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Tecate250
12-28-2006, 04:24 PM
Has anyone ever raced or seen one of these sleds? They were the sled to first use the wide ski stance. There real name were the Thunder Jets made from Sno*Jet. I want one of these more then any trike. Even a 87 tecate 3.

toocheaptosmoke
12-29-2006, 01:23 AM
Those were some sweet sleds.

Tecate250
12-29-2006, 02:33 AM
Ever see one? I like the 72 650 my self.

toocheaptosmoke
12-29-2006, 11:58 AM
Never saw one in person. I also like the 72's with the low rounded hood and bellypan. the 73's were cool too.

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 12:12 PM
I am in the process of restoring one right now. 1971 snojet thunderjet. first year produced. This particular model belonged to Al Unser Sr. It was given to him for winning the 1970 Indy 500. His brother Bobby also recieved one for winning the 1968 Indy 500. There is only one picture of Al and Bobby together on these sleds. It was taken in West Yellowstone in 71. The first 25 thunderjets were trucked up to west yellowstone in a tractor trailer and distributed to dealers. They were build by glastron boat company in an airplane hanger in Texas. At the time snojet was a partner of theres. These sleds used a yamaha sr 433 race engine with tuned pipes. Came equipped with a moon racing aluminum gas tank. Snojet bought the suspension and track from Arctic Cat. Which was a skid and track out of a 1971 arctic cat puma. Any more questions i own 7 thunderjets. 1-71, 2-72 (340,650) 2-73 (440,650) 1-74 (340) 1-75 (440)

Chevy200s
12-29-2006, 12:15 PM
great information there, thanks man! wow 7, thats awesome. hope to find one for myself someday

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 12:19 PM
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/UNSERJET001.jpg

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 12:20 PM
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/UNSERJET002.jpg

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 12:21 PM
funny that you mention owning one. A rare 71 was recently purchased in the Rochester Area not long ago. Pretty much complete. Went to a very good and fourtunate friend of mine in Minnesota.

Tecate250
12-29-2006, 12:48 PM
Those were the prototypes. Man Im drooling on my key board. Not The model I mostly like but mmmmm big blue. Ski doo might have invented them but Sno*jet perfected it. Want to sell one?

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 01:21 PM
Prototypes they were not. Full Aught factory racers. The 71's were designed to go racing. After the first full season. They hardly could hold there own. In 72 an independent was brought in to work with Duane Aho the lead designer. His name Jim Adema. The most famous name in snojets racing legacy. Jim was an independent racer and did alot of research and design for a company called Belmont Engineering. Later known as and today, Micro-Belmont. Snojet never had a factory sponsered race team. They relied on independents like Jim to make BIG BLUE. Jim won races everywhere. And by everywhere i mean all over the U.S. His last race, Ironwood Michigan. It was December 14th,1975. Jim was driving for yamaha along with dick trickle. He was now with yamaha because sno-jet in 75' elected to make the 75 thunderjet for production rather than race machines. It was approx. 4:30pm, heavy wet snow was flying. There was a drivers meeting held prior to the event to poll them about running the race in the rapidly approaching darkness. The result, they decided to race. Trickle who was leading the race was followed by Adema, first ever time on a yamaha. Trickle experienced engine failure and begin to slow and stall. Adema tried to avoid the stalled sled but clipped the back end of the chassis. He lost control a few thru the air somewhere around a 100ft. He stood up, and then was hit by Yvon Duhamel. They estimate at around 70mph. A second driver also struck him. He was pronunced dead on arrival to the hospital.

Tecate250
12-29-2006, 03:22 PM
Something else huh. Iread all that on snojet.com.
Been going there way longer then here. Is yvon duhamel milgel duhamel(spelling)
honda Super bike race, brother or relative? I seen a short clip about milgel on speed and it had the thunder jet there racing. Did he drive them?

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 03:36 PM
Miguel is Yvon's son. Yvon did all the snowmobile racing. Miguel was born in 68. So i doubt he was riding a thunderjet by 4 or 5 years of age. snojet.com. Blake is a good kid. i have dealt with him a little bit. most of his info comes from outsiders like me. I should get a few pics of the other thunderjets and post em.

Tecate250
12-29-2006, 05:02 PM
Yes please. Ever see the phantom jet 440? Those look sweet too.
Do you know where there is a video of a thunder jet.

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 05:27 PM
Yes. The phantom was actually never produced. They say there are three out there somewhere. I know Jay Carsley from Cove Side polaris has one. I have some personal videos. Look on the net there around. the dvd decades at the derby has some footage of them.

Tecate250
12-29-2006, 05:29 PM
Do you compete with them at grass drags? And oval course racing? How does the tjet compare to newer heavyer machines?

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 05:56 PM
Nope. Im 21 yrs old. Wasnt even thought of when they were racing. I have grass'd em a few times. No ovals. The Tjet is extremely light and in a drag race would knock off most new machines on hardpack. They hit ferociously. Fortunately i know more about them then most remember. I began working for a top 50 dealer in the us when i was 15. He is an avid collector. I do all the research and restorations.

Tecate250
12-29-2006, 06:21 PM
You little &^%$#@. I wish I had a tjet when I was 21. All i had were a 72 sst 440 75 whisper jet 75 340 astro(late production one) 1968 don't know what is was a 69 300 and my massey fergusion with a 340 snojet (yam) in it.

honda250sx
12-29-2006, 10:45 PM
Haha so do you like the look of the Thunderjet now. I will get a bunch of shots of sleds when i am up there tommorrow working. Have any other favorite sleds?

