committed to a new factory racing circuit for the coming season to replace the defunct SnoPro circuit.
   The new circuit will be called the Professional Drivers Circuit (PDC) and the factory teams participating will follow it on an honor system over a thirteen race schedule according to guidelines established jointly by the factories, the racers, and the United States Snowmobile Association.  (USSA).

THE 1980 SKI-DOO EVEREST L/C

October 1979
What The Blizzard Did For Performance, The Everest L/C Did For Touring.
In the 1980 Everest LC, Ski-Doo offered this Mercedes of the snow.  It had all the civilities that any sophisticated could ever want - oil injection, liquid cooling, step-up seating, full instrumentation and more.
 Most importantly, the Everest benefited from the reinvigorated spirit and pride that was reinforced with 1979 Blizzard series.
   Ski-Doo's Everest L/C had re-arrived.  It was all new. It borrowed from the Blizzard technology  and incorporated all the logic of the original Everest.

ABOUT MYSELF

I would like to tell you a little more about myself.  As I've illustrated in my profile within this blog, my life has been centered around snowmobiles which includes the present time.  I was a Rupp dealer from 1969 thru it's death in 1978.  In 1980, I, along with some help made an attempt to bring Rupp Industries back into existence.  "GO HERE", To read all about this attempt.  In 1984, I moved to South Dakota and went on to expand my snowmobile parts and accessories operation by the name of SnoCat Shack and later was renamed Sport Shack, because of a legal matter.  I sold Sport Shack in 1996 and started a company by the name of Battery Shack and sold over 14,000 batteries in 10 years. "CLICK HERE", To learn more about this business.

THE 1973 JOHNSON GOLDEN GHOST

In the early 1970's,a big worry for the sledmakers was a difficult problem with sound levels that threatened to loom on the legislative horizon.  Johnson reacted to the challenge with the Golden Ghost in 1973, billed as the quietest production snowmobile in the world.  The Ghost was quiet at 73dB.(A), but very heavy.  Those who saw the first demonstrations of The Ghost could easily see the machines excessive weight was not due to the soundproofing, so the machine stood as proof to all that snowmobiles could be built quiet.

SNOWMOBILING SEASON IN THE BLACK HILLS OF SD COMES TO A CLOSE

Rapid City Journal - March 22, 2014
March 31st marks the official end of the season for the statewide snowmobile trail system.
   Black Hills Trails District Supervisor says grooming operations began in full force on the season opener and crews have been consistently grooming throughout the season.  Grooming operations will continue as long as snow conditions allow until March 31st.
   The program is funded by snowmobile users through license registration fees, fuel tax reimbursement and an excise tax of the sale of snowmobiles

THE 1986 ARCTIC CAT SNOWMOBILES

September 1985 - More HP For Tigre 6000, A Revamped Cougar And A New Cheetah.
When Arctco reopened the doors at The Arctic Cat factory in Thief River Falls, Minnesota a little over three years ago, A company spokesman told the snowmobiles industry that Arcto was going to take it slow and try to gradually rebuild.  The company was rebuilding after a devastating bankruptcy.
   But the improvements to the new '86 Arctic Cat snowmobiles demonstrates that Arctco isn't content with just catching up to the rest of the industry, Rather it wants to lead the industry.
   New for '86 in The Arctic Cat line is the Cheetah-a muscle bound long track sled designed to put more power and more track on the snow than any other long track sled in history. The new El Tigre also comes in with more muscle than ever with a 529cc engine making it meaner than ever.  The Pantera received Arctics AFS suspension and The Cougar, Arctic Cats Trail model received another carburetor to give added boast on the trail.

