NOTE: I've been getting a lot of requests for thoughts on this subject... thought I'd put it up here for people to ponder that are ordering a 2014 Snowcheck.
=========================================
For people considering a 2014 155" Polaris PRO-Chassis sled ... I'd say, with confidence, to go with the Standard RMK. Contrary to some beliefs... you can still get the snowcheck "bonus" on the Standard models and longer warranty.
The Standard and Assault do not come in a 163" which is only available in the PRO RMK model... If you are the kind of person that changes their track anyway... putting a 163" track on the standard is an easy swap.... but not, admittedly, as easy as when you simply want a 155"
The same:
1) Running boards
2) Engine
3) Clutching
4) Seat (std is all black)
5) Tunnel-roof cooler
6) Track
7) Rear Suspension (less shocks of course... all else about the skid is the same)
8) Skis
9) Throttle block and kill switch block. (very slight angle diff on kill switch)
10) Exhaust pipe and muffler
Different:
1) Bonded A-Arms (PRO) vs. time tested Welded A-arms ( I prefer the welded)
2) QuickDrive™ belt drive (PRO) vs. Chaindrive (Std).
3) Bonded Aluminum Driveshaft with collar (PRO) vs. Welded/Hydroformed shaft
4) Handlebars
6) Steering post
7) Brake master cylinder and electrical control location.
8) Bulkhead heat exhchanger (cooler)... yes on Standard, no on the pro
9) Decals
10) Shock Absorbers (rebuildable on the PRO, not on the Standard)
11) Snow Flap, Ported (holes in it) on the PRO... Not on the Standard
12) The PRO has scratchers... Std has Bogie wheels.. but pre-drilled for scratchers.
13) Carbon fiber rear bumper (PRO) vs. Aluminum on the Std.
14) Carbon fiber over-structure (fwd section of the steering pyramid) on the PRO vs. Alumium on the standard.
The Standard RMK DOES weigh a bit more...
PRO RMK 417 lbs
Standard RMK 435 lbs.
Weight diff is around 18 lbs.
The following is IMO (in my opinion):
But, once you take off the 9 lbs of extra bogie wheels... not so big.
The other misunderstanding of weight, is the additional cooler on the Std-RMK. That cooler and the coolant additional weight is a sort of "zero sum gain" as that cooler sheds it's weight in snow and ice "plaque" build-up at the front of the tunnel... saving not only weight, but freeing up room for track clearance, which, when Iced up can create drag... PLUS... in marginal snow conditions.. the Standard RMK flat out cools better than the PRO.
With the collar... I'd bet the weight on the driveshaft, aluminum vs steel, is very close.
The PRO RMK does not have a changeable ratio unless you go to a $1000 - $2500 aftermarket belt drive. The Standard shares the same chaincase as the 2011/12's and the 13/14 Assaults... And has a very wide range of available gear change options for small $$ outlay.
The chaindrive is more robust than the QuickDrive™....You can find a lot of people on this very forum with stripped $180 belts... but certainly not an epidemic. (Polaris really needs to drop the price on this part radically for 2014....and 'eat' the lost profit on this part sale).
Although the rare case of a broken chain ruining a day can be found on the 100's of thousands of Polaris sleds made.. It is very rare and often due to lack of maintenance or extreme riding situations or crashes.
The Chaincase models also have an oil lubricated upper bearing on the jackshaft (in the case)...the grease lubed sealed-bearings on the PRO RMK's seem to be having some issues.
Now... something that cannot be considered as a difference on the 13/14-PRO vs. Std. is the jackshaft and brake rotor...because they are are completely different drive post-secondary-clutch drive systems. The PRO's from '11/12 have a Lighter weight tubular driveshaft than the Standard RMK that would account for about a 2 lb savings. The '13/14 Std-RMK's have a solid steel jackshaft and solid steel brake rotor.
The A-arms on the Standard are the same as the 2011/12 PRO rmks and the Dragons before them... They seem to be stronger than the PRO RMK's... at least in amount of non-impact failures of these parts. Time tested since the 900 and RAW chassis Days.
The handlebars are different.. the PRO RMK getting a Pro Taper 7" rise handlebar mounted to a flat plate topped steering post. The PRO RMK is a bit wider than the Standard bars which sit atop a pivot style steering post.
For me... I prefer the Pivot type handlebars for their durability in a crash and ability for the riser-to-post connection to yield a bit. Handlebars are something that I like to personalize for height and angles anyway... Pivot risers are very straight forward to upgrade with a lot of choices at cheap prices. I see as many PRO RMK riders (or more) changing out their handlebars as I do standard. (ie Adams Bars, Burandt bars, etc)
With the Std RMK, controls for the set/mode, grip heater, thumb heater and hi/lo beam are in the same block as the brake master cylinder... I dont see this as a drawback other than some like the "clean" look of the other master cylinder.
