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In 1969 snowmobile manufacturers were starting up everywhere. Sales were rising fast, with 278,000 snowmobiles being made in 1969 alone.
Most snowmobile makers were setting up dealerships, only requiring the dealers to purchase three sleds and a minimal spare parts package. It seemed like you could always find a friend or relative who wanted to buy a snowmobile, so dealerships sprung up everywhere.
This was a market that stirred creativity and encouraged many small manufacturers to jump in with their latest creation. That's why sleds like the unique Hornet saw the light of day.
It has wheels!I first saw a Hornet while attending a vintage snowmobile show. Its owner was John Pearson out of central Minnesota. Realizing it was a manufactured snowmobile, I was fascinated and wanted to find out more about its history.
You can learn a lot from talking to other owners at these shows and I picked the brains of Kevin Lahse, Kevin Albers and TJ Henriksen. Both Lahse and Henriksen own Hornets. They said about 20 were built, with one being shipped overseas to see if there was a market for a sled like this. Apparently European riders were not ready yet, and that's not surprising because in a lot of ways the Hornet was way ahead of its time.
Of the 20 Hornets built, it appears there are about 7 or 8 still around, which is an amazing percentage for such a rare sled.
The Hornet was built in St. Cloud, Minn., by a company called Jet Dynamics Inc., and listed for $1,295. This was the firm's first model and Jet was trying to do something different than the numerous other manufacturers. It was selling the snowmobile with a wheel kit, for year-round use.
Hornet snowmobile literature says you could switch from snow to wheels in less that 6 minutes and then back again when the snow flies. Hornet made it possible to scale a mountain with greenery at the bottom and snow at the top, the literature claims.
Or, it says you could take the Hornet to the beach or a backwoods fishing spot that was inaccessible until now. It was an all-in-one do-everything sled and off-road vehicle.
Putting miles on during the summer sounds great, doesn't it?
The sled
Hornet featured a rear suspension with outboard rear shocks and a transmission with two forward speeds, and reverse. This was a different type of transmission setup, the unit being made by Apex Gear Co. and hung on top of the chaincase, which also was built by Apex.
Not unusual for the time, the engine was a fan-cooled single-cylinder German-made JLO 297cc creating 18 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. However, it also featured electric start with no regular starter recoil, a unique feature.
The brakes also were unique in that they were located on the front driveshaft, opposite the chaincase. The brake unit here consisted of a small brake drum with small brake shoes inside.
This was no lightweight sled. Hornet was a long, heavy snowmobile with an overall length, with skis, of 9 feet 3 inches. It weighed in more like a modern-day sled too, at about 490 lbs.
But remember, it also had wheels. And here's where you see some of the good ideas that went into the Hornet.
When changing over from the snow setup to wheels the front steering arms had springs holding the wheels in place. And those wheels came with L-shaped spindles to slip right into where the ski spindles normally were located. Additionally, the rear suspension's rear shaft is splined on both sides so the wheel hubs would slip right on. A long bolt holds the wheels on. Simple!
When running with the wheels setup, the track, which was a 15-inch wide rubber number, would run just like it would on snow. Plus there is a kit with a set of rear fenders that fasten onto the rear of the tunnel.
Hornet also had a dual-face speedometer that would properly measure your speed when you changed over to the wheel kit.
Jet called the sled's steering a high torque universal system with the steering column going over the motor to a universal joint, then down to the sled's tie rod ends.
The Hornet's fuel tank held 5 gallons, with gas consumption rated at 2/3 gal. per hour, giving this plenty of riding distance before needing a fill-up. Speed was estimated at 40 mph with skis, and about 48 mph with its wheels in place.
Who knows, there may be a few more Hornets out there somewhere. Two of the Hornets that were found had very few miles on them, one at 111 and the other at 320 miles. So keep your eyes open.