STARFIRE AT FIRST SITE

Posted 12.30.09 by Brandon Johnson

For about the past ten years, I’ve been slowly getting involved with the vintage snowmobile community. It started out by going to some basic vintage shows where I would walk around and simply comment on sleds that caught my eye. There were really only two ways a sled would catch my eye; either it had to look cool or sound cool! Of course some of the Arctic Cats and Ski-Doos caught my eye, but not like a Polaris. For as long as I can remember, our family has only ever had Polaris sleds, so naturally I took to them—plus they looked so good! So with my basic, non-educated, criteria I quickly found a sled that caused my eyes to widen, and mouth to drop:

The 1973 Polaris Starfire.

I can’t remember exactly when that moment came, but ask my family and they’ll quickly tell you out of all the sleds we’ve talked about, the ’73 Starfire is the only one I remembered. I can’t tell you why I couldn’t remember any of the dozens of sleds we've talked about as a family, but I always remembered the good-looking Polaris. After ten years of obsession, the quest for my own ’73 Starfire began.

We were lucky to find an old chassis from a ’73, which could be salvaged and brought back to life with a fresh coat of paint. With a lot of help from Vintagesleds.com people, we found an NOS (New Old Stock) seat, a barely used gas tank, a barely used set of handlebars, an almost new suspension, some skis, the spindles, and original secondary and more. In the span of an afternoon, we had most of the sled put together, even if we didn't have a motor for it. We ran into one big snag: We made a new mold for the belly pan, and quickly discovered that the new pans were 1 inch too short in the back. Getting the mold fixed would not be a huge deal, but it would take some time - and I wanted this to be my Live on Skis 2010 rider. While my dream of riding a ’73 Starfire for Live on Skis was quickly coming to hault, a miracle happened.

A rolling 79 TXL chassis with the 73 hood and pan was for sale. With a great deal in the works, this quickly become the choice for this year’s rider. After pulling it apart in the garage, this was for sure set up for drag-racing, we had a lovely time pulling the studs out of the track and discovering some other minor issues. But I am excited to say this machine will be ready for LOS ’10 and will definitely turn some heads! Did you know Polaris made a liquid 340 ’73? Just kidding. We stuck a 340 TXL motor in it and got it running in now time!

Last weekend over Christmas break, we got to take the new sled for a "break-in" ride. I can tell you this thing is fast - but a little on the tippy side. We went through a recoil and I broke the steering post on the last ride of the weekend, but once that is fixed, we will be ready for LOS!

ROCK RAPIDS ROMP

Posted 12.23.09 by Larry Preston

My thanks to the Rock Rapids club, SLEDS and everyone who worked on the race in Rock Rapids Iowa last weekend - great racing on a great track!

Tied for 1st place in SnoPro: Devin Fackrell

Tied for 1st in SnoPro: Matt Goede

Tied for first in SnoPro: Matt Spies

Dick Peterson is back! We're glad to see it!

Peterson's 440 triple RXL

The new team from Minnesota - left to right: Chuck Zeck, Dave Reigert, Troy Lange and Randy Nouis. Despite a missed race, they placed well all day.

Back from Alaska to defend his title is Mike Smith and team mate (and son) Adam Hagen on their fleet of Cats.

Nice formula 340 sled from Justin Marthaler. He won the class.

Dave Delaughter build Yamaha's driven by Spies and Erdmann were on top of their game all day. But this spanking new RXL is also a DRP built machine. There was some bugs, but it was running strong towards the end of the day.

Armand Westlund, race director. Better known as Farmin' Armin' - look for him to be racing later this year.

Jim Haug and the boys from Owatonna were back with a new 340 Superstocker.

One of two new Cats this year sporting the Woody's paint job.

Gordy Vogelaar Had a new Delaughter RXL and this really nice Formula 340 sled on the track and looking strong.

Missy ran the pits, Holly handled flags.

Really cool to see a Super-Mod WIld One out there running!

Hell has frozen over. Devin Fackrell has taken to racing leaf-spring machines!

RAREST YAMAHA PHOTO EVER?

Posted 12.14.09 by Larry Preston

My friend Ken Jacobsen sent me a stack of really cool photos last week, and at first, I almost overlooked this one.

