Project Mid-Life Crisis is exceeding our expectations as a means of escaping the reality of adulthood. If you need a refresher, here's what we've done: We picked up a 2011 Polaris Pro RMK 155 in mid-October. During the Intermountain Snowmobile Show in Sandy, UT, in October, the sled received a Boondocker pump gas turbo system complete with Electronic Boost Control, Skinz Protective Gear AirFrame seat and front and rear bumpers, an ArcticFX wrap, SLP Powder Pro skis and a handful of powder coated parts. Three weeks later at the Idaho Snowmobile Show in Boise, the modified Polaris got a Holz Racing Products front end with Fox Float Evol shocks. Timbersled Products installed a rear arm kit, which is now being swapped out for a full Mtn Tamer rear suspension. RSI Racing installed a set of 5-inch rise handlebars (2-inches lower than stock); bar heaters and gel wrap grips.
The sled has been on the snow every week since late October, and we've worked through whatever bugs that have risen on Project Mid-Life Crisis, from suspension setup to alimony payments.
Late-season changes to the sled include the new full Mtn Tamer rear suspension from Timbersled and the installation of Redneck Racing's Gizmo, a bypass thermostat. Boondocker has also upgraded the programming for the turbo to the new 3D mapping.
We've also given the sled a good beating for the last three months, though not intentionally. There was a rock garden in Colorado that left its mark on the running board and edge rail and claimed some track lugs. It rolled on a big slope in Cabin Creek in Montana, but its rider was selfless enough to never let go and the sled only went over his body once when it could easily have gone over a dozen times. We're tree riders, and Project MLC has become one with trees. In fact, bits of the wrap, grips, bumper, side panels and skis have been modified with wood accents. We've bent one set of handlebars, twisted one ski to the point where it won't come back in and turned the running boards into tweaked, dented, oil-can popping ribs of sharp aluminum that cake on snow and ice. For that, we've turned to Better Boards for a solution.