It was snowing a few hours ago and I just turned off the TV & LIGHTS and pulled back the blinds and watched the snow gently cascade from the sky as it was really very peaceful. Winter is such a wonderful time of the year as it brings so many different reasons for so many to just enjoy it. I really just needed a break from editing ads and reading sooooooooooooooooooo many negative posts in certain areas I DO NOT wish to mention. Every year we go through this as the new sleds are out and of course lets just say "STUFF" goes on that gets tiring to read and monitor.
I started thinking about what got me started, no "HOOKED" and all the different sleds that followed our 1969 SL351 Yamaha and where I am today...........Some of you will remember this............
1981....SRX440 Shiny Black, Quick & Beautiful
NO.....Hand & Thumb Warmers
NO.....Real Windshield
NO.....Hid Lights
NO.....Fuel Injection, Super Chargers, Turbo's, Nitrous,
NO.....Fancy Custom Skis & Carbides
NO.....Suspension to boast about, Just the Pogo Stick Independent Front Suspension
NO.....Custom Shocks
NO.....Plug In Visors
NO.....Fancy Warm Gear, Gloves, Helmets
NO.....Groomed Trails, REAL DITCH BANGIN
NO.....Warm up shacks
MOST FUN I've EVER HAD ON A Yamaha and that's 48 Years of Riding YAMAHA SLEDS. There was No Whining, Complaining, Bitching about anything as of course there was ALWAYS BRAGGING RIGHTS from races or the Factory Guys in the Sno Pro Circuit. JUST A REAL LOVE & PASSION for riding snowmobiles with guys of all colors and makes enjoying pounding the snow and living the dream.
What we ride today is CRAZY TECHNICAL & AMAZING and guys have NO IDEA what they are truly arguing about, YAMAHA has Leaped and Bounded Forward so far it mindboggling and they continue to be a leader in this industry, which forced the other guys to follow or try to keep up.......Maybe people need to reflect back to what was and now is today.........Ooooooh Maybe they never came from the start of it all to truly appreciate what we have now and are quick to judge something they never experienced.
There are those that were the True Weekend Warriors , you can see it etched onto their faces as they love the sport for what it is worth as it grew rapidly and blossomed into what it is today.......A LOVE OF THE SPORT and NOTHING ELSE but that love and sharing it with friends and family. Here on TY there are still MANY of us that live that code of the snow, I know this for fact as I see it on the TY Rides that we host. Smiling faces and tons of stories shared in the evening over a meal and a cold beer as this is what the Snowmobiling meaning can carry. It's not about Speed, Who's Fastest, What the factory should have done but perhaps celebrate what they did do and what they continue to do as this sport continues to grow. Sharing your love and passion with your wife, son or daughter and watching them grow and sharing your passion into something of their own with one day their own families.
Sitting around a fire at a warm up shack on Saturday and seeing some kids putting around on an old SL 351 and having a blast brought back many fond memories of our SL 351 as that's where it all started for me and I never looked back as I was TOTALLY HOOKED and have remained TOTALLYAMAHA to this day. It doesn't matter where or what got you started but the fact to you are a Sled Head or just a Snowmobile Freak and wear "SUMMER SUCKS" tee shirts like we do. We all share the passion of sliding across that white stuff and through those magical big snow covered spruce at night to the wee hours of the morning.
Im REALLY TIRED of reading so many negative posts about so many things that mean so little to many on this site. I would REALLY LOVE to read what got you started on Snowmobiling, what ole clunker did you have to start with, does your family ride as well and share that love for scootin down those amazing groomed trials.
This might be a post that interests you and then again maybe not but if it does I know I'll enjoy reading your story and so will others here. After all this is what TOTALLYAMAHA is all about sharing your love & passion for RIDING SLEDS.......Start Typing......Im Anxious to read your story
Thanks for the Smiles In Advance
The Bountyhunter
I started thinking about what got me started, no "HOOKED" and all the different sleds that followed our 1969 SL351 Yamaha and where I am today...........Some of you will remember this............