This is the ONLY photo I have EVER seen of the 74 Yamaha SnoPro sleds with the hood off - not only that, the heads are off and you can see down the motor. Could this be the only picture that exists of these rare beauties with their shell removed?

Note Polaris driver Stan Hayes doing exactly that! Ed Schubitzke is next to stand working on the sled. Note how crammed in everything is, and how the pipe winds down into the belly pan.

Click to see a larger photo:

2010 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

Posted 12.10.09 by Larry Preston

This just in! The 2010 SNowmobile Hall of Fame inductees, chosen by Hall of Fame members, has just been released! Keith Vreeland of Mosinee, WI, Clyde Seely of West Yellowstone, Montana, Ray Monsrud of Roseau, Minnesota and Jim Dimmerman of WHite Bear Lake Minnesota are the class for this year!

We'll bring the bio of EACH of the winners in the next few days - congrats to the inductees!

HOT YAMAHA POSTER AUCTION

Posted 12.10.09 by Larry Preston

Very little time left for you to bid on two super cool autographed posters in the Bull Sessions. These are unique, one of kind YAMAHA racing posters. One featuring Wayne Trapp's 1975 338 PDC race sled, autographed by Wayne himself. The other features Lynn Trapp's 1972 SR643 race sled, autographed by Lynn himself.

The sleds featured in the posters have been cleaned up and preserved by Leon Koch, of Koch's Performance. Leon had the posters made to celebrate the Trapp's careers. All proceeds go to support Thee Hall of Fame in St. Germain Wisconsin. Winner announced on noon, December 12th. December 12th is also the day of Koch's performance's open house at their store. Hall of fame members Jerry Korinek and Ken Konop will be at the open house, as well as LYNN and WAYNE TRAPP!

STORE SHIPPING TIME!

Posted 12.10.09 by Larry Preston

Just a reminder that you have until at least December 17th to get your Christmas orders in the store, and they will arrive on time! After the 17th, we'll be happy to work with you to see how we can still get them on time - overnight FedEx or whatever we need to do - we're here to help!

Also, the definitive video on the history of racing at Eagle River is back in the store! "Decades of the Derby" is simply the best old race video you'll find, with vintage footage all the way back to 1964!

VINTAGE SLEDS ON TV!

Just got a note that the 2009 Erskine Marine Vintage Show and Swap held last August 9th in Mid-MIchigan is being broadcast on SNOW TRAILS TV on many PBS stations across the snow belt! Look for episode 7-10, and it also features the 41st running of the Soo I-500!. If you're looking for it on TV schedules, search for "41st Soo-I-500".

FIRST EAGLE RIVER PHOTO!

Posted 12.05.09 by Larry Preston

Can't you almost smell the klotz in the air when you look at the photo below? Taken today at the historic Derby Track, you can see ice is being made around the clock for the festivities that start soon.

Word is that ice in Rock Rapids will not be a problem - so we should see some fine racing two weeks from today! How's a fella supposed to sleep knowing that??

**Keep checking the SnoPro page to see who has signed up as a driver for 2010! We keep adding them every day - over 20 drivers so far!!**

SNOPRO RACERS 2010!

Posted 12.02.09 by Larry Preston

The first few participants have emailed in their photos and info. If you are going to run the SnoPro series this year, please shoot us an email with your name, photo (if you can), hometown, brand of machine(s) you'll be running, and the classes you hope to run.

NEW STUFF IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

Posted 11.25.09 by Larry Preston

I'm always on the look out for new things that vintage sledders might love to have. I think I found some good ones.

First up is the new Old Iron DVD. This DVD is a newly produced DVD of vintage snowmobiling, covering racing, shows and more. Footage includes old Arctic Cat factory shots, lots of footage from the Waconia show in 2008, 2008 Eagle River Vintage races, including the big World's Championship. There's some 1974 SnoPro footage, some on the Polaris thrill team, a brief interview with Edgar Hetteen and much, much more.

It's color, over 70 minutes long and is great quality footage.

Next up is "I raced Ski-Doo" a photographic look back at Ski-Doo's racing campaign from 1969 through 1978, and some detailed information on the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain Wisconsin. This book contains some very rare, never before scene shots of the factory Ski-Doo racers and sleds.