Chevy200s
12-29-2006, 11:31 PM
Have any other favorite sleds?

I've always been a fan of the Deeres, so naturally I like the Liquidator 340, the 295s, 340s, and the 78 Liquifire Cross Country. Also like the Ski Doo R/V race sleds, the big bore king cats, Mercs, all the good old ones :) Nice lookin sleds though man

Tecate250
12-30-2006, 01:22 AM
I love the Alpine ski doo. The only non snojet snowmobile I want to own.
I owned A 440 Northway snowmobile. The hood came up like a cars, and it looked like a whale.

honda250sx
12-30-2006, 06:10 PM
Not sure if i could ever rattle off all of them in the collection. I will get pics though soon. We have a few deere sleds. 295s and 340s cross country racers. Two king kats 793 and 650. Turf Tigers, EXT's, super brutes, thunderjets, blizzards, sno twisters, srx's, sr's,txl's, starfires, gpx's. Tons of sleds. Lots of rare birds.

Chevy200s
12-31-2006, 01:57 AM
hey thats awesome man. I would love to find a nice 340s or Liquidator. anyways, I see your from Lockport, I'm actually in Spencerport (just outside Rochester). Are these sleds like on display somewhere that the public can see em? Just wonderin if it was possible to catch a glimpse at them. Thanks!

Tecate250
12-31-2006, 11:14 AM
Id never thought this thread would get more then 3 posts/

honda250sx
12-31-2006, 12:22 PM
Reply. Alot of our sleds are at the dealership. www.weaverfever.com. If ya ever want to stop out on a saturday lemme know i will give ya a tour.

Tecate250
12-31-2006, 07:20 PM
If I ever catch a ferry to the usa Ill keep you in mind. How much do thunder jets go for? The beat up need resto ones? There is a 75 that an old sno*jet dealer use to own. But I have never seen it.

honda250sx
12-31-2006, 09:08 PM
I've seen crappy ones go for as far as $5,000. 75 is the model i care the least for. snojet went away from the performance end and toward the commercial end.

honda250sx
12-31-2006, 09:29 PM
IMG]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/71thunderjetphotosJonHull085.jpg[/IMG]

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/stuf028.jpg

IMG]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Picture068.jpg[/IMG]

honda250sx
12-31-2006, 09:30 PM
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/Picture068.jpg

honda250sx
12-31-2006, 09:31 PM
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/71thunderjetphotosJonHull085.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/stuf027.jpg

Tecate250
12-31-2006, 11:21 PM
How much for the 650 2 last one? thats the sweetest snowmobile ever man.
Id gladly let one of those take my life.

honda250sx
01-01-2007, 12:10 AM
Just purchased that. Its up for restoration currently. Not for Sale

toocheaptosmoke
01-01-2007, 06:20 PM
you have some AWESOME sleds. :drool:

Tecate250
01-09-2007, 10:16 PM
have any videos yet? I need to se and hear it go. Then it will haunt my dreams.

Garage Boy 34
01-14-2007, 10:10 PM
I do not have anymore do to my addiction to threewheelers but check out snowmobileauctions.com they are in bronson Mi ,,,, biggest snomobile auction I ever been to....picked up some nice old sleds there cheap. Anybody check out this months snowmobiler...First Bear Cat,Hus-Ski 444? awesome! The last sled I let go was my favorite....nothing special but a 440 sting scorpion.

Bryan Raffa
01-15-2007, 07:21 PM
got any more of that 643b thats a sweet sled!!!!

honda250sx
01-15-2007, 09:55 PM
Yeah lemme dig em out that was at the white out last year. In elbridge. We will be there this year with a fleet.

honda250sx
01-15-2007, 09:56 PM
Yeah lemme dig em out that was at the white out last year. In elbridge. We will be there this year with a fleet.

honda250sx
01-16-2007, 10:23 PM
Here she is. Shes a rolling chassis now


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/DSCN1211.jpg

honda250sx
01-16-2007, 11:18 PM
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/brauerpower/stuf026.jpg

toocheaptosmoke
01-16-2007, 11:45 PM
an SSR :drool:

Bryan Raffa
01-17-2007, 12:39 AM
man!! I love thoes... thoes are my favorites by far!

Tecate250
01-18-2007, 06:47 PM
SWEET 71 Thunder jet. The yamahas are just yamahas. Ever think of putting a water cooled motor in a t jet?

honda250sx
01-18-2007, 10:03 PM
If i had the intention to do some racing sure. motor of choice, 550 kawisaki. from the ever famous INTERCEPTOR

honda250sx
01-18-2007, 10:03 PM
If i had the intention to do some racing sure. motor of choice, 550 kawisaki. from the ever famous INTERCEPTOR

honda250sx
01-18-2007, 10:04 PM
damn my double posting. what the hell is a matter with me

Tecate250
01-19-2007, 02:19 PM
Damb you. The 550 is more rare then the tjets themselves. Where did you track one of those down at?

honda250sx
01-20-2007, 01:04 PM
We currently have a 550 interceptor that is in mint condition. Hardly any miles. Somewhere along the way the original owner picked up an NOS motor still in its crating. I plan to take more pic's of things today

84honda200s
01-20-2007, 03:22 PM
you have some AWESOME sleds. :drool:



i second that. my favorite sleds are the kowasaki ltd, ski doo blizzard 9500+ and yammaha srx. ooo yea and the mack1