AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
By 1974 a number of multi-national corporations had jumped into the snowmobile business. Textron powered Polaris. Brunswick owned Mercury snowmobiles. And Conroy of Canada bought the then 4-year-old Sno*Jet snowmobile company in 1968.
By the early 1970s, Sno*Jet contributed as much as $17 million a year to Conroy's overall sales. Conroy revenue - derived primarily from its boat companies - exceeded $59 million at the time.
With support from Conroy, Sno*Jet boasted 1,200 dealers across North America's snowbelt. A popular brand in its time, Sno*Jet offered exclusive features such as its Multiflex II slide rail suspension and Positrack nylon-reinforced rubber track.
As was the case with many snowmobile brands in the early days, engines came from a variety of suppliers. By the mid-1970s the engine "wars" had settled down a bit as Rotax - owned by Bombardier - was exclusive to Ski-Doo; Fuji Heavy Industries and its "Star" series was becoming the engine of choice for Polaris; and Kawasaki power found its way into Arctic Cats.
Still, CCW, Hirth, JLO and Kohler engines powered a good number of sleds. Yamaha motors also were shared by a select few manufacturers. These were the basis for most Sno*Jet models, although a 295cc Hirth single appeared in the Sno*Jet StratoJet economy model.
Yamaha power brought credibility to the Sno*Jet with nearly bulletproof reliability, quiet demeanor and performance. These engines enabled Sno*Jets, like the SabreJet 440, to be competitive against other brand's bigger 650s. The SabreJet's 440cc powerplant delivered a claimed 39 horses at 6500 revs. Its relatively low 6.5:1 compression ratio accommodated regular grade gasoline too.
As an original test rider of this specific prototype, what impressed me was the SabreJet's handling. While this specific model was supposed to be a sort of "luxury sports" sled, Sno*Jet figured that its SST model would be the real hot rod. The SabreJet was limited to one engine choice, the Yamaha 440, while you could have an SST with one of three Yamaha powerplants - a 295cc single, a 340 twin or a 440 twin. All engine options were air-cooled.
The motor was mounted out over the ski centerline and canted at a 45-degree angle. This created a low profile and lowered the sled's center of gravity to enhance handling and stability. As was the fashion of the 1970s, the skis featured high arch springs controlled by a tube shock.
Our test unit featured chrome shocks that were keyed to the fan-cooled engine's chromed engine shroud. Protruding through the hood, the chromed engine set this Sno*Jet apart from the crowd. Even with the hole in the hood, the Yamaha motor was quieter than most of the competition. While acceleration on the proto was sluggish, top speed was second only to Evinrude's Skimmer 650!
Ride comfort was highlighted by Sno*Jet's exclusive Multiflex II dual slide rail suspension, featuring two polyethylene runners with torsion springs and a center-mounted tube shock. Braking came from a Borg-Warner self-adjusting disc system.
The SabreJet also was one of the first sleds to feature a larger fuel tank. Previously three to five gallons was deemed adequate.
Sno*Jet engineers outfitted the SabreJet with a 7.5-gallon tank. To help minimize spillage, Sno*Jet added a collared catch tank to retain overflow.
Retailing for a suggested price of $1,399, the SabreJet looks like a pretty good buy when you consider features, performance and handling.