On the Kawasaki project:

I omitted that little detail on my previous post but no doubt you all figured it out. Today was an incredibly nice day for late October so I took advantage of it and did some outside sandblasting in the slide rails, which are too big for my cabinet. Still a long way to go but it’s a start.
Also pulled the spare m…Read More

Having problems with my laptop so trying to post with my phone so look out, anything can happen. Found a good front swing arm on eBay but it was missing the lower shaft. I had some in my other swing arms but all were seized. Drastic times call for drastic measures so I split the tube. Eventually it came out and is usable.

As Gary mentioned, the summer cabin season is officially over for us and we are back at the house full time. The bright side is that after a couple of weeks of catch-up on things, there will be a lot more time for the shop.

That will allow me to really focus on the rear suspension purgatory that I seem to have found myself in. This is the…Read More

The Kawasaki Project”
In spite of a lack of evidence, work has occurred in occasional bursts in the off season. I did address the major crack in the seat foam, most likely due to running it without a seat cover. I cut out most of the bad foam, glued in a replacement piece, and shaped it to (mostly) match the existing foam. There is a little…Read More

Some of us are old enough to remember the album “Twin Sons of Different Mothers”. That comes to mind when I look at this photo. Imagine yourself walking into a dealer showroom in 1979 and see these two sitting on the showroom floor. It would be a ‘Where do I sign” moment.

The calendar is telling me it’s time to revisit another sled project, in this case a 79 TX 440. Looking at the photo, this may seem like Deja ‘Vue all over again but trust me, this project was a whole different ballgame from the previous 340 project, even though the only obvious difference is the 440 decal.

For starters, this sled was ROU…Read More

In keeping with Gary’s mindset: Have to love these things. A guy a couple of hours from me in Northern MN is making these custom-made backlit signs. He will put any sled you choose and sign content. Very cool. Thinking this would be a great Christmas present from my wife. Would just have to decide which sled to use.

Gary sent me some vintage sled photos from the Wide Open Wisconsin show and I spotted this sled in one of the photos so I did a little digging and found another photo. As the story goes, the sled was a Kawasaki prototype test sled and was to be destroyed when it had served its purpose, which is why it has DES on the tunnel. Apparently this one…Read More

On the Kawasaki Project:
Yes, work does continue on the project but it’s a fair question to ask: “Why do these projects take so long?” For starters, I think I’m just naturally slow and while shop time can be limited in the summer, probably the better answer is that sometimes there’s just more to a task than meets the eye.

Let’s take the lo…Read More

For better or worse, this is the initial installment of the build series. I hope you all will find it interesting.

While it isn’t my plan to cover the various builds in any particular chronological order, I thought I should lead with the sled that really kicked the restoration journey into high gear: a 79 TX 340. I bought this sled in the s…Read More

OK “Shop” people, I need some feedback. A number of you have faithfully followed my various sled build threads over the years on John’s site but there may be some of you that haven’t. For those that have, there may be builds you have missed, builds you may have forgotten, and there are at least a couple that never made their way into any build…Read More

Hood is painted. The light plays tricks on this color and my phone. It’s actually a little darker than it looks in the photo. Should look sharp with the 82 graphics.

A few days I mentioned a special project I’d like to take on in the future and I may be one step closer to it now. I have a deal pending on this beauty: a 77 Liquifire 340. Hopefully it will work out. Now I know you might be thinking: “All the hype for this?”. But don’t let its unassuming presence fool you, my plan is to try to put a very pe…Read More

On the Kawasaki Project:
I did manage to get the skis finished a while back but just getting around to posting a photo. Kawasaki shocks are not to be found but with the help of a couple of shims, Arctic Cat shocks work nicely.

Sitting out on the deck tonight enjoying an incredible lake evening and wondering how far out in advance I can realistically plan projects. As you all know, I’m not exactly a picture of youth. I ask this question because my plan was to work the Drifter F/A next year and finish it in the winter of 27/28 and the latest acquisition is has raised…Read More

Ah, summer. Baseball, barbeques, and…..Snowmobiles (of course). It’s been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That’s what I’m going with on this one. Supposed to be a parts sled but thinking it may be too nice to tear it down, just for parts. Seems to happen a lot.

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

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.

Really enjoying Gary’s event photos, amazing stuff! You Arctic Cat guys also have to be lovin’ this. The new ZR White Tiger. Awesome looking sled!

Drift busting on the RTX, 1974

Wow, that is some thick smoke! Don’t breath! But seriously, be careful. Jon, I don’t know about the Circle Flies. We have our share of fly varieties but I don’t think we have those.

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

I doubt anyone else does this but I find that if I put a couple of squirts of Klotz in the lawn tractor gas tank when I fill it, I get a whiff of winter every time I fire it up. It really helps me get motivated to cut the grass .

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

Brian, you keep getting those grandkids out there. In what will seem like no time at all, they’ll be this age and loving fishing.

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

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!

Free-Air Friday!

Co-worker gave me this shirt today. Apparently I”ve established a reputation.

Words to live by….

The Kawasaki “Kawa-Bunga” Project:

Got the steel parts of the chassis blasted and painted. Also did a little polishing on the aluminum. Haven’t decided the level of polishing I’ll settle on but the tunnel isn’t perfect enough to go crazy. Maybe just give it a little brighter look.

Summers are busy! It’s hard to find time for the project but I try to find some time now and then to keep it moving forward. One of the shots shows how the repairs to the back of the hood came out. Hood is ready for paint.

I figured I’d really kick this page off with a few photos to bring everyone up to speed on my current restoration project, a 1980 Kawasaki Intruder.

After I bought this last fall, I got it running and actually rode it a little last winter but as these things often go, it had a LOT of issues – missing parts, broken parts, worn parts, and ass…Read More

Greetings everyone! I promise that this will be longest post of mine that you’ll ever have to wade through.

Some of you may already know me but for those who don’t, my name is Kelly and I will be your host for this vintage sled page. I’m old enough to have ridden vintage sleds when they weren’t vintage but my interest in vintage sleds was rea…Read More

Testing, Testing.