THE 1968 SKI-KAT SNOWMOBILE

The Ski-Kat was built bt Sport King Inc. at Farmington, Michigan.  There were seven models available in 1968 using three JLO engines, a 16, 18, and 20 horsepower.  Standard features included twin headlights, warm-up stand, trailer hitch, band type brakes and tinted windshield.
   The snowmobiles were 92 inches long, 30 inches wide and 40 inches high to the top of the windshield. The track was 15 1/2 inches wide and held 5 1/2 gallons of gasoline with two fuel tanks, which were plastic and removable.
  The sleds were priced from $895.00 to $1095.00 F.O.B. Farmington.  The skis were light guage stainless steel and the frame was galvanized steel. The seats and backrests were top quality material which stood the test of tome, not susceptable to cracking or checking
   The engine was mounted on a special mount which tilted the engine top rearward, that necessitated a special carburetor adapter.

THE NEW 1976 JOHN DEERE RACER SNOWMOBILE

September 1975 - Moline, Illinois - Deere Unveils New Cross-Country Racer.  John Deere has introduced its new Liquidator.  The limited-edition sled will be available at John Deere dealerships starting in October, 1975.
   The Liquidator is powered by a 340cc piston- ported engine that features liquid cooling with a radiator cooling system.  There's also an eight gallon fuel tank in addition to several other new features designed for cross-country running.

THE NEW 1980 SKI-DOO ELITE

November 1979 - The Elite was one of the most Luxurious snowmobiles ever made and the only one to offer side by side seating.  The luxury features included bucket seats, electric starting, heated hand grips, cigarette lighter and an enclosed front "trunk." The machine has two tracks for stability.  Forward and reverse gears were also standard equipment.
Sorry, I wish I had a color picture of this snowmobile !

ABOUT MYSELF

I would like to tell you a little more about myself.  As I've illustrated in my profile within this blog, my life has been centered around snowmobiles which includes the present time.  I was a Rupp dealer from 1969 thru it's death in 1978.  In 1980, I, along with some help made an attempt to bring Rupp Industries back into existence.  "GO HERE", To read all about this attempt.  In 1984, I moved to South Dakota and went on to expand my snowmobile parts and accessories operation by the name of SnoCat Shack and later was renamed Sport Shack, because of a legal matter.  I sold Sport Shack in 1996 and started a company by the name of Battery Shack and sold over 14,000 batteries in 10 years. "CLICK HERE", To learn more about this business.

1972 RUPP NITRO

November, 1971 - AD,  The Rupp Nitro - The image of motion,and true to the promise. Nitro has a deep-down kind of form-follow-function beauty expressed to its super low-profile hood, windscreen and racing-wedge seat.  Aerodynamically clean.. Born to run, with five very special Rupp twins - 295, 340, 400, 440 and 650cc classes.  With horsepower output and torque you have to experience to believe.  Power that sings through non-restrictive exhaust systems.  Power that moves through improved Rupp hi-performance torque convertors-teamed with new Rupp Rails, the unique, slide rail suspension system that is the last word in traction.  Here you have what some may call the ultimate snow machine.  Able to grab all the gold and glory around.  We're certain it's the best track and trail sled yet.  When you drive it, you'll agree.  Rupp Nitro. Vaarooooom!

ONE OF SKI-DOOS FIRST SNOWMOBILES

October 1983
Ski-Doo snowmobile models mark the 25th anniversary of snowmobiling.  The man who invented the Ski-Doo snowmobiles who started the sport,  Joseph Armand Bombardier, is shown in 1958 test riding one of his first snowmobiles

SKI-DOO WINS BRAGGING RIGHTS

September 1984 - Shoot-Out V
Ski-Doo's Formula Plus is the winner of Shoot-Out V,  Snow Goers annual ine-'em-up-and-pull-the-trigger test of high performance muscle sleds.  The Formula Plus swept high point honors in the handling phase and scored second highest in the acceleration portion of the test to earn the overall title of Shoot-Out Champion for 1985.
   Shoot-Out V was held February 28th at The Lakewoods Resort on Lake Namekagon near Cable, Wisconsin.  Competing were The Formula Plus, Indy 600, Arctic Cat El Tigre AFS and The Manta.  Yamaha choose not to enter its V-Max.

