old Yamaha

[jeff miller]

What does anyone know about old (70 vintage Yamaha's) I was given a old one.
Looks just like a Elan. It has a 238 twin in it.

[JWentworth]

I'm not familiar with a 70's era Yamaha with a 238cc twin. In the early 70's
there was the SM292 single, and later the Enticer series had a 250cc single,
and 300cc and 340cc twins. In the 80's there was the Bravo 250cc single. I
didn't think that any of them looked very much like an Elan.

Post by jeff miller
What does anyone know about old (70 vintage Yamaha's) I was given a old
one. Looks just like a Elan. It has a 238 twin in it.

[jeff miller]

this may even be a sled from the late sixties. Body wise it is very similar
to the 68 elan / Olympic I had.

Post by JWentworth
I'm not familiar with a 70's era Yamaha with a 238cc twin. In the early
70's there was the SM292 single, and later the Enticer series had a 250cc
single, and 300cc and 340cc twins. In the 80's there was the Bravo 250cc
single. I didn't think that any of them looked very much like an Elan.

Post by jeff miller
What does anyone know about old (70 vintage Yamaha's) I was given a old
one. Looks just like a Elan. It has a 238 twin in it.

[JWentworth]

Post by jeff miller
this may even be a sled from the late sixties. Body wise it is very
similar to the 68 elan / Olympic I had.

The first Yamahas were brought in during 1968-1969, and both years they were
350cc twins (SL350 and SL351). Yamaha stuck with 340cc or larger twins
until 1972 when they brought out a 292cc single. Could that sled you have be
a 338cc twin? That motor goes back to 1971 with the SL338.

[David Courtney]

Post by JWentworth

Post by jeff miller
this may even be a sled from the late sixties. Body wise it is very
similar to the 68 elan / Olympic I had.

The first Yamahas were brought in during 1968-1969, and both years they
were 350cc twins (SL350 and SL351). Yamaha stuck with 340cc or larger
twins until 1972 when they brought out a 292cc single. Could that sled you
have be a 338cc twin? That motor goes back to 1971 with the SL338.

That's what I was thinking. Are you sure it's not a 338?
http://www.vintagesnowmobiles.50megs.com/1973_YAMAHA_MAIN_4.html

[jeff miller]

Post by David Courtney

Post by JWentworth

Post by jeff miller
this may even be a sled from the late sixties. Body wise it is very
similar to the 68 elan / Olympic I had.

The first Yamahas were brought in during 1968-1969, and both years they
were 350cc twins (SL350 and SL351). Yamaha stuck with 340cc or larger
twins until 1972 when they brought out a 292cc single. Could that sled
you have be a 338cc twin? That motor goes back to 1971 with the SL338.

That's what I was thinking. Are you sure it's not a 338?
http://www.vintagesnowmobiles.50megs.com/1973_YAMAHA_MAIN_4.html

Yes, upon closer inspection tonight I discover it is indeed 338, However
the sled pictured is much nicer than the one I have. I suspect that years
of kids riding on this sled have taken a toll. However I think I'm going to
revive it for the next generation to ride

[JWentworth]

Post by jeff miller
Yes, upon closer inspection tonight I discover it is indeed 338, However
the sled pictured is much nicer than the one I have. I suspect that years
of kids riding on this sled have taken a toll. However I think I'm going
to revive it for the next generation to ride

In order to get parts for this sled you're going to have to know the year
and model. As I wrote, the 338cc twins started in 1972 and continued for
many years. I'd suggest using the web site http://www.totallyamaha.com/ for
help with model identification and parts location.

My first new snowmobile was an SL396 Yamaha. The sled was bullet proof and
very well built. A lot of technology for the time, with a lot of that
borrowed from the motorcycle line. I think you'll find your 340 to have
decent power but lack the exact steering and plush ride found on newer
sleds. None of the suspensions on the 70's sleds were overloaded with
suspension travel, and it does help to have a twenty-something back. Good
luck.

[jeff miller]

Post by JWentworth

Post by jeff miller
Yes, upon closer inspection tonight I discover it is indeed 338, However
the sled pictured is much nicer than the one I have. I suspect that
years of kids riding on this sled have taken a toll. However I think I'm
going to revive it for the next generation to ride

In order to get parts for this sled you're going to have to know the year
and model. As I wrote, the 338cc twins started in 1972 and continued for
many years. I'd suggest using the web site http://www.totallyamaha.com/
for help with model identification and parts location.
My first new snowmobile was an SL396 Yamaha. The sled was bullet proof and
very well built. A lot of technology for the time, with a lot of that
borrowed from the motorcycle line. I think you'll find your 340 to have
decent power but lack the exact steering and plush ride found on newer
sleds. None of the suspensions on the 70's sleds were overloaded with
suspension travel, and it does help to have a twenty-something back. Good
luck.