1981....SRX440 Shiny Black, Quick & Beautiful
NO.....Hand & Thumb Warmers
NO.....Real Windshield
NO.....Hid Lights
NO.....Fuel Injection, Super Chargers, Turbo's, Nitrous,
NO.....Fancy Custom Skis & Carbides
NO.....Suspension to boast about, Just the Pogo Stick Independent Front Suspension
NO.....Custom Shocks
NO.....Plug In Visors
NO.....Fancy Warm Gear, Gloves, Helmets
NO.....Groomed Trails, REAL DITCH BANGIN
NO.....Warm up shacks
MOST FUN I've EVER HAD ON A Yamaha and that's 48 Years of Riding YAMAHA SLEDS. There was No Whining, Complaining, Bitching about anything as of course there was ALWAYS BRAGGING RIGHTS from races or the Factory Guys in the Sno Pro Circuit. JUST A REAL LOVE & PASSION for riding snowmobiles with guys of all colors and makes enjoying pounding the snow and living the dream.
What we ride today is CRAZY TECHNICAL & AMAZING and guys have NO IDEA what they are truly arguing about, YAMAHA has Leaped and Bounded Forward so far it mindboggling and they continue to be a leader in this industry, which forced the other guys to follow or try to keep up.......Maybe people need to reflect back to what was and now is today.........Ooooooh Maybe they never came from the start of it all to truly appreciate what we have now and are quick to judge something they never experienced.
There are those that were the True Weekend Warriors , you can see it etched onto their faces as they love the sport for what it is worth as it grew rapidly and blossomed into what it is today.......A LOVE OF THE SPORT and NOTHING ELSE but that love and sharing it with friends and family. Here on TY there are still MANY of us that live that code of the snow, I know this for fact as I see it on the TY Rides that we host. Smiling faces and tons of stories shared in the evening over a meal and a cold beer as this is what the Snowmobiling meaning can carry. It's not about Speed, Who's Fastest, What the factory should have done but perhaps celebrate what they did do and what they continue to do as this sport continues to grow. Sharing your love and passion with your wife, son or daughter and watching them grow and sharing your passion into something of their own with one day their own families.
Sitting around a fire at a warm up shack on Saturday and seeing some kids putting around on an old SL 351 and having a blast brought back many fond memories of our SL 351 as that's where it all started for me and I never looked back as I was TOTALLY HOOKED and have remained TOTALLYAMAHA to this day. It doesn't matter where or what got you started but the fact to you are a Sled Head or just a Snowmobile Freak and wear "SUMMER SUCKS" tee shirts like we do. We all share the passion of sliding across that white stuff and through those magical big snow covered spruce at night to the wee hours of the morning.
Im REALLY TIRED of reading so many negative posts about so many things that mean so little to many on this site. I would REALLY LOVE to read what got you started on Snowmobiling, what ole clunker did you have to start with, does your family ride as well and share that love for scootin down those amazing groomed trials.
This might be a post that interests you and then again maybe not but if it does I know I'll enjoy reading your story and so will others here. After all this is what TOTALLYAMAHA is all about sharing your love & passion for RIDING SLEDS.......Start Typing......Im Anxious to read your story
Thanks for the Smiles In Advance
The Bountyhunter
Starting out driving sleds on Grandpa's farm. He had a 340 SnoJet. Story goes it was a 440 but it was too fast so he swapped it out for a 340. I really didn't care. It was a snowmobile.
I remember getting all dressed up in my Onesie snowsuit. Wrapped the scarf around my neck a couple more times so it wouldn't get stuck in the track.Pull on the helmet with the snap on face shield. Take my thick woolen gloves off so I could flip the choke lever that was pointed at my belly button. Pull with all my might and prayed it would start. Grandpa would usually have to rescue me. I just didn't have the power to pull it over fast enough. We would tie a crazy carpet behind the sled and pull each other around the obstacle course of farm implements. You would wreek of fuel after the day of riding and mom would put our snowsuits in the trunk of our '73 Impala for the ride home.
We would drive thru in ditches and plowed fields around the farm for hours. Great memories. Later the SnoJet died and he replaced it with a John Deere 300. It was still fun but I was getting older and the pull to go to the farm got less and less.
Grandpa retired and sold the farm. Many years later a former coworker of mine re introduced me to sledding. This time it was his 580 Ultra. Hammering down wooded trails at 80+mph following a little red light and having no idea where I was.
As much as that scared me I was hooked again. I acquired a 1997 Vmax 700sx in 2002 and the rest is history.
