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Was up at the cabin on Wednesday to change out the pressure tank. What a day weatherwise! 82 degrees and sunny. Kind of strange, standing on the dock on a day like that and still looking at all that ice. Should see some leads opening up soon though. Won't be long before we will all be...

The size of those fish you're catching is crazy! A 32 inch Walleye would be the fish of a lifetime. Not sure if it would be legal to keep but hopefully if anyone were that fortunate, they would photograph it, release it, and have a replica made. I read an article a while back that documented...

Gary, in general, I think older sleds are a little different animal. For some reasons, these sleds and liquidated dealer parts inventories seem more likely to end up in parts yards or in backyards and sheds of hoarders. This helps with parts availability. I still don’t understand the BRP dealer...

Yeah, it's amazing how fast the years creep up on this stuff. I'm kind of in the same boat (literally). My Alumacraft fishing boat still looks basically like new but then I realize it's already 15 years old. I don't see anything out there that makes me want to rush out and replace it. I am...

Good for you! If I had my way, the transition from sledding to spring activities would take one day. My wife has been pacing the floor so I promised her she'd be settled in at the cabin by may 4th, ice or no ice. It won't be the first time I've had to drill a hole in the ice to drop a water...

Gary, a friend of mine had a somewhat similar experience when he ordered some factory parts for his 11 year-old MXZ. He not only had to pay a premium for the parts, he was told the parts were not returnable if he didn’t use them because his sled was considered “vintage” by BRP. Unlike your case...

The soldering iron is a great idea. I’ve been having issues on one of the Cyclones with rear track idler bolts loosening up. I wanted to use Loctite but was worried about having trouble getting them loose if I ever needed to adjust the track. The soldering iron technique would make this easier...

This installment is a l little longer than usual but I thought it necessary to give everyone a good idea of what goes on in the shop some days. The task for the other night was driveshaft/track removal. The first step seemed simple enough: remove the chain and gears but between a generous...

Conversely, companies could be marketing “Enrichener Pills.” Sounds so much better. Yeah, you’re technically right Brian. The plunger setup is a whole different deal. I also thought the same about mid-range but what’s curious is that it feels to me like the sled is a little flat in the...

Yes, I guess Mikuni called them “Powerjet” carbs but Kawasaki used the term “Econojet”. As I understand it, the goal was to improve mileage while maintaining performance. The main and pilot jets operate as they normally do on Mikuni’s. The third jet (aka econojet) is a somewhat different type...

Fascinating stuff Gary, thanks for posting! I think I agree with the narrator on the current manufacturer attitude but I might disagree on one of his main points. In the early 2000’s, Polaris made a legitimate effort to produce a low-cost sled with the Super Sport and the 550 Shift. Ski-Doo did...

A friend of mine just picked up a ZR 858 on a smoking deal. He is more than pumped. This is about a 25-year upgrade for him.

I think you might make a good point here. This sled has a smooth feel to it and some of that may be due to improved vibration dampening. I haven’t run into anyone that owned an Invader or knew someone that had one that doesn’t say these were very fast for the time-period. The Intruders are not...

The center of the mounting plate is recessed so nothing unusual is required on the motor casting/machining. My impression is that the bottom of the plate is flattened to provide more clearance with the pan and allow the motor to sit lower in the chassis. I might be wrong, but for me...

Another good question and leads to a bit of discussion. On the rewind side, the front and rear of the motor are suspended on a rubber bushing that fits between the mounting “ears” on the frame. This is what the bushings look like. The clutch side mount is an interesting one and uses the...

Well guys, this project will certainly be a learning experience all the way around. Some great questions. As far as seat foam, my feeling is that seats have gotten firmer over time. In the early days, I wouldn’t be surprised if the seat foam on a lot of sleds was actually mattress foam. For my...

Hoping everyone had a good Easter and got to spend it doing the things you like to do on Easter Sunday. For me, a little shop time was on the list. A few more items are now missing from the chassis: Skis, spindles, steering link, oil tank, handlebars/controls, carbs, and dash. In the earlier...

Looking back at my original post, I did give the impression that it was an 82 and thanks for reminding me to clear things up. The sled is actually a 1980 but I like the color scheme better on the 82 model so I decided to go with that look. I didn’t even know Kawasaki made a red sled but a friend...

Don't think I'm in the George Barris league but I'm pretty sure I'll have to do some small parts fabrication on this project. That would be tough, his sled is perfect!

Happy Birthday Steve! I'm breaking from my usual Hamm's and raising a glass of creamy dark in honor of the occasion.