I'm hoping this will be a good sled for my thirteen year old. He doesn't
need plush ride or power. and may be hard steering will slow him down but I
doubt it

[David Courtney]

I hate to be the "bad guy"... but I think you and your son would be MUCH
happier with a newer sled.
About 10 years ago, 7 or 8 of my buddies all bought "vintage" sleds to
fool around with. '75 Merc TrailTwister, '79 Ski-Doo 340 RV, 80 Yamaha SRX,
80 Yamaha SS440, '76 Polaris 440 TX, etc. After thousands and thousands of
dollars and hundreds of hours spent "restoring" them... I think one of them
actually gets ridden.
Every time you take them out, something breaks... eventually you
remember why you hated them when they were new! Parts are expensive and
hard to find... if they are even available.
Right now, with the economy the way it is, you can find sleds from the
late 80's through the 90's for a couple hundred dollars. One of my friends
just sold two late '80's Yamaha Phazers for $300. There are 9 or 10 on
Craigslist within 75 miles of here. Just search for Phazer or Indy and
you'll find lots of cheap sleds.
If it were my kid, I would list the Yamaha as a "vintage sled" to get
the price up... and use the money to buy something like a mid-1990's Prowler
or Indy 500 or Phazer that has independent suspension, modern clutches, and
real brakes.

Post by jeff miller
I'm hoping this will be a good sled for my thirteen year old. He doesn't
need plush ride or power. and may be hard steering will slow him down but
I doubt it

[JWentworth]

Post by David Courtney
I hate to be the "bad guy"... but I think you and your son would be
MUCH happier with a newer sled.
About 10 years ago, 7 or 8 of my buddies all bought "vintage" sleds to
fool around with. '75 Merc TrailTwister, '79 Ski-Doo 340 RV, 80 Yamaha
SRX, 80 Yamaha SS440, '76 Polaris 440 TX, etc. After thousands and
thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours spent "restoring" them... I
think one of them actually gets ridden.
Every time you take them out, something breaks... eventually you
remember why you hated them when they were new! Parts are expensive and
hard to find... if they are even available.
Right now, with the economy the way it is, you can find sleds from the
late 80's through the 90's for a couple hundred dollars. One of my
friends just sold two late '80's Yamaha Phazers for $300. There are 9 or
10 on Craigslist within 75 miles of here. Just search for Phazer or Indy
and you'll find lots of cheap sleds.
If it were my kid, I would list the Yamaha as a "vintage sled" to get
the price up... and use the money to buy something like a mid-1990's
Prowler or Indy 500 or Phazer that has independent suspension, modern
clutches, and real brakes.

David, I can't agree more with your opinion of older high performance sleds;
they are basicly hand grenades on skis. But, some of the old sleds were
fairly reliable, and the early Yamaha 340's were certainly that. Yamaha
built them like a tank, and they would run for years. In my early years of
riding I owned several Yamahas, and it wasn't until the last few years that
some models were a bit touchy. Okay, my SRX-440 could be a little difficult,
but lots of Phasers, SRV's, XLV's, and ET's were pretty solid.


Just curious, which sled is still being used by your buddies?

[jeff miller]

Post by JWentworth

Post by David Courtney
I hate to be the "bad guy"... but I think you and your son would be
MUCH happier with a newer sled.
About 10 years ago, 7 or 8 of my buddies all bought "vintage" sleds to
fool around with. '75 Merc TrailTwister, '79 Ski-Doo 340 RV, 80 Yamaha
SRX, 80 Yamaha SS440, '76 Polaris 440 TX, etc. After thousands and
thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours spent "restoring" them... I
think one of them actually gets ridden.
Every time you take them out, something breaks... eventually you
remember why you hated them when they were new! Parts are expensive and
hard to find... if they are even available.
Right now, with the economy the way it is, you can find sleds from the
late 80's through the 90's for a couple hundred dollars. One of my
friends just sold two late '80's Yamaha Phazers for $300. There are 9 or
10 on Craigslist within 75 miles of here. Just search for Phazer or Indy
and you'll find lots of cheap sleds.
If it were my kid, I would list the Yamaha as a "vintage sled" to get
the price up... and use the money to buy something like a mid-1990's
Prowler or Indy 500 or Phazer that has independent suspension, modern
clutches, and real brakes.