I remember getting all dressed up in my Onesie snowsuit. Wrapped the scarf around my neck a couple more times so it wouldn't get stuck in the track.Pull on the helmet with the snap on face shield. Take my thick woolen gloves off so I could flip the choke lever that was pointed at my belly button. Pull with all my might and prayed it would start. Grandpa would usually have to rescue me. I just didn't have the power to pull it over fast enough. We would tie a crazy carpet behind the sled and pull each other around the obstacle course of farm implements. You would wreek of fuel after the day of riding and mom would put our snowsuits in the trunk of our '73 Impala for the ride home.
We would drive thru in ditches and plowed fields around the farm for hours. Great memories. Later the SnoJet died and he replaced it with a John Deere 300. It was still fun but I was getting older and the pull to go to the farm got less and less.
Grandpa retired and sold the farm. Many years later a former coworker of mine re introduced me to sledding. This time it was his 580 Ultra. Hammering down wooded trails at 80+mph following a little red light and having no idea where I was.
As much as that scared me I was hooked again. I acquired a 1997 Vmax 700sx in 2002 and the rest is history.
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2004
- Messages
- 7,696
- Location
- sudbury on
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2016 apex xtx
2011 apex xtx
2009 phaser rtx/x
1997 et410t/r
1988 vk 540
well been sledding, that i know of, for 38 years and have pics to prove it too lol.
i do remeber falling asleep as my dad rode his 79 et250 with me in front of him out from my uncles trap camp. mom did ride while pregenant with my sister on her 75 gs338 to and from my grandmothers camp. back then all his cousins, aunts and uncles rode out there to ice fish. i rode that 250 around the camp on the lake and an old 250 elan for most of the day when i was 5. even won the bet (after i borrowed the money from mom) on the big walleye my grandmothers boy frend caught that morning, 12-1/2 lb.
growing up, whenever my dad would go out and help his brother with the trap line, i would always be the 1st volunteer to go out with him. i learned a lot about how to get stuck and un-stuck while picking a good place to run the sled through while helping clear trails. thank god it was et340t to throw around and work with.
once i turned 12, i got my snowmobile trail licence and went to camp less but rode the wheels off of dads 79 et250 in the yard at home. we had 5 lots so you could really get up a good head of steam running across. burnt 5 gallons of gas in that sled every weekend for a few years there. once siblings got their liceneces, moms gs came home and dad added a 1990 star to the fleet. we broke trail, hauled wood, bent broke and fixed all 4 sleds while riding trails with family and frends. buggers always made me lead and had trouble catching me on 500cc+ sleds while i was on a 250. still remeber the day they stole dads 86 et340t and i tried to track them on another sled when i was 17. never did find that one. dad replaced it with a used 88 scandic. introduced quite a few people to sledding on these sleds. one of the favorite things to do was pull a sleigh full of sliders up the hill and go get them again at the bottom of the hill, i think there was 10 teens the one time up the hill. heck pulled tobbogans (broke brothers arm with one), gt's, snow saucers and crazy carpets all over the place.
when i started working, i was still riding but it was getting less as i was pulling long hours. did blow the engine on brothers 78 et340 after he had gotten it from his godfather. moved out of town for awhile and was down to occasional riding on the old fleet. once i got to town again with more time i bought betsy. was getting away from trail riding at one point untill brother bought his 02 viper. that sled re-lit my spark for sledding and helped suck my other brothers back into sledding. still almost no e start sleds until we got into 4 strokes.
other than the 78 et340, none had e start and the rule was if you could start it and lift the rear, you could ride it. i aperciate the modern suspendions and all the tec that goes into these sleds but every season, either by intention or accident, i end up trail running betsy and enjoying myself just as much as i do running my apex. so i fixed up brothers 78 et340 for his daughter to learn to ride on this season and to pass one the fun and traditions of sledding.
i do remeber falling asleep as my dad rode his 79 et250 with me in front of him out from my uncles trap camp. mom did ride while pregenant with my sister on her 75 gs338 to and from my grandmothers camp. back then all his cousins, aunts and uncles rode out there to ice fish. i rode that 250 around the camp on the lake and an old 250 elan for most of the day when i was 5. even won the bet (after i borrowed the money from mom) on the big walleye my grandmothers boy frend caught that morning, 12-1/2 lb.
