LEVI LAVALLEE

from OSM 36.3

by On Snow Magazine - ATV World Magazine

FAB 4

winging it

LEVI LAVALLEE

“THAT GUY”

“Girls want him, guys want to be him.” haha We raised some money with FXR to donate to our local club.

What decade did you start snowmobiling? I was lucky enough to start in 1990 and live through the prime of the Polaris Wedge! I swear, if you mention Indy; XLT; XCR; Ultra; Storm; or Triple Triple, anyone who lived through the 90s either had one (or multiple) or knew someone who did.

My family had a handful of wedges over the years, and I became obsessed with them! I would study the Polaris brochure that folded open, revealing all the models from each season. Most kids would put up posters of their favorite band or celebrity in their room, but I had Polaris brochures taped up in my room so I could look at them all the time. By the time 95 rolled around, I had started racing some cross-country races, and in 98, we had started chasing Snocross around the country and the wedges were phased out. I started focusing my attention more on racing, and less on what the details of the new sleds were, like the sticker on the trailing arm that signifi ed it was a 97 XCR 440 versus a 98 XCR 440, or why the 93 XLT had chrome springs, but the XLT Special did not?

Racing, jumping, and other projects have taken up my time since those days, but through it all, if I saw a mid 90s Indy, I would perk up, especially if someone is out fl exing their muscles- 1990 Indy 650, 1991-92 RXL, or 93-95 Storm. Those sleds were untouchable in my mind, and I instantly believe that whoever owned

one of those sleds is the pinnacle of tough, cool, and awesome, all together! I’m certain that the saying “Girls want him, and guys want to be him,” is about a guy on a Storm. And you know he has the matching leather because it was a muscle sled law to have a leather… Plus, it is said to give you another 3 MPH on top end… For some, 115mph just isn’t enough. Haha

A couple of years ago, I started my journey back in time, acquiring my fi rst wedge since the 90s, and purchasing a 93 XLT. It felt so good that I bought a 90 Indy 400 and 96 XCR within 2 weeks after the XLT. Over the course of the next 6 months, I got a couple of leathers (first ones of my life), and after wearing them I realized that I was ready to be “that guy”. It wasn’t the 412’ jump, double backflip, snocross championship, running through St Paul, or the many factory mod sleds over the years. No, nothing made me feel worthy of a muscle sled. What changed everything was a 27-year-old leather XLT coat that I bought off of eBay for $90. When I put it on, I was transformed, and I Instantly had a little more swagger in my step. I wasn’t there yet, but I knew I was ready to go there. After months of searching, that day I thought would never happen, happened. I became “that guy”. I now owned a Storm, but according to muscle sled law section 750.3.3, “All riders must wear matching leather coat to be official.” The search continued. I didn’t know what it took to be “that guy”, but I was in too deep to turn back now. Most would quit after the battles with stuck fl oats, fouled plugs, and the odor that a nearly 30-year-old, never washed leather gives off, but I fought through it.

After much pain (in my back from lifting it on the jack stand) and burnt nostrils from the stench of my leather, I am proud to say, “I made it.” I am a muscle sled owner.

It takes a lot to be “that guy” all the time, so I decided to get some other 440 XCRs, another XLT, and a mini muscle Indy 650, but it’s nice to know that when the odor of my leather sneaks up on me, I am ready to be “That Guy”.