1993 polaris sleds

Polaris Industries, the leading manufacturer of snowmobiles, owes a great deal of its current success to the Indy chassis. Today that chassis completely dominates the Polaris line of snowmobiles. The fact that Polaris management took the Indy from a single model in 1980 and developed it into a complete line of models for 1993 says volumes about its corporate business savvy and engineering acumen. Without doubt, Polaris has become the most successful snowmobile company because it has balanced excellent product with aggressive consumer promotional programs and a solid network of dealers.

That excellent product was ahead of its time in some respects. When the original Indy was introduced in 1980, it combined the independent front suspension of the dominant oval racer of the time (the RX-L) with the superior chassis of the dominant cross country racer of the time (the TX-L). That basic package has been consistently developed over the past 13 seasons.

This steady evolution, at times, has become an easy target by competitors. They like to point out that the Indy is a decade-old design while their Brand X is all new and technologically advanced. Well, okay...that's kind of true. But when competitors are still forced to target their new products at Polaris' "old" product, then, perhaps, that "old" Polaris stuff isn't so out of date as the competition would like you to believe after all.

Realize, too, that the Indy meets the demands of a great many snowmobilers who have made it Number One. Its popularity strongly suggests that Polaris engineering has more than kept up with the times.

While other snowmobile manufacturers have been constantly reinventing the snowmobile, Polaris engineers and marketing people have steadily defined the Indy as an industry leader. There is no doubt that the Polaris independent front suspension works. Bombardier has a similar "new" design as the cornerstone of its new "Z" models. Of all the Polaris competitors, only Yamaha has spent as much time and effort defining its front suspension. Unlike Polaris, Yamaha and all the other competitors have spent a great deal of money and time developing new chassis to compete with what Polaris designed in the late 1970s.

The evolutionary Indy propelled Polaris into Number One in worldwide snowmobile sales. Ironically, that was never the ultimate goal. Current Polaris management, which took over from mega-conglomerate Textron in 1981, sought to become financially viable by building recreational products that consumers felt were durable, reliable and fairly priced. Management mapped out a strategy that called for a lean but profitable company in an industry where unit sales were expected to be somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 annually. As of March 31, 1992, worldwide sales of snowmobiles were 152,300 units, which was down from the previous season. That was with a depressed economy. As the economy brightens, snowmobile sales are expected to rebound.

While we would say that Polaris management has proven to be very astute, it also benefited from the demise of the then-number-one sled maker, Arctic Enterprises, a complacent Yamaha and the exit of competitors like Kawasaki and John Deere.

With Arctic Cat out of the picture in the early 1980s, many Cat customers turned to Polaris, whose dealers made heavy efforts to attract them.

Now, with Polaris as Number One in sales, the Indy with a solid reputation, and a very strong dealer network, Polaris for 1993 continues its evolutionary steps into the 1990s.

Leading the way is the new 744cc Indy Storm. The Storm (which is aggressively priced at $7,499 for the short tracked version) should be one of the year's best performance buys.

The 750 triple is the first production Polaris to have three tuned pipes. The RX-L and new Indy XLT triple use a three-into-one exhaust system. When it comes to triples, no other snowmobile company has the day in/day out knowledge of Polaris. Yes, Cat has a 900cc triple. Yes, Bombardier has an 800cc triple. Only Polaris has a 647cc triple powering its new line of personal watercraft. And only Polaris has consistently provided triples from the straight axle TX 500 right up to today's Storm.

This new Indy is available in two versions: a standard short track model that measures 106.25 inches in overall length and has a 121 inch full block track; and the Snow King Special (SKS) that is 113 inches long and has the 133.5 inch length track. Both use the new case reed induction system and three 38mm Mikuni carbs. The new engine measures 744cc and features liquid cooling for the crankcase, cylinders and heads.

Because this engine is tuned to deliver more torque than previous Indy triples, Polaris engineers went with a splined jackshaft instead of the typical keyed shaft which they felt wouldn't handle the power over the long haul. In addition, to maximize handling, the engine has been placed about two inches lower in the chassis than standard Indy triples. This enhances the sled's overall center of gravity while maintaining weight over the skis for cornering bite. A lesson learned from Polaris independent racers, lowering the engine is no big deal for a Formula III race team, but it required a change in the bulkhead design to accommodate the assembly line. Motor mountings were repositioned and lowered. Support structures were relocated slightly to insure that the production Storm would live up to the reliability standards expected of an Indy.