growing up, whenever my dad would go out and help his brother with the trap line, i would always be the 1st volunteer to go out with him. i learned a lot about how to get stuck and un-stuck while picking a good place to run the sled through while helping clear trails. thank god it was et340t to throw around and work with.
once i turned 12, i got my snowmobile trail licence and went to camp less but rode the wheels off of dads 79 et250 in the yard at home. we had 5 lots so you could really get up a good head of steam running across. burnt 5 gallons of gas in that sled every weekend for a few years there. once siblings got their liceneces, moms gs came home and dad added a 1990 star to the fleet. we broke trail, hauled wood, bent broke and fixed all 4 sleds while riding trails with family and frends. buggers always made me lead and had trouble catching me on 500cc+ sleds while i was on a 250. still remeber the day they stole dads 86 et340t and i tried to track them on another sled when i was 17. never did find that one. dad replaced it with a used 88 scandic. introduced quite a few people to sledding on these sleds. one of the favorite things to do was pull a sleigh full of sliders up the hill and go get them again at the bottom of the hill, i think there was 10 teens the one time up the hill. heck pulled tobbogans (broke brothers arm with one), gt's, snow saucers and crazy carpets all over the place.
when i started working, i was still riding but it was getting less as i was pulling long hours. did blow the engine on brothers 78 et340 after he had gotten it from his godfather. moved out of town for awhile and was down to occasional riding on the old fleet. once i got to town again with more time i bought betsy. was getting away from trail riding at one point untill brother bought his 02 viper. that sled re-lit my spark for sledding and helped suck my other brothers back into sledding. still almost no e start sleds until we got into 4 strokes.
other than the 78 et340, none had e start and the rule was if you could start it and lift the rear, you could ride it. i aperciate the modern suspendions and all the tec that goes into these sleds but every season, either by intention or accident, i end up trail running betsy and enjoying myself just as much as i do running my apex. so i fixed up brothers 78 et340 for his daughter to learn to ride on this season and to pass one the fun and traditions of sledding.
Clamb
Lifetime Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2016
- Messages
- 142
- Age
- 37
- Location
- Peoria IL
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 02 Sx viper Er 15 sr viper xtx
- LOCATION
- Peoria il
I took the snowmobile safety class when I was 13 and my first trip to the north woods in winter was at 14 I rode my dads 99 exciter II . I remember it well because it was also my brothers first trip he was 17 he was real P.O.ed that I got to go . Driving there Three deep in the center of the bench seat of my dads pickup he woke my brother up and told us both "if we start sliding backwards jump out". we made it just fine. The second day of that trip I rear-ended him after he stopped for open water on the trail, it was his first trip on a new sled. not to much damage. he would have killed me had I not already wanted to do that my self. I rode that sled as much as I could around home and bugged him all year till next winter when we could go again. To years up north and he sold that sled to one of his friends and it just about crushed me, it was a low tech deal I still remember the two lines that came up the side by your knees for checking the oil and gas level. After he sold that sled i talked him into buying a dealer leftover 03 Sxviper by promising i would take care of all maintenance on it and his other sled and i did mostly there were things he had to show me and taking care of those sleds was prolly some of the best times i had with him. i think i heard his favor story he tells me about when my mom was pregnant with me he was on a snowmobile trip with his friends and at sisters saloon WI there was a helmet painter there and he had the names of my family painted on it and his friends and him all thought my name should be charlie so he had it painted on the helmet with a question mark next to it. he still has the helmet, that's the only way i no its true. ive been sledding every year since i was 14 there were a lot of year i didn't think id get to go but my persistence paid off i must have bugged him enough, there were also lots of times i thought i would give snowmobiling up, i remember hitting a culvert and ripping the ski and trailing arm up the day before we were supposed to leave for a trip. i could barely bring my self to tell my dad. when i was 19 i took out a loan and bought the 03 sxviper from him i loved that thing just sold it after ten years, last year before winter and bought a dealer leftover viper. i also bought my dads 02 sxviper from him over summer so that i could keep it up and running he is getting older and doesn't ride as much but we still try and take a trip north every year. it sure is different for him from him taking me and letting me ride his sleds to the exact opposite i am so happy that he brought me into this sport and wouldn't have known what i was missing had he not, i have a 7 month old daughter now and already catch myself looking at kitty kats for her