For the PRO RMK, the Cyclone™ alloy master cylinder with plastic lever is more robust in a tree hit than the Std RMK. Some PRO RMK have had brake-drag associated with the cyclone master though.. I see this as a toss-up, and personally I'm looking into MX type "barkbuster" hand-guards.
The big perceived item of difference in the PRO vs. standard is the shocks absorbers (dampers).
The Pro RMK uses Walker Evans coil over shocks that are lighter and rebuildable, compared to the Arvin-Meritor (Ryde-FX) which are steel and not rebuildable.
The upside... If you want the WE's you can find plenty of 17.5" long 2011/12 "take off" WE's for $450 or so (un-used)... OR... do what many PRO owners do...upgrade to an aftermarket offering.
I've ridden the stock PRO and Std RMK models... same day back and forth.... The standard RMK shock performance is very similar to the PRO WE's until the standards are worn out in 1500 or so miles. Believe it or not.
The Std RMK snowflap allows for better engine cooling in marginal conditions..Ever ride behind a PRO and watch the cooling-snow go through the flap?
The extra bogie wheels on the Std model are easy to remove and come in really handy in spring/marginal snow conditions.
The aluminum bumper and overstructure on the Standard RMK...I actually look at as being "Pluses" in the durability department.
The A-arms on the PRO RMK are bonded aluminum and steel which, as you can see from SOME reports on our forum have experienced some separation issues at the bonded socket assembly for the ball-jont. Polaris Industries did have a recall on the bonded sway bar mounting tabs.
-------------------------
In summary, The 2013/14 PRO RMK with the QuickDrive™ system is an amazing machine. The engineers really did their homework. Most owners of the 2013 PRO RMK's did not have issues with their sled; and there are a significant number (though still NOT the majority) of 2013 PRO RMK owners that had a frustrating year... I don't attribute this to design flaws on the part of the RMK team at Roseau...but rather quality control and the execution of production in the consumer sleds.
Polaris is acutely aware of these issues and I'm confident they have taken measures to improve this quality for 2014... The proof of this, one way or the other, will be in the consumers hands come February 2014.
If you want a 155" PRO Chassis sled for 2014, the choice for me is the Standard-RMK, at $1000 less, and then use that money to personalize it... You will get a more "heavy duty" platform with very small differences in weight and better cooling in marginal snow conditions...PLUS, you will not have that feeling of wondering if you got "one of the good ones"
The Assalut has many of the same robust time proven features and adjustable shocks...but lacks the cooler and narrow stance of the RMK's.
It seems that there is a tradeoff, in a production sled, between lighter weight and durability.
Deleting some bogies, adding scratchers and changing shocks will make the weight difference smaller between the PRO and the Standard.
.
=========================================
For people considering a 2014 155" Polaris PRO-Chassis sled ... I'd say, with confidence, to go with the Standard RMK. Contrary to some beliefs... you can still get the snowcheck "bonus" on the Standard models and longer warranty.
The Standard and Assault do not come in a 163" which is only available in the PRO RMK model... If you are the kind of person that changes their track anyway... putting a 163" track on the standard is an easy swap.... but not, admittedly, as easy as when you simply want a 155"
The same:
1) Running boards
2) Engine
3) Clutching
4) Seat (std is all black)
5) Tunnel-roof cooler
6) Track
7) Rear Suspension (less shocks of course... all else about the skid is the same)
8) Skis
9) Throttle block and kill switch block. (very slight angle diff on kill switch)
10) Exhaust pipe and muffler
Different:
1) Bonded A-Arms (PRO) vs. time tested Welded A-arms ( I prefer the welded)
2) QuickDrive™ belt drive (PRO) vs. Chaindrive (Std).
3) Bonded Aluminum Driveshaft with collar (PRO) vs. Welded/Hydroformed shaft
4) Handlebars
6) Steering post
7) Brake master cylinder and electrical control location.
8) Bulkhead heat exhchanger (cooler)... yes on Standard, no on the pro
9) Decals
10) Shock Absorbers (rebuildable on the PRO, not on the Standard)
11) Snow Flap, Ported (holes in it) on the PRO... Not on the Standard
12) The PRO has scratchers... Std has Bogie wheels.. but pre-drilled for scratchers.
13) Carbon fiber rear bumper (PRO) vs. Aluminum on the Std.
14) Carbon fiber over-structure (fwd section of the steering pyramid) on the PRO vs. Alumium on the standard.
The Standard RMK DOES weigh a bit more...
PRO RMK 417 lbs
Standard RMK 435 lbs.
Weight diff is around 18 lbs.
The following is IMO (in my opinion):
But, once you take off the 9 lbs of extra bogie wheels... not so big.
The other misunderstanding of weight, is the additional cooler on the Std-RMK. That cooler and the coolant additional weight is a sort of "zero sum gain" as that cooler sheds it's weight in snow and ice "plaque" build-up at the front of the tunnel... saving not only weight, but freeing up room for track clearance, which, when Iced up can create drag... PLUS... in marginal snow conditions.. the Standard RMK flat out cools better than the PRO.
