Antique mod sled!

 

The Elan, one of the sleds that started it all!

 

Let’s take a small step back in time – say, oh, 35 years ago. That is when the Elan was in production – one of the most timeless sleds ever built…

The Elan was built with a 250cc air-cooled, single cylinder engine – producing all of 12 horsepower (my big sled has 120 horsepower, in comparison). They had very limited suspension, and the handlebars were too short for anyone taller then four feet. But despite the several lacking traits of the Elan, it had many traits that made it a super fun sled. First, is its ski stance – 28 inches, about half the ski stance of the new sleds. Secondly, is its weight – all of 289 pounds – again, about half of what the new sleds weigh in at. Those two factors make an incredibly fun sled, one that is extremely easy to maneuver, and also fun to ride when there’s not enough snow for the big sleds…

So, you knew it had to be done – an antique mod sled! Considering I like to work on sleds, and there’s 30 years worth of Elan parts around here, it was the perfect project for me.

 The first thing was raising the handlebars, which was accomplished by a little welding, and taking handlebars off of a newer sled. The mod handlebars were about 8 inches taller then “stock”! With that out of the way, it was time for a tall new seat. I built it with a little bit of plywood, and 2×4s, with a rise of 14 inches. That’s not bad, considering the stock seat only had a rise of 5 inches!

With the mod Elan ergos updated, it was time to do a little work as far as power… I swapped the 250cc motor for a larger 340cc. The 340 shelled out, so then I switched to a 299cc engine – which is still running.

Although there’s no comparison between the little Elan and the newer sleds, I still really like the ol’ mod Elan for a couple reasons. First, it takes a lot of work to go places that are easy to go on big sleds – and you can also get places you can’t on the big sleds (because of the overall smallness). Secondly, it’s easier to get unstuck, so you’re more willing to try maneuvers. Thirdly and finally, the Elan is hypersensitive to body English, so you have balance to work with – something that is important on the big sleds, but not as noticeable.

I wouldn’t trade my big sled for an Elan, but nor would I think about getting rid of the Elan. Even though it’s limited to the backyard, it’s a different type of riding – one that’s too much fun, and also good training for when you can’t ride your big sled.