From: dougr@meaddata.com (Doug Ritter)
Subject: Re: Questions from a newbie
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:10:54 GMT
Distribution: usa

In article <10050@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> jwgst2+@pitt.edu (James W Gourgoutis) writes:
>In article <1992Nov19.224112.4963@meaddata.com> dougr@meaddata.com (Doug Ritter) writes:
>>>	I have a 1974 Ski-Doo T'NT 440 SE.  It's in pretty good shape, but
>>>Can anyone tell me anything about this sled?  What might it be worth?  I 
>>>MIGHT be interested in selling it.
>>
>>Just as a guess, I'd say $500.  Your best bet would be to load it up and take it
>>The old T'NT was a classic, IMHO.  If I were you, I wouldn't sell it.
>
>	Why do you feel that the T'NT is a classic?  Why shouldn't I sell it?
>I don't mean to bust on my own sled, but I'm curious as to why you feel this
>way.  I think that the T'NT (at least as I know it) is an excellent all-around
>sled.  It has a seat comfortable enough for two (although not for very long)
>it has a good suspension (for it's time--we're talking about the mid-seventies
>here!), it has a 440, which is plenty of motor for me, it's lightweight (
>(only 406 lbs., with the battery!), and it's VERY simple to work on.

Well, I can't explain it twentyfive-words-or-less, so let me go get a cup of
coffee . . .

OK, let's talk about the emotional issues first.  The T'NT was the first sled
I ever rode that I felt like could be trusted.  Up until the T'NT, I had riden
sleds from the early 70's.  On those sleds, if you went 25 miles without a
mechanical failure, you stopped and had a beer to celebrate.  On the T'NT, I
felt like it was safe to go out alone for the first time, 'cause I *knew* it
would get me home.  The second factor was the way the sled *felt* - it was
solid and sturdy, much quieter than the other sleds I had riden up to then,
and amazingly fast and smooth riding.  Plus it was a great looking sled for
it's day.  For me, "the good ol' days", when the sport was young, are summed
up in the T'NT.  You remember, back when helmets and suits didn't have to
be "color coordinated"? ;-)

Technically, there was no way to compare it to the sleds I had riden before.
It was wider and heavier, which translated into a much more positive feel on
the trails.  It wasn't the first 440 I had riden, but it was the lightest,
and I was totally blown away by it's performance.  How a suspension handled
the bumps wasn't important back then - if the trail got rough, we turned
around and found one that was smooth.  And up to that point, I hadn't even
heard the term "weight transfer".  It just rode better, and I didn't really
even care why.

Also, the first RV's were built on the T'NT chassis, which later evolved into 
the Blizzard - a classic if ever there was one!

If I had a T'NT (mine was destroyed when snow caved in the roof of the building
where it was stored - ah, those were the days! ;-), I'd keep it.  Why?  I don't
know.  Why do people collect cars?  If I had the storage space, I'd have a
*whole*bunch* of sleds.  Let's see, I'd start my collection with (in no particular
order):

	'75 Arctic Cat Z
	'76 Scorpion Bullwhip
	'80 Polaris Centurion
	'80 Polaris TXL Indy
	'81 Arctic Cat El Tigre
	'76 Mercury Sno Twister
	'76 Yamaha SRX (or whatever the first year they were built was)
	'80 Yamaha SRX
	'82 Kawasaki Interceptor
	'76 Rupp Nitro
	'79 Ski Doo Blizzard 7500

	and an RV from every year they were built.

>	I used to try to find a comparable new sled each time the buyer's guide
>of Snowmobile used to arrive in the mail, but I never could come up with one.
>I used to think that the Ski-Doo Stratos would be a good replacement (if I ever
>got the money!), but then they discontinued it.  Now, everything is liquid-
>cooled, which I don't want due to the extra weight.

If you're looking for a new fan-cooled, light-weight trail-performance sled,
you won't find much in the Ski Doo lineup.  But if you're not a Ski Doo bigot,
take a look at the Yamaha Phazer - it's light and quick and not terribly expensive
(it's not cheap, especially when you compare it to what you paid for your T'NT).
Also, I'm pretty sure that Polaris builds a fan-cooled Indy - I'm not sure it
would qualify as a trail-performance model, but the Indy chassis is hard to beat,
ride-wise.

>	
>	Ever wonder why they don't make free-airs any more?
>(P.S.  Ski-doo made a free-air version of the T'NT, but mine's the fan-cooled
>version.  I like the fan-cooled sleds better, but the free-airs were lighter
>and faster.)

In the early-to-mid 70's, all the big iron sported large free-air engines.  When 
the manufacturers figured out how to make liquid-cooling work, it didn't take 
long for them to migrate away from F/A's.  I'm not sure if that was because they
could squeeze more horsepower-per-cc out of a liquid or if they were enough
more reliable that the slight loss of power was worth it.  Whatever the reason,
I think F/A's are gone for good.

>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>James Gourgoutis       				   
>Mechanical Engineering                                O   
>University of Pittsburgh                           _ /__,     
>e-mail me at:  JWGST2@unixd.cis.pitt.edu          (_) /(_) 
>	       or JWGST2@vms.cis.pitt.edu
>Thanks!           			   "Why am I so late?  It took me 
>					    25 minutes to decide which bike
>					    to ride!" 
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-       
>-- 

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