One day, I want a tiny car, like a Smart Fortwo or a Scion XB, then a snowstorm hits and I’m like, the Honda HRV looks nice… I have been looking for quite a while, but I find I am flip flopping all the time. My parents have said I need to get myself a car by the summer. * I heard that the Prius' eAWD is not powerful enough to be useful in snow, which made me shy away. Have considered: Golf TSI, MINI Paceman, Honda HRV, Buick Encore, Chevy Trax, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Nissan Juke, Prius C / Prime*, Hyundai Venue, Kona, Impreza, Crosstrek Low maintenance costs, don’t mind lower reliability for what I want, but only if the maintenance is cheap, looking at you, MINI. <=20k CAD pref, but can go a bit over if I’m in love…

Good in snow (regularly get 20-30cm dumps of snow, needs to get me to work through poorly plowed streets)ĭecent fuel economy (less than my 3.6L outback) The first Timbersled snow bike systems are produced in Ponderay, Idaho.Smaller vehicle (4 seats but 2-door, 4-door doesnt matter), want good maneuverability / easy to park / confidence in traffic The Richfield, Utah-based Snow X Cycle goes into production. The Yamaha RX-1 Snowmobile (1000-cc, four-stroke, four-cylinder) is introduced, the world’s first high-performance four-stroke sled. Timbersled Products is founded by Allen and Natasha Mangum in Sandpoint, Idaho. Ski-Doo pioneers the rider-forward concept with the introduction of the REV platform for consumers. Ski-Doo pioneers semi-direct injection two-stroke engine technology. Arctic Cat releases the first modern, full-production four-stroke Trail and Touring models. Although it was called a snowmobile, the Snow Hawk bore a much closer resemblance to a snow bike. Ski-Doo introduces the rider-forward REV chassis in a snocross sled. The future concept of “clean” snowmobiles is born when Arctic Cat loans two prototype four-stroke snowmobiles for use in Yellowstone National Park. Ski-Doo introduces electronic reverse or RER. Arctic Cat launches snowmobiles with the first batteryless electronic fuel injection. The industry’s leading snowmobile tie-down system, the SuperClamp, is invented by Albertans Don and Randall Bowman. Arctic Cat departs from bogie wheel suspensions with the introduction of a slide rail suspension system on its 1966 Panther. This snow cycle kit was designed by the Hanson Brothers and manufactured by J.E. This year marks the first use of two-stroke engines by Arctic Cat. Trail-A-Sled later became known as the Scorpion. Trail-A-Sled, which was based in Crosby, Minnesota, becomes the first American snowmobile to use a moulded rubber track. 1962Īrctic Cat’s first snowmobile, the rear engine Model 500, goes into production. After leaving Polaris, Edgar Heteen establishes what would become known as Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s oldest son, Germain, receives a Canadian patent for the first seamless rubber track.

Bombardier launches the first two-person “Ski-Dog,” but due to a typing error, it was published as “Ski-Doo.” The Eliason snowmobile goes into production at the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company (FWD) in Clintonville, Wisconsin. Swiss inventor Adrien Mercier creates the La Moto-Chenille. Joseph-Armand Bombardier receives a patent for his first tracked vehicle. Italy’s semi-tracked Tractor Cycle motorcycle is featured in Popular Science magazine. develops a machine that would later become known as the Tucker SNO-Cat, laying the groundwork for today’s trail groomers. Carl Eliason receives a patent for his Motor Toboggan. The first example of a tracked bike was the three-wheeled R.A.S.K Triumph 500 cc. Carl Eliason of Sayner, Wisconsin, builds and develops his “Motor Toboggan.” Joseph-Armand Bombardier develops the first oversnow vehicle. A tip of the hat to the original inventors as well as our gratitude to everyone-the manufacturers, aftermarket companies, clubs and riders-who has helped create the most awesome sport on the planet. Sprinkled throughout, you will also find important dates that helped shape the burgeoning sport of snow biking.ĭuring our research, we discovered that the lines of snowmobile invention are blurry since ideas have been borrowed (i.e., stolen).

It would be impossible to list them all in this timeline, so we have picked out the most influential. Over the years, there have been numerous inventions that have shaped the way we ride and think about snowmobiling. Bombardier turn over in his grave, though, if he saw the machines we are riding today? Little did he know that his creation would spawn one of Canada’s favourite and most popular winter sports. Snowmobiling has been a part of the Canadian landscape since New Year’s Eve 1922, when a 15-year-old named Joseph-Armand Bombardier took his first “oversnow” vehicle for a test ride on the streets of Valcourt, Quebec.

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