Rumbling Through the Snow in a 1970s Harley-Davidson Snowmobile
One of the weirder footnotes of the AMF era was Harley-Davidson throwing its hat into the ring during the early-’70s snowmobile boom.
The 1970s were a weird time for Harley-Davidson. Owned by bowling kingpins AMF, Harley-Davidson’s quality slipped, while at the same time, AMF slapped the Harley-Davidson name on anything that moved. From 1971 to 1975, that included snowmobiles.
As Cycle World explains, AMF had been making and selling snowmobiles since the early 1960s as the Sno-Clipper. In 1968, production was moved to AMF’s York, Pennsylvania factory – the same facility that has gone on to produce over five million Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The name of the snowmobile changed as well, from Sno-Clipper to Ski-Daddler.
In late 1971, the AMF Ski-Daddler gave way to the Harley-Davidson snowmobile. As the Ski-Daddler was phased out, Harley-Davidson entered the snowmobile market with a 398cc two-stroke parallel twin built by Aermacchi in Italy. As you might recall, Aermacchi had been building smaller, entry-level Harley-Davidsons during this period as well. This model, appropriately enough called the Y-398, was soon joined by the Y-440.
The Y-440 used a larger, 433cc engine to compete in the then-popular 440cc class. Both snowmobiles utilized hydraulically damped front forks. Stopping duties were taken care of by a large (for the time) 10″ disc brake. Electric start was an option, with pull-start being standard.
Interestingly enough, the name change meant that the factory would change locations again. This time around, AMF would build there snowmobiles in Oak Creek, Missouri, alongside the Harley-Davidson golf cart (yeah, you read that right).
Ski-Daddler dealers re-branded, and were offered Harley-Davidson motorcycle franchises, which helped to keep the doors open during the warm summer months. Oddly enough, Can-Am – the Canadian juggernaut of the snowmobile industry – began building dirt bikes during this period for the same reason. Harley-Davidson snowmobiles were also made available to existing Harley-Davidson dealerships in snowy climates.
As unusual as this all sounds, it made perfect sense at the time. The early 1970s was a boom period for snowmobiling as a hobby and sport. Trading on Harley-Davidson’s reputation was a safe bet, and in the end, around 10,000 sleds would be built under the Harley-Davidson name.
Photos: Cycle World/AMF Archives
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