1982 Kawasaki LTD

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What was your intended objective when you started the build?

Go fast and win.

What motivated you to start your project?

Love the old Kawasakis and their short impact on snowmobiling history. Everyone remembers those old snowgoer covers, but you hardly ever see Kawasaki represented at vintage events, swaps, etc.

 

What was the most unique and creative thing you did to the sled?

Turned back exhaust under the bellypan. We didn’t want the obnoxious sound of straight stingers, but needed free flowing exhaust system. Ran the trackside pipes into a modern Skinz can, down through the bellypan,, but turned out back to avoid blasting grass everywhere on the track.

What are you most proud of?

Unique sled that turns heads, and competes with the top sleds in the country.

 

What do other people say about your snowmobile?

Everyone has a Kawasaki memory to share. We’ve heard every tall tale of invaders that ate up their buddies….,(fill in the blank)
Brought in the team green colors from motocross world (and tournament of Champions snowmobile event). Announcers always love the green kawi showing up on the line.

3 Comments

  • Doug Kauer says:
    April 30, 2019 at 6:41 pm

    I’m a Kawasaki lover to and these to me were the best sleds ever made. You are right, these sled could even eat up some of the newer ones. I think they made the biggest mistake in Kawasaki history. I have to of them and they are mint 1980 4/6 invader LTD and a 1982 550 Interceptor. I love your sled.

    Reply
  • Michael Fischbach says:
    August 2, 2022 at 10:20 am

    I have a 1981 kawasaki 440 for sale. It shows 680 miles on od. Its not mint, but could restored. Engine is free and turns over by hand Comes with another hood. Asking 500$ for all .

    Reply

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Submitted by: Jason K

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Specifics

Classification: Wild
Make, Model & Year: 1982 Kawasaki LTD
Fondly known as: The Kawi
Time spent: 9 months of shop time and sleepless nights
Snowmobile cost: $100
Money spent: $7500, $10000
Engine: 440 Kawasaki quad plug- 8 port motor.
Intake: 38mm round slides into traditional piston port intake.
Exhaust: Greg at Trackside worked hard to find a pipe design that made power with a good torque curve. Runs over 10,000rpm and the twin pipes into single can make it sound like 12,000.
Drivetrain: We run polaris clutching, lightweight jackshaft to stock Kawasaki gearing and drive.
Tunnel/Chassis Modifications: Everything has been lightened and lowered as much as possible. Fitted a highly modified polaris skid from an Indy trail.
Suspension: Lightweight Wahl leaf spring drag skis.
Brakes: Converted manual cable brake system to hydraulic.
Finish – Paint: Black / green / polished aluminium
Accessories: Racepak data logger feeds real-time engine, clutching , and gps speed performance to mobile phone and ipad for analysis.

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