1980 JOHN DEERE LIQUIFIRE

NEW POLICIES FOR SNOWMOBILES IN NATIONAL FORESTS

   BOISE, IDAHO - February 27, 2015 - The U. S. Forest Service has issued a new policy requiring forest managers to limit where snowmobiles can go by specifically designating what areas are open, a move that could reduce the competition between skiers and machines.
   The new rules take effect February 27, 2015 and apply to all national forests in The U.S. The federal agency on Wednesday published the final federal register notice for the new rules.
   The change follows a 2013 federal court ruling in Boise that found the Forest Service incorrectly exempted snowmobiles from a 2005 Forest Service plan restricting wheeled cross country travel to designated routes.
   An Idaho-based backcountry skier group, Winter Wildlands Alliance, filed the lawsuit amid concerns that new and more powerful snowmobiles were chewing up remote and pristine powder previously reachable only by skiers.
   "You can't have both uses in the same area and allow for each user to get the experience they're looking for" said Mark Menlove, the group's executive director.  He said that besides carving up slopes, the machines are loud and emit exhaust.
   The new policy requires forests to publish over-snow vehicle maps using existing designations or maps to be worked out through a public process.
   Chad Sluder, president of The Sawtooth Snowmobile Club based in the central Idaho town of Bellevue, said his club of 75 members would take an active part in that process.
   "We don't want to lose any more ground, and if it comes to that we will fight it to the end," Sluder said.  "It's the ongoing battle between the skiers and the snowmobilers. "They don't want us there and we have every right to be there."
   The Forest Service estimates that nearly 4 million people use snowmobiles on National Forest land.  Advances in technology have made modern snowmobiles more powerful and lighter than previous generations.

SNOWMOBILING IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS

1988 ARCTIC CAT WILDCAT 650

1976 MASSEY CHINOOK

2015 YELLOWSTONE BED & SLED FEST

This Bed and Sled Fest was advertised in The Rapid City Journal, SD newspaper today, "January 25, 2015".
Here is what the small print said, if you can't read it on the ad.
Bed and Sled Fest Package Includes:
* 2 nights lodging
* Prime Rib dinner (or equivalent)
* Full breakfast each morning
* One day Snowcoach tour to Old Faithful                    OR, One day guided snowmobile tour in Yellowstone
National Park (snowmobile equipment provided)

Package price must be prepaid: Vacation dates subject to availability.  To book, call 800-221-1151 and mention offer code SYC2015.
Travel and offer valid until March 15, 2015.
Package price based on double occupancy.

Website: www.SeeYellowstone.com/SYC

1975 SKI-DOO SS

The 1975 Ski-Doo SS - An Elan body with a gutsy T295 SS Rotax twin cylinder engine and a lightweight body.
Ski-Doo called it a "SUPER SLED"

1980 JOHN DEERE TRAILFIRE

When the 1980 Trailfire was first introduced, John Deere said "ignite it and find out how trail riding was meant to be".
With it's 339cc fan cooled Fireburst engine which John Deere positioned in a way that made the most out its lightweight materials, in addition to offering the lowest engine mount on the market. Trailfire's aluminum slide rail suspension is shock dampened; to adjust, move springs from one post to another which helped to keep its overall weight down to 418 pounds (wet)

1975 ARCTIC CAT JAG 340

1985 MANTA SNOWMOBILE

The 1985 top-of-the-line Manta twin tracker uses a 500cc, liquid-cooled Suzuki Spirit engine, the same engine as the 1985 Arctic Cat El Tigre.  In the Manta the Spirit engine will move you in the 80mph range.  The clutching is Polaris driven. It weighs over 500 pounds and had a list price of $4,995.00

1980 POLARIS GALAXY 340

The 1980 Polaris Galaxy 340 came with a 333cc Polaris Star twin cylinder fan cooled engine. It had a aluminum slide suspension and a rubber track.  It only weighed 386 pounds "dry" and had a list price of only $2,049.

YAMAHA SRX SNO-PRO SLED

1973 - The Yamaha Sno-Pro machines were dubbed The "SRX" and were somewhat of a physical resemblance to the 73 Yamaha SR snowmobiles.
Yamaha planned a completely new steering system and front suspension system on the new SRX models.

BOMBARDIER MUSEUM GETS SS25

1983 - Janine Bombardier, oldest daughter of the late Joseph-Armand Bombardier, is shown here admiring  the new SS25 in the J.-A. Bombardier Museum in Valcourt, Quebec. Alongside the SS25is Bombardier's first model, A 1959 Ski-Doo.