David, I can't agree more with your opinion of older high performance
sleds; they are basicly hand grenades on skis. But, some of the old sleds
were fairly reliable, and the early Yamaha 340's were certainly that.
Yamaha built them like a tank, and they would run for years. In my early
years of riding I owned several Yamahas, and it wasn't until the last few
years that some models were a bit touchy. Okay, my SRX-440 could be a
little difficult, but lots of Phasers, SRV's, XLV's, and ET's were pretty
solid.
Just curious, which sled is still being used by your buddies?

In ways it would hurt my feeling any if it was like my 68 Elan and only ran
10% of time. It will make him appreciate that much more when he can up
grade to nicer sled like my wife's 94' Arctic cat Jag

[David Courtney]

Post by JWentworth
David, I can't agree more with your opinion of older high performance
sleds; they are basicly hand grenades on skis. But, some of the old sleds
were fairly reliable, and the early Yamaha 340's were certainly that.
Yamaha built them like a tank, and they would run for years. In my early
years of riding I owned several Yamahas, and it wasn't until the last few
years that some models were a bit touchy. Okay, my SRX-440 could be a
little difficult, but lots of Phasers, SRV's, XLV's, and ET's were pretty
solid.
Just curious, which sled is still being used by your buddies?

I think the TX is the only one getting used, my buddy's kids beat on
that.
But, I don't think it has anything to do with "hi-performance" or which
models were reliable when they were reasonably new. The problem is that
sleds that sit for years, maybe 10+ years at a time have all sorts of
problems with dry rotting and rust in bearings. The worst thing is that
bearings that get a little rust in them don't fail right away... it takes a
while, so you might get a ride or two in before everything starts to seize
up on you.
The TrailTwister blew out 13 of the 26 molded-in track cleats the first
time I rode it.
The freshly rebuilt SRX ran great for about 6 miles before it smoked
another piston, apparently the stator or cdi is bad... which is why it was
apart when it was purchased. Unfortunately, that didn't show up on the
warm-up stand when he set the timing.
The 340 RV hasn't seen snow yet... the entire rear suspension had to be
rebuilt (all new bearings, wheels, cogs, shafts, swing-arms, shocks, track,
etc); even though it was supposedly "running" when it was bought. It was
probably fine when it was parked... but it sat a long time without being
ridden before it was sold.

[jeff miller]

Post by David Courtney

Post by JWentworth
David, I can't agree more with your opinion of older high performance
sleds; they are basicly hand grenades on skis. But, some of the old sleds
were fairly reliable, and the early Yamaha 340's were certainly that.
Yamaha built them like a tank, and they would run for years. In my early
years of riding I owned several Yamahas, and it wasn't until the last few
years that some models were a bit touchy. Okay, my SRX-440 could be a
little difficult, but lots of Phasers, SRV's, XLV's, and ET's were pretty
solid.
Just curious, which sled is still being used by your buddies?

I think the TX is the only one getting used, my buddy's kids beat on
that.
But, I don't think it has anything to do with "hi-performance" or which
models were reliable when they were reasonably new. The problem is that
sleds that sit for years, maybe 10+ years at a time have all sorts of
problems with dry rotting and rust in bearings. The worst thing is that
bearings that get a little rust in them don't fail right away... it takes
a while, so you might get a ride or two in before everything starts to
seize up on you.
The TrailTwister blew out 13 of the 26 molded-in track cleats the first
time I rode it.
The freshly rebuilt SRX ran great for about 6 miles before it smoked
another piston, apparently the stator or cdi is bad... which is why it was
apart when it was purchased. Unfortunately, that didn't show up on the
warm-up stand when he set the timing.
The 340 RV hasn't seen snow yet... the entire rear suspension had to be
rebuilt (all new bearings, wheels, cogs, shafts, swing-arms, shocks,
track, etc); even though it was supposedly "running" when it was bought.
It was probably fine when it was parked... but it sat a long time without
being ridden before it was sold.

This sounds a lot like a friend of mine He bought four Artic cat Pumas and
had enough parts to run one