The Polaris TXL Indy: Vintage Special
Vintage Rider
March 12, 2019
1
An Icon in the History of Snowmobiling The spring of 1978 was to mark the beginning of a suspension revolution that would change the snowmobile industry forever. The Polaris Race Team had dominated oval racing for two straight winters with the RX-L oval race sled featuring a twin radius... Read more
The story of the ARBE Manta twin track is as much about the man behind the machines as it is the machines themselves. By Hal Armstrong 1969-73 Leisure Vehicles Inc. – The Raider Days Carol Bracey (wife of Bob) remembers the day he came home and told her he... Read more
1993 Ski-Doo MACH Z – Getting Back to the Muscle Sleds
Vintage Rider
January 11, 2019
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“Lead, follow or get out of the way,” is a motto often used in racing, but it also applies to the competition for your hard earned cash at the dealer showroom. Consumer demand (and the resulting profitability) is the driving force that manufacturers either create, or respond to quickly.... Read more
For several decades the ultimate high performance snowmobile was powered by a three-cylinder two-stroke engine. The 120-degree firing sequence of a triple is sexy and very addictive. For many snowmobilers there is no better sound on the planet than that of a triple-piped three-cylinder two-stroke engine singing at high... Read more
Yamaha SR-V: The Indy Killer
Vintage Rider
October 9, 2018
1
As the dawn of the 80’s was fast approaching, the sport of snowmobiling was to be exposed to a number of factors that would shape the industry in terms of the number of brands that would survive, as well as the evolution of the snowmobile itself. In the late... Read more
1978 Arctic Cat SnoPro
Vintage Rider
February 17, 2018
1
The history of Arctic Cat is littered with both production and race sleds that incorporated new thinking to make better riding and better handling snowmobiles. It all started with the first slide rail suspension in the mid 60’s. Track suspension evolution continued through the mid 70’s with lightweight aluminum... Read more
1981 Ski-Doo Twin Track: The Snowmobile that Forever Changed Oval Racing
Vintage Rider
February 17, 2018
2
By Hal Armstrong The snowmobile that would change and dominate oval racing for nearly two decades was an evolution of the Gilles Villeneuve 1974 twin track Alouette race sled and the Jimmy Shampine ‘Offset” super modified race car that was dominating the Oswego, NY speedway in the late 70’s.... Read more
1977 Polaris TX-L, Liquid for the People
Vintage Rider
January 18, 2018
0
Long before the Indy, XCR, Pro-X or RUSH the name that was synonymous with Polaris performance snowmobiles was the TX. The Polaris TX had been a world-beater on the racetracks until the 1974 season when the production version of the TX started to show its age. The introduction of... Read more
1993 Arctic Cat ZR
Vintage Rider
December 16, 2017
1
The double A-Arm front suspension found on the majority of today’s snowmobiles was not the first choice of IFS used. The trailing arm front suspension first appeared on oval race sleds in the 70’s with Arctic Cat introducing the first production version on the 1979 Trail Cat. Arctic continued... Read more
Eagle River – 1975: Legendary Polaris factory racer and race team manager Bob Eastman was standing in the pits after the World Championship race with racer and innovator Gordon Rudolph. Gordy qualified for the ‘75 Eagle River World championship with his latest creation. Powered by a 650 Polaris triple... Read more