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Scorpion Recreational Products has been steadily working toward its goal of putting a consumer sled on the snow for over two years. This past spring, the SRP crew achieved its goal. We were there as the #003 sled slid off the trailer and touched snow for the first time in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The TKX is powered by a PSI Genesis 890 twin engine with individual tuned pipes. It idles nice and quiet, belying the power it is capable of cranking out. When the throttle is squeezed and the PSI Big Air carbs open up, the engine comes alive with a wicked crackle and the sled takes off.
When we had the TKX out on its maiden voyage, we had two primary goals: take pictures and dial in the clutching. We think we hit both. As you can see from the accompanying photos, the camera end worked out well. What you can't tell from the images is that we also got the clutching close.
Chief Scorpion Engineer John Mitchell opted to revisit a transmission system that had been out of production for years: direct drive. Instead of transferring power from the secondary to a chaincase then to the drive axle, as today's Big Four sleds do, Mitchell designed his sled to turn the drive axle directly from the 12.5-inch secondary. "There is a lot of power that gets lost when you use a chain and gear system," he explained. "Polaris and John Deere both tried direct drive years ago and dropped it because they couldn't make it work satisfactorily. They didn't have the high performance engines we're using. It takes horsepower to make direct drive work."
The TKX uses a P-85 primary with a Scorpion-designed secondary. "We used a Polaris clutch this year because it was available to us and we got good results from it," said Mitchell. "In the future, we will be building our own primary to better match the secondary." Gearing changes will be made by using different length belts.
Our clutch tuning project took us the better part of the day. We were at roughly 6,000 feet above sea level, so we were charting new territory for Scorpion performance. After about six hours, Performance Engineering's Chris Iverson and Dustin Bright found the right combo and the sled took off. "It is tough to guess how the sled will perform with each different combo," said Iverson. "This is the first time we've taken it out at elevation. I'm glad we found the right track to follow."
When the sun went down, we had a setup that roughly equaled what the 700 single pipe machines were doing at the Shoot-Out in 300-400 feet. "It's not a perfect setup yet," said Iverson. "But considering it is our first day of testing, we have no studs, the snow is like oatmeal and it's been in the 70s all day, I'm satisfied with where we are."
There are many other unique components and configurations on the Scorpion. For starters, the front suspension is a double A-arm with inboard shocks. A push rod runs from the spindle to a bell crank, which actuates the horizontally-mounted Fox shock controlling each ski. This setup is similar to the high-tech Indy cars. A pair of torsion rods, running the length of the engine bay, provides the spring rate for the front suspension. They are adjusted by turning a tensioner bolt on either end. The front suspension delivers 10 inches of travel.
The rear suspension gives 14 inches of travel. On first glance, it appears to be very similar to Ski-Doo's ARM, or A&D Boivin's Expert rear suspensions. But there are significant differences. This is an uncoupled suspension. The Fox shocks work independently of each other to control compression rates. There is a set of torsion springs on the rear scissors arm, instead of the coil over springs found on the other suspensions. They are adjusted by turning a single cam shaft located on the rail.
We didn't have a good opportunity to give the suspensions a workout in our brief ride. The mushy snow was in short supply and disappearing fast. We did have enough time to form opinions about the sled's ergonomics, though.
The Boss seat is comfortable to sit on. The hooked handlebars are set at a good height and angle for controlling the machine. We're not sure how the small windshield will work in the cold of winter. In the 70-ish degree weather of our test ride, it didn't matter. The footrests have a very unique design. There is a bulge of holed-out steel that comes over the top of the boot. We locked in OK, but are not sure what the extra metal is supposed to do. Our best guess is that they can be used as highway pegs for long range touring.
We have a few ergonomic concerns. It would have been nice to have the hand and thumb warmer controls either on the handlebar itself or at least not tucked out of the way behind the steering column. The kill switch and high beam switch is the old-style turn design. We'd like to see them become push-pull switches. We killed the engine twice while turning.
The TKX also has some fit and finish issues. Mitchell told us that they'd be corrected for full production and that the initial 50 sleds produced last spring would be retrofitted.
Overall, we think the Scorpions will have a future in the sled market. We know the great potential of Genesis engines to make incredible and reliable power. With the first run of sleds getting into the hands of consumers, SRP will have more info and feedback than it can handle. In time, the TKX will be a lake and trail contender.
We'd like to give a special thanks to the crew from Performance Engineering, a Scorpion dealer from Rogers, Minnesota, for inviting us to come out with them on their test trip. If you live in Minnesota and are interested in buying a Scorpion sled, these are the guys to call- 763/428-5050.