A Rare Sight in These Parts

skiroule

Well-known member
One might think that since this year’s projects are finished, I might have retired to the recliner. Not so.

Operable vintage sleds are not common in this area, so when a couple of friends and I hit the trails this week, it was kind of a rare sight. At almost every stop, people came over to check out the sleds and, in many cases, told stories of their riding experiences back in the day.

In two afternoons of riding, we never saw another sled on the trail. While we need snow, there is enough for the groomers to make most trails pool table smooth. We managed just over a hundred miles on vintage suspensions so that says a lot about trail conditions.

The Igloo Bar on Lake of the Woods is always a mandatory stop and I mean “on” Lake of the Woods. It’s about a half-mile offshore and for a few bucks you can even drop a line through the ice right in the bar.

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While bars can be few and far between, there are lots of club warming houses. This is one of my favorites. Fire up the wood stove, throw some dogs on the grill on top and settle back in one of the chairs from the original movie theater in town.

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gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
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A nice place to stop, but do they serve....

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skiroule

Well-known member
45 degrees be damned, vintage activity continues. Been putting various sleds through their paces to try to figure out which one to take as a trail blaster for the Boondock run.

The Kawasaki has always been a favorite but it was far from ready, so I went to work on it this week. This is what I can remember doing:
  • Installed ignition switch
  • Installed windshield
  • Cleaned/flushed fuel tank
  • Installed missing fuel pickup line in tank
  • Replaced all fuel lines
  • Cleaned carbs/replaced main and pilot jets
  • Added missing cylinder oil injection lines (thank goodness I was running mixed gas)
  • Added missing muffler anchor bolts
  • Replaced worn jackshaft and PTO side bearing
  • Replaced chewed up drive belt
  • Made a mounting plate for choke control
  • Applied Hamm’s stickers
Took it out for an extended test ride yesterday and she’s runnin’ great. Drive train is silky smooth, no more vibration. It might make the trip yet. Less than 2 weeks away!

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gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Since you're killing time in advance of your Vintage Weekend, care to identify the machine on the far end. I tried zooming in on the badge but couldn't be sure. Yukon maybe? Early Kawasaki? By the way, the colors of that John Deere really stand out on the snow.
 

skiroule

Well-known member
Since you're killing time in advance of your Vintage Weekend, care to identify the machine on the far end. I tried zooming in on the badge but couldn't be sure. Yukon maybe? Early Kawasaki? By the way, the colors of that John Deere really stand out on the snow.
Gary, it's a 76 Scorpion Whip with a 440 Cuyuna motor. Actually pretty fast, with that giant Walbro carb. It's my understanding that the Cuyuna motor company bought JLO and rebranded the engines as Cuyuna. I guess this was a tribute to the Cuyuna iron range, in which the town of Crosby, MN and the Scorpion plant was located.
 

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Hmmm. I didn't know Scorp. had that color of hood. Kind of ordinary compared to the Deere. As always, thanks for posting!
 

euphoric1

Well-known member
My first sled I owned was a 72 Bolens Sprint and had a JLO engine, even though wasn't the greatest sled, I was young and it was mine and I owe it to my career choice as I can credit it with my choice to be a small engine mechanic as I worked on it as much as I rode it LOL, and a 2 stroke nut. Had the giant walboro WF carburetor on it, cable recoil and those pain in the butt clamps that held recoil to engine that were constantly a problem, and I think I had about a pound of glaze where the exhaust pipe met muffler LOL!!
 
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