1993 polaris indy xlt special

The Polaris Indy XLT (extra light triple) is a higher performance reincarnation of the old Indy 600- only a whole lot better and lighter. At 471 pounds the new XLT Special is lighter than both its predecessor Indy 600 (483 pounds) and the 1993 fuel injected Indy 500 (475 pounds). And it's better performing as well.

Measuring 579cc in displacement the XLT's new triple ranks at the top end of the "500" class for 1993. But it needed a boost over the 488cc Indy 500 twin just to stay competitive with the likes of Cat's EXT 580Z, Ski-Doo's 580cc Formula Plus and Yamaha's 569cc Exciter SX. While all of these trail performance sleds are still in the 500 class, they are broaching what was-about four years ago- the top end of performance. With the upper performance limit stretched to 900cc by the new Thundercat, these 500cc-plus models may appear to be "junior" performance machines.

That's hardly the case with sleds that will produce more than 90 horsepower in chassis that once housed 75 to 80 horsepower engines. To Polaris' credit, the XLT is more than a new engine in an Indy chassis. Handling has been enhanced by widening the base ski stance from 36.5 inches to 38 inches. (The narrow stance will be standard on the longer tracked SKS versions.) There is a new, more performance oriented rear suspension. And, in the case of the XLT Special, Fox gas shocks are standard front and rear. The base XLT and SKS version use standard shocks.

The heart of the new XLT is an all new 579cc triple with a bore and stroke of 64mm by 60mm. Designed to save weight, the heads and cylinders are both cast as single pieces. It's the only Polaris triple to be constructed in this manner. Usually the Fuji/Polaris triples have individual cylinders and heads- although both the 488cc and 432cc liquid twins have one-piece heads as well. The one-piece cylinder block is aluminum. The head assembly is also a single aluminum diecast piece which has coolant circulating around the individual combustion chambers. O-rings are used at the cylinder and head assembly seals.

This one-piece die cast aluminum construction is both good and bad. The up side is that it shaves weight. The down side is that if a cylinder is scored, you can't simply replace it and get on with business. On the plus side again, instead of having vibration and noise coming from three separate jugs, you have a quieter engine. Cooling should also improve as the liquid circulates through a single assembly and has no chance of leaking at individual cylinder connections.

The idea behind creating fewer pieces is that it leads to less weight and less noise. Engine builders tell us that it could lead to greater expense if you have to replace heads or cylinders. That's not usually a problem with Polaris-Fuji engines and we doubt it will be here. First, Polaris built a late season pilot run to serve as a pre-1993 season introduction and to give dealers and selected "preview riders" a chance to find any bugs that may have evaded its field testing. Second, Polaris engineering is notoriously conservative with its production engines. That's one reason why Polaris is so popular with aftermarket engine builders. These Polaris-Fuji motors historically respond well to aftermarket pipes, performance porting and the like. Based on published dyno reports, the XLT triple should produce a little over 90 horsepower in stock trim. That's about what the previous Indy 600 delivered and about six to eight horses shy of a good carburetted Indy 650. Still, it's a lot more than the 75-ish horsepower of the Indy 500 EFI!

When you figure that the new XLT is actually lighter than the Indy 500 and has more power...well, you can already feel the advantage of the higher power to weight ratio kicking in!

In field testing earlier this year, we tried the new XLT against the new Yamaha SX with its increased horsepower 569cc twin. At about 7,500 to 8,000 foot elevations, we found the XLT and SX to be very close. There could be a possible edge to the XLT, but it wasn't great in our "hands on" evaluation. In our view the XLT will be extremely competitive amongst the new class of 580cc sleds that you'll see on the trail. Frankly, based on our test rides of the competing models, we'd give the edge to Polaris and Cat's new EXT 580Z, with Yamaha's SX a dark horse, but still very competitive in this class.

Unlike the Yamaha performance model, the Polaris stays with the tried and true round slide Mikuni carburetors. Both Yamaha and Ski-Doo feature the flat slide carbs on some premium models. Thirty-four millimeter carbs supply the fuel/oil mix to the cylinders. Drawn through piston ports, the fuel is ignited by a standard Polaris CD ignition.