With the collar... I'd bet the weight on the driveshaft, aluminum vs steel, is very close.
The PRO RMK does not have a changeable ratio unless you go to a $1000 - $2500 aftermarket belt drive. The Standard shares the same chaincase as the 2011/12's and the 13/14 Assaults... And has a very wide range of available gear change options for small $$ outlay.
The chaindrive is more robust than the QuickDrive™....You can find a lot of people on this very forum with stripped $180 belts... but certainly not an epidemic. (Polaris really needs to drop the price on this part radically for 2014....and 'eat' the lost profit on this part sale).
Although the rare case of a broken chain ruining a day can be found on the 100's of thousands of Polaris sleds made.. It is very rare and often due to lack of maintenance or extreme riding situations or crashes.
The Chaincase models also have an oil lubricated upper bearing on the jackshaft (in the case)...the grease lubed sealed-bearings on the PRO RMK's seem to be having some issues.
Now... something that cannot be considered as a difference on the 13/14-PRO vs. Std. is the jackshaft and brake rotor...because they are are completely different drive post-secondary-clutch drive systems. The PRO's from '11/12 have a Lighter weight tubular driveshaft than the Standard RMK that would account for about a 2 lb savings. The '13/14 Std-RMK's have a solid steel jackshaft and solid steel brake rotor.
The A-arms on the Standard are the same as the 2011/12 PRO rmks and the Dragons before them... They seem to be stronger than the PRO RMK's... at least in amount of non-impact failures of these parts. Time tested since the 900 and RAW chassis Days.
The handlebars are different.. the PRO RMK getting a Pro Taper 7" rise handlebar mounted to a flat plate topped steering post. The PRO RMK is a bit wider than the Standard bars which sit atop a pivot style steering post.
For me... I prefer the Pivot type handlebars for their durability in a crash and ability for the riser-to-post connection to yield a bit. Handlebars are something that I like to personalize for height and angles anyway... Pivot risers are very straight forward to upgrade with a lot of choices at cheap prices. I see as many PRO RMK riders (or more) changing out their handlebars as I do standard. (ie Adams Bars, Burandt bars, etc)
With the Std RMK, controls for the set/mode, grip heater, thumb heater and hi/lo beam are in the same block as the brake master cylinder... I dont see this as a drawback other than some like the "clean" look of the other master cylinder.
For the PRO RMK, the Cyclone™ alloy master cylinder with plastic lever is more robust in a tree hit than the Std RMK. Some PRO RMK have had brake-drag associated with the cyclone master though.. I see this as a toss-up, and personally I'm looking into MX type "barkbuster" hand-guards.
The big perceived item of difference in the PRO vs. standard is the shocks absorbers (dampers).
The Pro RMK uses Walker Evans coil over shocks that are lighter and rebuildable, compared to the Arvin-Meritor (Ryde-FX) which are steel and not rebuildable.
The upside... If you want the WE's you can find plenty of 17.5" long 2011/12 "take off" WE's for $450 or so (un-used)... OR... do what many PRO owners do...upgrade to an aftermarket offering.
I've ridden the stock PRO and Std RMK models... same day back and forth.... The standard RMK shock performance is very similar to the PRO WE's until the standards are worn out in 1500 or so miles. Believe it or not.
The Std RMK snowflap allows for better engine cooling in marginal conditions..Ever ride behind a PRO and watch the cooling-snow go through the flap?
The extra bogie wheels on the Std model are easy to remove and come in really handy in spring/marginal snow conditions.
The aluminum bumper and overstructure on the Standard RMK...I actually look at as being "Pluses" in the durability department.
The A-arms on the PRO RMK are bonded aluminum and steel which, as you can see from SOME reports on our forum have experienced some separation issues at the bonded socket assembly for the ball-jont. Polaris Industries did have a recall on the bonded sway bar mounting tabs.
-------------------------
In summary, The 2013/14 PRO RMK with the QuickDrive™ system is an amazing machine. The engineers really did their homework. Most owners of the 2013 PRO RMK's did not have issues with their sled; and there are a significant number (though still NOT the majority) of 2013 PRO RMK owners that had a frustrating year... I don't attribute this to design flaws on the part of the RMK team at Roseau...but rather quality control and the execution of production in the consumer sleds.
Polaris is acutely aware of these issues and I'm confident they have taken measures to improve this quality for 2014... The proof of this, one way or the other, will be in the consumers hands come February 2014.
If you want a 155" PRO Chassis sled for 2014, the choice for me is the Standard-RMK, at $1000 less, and then use that money to personalize it... You will get a more "heavy duty" platform with very small differences in weight and better cooling in marginal snow conditions...PLUS, you will not have that feeling of wondering if you got "one of the good ones"
The Assalut has many of the same robust time proven features and adjustable shocks...but lacks the cooler and narrow stance of the RMK's.
It seems that there is a tradeoff, in a production sled, between lighter weight and durability.
Deleting some bogies, adding scratchers and changing shocks will make the weight difference smaller between the PRO and the Standard.
.
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