Moto-Ski Mirage - Obituary

Moto-Ski Mirage 300

1978 - Mar 5th 2005 "May You Rest in Piece(s)"

This is one of "Those Moments" that you treasure to the grave, when they catch their first fish, ride a bike without training wheels...

So Stephanie is finally heavy enough to stay on the machine and strong enough to control it.

The kids and I really have to make an effort to find common ground, but when ever we do... we have a blast!

So the twins are trained and this is getting common place...

The only use for the old man now is to mix gas, fuel-up, fix and retrieve the sled when grief arises.

And I love it... their outside, getting tons of fresh air, and plenty of exercise... Well more than the InterNet or TV offer.

And they tend to be too beat at the end of the day to fight...

And I've made a point of getting some use out of the sled as well.

The hunt camp never looked better, I could write hundreds of pages about camplife, and it's therapeutic effects.

Since going back to school, I've been able to cultivate a level of stress and cumulative tension that an afternoon of sledding and shooting the shit with some friends over a few drinks was in order.

The camp still is running off the original inverter installed in 1996, though the wiring has been expanded to include the more efficient Compact Fluorescent bulbs from the original tubes.

This one of those spots that you can't but have a good time.

And more Vintage sleds...

The hood for this Kawi came up from the U.S. and sets off this 340 Drifter

The 340 TNT also is sporting a new bonnet...

I'm thinkin' I gotta do some work on this rig over the summer if I want to be able to hold my head-up...

Some of the lads...

I think that this is an attempt to recapture the spirit of the popular mechanics ad's of the 70's when these machines ruled the earth.

And as always I'm true to my word...

and the word is "unwind"

Well these images were taken over the last couple of months and certainly are a testament to the bond that has formed between me and the Motoski.

You may not want to scroll any further and just close this page here, with the "Good Times" as your last memory of the mighty 300 twin.

Only a few weeks later, tragedy struck on a Sat Morning...

Curiously this is not an alcohol related incident, and luckily no one was hurt, like not even a scratch.

Look at the tree just to the left of the sled, the point of impact.

I looked the wreck over pretty carefully, and it is fucked... The belly-pan crumpled in and broke the clutch, and the engine does not pull-over, the skis are similarly toasted.

The hood is fiberglass and is in rough shape, as it broke away at the hinge and smashed against the tree as well.

It was the most bizzare thing I've ever seen... The kids were out pounding the trails, were having some problems with the engine having no power.

I was standing beside the machine, engine revving at under 1000 RPM, hand on the throttle, hood open, pulling on the spark plug wires, both cylinders firing...

And then I decided to open the top of the mikuni carb... In the past, I've done this just to see that the jet isn't plugged, but I'd just pull-up the slider and right back down again, and ease the throttle off as it would rev up.

But today was different, it wasn't like all those other times, today was the day that as the engine picked up RPM's the clutch snapped in and the machine lurched forward. As my hand was still on the slider the forward movement pulled the slider right out of the carb.

I tried to reach for the key, but it happened so fast I was literally grabbing for air. The hood slammed down and the machine was like a chained dog that broke his collar, one of the kids instinctively started counting... After 20 secs it was all over.

This is the last run of a good friend from the barn to here in 20 seconds.

On the way out when I came back with my camera, I noticed a spot on the slight ridge along the edge of the pond that had a 15ft span where the sled was actually air borne.

It would be safe to say that the sled had never moved so fast before, as it was un encumbered with even the slight weight of the lightest passenger.

In the shadow of this senseless tragedy, the only solace I can find is in the fantasy that the Mirage knew such an event was to occur today, and rather than let any injury befall me or my family it opted for the most noble sacrifice and dared to face the event alone.

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