The drivetrain, while based on standard Polaris primary and secondary drives, had to be recalibrated to handle the increased horsepower.

The hotter performance Storm also required updating the liquid-cooled brake system. A new housing was created which permits greater air circulation and allows the pad to "float" more freely. Cooling liquid flows from the engine, through the brake housing, into the chassis mounted extrusions and back into the engine's crankcase.

The new liquid-cooled brake is standard on all performance liquid-cooled Indys including the 432cc Indy XCR, the Indy RX-L and the Storm. The air-cooled version is available on all Indys from the 440cc Sport on up. The freer floating "top mounted" brake system improves serviceability. More importantly, since the caliper is a single piece and no longer bolted together, overheating of the piece has been reduced substantially. The horseshoe style retaining bracket is new too.

Another change in Indy performance is the Improved Transfer rear suspension (ITS) which is available on the Storm but also on most of the other full-sized Indys as well. The gimmicky Dial Adjust unit is gone. Adjustments have reverted to cam activation and a smoother more efficient slide rail profile is used. By moving the ITS front and rear mounting points a couple inches forward, the rider can now better effect control during "hole shots" as the suspension immediately throws weight off the skis and onto the track for maximum traction.

By eliminating the Dial Adjust components, the suspension becomes lighter. The overall rear suspension travel remains the same as before at 7.75 inches. Front suspension travel from the essentially unchanged Polaris IFS system of parallel links with trailing arms remains at 6.25 inches. Shocks are oil filled.

With the Storm headlining the Polaris parade of triples, the RX-L and its electronic fuel injection system gets relegated to a back up role. This model gains the new liquid-cooled hydraulic brake, the ITS suspension and, as with all liquid-cooled Indy triples and the 500 EFI twins, improvements in overall engine cooling which comes from larger capacity heat exchangers and flared fittings designed to improve cooling flow.

The base RX-L has the standard 121 inch track and wide 38 inch ski stance. The SKS version has the longer 133.5 inch track and a narrower 36.5 inch ski stance. Polaris engineers have made the wider ski stance standard on all liquid-cooled, single passenger standard length models (and the Indy Trail). The deep powder and extended track models have the narrower stance for improved maneuverability.

While the big bore triples get the attention, it is the all new lightweight triple that resides under the Indy XLT's hood that will get the customers buying. Measuring 579cc, the new piston port engine is cast in one piece instead of using separate cylinders and heads. The result is an engine that is said to be smoother with less vibration and as light as the competitors' similarly sized twins.

In fact, according to Polaris' published figures, the three cylinder XLT at 469 pounds is claimed to weigh less than the twin cylinder Indy 500 EFI at 475 pounds.

That is expected to be the key to this model's success - light weight with increased three cylinder performance. Introduced as a special "pilot build" late last season, the first XLTs garnered good reports from consumers who had them.

Fed by three 34mm slide carbs, the XLT triple uses the standard Indy chassis, ITS and IFS suspension.

The bore and stroke on the new triple measures 64mm by 60mm, compared to the 650's 67.7mm x 60mm bore and stroke and the new Storm's 69.7mm x 65mm dimensions.

Unlike the Storm, the XLT relies on a three-into-one exhaust which has been tuned to make the triple very quiet on the trail.

There are three versions of the XLT for 1993: the standard model with 38 inch ski stance and shorter 121 inch length track; XLT SKS, with the narrower stance and longer track; and the performance oriented XLT Special which has the 38 inch ski stance, short full block track and the addition of internal floating piston Fox gas shocks front and rear.

As with the majority of Indys for 1993, the XLT models come with an 11.9 gallon fuel tank. The storm has a capacity of 10.7 gallons. The race-bred Indy XCR uses a 7.3 gallon tank. The Indy "Lite" models have an 8 gallon fuel capacity.

While the Indy XLT weighs in less than the Indy 500 EFI, the crisp throttle response of the Polaris EFI system will keep this model popular with riders who don't want to fiddle with carbs or who ride where elevations and/or temperatures change a great deal. The major changes for this season include the addition of the ITS rear suspension and the top mount brake. The Indy 500 EFI will again be offered in a short track and extended SKS version.

Other models using the tried and true 488cc liquid-cooled twin are the Indy Classic, the Indy Classic Touring and the utility-oriented Indy 500 WideTrak.

