Well I see alot of posts wondering how good some of the old sleds are and i think a place to put reviews of the some old machines would be useful to people in the market. Please only post a review if you have put much seat time on a machine and own or used to own one. And if you would reccomend it to others
1977 John Deer Liquifire 440- FAST, just like many old sleds it is too fast for its own good. The engine is fairly strong and starts very well but the thing is just too lowto do well in the snow, the seat only comes up to about top of boot height and doesnt allow for you to grip with your legs. Durability seems above avereage for and old sled, if somethings worn out it is going to make something go wrong. not highly recommended
1977 El Tigre 500 F/A- Quickest vintage sled ever i would say, The one we have is fairly modified and sits higher and wider than stock and actually handels very well for an old sled. Suspension is no better than any otehrs of the era but does the job. The engine in this sled is what makes it as good as it is, it pulls harder than any vintage sled should, but ours seems to be geared differently as it tops out at about 40Mph. Being a free air it is no good for warmer weather but it really shines when you are bundled up. Highly recommended wintage sled for anybody.
Time for your guys's reviews
Full Version: Vintage sled reviews
'79 Polaris TX 340
Low and stable with good handling. Rear suspesion is not a marvel of engineering.
This a very tough old sled with an engine that will smoke alot of bigger sleds.
Stops great also with the hydraulic brake. This a highly recommended vintage sled for fast rides in cold weather.
Low and stable with good handling. Rear suspesion is not a marvel of engineering.
This a very tough old sled with an engine that will smoke alot of bigger sleds.
Stops great also with the hydraulic brake. This a highly recommended vintage sled for fast rides in cold weather.
1974 Merc 400D sno twister. A very fast sled maybe the fastest of its time.
Lever chokes under the hood never froze open or closed. Sepention was about as good as any thing in the day. Wouldn't go in deep powder at all.
{:-) Al
Lever chokes under the hood never froze open or closed. Sepention was about as good as any thing in the day. Wouldn't go in deep powder at all.
{:-) Al
rm125zr440 you have the sled that I always wanted a 97 zr 440 How do you like it I am trying to find one its kind of my dream sled.(kinda hard to find where I'am from) I also have a 77 el tigre 5000 and totally agree with you that it is really fast I had mine up to 80 mph on the speedo on ice and still had some left which is way to fast for an older sled. My dad used to have a 77 4000 and raced it in ice ovals back in the day.
Giving us the chance to be magazine writers eh?
1975 Sno-jet SST and Astro SS series. Offered with Yamaha 338 34hp, 433 48hp fan and 338 50hp/433 65hp F/A versions. These are futuristic, very lightweight, very nice handling sleds for their time. The suspension has 8 inches of travel and offers a very evil weight transfer characteristic that sweetly plants the sled when others are spinning off the line. The "long travel" suspension doesn't really hinder the cornering either. Stability is good but the when you want the fun factor in powder or tight trails, the 28 inch stance makes it easy to flick the sled around. These sleds are designed as SNOW mobiles first and they will really move through powder.
Engine reliability is good. Free Air models are similar to the Yamaha GPX engine but more reliable because Sno-jet used Mikuni carbs on them and revved them a bit lower. Fan cooled models suffer some ignition issues.
1975 Sno-jet SST and Astro SS series. Offered with Yamaha 338 34hp, 433 48hp fan and 338 50hp/433 65hp F/A versions. These are futuristic, very lightweight, very nice handling sleds for their time. The suspension has 8 inches of travel and offers a very evil weight transfer characteristic that sweetly plants the sled when others are spinning off the line. The "long travel" suspension doesn't really hinder the cornering either. Stability is good but the when you want the fun factor in powder or tight trails, the 28 inch stance makes it easy to flick the sled around. These sleds are designed as SNOW mobiles first and they will really move through powder.
Engine reliability is good. Free Air models are similar to the Yamaha GPX engine but more reliable because Sno-jet used Mikuni carbs on them and revved them a bit lower. Fan cooled models suffer some ignition issues.
