I'm not sure what I love more: The utterly cool style of the Arctic Cat minibikes, or that one of the model names was Ramrod.
Ramrod!?!
They HAD to have laughed (a lot) about that one while sipping cocktails at the Legion after-hours, circa 1972.
While Ramrod brings out the Junior High mentality in me, the mere thought of Arctic Cat minibikes elicits memories of youth. Dang, I never owned an Arctic Cat minibike, but I did have a homemade version. And riding it always meant a mixture of fun, adventure and anxiety (the latter because we would poach private property trails where it wasn't exactly legal to ride).
I remember the absolute joy of scraping together enough change to buy a gallon of gasoline. We'd ride to the gas-station on bicycles, fill up the one-gallon can, then ride home to fill up the tank.
Screamer! The perfect name for a 134cc/8-hp minibike with 14-in. wheels and marginal brakes/suspension. At least buyers weren't being duped at the time of purchase.
I suspect that when the Arctic Cat Marketing guys were putting together the marketing plan for the first year (1970) minibikes, that someone double-sneezed while typing on the IBM Selectric, and nobody caught the mistake. Thus the first model in the line was dubbed SSSCAT instead of SCAT.
But either way, was another name for "crap" really a good choice for a product name?
Contrary to popular opinion, the very first Arctic Cat Prowler was not a 1990 snowmobile, but rather this 1971 minibike with a 47cc Sachs engine and the coolest seat ever to grace a two-wheeled vehicle.
Arctic Cat offered minibikes from 1970-72, then conceded the category to more established brands. Still, of all the non-snowmobile products Arctic Enterprises offered in the 1970s, the minibikes seem the coolest to me. I'm personally on the prowl to find a nice condition green model this summer.
There will be lots of Arctic Cat minibikes at the 50th Anniversary shin-dig at the end of the month, perhaps even the two from Tom Rowland's collection pictured above.
For a whole bunch more info on Arctic Cat minibikes, check out THIS SECTION from BossCatLegacy.com.
Comments (8):
Jeremiah Johnson says:
7/8/2011 2:16:00 PM
John we have a screamer and man is that thing a blast! Its lightning fast and a little wobbly at 50mph!
akrider says:
7/8/2011 3:58:00 PM
I'm thinking that the '72 marketing team may have been under the influence of illegal substances? Ramrod..... Scat.... or maybe someone on the team had a fetish?
Tom Rowland says:
7/9/2011 9:14:00 PM
When considering the names that were chosen and used for the mini-bike line, we can only guess what names may have been considered but did not make the final cut. Uhh...ummm...no....Any unused names I throw out here are going to take me in a downward spiral...lol!
Tom Rowland says:
7/9/2011 9:25:00 PM
Oh, I forgot to say my original thought above...I got a new 1971 Arctic Cat Whisker mini bike and probably rode that thing for about 6 summers straight, that thing was tough as nails. I recall the recoil needing some maintenence every now and then. I also remember having to remove the spark plug from time-to-time and take my jack knife and clean a hunk of carbon out of the electrode. Looking back...maybe as a 6-year-old kid I was not mixing my gasoline/oil as accurately as I should have? Must have not mixed it to the lean side much as I don't think my dad ever had to replace any engine components. My older sister had a 72 Prowler that she has always kept...that is about to undergo a restoration so it is ready for her grandson in a year or two, thats pretty good service life for a bike that was probably around $400 when brand new.
Greg Hallstrom says:
7/11/2011 3:00:00 AM
Ha! That brings back some old memories. I remember my second cousin, Joey Hallstrom, doing a wheelie on one of those on the driveway at our farm. He went all the way over onto his ass. Maybe he could do an Instant Replay for us all at the 50th.
Jeff mihalko says:
7/14/2011 7:51:00 AM
I am planning on attending the anniversary event. If i can fit them all in the trailer I will have all of the minibikes there. from 1970 the SSSCAT both the sachs and te***seh powered. The 1971 screamer ,prowler,whisker and climber. And also the 1972 prowler ,ramrod, and a brand new in the box whisker. These bikes are all restored or very clean originals I also have a large collection of parts and memoribilia regarding the minibikes.
I Hope to meet many of you there.
Tom Rowland says:
7/15/2011 7:47:00 PM
Jeff, was that your collection that was on display at the VSCA Nationals in TRF a few years ago? It must not have been easy to find one of these still brand new in the box.
putski says:
9/22/2011 10:27:00 AM
Hello, I'm looking for a rewind for a Sachs motor...
or point me in the correct direction.
Thank you!