Featured are Yvon Duhamel, Jerry Jandt, Doug Hayes, Steve Ave, Ed Scubitzke, Jim Bauer, Mike Trapp, Ronnie Durmont, Gaston Ferland, Claude Desrosiers, Chuck Decker, Larry Rugland, Leroy Lindblad, Bobby Donahue and many of the fine Bombardier race mechanics. The best pictures are from 1976 and 1977.

Both"I Raced Ski-Doo ... A Different Point of View" and the "Old Iron" DVD are dedicated to our old friend C.J. Ramstad.

Finally, these have been in the store for awhile, but have been a big hit. These are the 2009-2010 VintageSleds.com racing t-shirts, available in tan and green, with VIntageSleds.com on the front, and the Go Fast, Turn Left, Look cool logo on the back. On sale now for just $17.00!

Have a great thanksgiving holiday everyone, and let's get ready for winter 2009-2010!

FOR THE LOVE OF IT

Posted 11.23.09 by Larry Preston

Once again, I am reminded of all the great people in this hobby, and the cool things they do, simply out of the passion for the old machines.

It seems one J. Robison has just begun restoring sleds about a year ago, and on his latest project, he was having a great deal of trouble getting a Tillotson carb to work.

He got on the Bull Sessions and several people jumped in to help, including Dog Lubahn, Snowking43, Wankel303, AKA Mike Lackore.

Mr. Lackore went way over in his generosity to help, giving up countless hours over the phone and via email to help a person he's never met face to face.

The Tilly carb on his latest restoration was giving Mr. Robison fits. He just couldn't get it right, and as a result, his restoration was going nowhere. Well pictured here is a fresh rebuilt Tilly that Mike did up and sent to Mr. Robison (at no charge) merely because he wanted to help out.

My experience with the hobby was much the same. The more I wanted to restore, the more people wanted to help out. As Mr. Robison pointed out, sometimes it feels like these people just don't get the recognition they truly deserve.

As the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches, me and Mr. Robison, and all the other "newbies" out there, would love to take the time and thank the countless people who have helped us along the way. None of us would been able to learn without you!

Note: The People For the Ethical Treatment of Tillitson's were in no way responsible, nor did they pay for this post!

JEFF BIDDISCOMBE

Posted 11.19.09 by Larry Preston

Check out the stunningly cool article on Jeff Biddiscombe over at SnoProUsa.com. My friend Joel has done an outstanding job of interviewing Jeff and getting up tons of pictures from Jeff's racing career that spans from 1967 all the ay through the early 1980's. It also features pictures of Jeff's amazing collection of race sleds and parts! NICE WORK JOEL!

SCORPION WHEEL-KIT

Posted 11.18.09 by Larry Preston

T.J's Hornet with the wheel kit got several people stirred up about old sleds with wheel kits. If we don't get some snow soon, perhaps we'll all have to convert them over. Mmmm... I wonder what an RXL with a wheel kit would be like?

Scott Carmen sent in this video, and here's what he has to tell us about it:

"This is a rare on road attachment for a snowmobile. It's on a 1969 Scorpion Mark II, with a 297 sachs single. The wheel kit is from the day and is a "Wunder Wheels" kit

We sort of high jacked this machine from a friends place, as he would not have put it in service. He and his brother have an extensive collection of ORIGINALS, and they are either RARE or different originals. They Have everything from 71 EXT’s to big mouths with 650 RED BARON, to 74 Harley, to one of DARCY EWING’s twin tracks, the number 02 serial 1982 Ski Doo Sno-Pro and many others. They have many of the machines that they actually raced like 71 EXT, 73 MAGNUM, and 75 245.

They are not very boisterous people and sort of lay low, that is where I step in - LOL

This Scorpion came to them from the original owner, It has never seen the snow. The original owner took his motorcycle road test in 1970 with this and it was never ridden after 1971.

Myself and 2 other vintage nuts went to pick up some other sleds and parts, and saw this in the garage. We told him we would take it and get it running and ride able again, he could not understand why we would waste our time on some thing like that.

Anyhow, a few months back at our "Wednesday Wackey Wankel riders" meeting, we found ourselves cleaning points, changing the coil and condenser, buffing the hood (kept all the original numbers) and putting newer tires on.

Then we all took a ride, the following video clip is of one of those rides."

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Where did the stuff go that used to be here? It got too darn big, so it was archived. Enjoy.