I purchased a '78 Pantera 5000 F/C, brand new, in '78, and was surprised with the power of this sled. It was called the Catillac, but it had the pull of a GTO. From 0-70, it rivaled most of the hot sleds of the day. It was comfortable and handled well. I'm restoring a '79 Pantera, which is basically the same sled, except for cosmetics. Can't wait to get it on the snow.
i own a 78 polaris 340 ss and it is in mint condition
Polaris TX 340 Free air, 1978(or something close to that year)
I had a Polaris TX 340, 1978ish as my first sled, when I was 14. Someone had put ski spreaders on it so it stayed very, very flat in the corners. No real suspension to speak of. I guess it was fast, it sure sounded fast anyways with dual carbs and the clutch engaging at 4000 rpm, 9000 to 10000rpm was as high as I saw on the tach going downhill on a road, sounded really nice! It would also dig holes like a backhoe with the belt and bar track if you didn't engage the clutch as smooth as you could, eventually I learned to always park on hard pack or pointed down hill... The belt and bar track had a dual personality, very nice on snow or a sled packed trail, but on ice or a hard packed road, it would do evil things if you got sideways abit. On warm days it suffered being free air but also survived having snow packed into the cooling fins... I'm sure I scuffed the pistons many times. It would break trail better than my friends 84 ET340 but we knew nothing about suspension tuning so maybe his sled was set up nose heavy as it would always dive into powder instead of going over it.
I broke the clutch shaft once(doing jumps I think had something to do with it) and then the track finally had enough and we rigged some no name track in that never worked well and a guy bought it for his kids to fool around with.
I had a Polaris TX 340, 1978ish as my first sled, when I was 14. Someone had put ski spreaders on it so it stayed very, very flat in the corners. No real suspension to speak of. I guess it was fast, it sure sounded fast anyways with dual carbs and the clutch engaging at 4000 rpm, 9000 to 10000rpm was as high as I saw on the tach going downhill on a road, sounded really nice! It would also dig holes like a backhoe with the belt and bar track if you didn't engage the clutch as smooth as you could, eventually I learned to always park on hard pack or pointed down hill... The belt and bar track had a dual personality, very nice on snow or a sled packed trail, but on ice or a hard packed road, it would do evil things if you got sideways abit. On warm days it suffered being free air but also survived having snow packed into the cooling fins... I'm sure I scuffed the pistons many times. It would break trail better than my friends 84 ET340 but we knew nothing about suspension tuning so maybe his sled was set up nose heavy as it would always dive into powder instead of going over it.
I broke the clutch shaft once(doing jumps I think had something to do with it) and then the track finally had enough and we rigged some no name track in that never worked well and a guy bought it for his kids to fool around with.
1970 and 71 ski-doo olympics.
great little sleds! light enough to be thrown around with one arm. carbs are easy as hell to take apart and clean. takes a simple removal of 4 bolts and the exhaust and the motor pops right out. set it up on the table and take her apart easy as that. parts arent too hard to find and they turn heads (you may even get a thumbs up!).
the smaller one banger motors dont put out much power obviously, but when youre just lake cruising or bombing around on trails its great. nothing like taking them out on a sunny day with your buddies, its a great conversation starter! they are a bit tippy seeing as the ski stance is very minimal. they didnt start adressing that until 72. the built in gas tanks are a bit of a problem. rust is a bitch, but some cleaning and in-line filters are a simple fix. great sleds to throw a kid on. they are compairable to the tundra II's that i first ran around on.
sk
great little sleds! light enough to be thrown around with one arm. carbs are easy as hell to take apart and clean. takes a simple removal of 4 bolts and the exhaust and the motor pops right out. set it up on the table and take her apart easy as that. parts arent too hard to find and they turn heads (you may even get a thumbs up!).
the smaller one banger motors dont put out much power obviously, but when youre just lake cruising or bombing around on trails its great. nothing like taking them out on a sunny day with your buddies, its a great conversation starter! they are a bit tippy seeing as the ski stance is very minimal. they didnt start adressing that until 72. the built in gas tanks are a bit of a problem. rust is a bitch, but some cleaning and in-line filters are a simple fix. great sleds to throw a kid on. they are compairable to the tundra II's that i first ran around on.
sk
For pure excitement, I say '69 and '71 Evinrude Skeeters. Anything over 30 you were hanging on for life, praying you'd make it. If you buried it, you needed 8 men or a tow truck. but hey, elec start (car Battery), neutral, reverse, and a cigarette lighter on the dash. Actually I loved those old sleds trying to track down the guy I gave them to to see if there still around. The '69 had the added safety feature of, straight pipe with no muffler, you could hear it coming for miles.
