From: dougr@meaddata.com (Doug Ritter)
Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 14:34:34 GMT
Distribution: usa

In article <1992Nov17.220722.25150@col.hp.com> chuck@col.hp.com (Chuck Rice) writes:
>lark@solbourne.com (Daniel Larkin) writes:
>> Hello,
>> 
>>         I have a few questions for all sledders out there who might know or
>> have information about older machines. I am a newcomer to this group and to
>> snowmobiles in general, and wish to gather whatever info I can about a sled
>> I'm thinking of buying. It's a 1975 Scorpion Whip. Yes, it's old, but is in
>> fair condition and starts on the first pull every time. The asking price is
>> $300, which is around the price I was looking for seeing that funds are of the
>> highest priority right now. My questions are, does this sound like a reasonable
>> price for a machine of this age? (also, it has about 2100 miles on it) Does
>> anyone now anything about the overall realibility or performance of this
>> particular machine. I know there are no guarantees with a sled of this age
>> or mileage, but I'm looking for a hopefully decent, inexpensive snowmobile
>> to get my "feet wet" until I win the lottery. Thanks in advance for any
>> positive input to my questions.
>> 
>I would suggest that for that price you may be able to find an old Yamaha.
>Scorpion parts are hard to find and you may need lots of them. For just a
>little more you should be able to find an old Yamaha Exciter or Enticer
>that will give you much better service and reliability.

The '75 Whip was a good machine, not great, but good.  And with only 2100
miles on it, parts of it probably *are* in good shape, but being 17 years old,
there's bound to be deterioration of rubber/plastic parts.  And while Chuck
is correct to a degree about Scorpion parts , I've still got a rideable '71
Scorpion.

Scorpions were solid sleds, with simple engineering.  Their slogan (in '78)
was "First we make it last", and I think that pretty much sums up how they
were built.  They seldom built "muscle-sleds", although in '75 (I think) they
did have a sled called "Bullwhip" that was (I think) in the A class rankings
for stock racing.  Then in '81 (after they were bought by Arctic Cat) they
had a sled called "Sidewinder" that was basically a 1980 El Tigre with a
different hood and paint job.  When Arctic folded in '82 Scorpion went
with them, and when they were resurrected in '85 they did not bring back 
the Scorpion line.

The '75 Whip was probably a C or D stocker, which means it won't exactly 
pull your arms out of the sockets with it's acceleration. ;-)

Suspension parts are available through Dennis Kirk and others.  Engine parts
are also fairly easy to get.  The seat and windshield can be fabricated.
It's stuff like hoods and gas tanks that will give you problems, although
the old-sled swap meets are great places for those sorts of things.

Big thing is that for $300-$500 you can get a *better* sled.  I'd recommend
getting a Ski Doo, Polaris, Yamaha or Arctic Cat for the simple reason that
they are still making those brands.  I have a "Used Sled Report" from a '90
issue of Snowgoer in front of me.  Sleds under $1000 in it are:

	1979 Arctic Cat Jag 3000	$590
	1978 Arctic Cat Pantera 5000	$640
	1981 Ski Doo Citation SS	$850
	1976 T'NT 340 RV		$560
	1980 TXL Indy			$940
	1982 Yamaha Bravo		$450

	(this is *not* all-inclusive by any means!)

Seeing as how two years have passed since this report, you could probably
knock another 20% off the price of each of these sleds, and any one of them
would be a better choice than a '75 Whip.  What you might do is find a
snowmobile club in your area and talk to them about what's available -
sledders are always looking for ways to get new people interested in the
sport and might be able to find you a better deal to help you get started.

Geeze, if I could find a '76 RV for $560, I'd jump all over it! ;-)

Think SNOW!!!!!!!!!

--
Doug Ritter (dougr@meaddata.com)
Newsgroups: alt.snowmobiles