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Curios if anybody’s been following the Wausau auctions?
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Some not so deep thoughts on a Sunday night.
August has arrived and it means that I’m starting to make some noises about getting my project painting done. The first step in setting up my “paint booth” is to move some sleds into the house garage to give me some room to paint.
I don’t normally see most of these sleds on a regular basis a…Read More
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![Profile picture of Minnesota Kelly]()
this is more true than you would believe.
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A little project diversion here. Finally picked up this little beauty today. Looks like the 2027 project is locked in. Long drive, but it was worth it. Nothing like that new sled smell. Gotta love the free-air sleds.
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A couple of questions here; What Is It? Without graphics, I can’t tell. Those handlebars look awkward, kinda like those on the bicycles of the 70’s. Anyway, glad to see you’ve got something to keep your head in the game for another year and congratulations on a new member of the family! We hope the Mrs. approves of another “rescue” at the table.
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Sorry Gary, i guess I was a little short on details. It’s a 1980 Kawasaki 340 Drifter F/A, a one-year build sled and the only free air sled Kawasaki ever produced. The bars probably do look a little goofy but they feel right when you’re sitting on the sled. Kawasaki did take a page out of the bicycle book though and mounted the bars in a block…Read More
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Tell your Mrs. all of us on SnowTrails appreciates her support. For you to rescue an old snowmobile that’s been abused and left alone in an old barn is admirable on your part. A little TLC, and a case of Hamm’s will go along way in bringing her up to speed on “Kelly Time”.
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![Profile picture of euphoric1]()
handlebars remind me of John Deere snowmobile handle bars
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It’s in pretty decent shape! 2 Kaw’s in a row, you’ll be in the groove when it’s this ones turn. Nice!
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![Profile picture of Minnesota Kelly]()
Yeah it’s weird, considering Kawasaki wasn’t even on my radar a year ago and now I have two. The Drifter F/A is a unique animal. I’m thinking the windshield was an option. The shop manual I got with the sled shows it without one. Personally, I like it better without. I don’t think I’m even going to have to touch the hood, unless I want to add…Read More
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I found this photo over on Bookface. Not much for graphics is there?
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![Profile picture of Minnesota Kelly]()
No, just a tiny “Drifter F/A” decal on the side. I think I mentioned this before, but it’s interesting that a windshield must have been optional. I’ve seen several photos now of this sled without one, including the cover of the shop manual.
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That sure looks like something Kelly would be riding……how bout it K Man?
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Yep, at least part of that is true. Thinking I waited a little too long to own one.
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![Profile picture of Minnesota Kelly]()
Had the Johnson version. Tough machine and it fit three of us on it but it was pretty tired and top speed was just over 15 mph. I’ll agree with the 60 pounds lighter claim. My dad had a 67 and I swear it had to go 600 lbs. It would pull his aluminum beaver trapping boat through the woods and across dry land, no problem.
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Kelly, came across an interesting site you may be interested in or maybe you already use it… vintagesnow.com. The information and manuals that are available are pretty cool!
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Yes, I had found it and it has been an invaluable source of information, especially the manuals. But, in general, it’s a very cool site with a lot of historical info. Thanks for suggesting it though, as I think others will find it interesting as well!
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![Profile picture of euphoric1]()
Can’t say I have ever seen one of those, buddy of mine had a Suzuki 440 Fury
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![Profile picture of Mezz]()
My first snowmobile was a 1973 Suzuki XR440. fan cooled twin carb, motor was close to the handlebars & that fan blew the warm but albeit 2 stroke smell on you. Was never cold even on the most brutal cold days. Loved that sled, bought it with my own money at 16 years old in 1977 & put thousands of miles on it in the 4 years I owned it. Good times,…Read More
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Brian, I’m adding a post with another photo of the rear suspension to give you a little different angle. As you said, there is really no shock dampening on the front swing arm.
The curious thing is how it all really works. The coil-over provides all the springing on the rear of the suspension by pushing against a fixed shaft that is only c…Read More
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![Profile picture of Minnesota Kelly]()
Awesome photo! I doesn’t get more 70’s, one piece suits and sideburns. It’s pretty amazing to see the rider position on these sleds, compared to modern sleds. Wonder how many boots they melted on the pipes.
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On the Kawasaki “Kawa-Bunga” project.
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Decided to create some fireworks of my own Saturday night (at least from a vocabulary perspective) and tear down the rear suspension.
There’s a lot not to like about the condition of the suspension. Some stuff is OK but I don’t think some parts can be…Read More
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![Profile picture of euphoric1]()
That is an interesting suspension, I take it the front swing arm is used only as an anchor for the rear shock? doesn’t seem like there would be enough movement in the front arm to really change positioning of the shock, when you put it back together would be interesting to see more how the rear arm actuates the shock, just doesn’t seem like the…Read More
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The Kawasaki “Kawa-Bunga” Project:
As hot as it is, why not think sleds
, so we’re talking egged-out suspension holes, caused by years of pounding.
There are a number of solutions, depending on the mounting design, including welding/brazing. Not having the ability to do either, I have to find other means. This will take a couple of post…Read More -
The Kawasaki had two different solutions for the front and rear. The rear of the suspension is mounted to 1/16” plates that are replaceable. I was able to find a good right one on a spare chassis and a good left one on another chassis. Drill the out the rivets and replace the plates with the good ones. The first photo shows the hole d…Read More
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The damaged hole is drilled out to the size of the bushing. After checking the bushing fit, I shim it just enough to be perfectly even with the inside tunnel surface. Done!
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Co-worker gave me this shirt today. Apparently I”ve established a reputation.
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Kelly’s ”Time Machine” Shop
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one of my customers was one of the first to walk through and is wanting to make some purchases, he is a very avid Yamaha collector