The exhaust system is a three-into-one "Y" design that flows into a very quiet resonator. While the XLT retains that distinctive note familiar to those who ride Polaris triples, it is more restrained. According to dyno reports, the power curve is very broad which means that this engine should do exactly what Polaris press materials said it would: "...offer performance throughout the power band...especially evident at low end."

The XLT carries the next evolution of the Polaris hydraulic disc braking system. Referred to as a "top mounted" brake, the pilot build of XLTs was the first to appear with it. Designed to improve serviceability by dealers and to provide greater disc cooling, the new brake reduces the chances of a caliper hanging up and overheating the disc...and, thus, reducing the brake's effectiveness. The new caliper is constructed as a single piece rather than bolted together. A new "horseshoe" style bracket is also incorporated into the design.

The famed Polaris independent front suspension comes standard with the three XLT models (standard XLT, XLT Special and long tracked XLT SKS). The XLT Special has the Fox shocks, which will be available on a long option list for other Indy models. Suspension travel is a comfortable 6.25 inches. The beauty of the Polaris IFS is not just its adjustability, but its longevity and subsequent variety of springs and shocks that can let a truly picky rider fine tune the front suspension like no other in the sport.

At the rear is an equally adjustable Polaris Improved Transfer Suspension. The gimmicky "Dial Adjust" has been replaced. It's not that the dial didn't work, because it did. But the reality was that it was not used very often on the trail by trail riders because the knob area tended to collect ice and packed snow from normal riding. Infinite settings from the Dial Adjust might be an interesting concept, but in the real world, most riders never knew the difference between a couple turns on the knob or setting one of four positions on a cam.

Cam-activated settings on the new ITS are all that are really necessary for 99 percent of North American trail riders. If you're racing, you'll like this ITS unit better. Since the suspension mounts a couple inches ahead of the Dial Adjust position and because the rear arms are forward of the old position, there is a greater transfer of weight to the track. Quicker weight transfer means quicker acceleration out of the hole. This is a very noticeable change that even novice riders can appreciate. Conversely, by shifting your body weight forward, you can transfer weight to the skis. The XLT- and other ITS equipped Indys- is much more responsive to the rider, especially an aggressive rider, with this suspension. Travel is still listed as 7.75 inches- the same as the Dial Adjust. You still get two shocks in the skid frame- one assisting the front control arm and another on the rear arm. The XLT Special has slightly stiffer spring and shock suspension settings to accommodate what Polaris anticipates will be the more aggressive riding style of Special owners.

The track, which measures 15 inches wide, has an aggressive, deep profile pattern. The overall length on the XLT and XLT Special is 121 inches while the SKS version is 133.5 inches.

While the Indy XLT bears a dimension similar to the old Indy 600, it enjoys the benefits of millions of dollars worth of manufacturing upgrades not available in 1987 when the last Indy 600 rolled off the assembly line in Roseau, Minnesota. The Indy hoods are now Metton instead of fiberglass. The overall fit and finish is much more sophisticated thanks to computerized engineering, new manufacturing systems, and a very strong commitment to quality during production. The availability of Fox gas shocks adds to modern, more fade-resistant suspension action. The fuel capacity has been nearly doubled from about 6.5 gallons to nearly 12 gallons.

Other benefits to XLT riders include the added comfort of standard features like: hand and thumb warmers; improved windshield and cowl design that better deflects air over and away from the rider; and a list of available options such as electric start and reverse.

The Indy XLT, regardless of version, is a greatly improved product of past Indys in this displacement category. The biggest asset for XLT owners comes from the evolutionary steps Polaris engineers make year in and year out. Because, despite the fact that this 1993 Indy XLT bears a statistical similarity to the first Indy 600 of s983 and the last Indy 600 of 1987, there isn't any comparison in performance and enjoyment between the XLT and its 600cc predecessors. Polaris engineering is deceptive in that manner. These engineers go about their work quietly, but every year they make Polaris snowmobiles noticeably better. And that's a fact!