RUPP'S CENTAUR TEST RUN

Rupp Industries, after a 3,500 mile cross country shakedown run in the summer of 1974, started production of it's three-wheeled Centaur vehicle.
The ten-day cross country run of the Centaur began August 1, 1974 in Los Angeles. The journey included stops in San Francisco, Reno, Nevada, Salt Lake City, Utah, Denver, Colotrado, Des Moines, Iowa, Mineapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago,Detroit and Cleveland before returning to Rupp Headquarters in Mansfield.
The three-wheeled street legal motorcycle was driven on the trip by both Rupp personnel  and representatives of companies supplying parts for The Centaur.  It is powered by a 340cc two cycle Kohler engine, and averaged 23-25 miles per gallon on the trip.  Average highway speed was 55-60 mph according to The Rupp engineer accompanying the entire trip. Test riders reported no problems with law enforcement officials on the trip, other than curiosity.

1976 YAMAHA GP433F

1974 MOTO-SKI FUTURA

1980 KAWASAKI DRIFTER FA

The 1980 Kawasaki Drifter FA was a On-of-A-Kind sled which was priced at under $2,000. and was the lightest Kawasaki sled ever made, weighing in dry at 365 pounds.  The engine is a 339cc free air performance twin cylinder. It has a 15 inch grouser bar track with a slide suspension, dampened by hydraulic shocks and torsion springs.

1976 SKI-DOO OLYMPIC

In 1976 The Olympic Ski-Doo featured a longer slide suspension with a fully adjustable ride control.  It has a front mounted Rotax engine for better control and stability. It has a separate fuel pump to resist vapor locks and a new wider drive belt for a much longer life span.

1974 RUPP NITRO II

The 1974 Rupp Nitro II was a completely re-vamped snowmobile in comparison to the earlier models.
It featured a 340cc or 440cc Kohler air cooled engine which was placed forward within the body for more stability.  It has twin Mikuni slider carburetors and CD ignition.
The Nitro II suspension is improved Rupp Rails with adjustable aluminum sliders combined with internal drive track for more positive traction and quieter operation than any previous slider system.  Rupp named the Nitro II the ultimate snow machine in its day..

1974 BOA-SKI SS

In 1974, several well-engineered new snowmobiles were introduced under the Boa-Ski brand by Alsport.  These SS models in 340 and 440cc sizes offered many features we take for granted today but were breakthroughs for their time. The SS series boasted Kohler engines with CDI, ski shocks, aluminum slide rails, hydraulic disc brakes and a floating driven clutch.

SKI-DOO''S 1975 STOCK RACER

November, 1974 - Ski-Doo introduced an all new T'NT Free Air model snowmobile, the 245RV, designed purely as A racing machine. The new model 250-class stock racing sled bears styling and design offshoots of the companies past Blizzard racing machines, including the 1974 experimental SnoPro Blizzards.
The 245RV is powered by a 245.3cc Bombardier-Rotax rotary valve engine, and includes a high performance, tuned, double wall, isolated exhaust system developed by Bombardier.  It also included several other performance features within the sled itself.

1988 POLARIS LONG TRACK

The 1988 Polaris LongTrak has a 432cc fan cooled engine which delivered 18% more power to it's hi-low range transmission.
It came with a reverse allowing it to manuever under all conditions.

1971 RUPP 440WT

The 1971 Rupp 440 Wide Track pictured here was produced and sold during one of Rupp Industries banner years.  It came with a 440 Rupp "Tohatsu" engine and a 18 inch track with a bogie suspension and disc brakes.

1975 MERCURY SNOWMOBILES

1981 POLARIS GEMINI

VINTAGE SNOCROSS

The 3rd annual vintage snocross race, sponsored and hosted by PowerHouse Motorsports, attracted dozens of racers who showed up with a wide variety of vintage snowmobiles to compete on.
The race was held on Skyline Ridge high above Fairview, UT,  the vintage snocross racers battled the elements-a fairly big snowstorm lashed the area all day-and each other. Although the snow dust never really settled, thanks to brisk winds and steady snowfall, which helped the racers.
In The Snowball Express class, there were teams of two racers, both sharing and riding the same vintage sled.  After each lap, the driver/rider had to switch places at the start/finish line.

1985 SKI-DOO FORMULA SP - SE

1974 SKI-DOO TNT

ARCTIC CAT OPEN HOUSE IN 1979