THE 1980 POLARIS APOLLO

Autumn 1979 - The 1980 Polaris Apollo 340 was a full sized snowmobile at a bargain price.
The sled featured adjustable handlebars with a soft ride suspension system. 
  An accessory package which included a speedometer, tachometer, gas gauge and tow switch was available for the Apollo at extra cost.                                    .

THE 1976 MOTO-SKI FUTURA

November 1975 - 1976 Moto-Ski
The new Futura as advertised with all these standard features.
*Rotax 440cc Fan Cooled Engine
*Plated cylinders
*Double-Wall tuned muffler
*Self Adjusting Disc Brakes
*Sandwich-type safety seat
*Aluminum chain Case
*3-8" Triple-Pitch Chain
*Speedometer and Tachometer
*Torque reaction slide suspension
     A TOUCH OF CLASS

SOVIET AMBASSADOR GETS U.S. SNOWMOBILE

Press Release - November 1971
Anatoly F. Dobrynin, Soviet Ambassador to The United States (center) and Hubert Humphrey, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, try out a snowmobile presented to Ambassador Dobrynin recently at the Russian Embassy.  Lending advice to the pair is Lowell T. Swenson, president of Arctic Enterprises, Inc., who manufactured and donated the Arctic Cat snowmobile to the Ambassador.  Dobrynin has expressed a desire to try snowmobiling to Senator Humphrey during a reception at the Soviet Embassy and Humphrey passed the comment along to Swenson, who then arranged through Humphrey to present the 1972 Panther to the Ambassador.  The machine will be shipped to Dobrynin's home in Moscow.

ANTIQUE CLUB CONTINUES GROWTH

November, 1983 - Wisconsin
The foundation for an antique club was formed on Labor Day weekend back in 1976, when Jack Woeckner of Green Lake, Wisconsin and Bud Wieman of Franksville, Wisconsin met to discuss the idea of establishing an organization to preserve old snowmobiles. Before the weekend was up, Woeckner (representing the Green Lake Antique Snowmobile Society) and Wieman (past president of The Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs) formed a new club known as the Antique Snowmobile Club of America.
   By-laws were established for the club, designating any snowmobile with a model year of 1966 or before as an "antique."  Bud Wieman served as first president of the club and registered 100 antique snowmobiles in the first year
   Anyone with snowmobiles that might qualify as an "antique" can find out about eligibility by sending the brand name, model name, model number, chassis serial number and a photo, if possible, to The Antique Snowmobile Club of North America, 1302 Locust St., Sterling, Il 61081

THE NEW 1974 RUPP SNOWMOBILES

November 1973 - The 1974 Rupp Snowmobile Line.  The Sport and American are basically the same as the 1973's with some new stripping but The Nitro II is an all new sled.
   Rupp's Back In The Ballpark With A Very Light, Super Fast, All-Out Handler.- The Rupp Nitro II is the first major design change out of the company for years, and deserving of more significant recognition than a mere "II" added to the old name.  The most obvious giveaway is that for the first time at Rupp, the engine has been moved down and ahead of the chassis tub.  This forces the relocation of practically every component under the hood.  This effectively lowered the center of gravity by about two inches and makes it one of the lowest  in its category.  The Nitro II is powered by either a 340cc or 440cc Kohler fan cooled engine with dual Mikuni carbs.  The suspension is also new with a new involute track and drive system.

ARCTIC TO MAKE KAWASAKI/SNO-JET SNOWMOBILES

May 1976 - A 1976 Press Release  from Arctic Cat says that Arctic Enterprises, Inc. will manufacture snowmobiles for Kawasaki Motors Corporation, USA, beginning with the 1977 model line at its plant in Thief River Falls, Minn.  The contract between the companies is for three years, and calls for Arctic to manufacture a minimum of 10,000 Kawasaki/Sno-Jet sleds for the first year.
   Earlier this year, Kawasaki purchased the tooling and manufacturing rights for the Sno-Jet line from Conroy, Inc. Arctic had assembled Sno-Jet's 1976 models.
   Kawasaki's research and development center in Shakopee, Minn. will be responsible for product engineering and improvements for the Sno-Jet line, including a new Kawasaki engine that will be used in more than half of the Sno-Jets to be built by Arctic this year.  The Shakopee facility will continue to plan the development of a completely new line of snowmobiles that will be sold beginning with the 1977-78 season.