1980 Yamaha Excel V: A two-up cruising sled with the electric start, air-cooled, 60 HP SRV540 engine, and about eight or nine inches of suspension travel. This is my first season on a snowmobile, so I have only one other sled to compare, coming up after this review. After extensive repairs on this garage-sale find, I finally got in a problem-free ride this weekend, and I must say this is a fine old sled! It's got more power than track, and there's no traction under about 20 MPH. It'll just blow snow out the back like a jet-ski blows water... However, once it hooks, it goes from zero to scary in no-time flat. Cornering is good, once you learn to throw your weight around. I can slide the track around when it's just me in the saddle. My boys know how to lean but my daughter sort of leans the wrong way and we sometimes lift a ski. The suspension is really plush, compared to my other snowmobile, especially now that I've rebuilt it. We've even jumped it a few times with no perceptable consequences except for sore cheeks from grinning too hard. The single greatest deficiency of this machine is it's weight. It's hard to manhandle the Excel V when putting it on & off the trailer. You can't just flip it around by yourself. Gas mileage appears to be about 9 MPG and it's been very easy on oil consumption, about one quart for two tankfuls of fuel. (14 gallons)
1980 Yamaha Enticer 340 deluxe: A fine, compact snowmobile. Not nearly as much snap as the Excel V, but much lighter and maneuverable. It's a work horse, with electric start, and it instantly fires up every time. The suspension is harsh, and is probably as bound-up as the Excel was. I suspect this because of the big puddle of rusty water it left on the trailer after the last ride. I look forward to re-doing the suspension to see how it turns out. The Enticer is easy to load onto the trailer, and it's easier on gas. Unfortunately it's also smaller and it's tough to take a passenger except for my youngest son. We accidently bounced my daughter off the back on Rte. 6 in Cadillac when we hit a nice bump. So, we're probably going to relegate this one to single-use only, and find us a third machine for next year. Maybe another Excel V or some other two-up Yamaha. Then I'll assign it to my kids and my 12 year-old can follow us on it. We got between 10 and 12 MPG from this machine, and it too, uses moderate amounts of oil. I've used less than one quart of Yamalube per 10 gallons of fuel.
1980 Yamaha Enticer 340 deluxe: A fine, compact snowmobile. Not nearly as much snap as the Excel V, but much lighter and maneuverable. It's a work horse, with electric start, and it instantly fires up every time. The suspension is harsh, and is probably as bound-up as the Excel was. I suspect this because of the big puddle of rusty water it left on the trailer after the last ride. I look forward to re-doing the suspension to see how it turns out. The Enticer is easy to load onto the trailer, and it's easier on gas. Unfortunately it's also smaller and it's tough to take a passenger except for my youngest son. We accidently bounced my daughter off the back on Rte. 6 in Cadillac when we hit a nice bump. So, we're probably going to relegate this one to single-use only, and find us a third machine for next year. Maybe another Excel V or some other two-up Yamaha. Then I'll assign it to my kids and my 12 year-old can follow us on it. We got between 10 and 12 MPG from this machine, and it too, uses moderate amounts of oil. I've used less than one quart of Yamalube per 10 gallons of fuel.
1987 Skidoo Tundra
This is my new favorite sled, light at 328lbs, and doesn't get stuck very often with the longer track(there is a tundra LT as well). It is narrow which means you have to be fairly active off trail but I think this also helps in many situations such as sidehilling. Top speed at around 40mph (66km/h is the fastest I've seen on my gps). The 253 rotax single cylinder works well in this machine and will always turn the track, this machine is not a bad hill climber either. I have a hill that gradualy goes up to about a 100-110% grade (about 100' in elevation) with no space for a "run at it" and the machine will climb the last half of the hill with the skis in the air turning the track fairly fast. My previous 85 safari couldn't climb this hill with any fresh snow on it at all.
Basically this is a good lightweight go anywhere off trail sled. I try all sorts of silly stuff with it as getting stuck is not a problem at all. Lifting the front or back a foot off the ground is not difficult.
Here's a clip of it in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dJ4XPlDAwc
This is my new favorite sled, light at 328lbs, and doesn't get stuck very often with the longer track(there is a tundra LT as well). It is narrow which means you have to be fairly active off trail but I think this also helps in many situations such as sidehilling. Top speed at around 40mph (66km/h is the fastest I've seen on my gps). The 253 rotax single cylinder works well in this machine and will always turn the track, this machine is not a bad hill climber either. I have a hill that gradualy goes up to about a 100-110% grade (about 100' in elevation) with no space for a "run at it" and the machine will climb the last half of the hill with the skis in the air turning the track fairly fast. My previous 85 safari couldn't climb this hill with any fresh snow on it at all.
Basically this is a good lightweight go anywhere off trail sled. I try all sorts of silly stuff with it as getting stuck is not a problem at all. Lifting the front or back a foot off the ground is not difficult.
Here's a clip of it in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dJ4XPlDAwc
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