THE 1985 SNOWMOBILE FUEL ECONOMY RUN

October, 1984 - Annual Fuel Economy Run.  The Arctic Cat Jag, sipping just three gallons of gasoline, recorded a fuel economy best MPG of 33.6 Overall average.. The 1985 model Jag, with a 440cc engine, did in fact get 33.6 MPG. under real world conditions, on real trails.  That's 3 gallons of gasoline for 100 miles.
   This wasn't some government EPA estimate. The Jag did pass tech inspection. It was stock.
  The Yamaha Phazer was the next best at an average of 26.44 MPG followed by the Polaris SS at 25.44 MPG

THE 1980 YAMAHA ENTICER 340 DELUXE

October 1979 - Yamaha said this was the supreme machine of snowmobiles.  The 1980 Yamaha Enticer 340 Deluxe sled.
   You get a lot of machine and rich looking plush, plus all the favorite inbred Enticer traits. On the scale it's 392 pounds (dry).
The Deluxe is fitted with a 338cc fan-cooled engine that develops 32 horse power at 6,500 RPM.  The Deluxe is built to perform.
The Enticers basic equipment includes CD ignition, a single Mikuni VM38 for carburetion, as if that weren't enough to cover the price tag, the deluxe has Autolube. That's Yamaha's own oil injection system. Autolube means hassle-free driving.
   Yamaha's engineers venture to say that the Enticer Deluxe is the highest performance 340 on the market.

THE 1974 SUZUKI XR-440 SNOWMOBILE

Autumn 1973 - Beautifully Built, The Suzuki XR-440 make tracks over a trail zoomed along by a 37-hp, 432cc twin with reed-valve induction.  That's the most powerful engine in any Suzuki snowmobile.
   Handling has been improved with a new slide-rail suspension that's claimed to cut track friction on the snow and deliver more horsepower.  Starting is easier because of pointless CD ignition.  Luxury touches include dual rear view mirrors, padded handlebars, tachometer and speedometer.

MERC, YAMAHA DOMINATE HODAG

December, 1975 - Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Mercury and Yamaha dominated the 12th annual Rhinelander Hodag 50 oval events December 13 and 14, as the two companies combined to take every class title but one over the weekend.  Mercury finished as the individual leader, winning six out of seven stock classes on Saturday and four out of eight in the mods on Sunday.
   The top drivers were Brad Hulings, Edinboro, Pa, who had two stock and two mod stock wins, and Ed Schubitzke, Duluth, Minn., who took two super mod classes and one mod stock.

SNEAK PEAK AT THE 1989 YAMAHA OVATION

April 1988 - For 1989 Yamaha offers A new sled called the Ovation.  This easy handling trail machine looks somewhat like a cross between the Invivter and the Phazer.  The Ovation has many of the same front end components as the Phazer, including TSS independent front suspension and a wider ski stance.
   Available in standard and deluxe models, the Ovation is powered by the same 337cc fan cooled motor made famous by the sled it replaces, the Enticer.

1972 SNO-JET THUNDER-JET

November 1971 - Sno-Jet is building 100 of it's "Thunder-Jet" racers in each of the 292, 338, 433 and 643cc classes.  Sno-Jet will then sell these to distributors, who in some cases, will race themselves, and will sell others to selected racing dealers.
   Sno-Jet pays the entry fee for all of the Thunder-Jets entered in any races.  The purpose, according to a spokesman, "Is to develop a more dependable consumer sled."
   The Thunder-Jet features aluminum chassis, slide suspension, disc brakes, stamped tunnel pipes and other features.