The new single passenger version of the Indy Classic comes with the ITS rear suspension, a wide 38 inch ski stance, 11.9 gallon fuel tank and an assortment of rider "goodies" that includes full instrumentation (tach, trip meter, odometer, temperature light, low oil warning lamp, and high beam indicator) plus hand and thumbwarmers.

The extended track Indy Classic Touring has the 133.5 inch track, two up seating with adjustable back rest, electric start, reverse gear, mirrors, and a standard height windshield. The hydraulic disc braking system is standard on both Classics.

Carried over for 1993 is the super wide track Indy WideTrak with its rugged build and multi-purpose personality that means it can carry two people and gear for fun or work. The transmission in this "go anywhere in the snow" vehicle is a proven high/low range with reverse system. A wide 20 inch track that has an overall length of 156 inches helps get this workhorse sled back into the bush.

Like the other 500cc liquid-cooled twins powering the Indy Classics, the WideTrak's engine uses a pair of 34mm Mikuni carbs, CD ignition and oil injection. This rugged model also comes with underseat storage.

Coming standard with seat-of-the-pants thrills are the two Indy 440 models. Introduced last season as an economically priced sport sled, the Indy 440 gains a long tracked SKS version for this season. Powered by a 432cc liquid-cooled twin, the main differences between the basic Indy 440 and the competition-bred Indy XCR are the differences in carburation (34mm Mikunis versus 38mm carbs for the XCR) and suspensions (ITS and oil-filled shocks for the trail tuned Indy 440 and the SP suspension with Fox rebuildable gas shocks in the XCR).

Standard equipment on both the Indy 440 short track and SKS versions include: speedometer, tach, trip meter, indicator lights, hand and thumb warmers and a 11.9 gallon fuel tank.

The racy XCR is outfitted with performance goodies like bigger carbs, the Fox shocks, liquid-cooled hydraulic disc braking and an adjustable front torsion bar. This adjustable bar is an accessory item on other Indys, but standard fare for the XCR. It has adjustable turn buckles on each tie rod end to let performance riders gain finer front suspension tuning, especially if competing on oval tracks. Because this is a standard item on the XCR, the option qualifies as a stock racing component on other Indy models.

While the Indy 440 and XCR are similar, the performance of the XCR was good enough to let 23 of the 1992 models reach the finish line of the I-500 before any other brands' drivers.

If racing dominance isn't your bread and butter, Polaris offers a series of Indys just for you. Leading the list is the fan-cooled 488cc Indy Trail. Improvements for 1993 include the wider 38 inch ski stance, ITS rear suspension and top mounted brake. This is the only Indy Trail with the 488 twin. The '93 Indy Trail Deluxe uses the same 432cc twin as found in the Indy Sport.

Polaris figures that trail tourers will prefer the increased range the smaller twin provides over the slightly better performance of the solo passenger Indy Trail. The two-up version has the longer SKS-type track, two passenger seat, backrest, mirror and the new ITS suspension.

The other Indy sporting the 432cc twin is the Indy Sport which also has 34mm Mikuni carbs and a thrifty way with a liter of fuel. All three Indys have the 11.9 gallon fuel tank. The main difference in the Sport is the six inches of travel from the older style slide rail suspension. Front IFS travel compares with the better equipped Indy Trail models.

The 432cc Sport has a tach, handwarmers, speedometer and a front bumper as standard equipment for this season.

If you like the idea of what Polaris offers, but want to get into snowmobiling for less greenbacks, Polaris marketing offers a nifty solution with the Indy "Lite" series. These are full-sized sleds with the same parallel link, trailing arm front suspension that gave the Indy its reputation for handling and comfort. Add in a choice of bullet-proof engines (a 339cc twin or a 244cc single), lightweight chassis (all "Lites" weigh under 442 pounds), a new longer track (121 inches) and you have a series of low priced, high value snowmobiles designed for beginners and veterans alike.

For 1993, all "Lites" from the 244cc Starlite to the 339cc Lite GT come with a chaincase drive. The direct drive transmission is gone. Polaris engineering reports the chaincase-equipped sleds are quicker accelerating and gain in fuel economy over previous direct drive Lites. Of course, the chaincase adds a little extra weight, but with the Starlite at 380 pounds, weight isn't a problem anyway.

In addition to the longer track, the Lites now are outfitted with the same slide rail suspension as seen in the full-sized Indy Sport. The new suspension has six inches of travel. The GT versions use the 133.5 inch track and also have six inch travel suspensions.

There are three Indy Lite versions - base Indy Lite, Indy Lite Deluxe, and extended track two-passenger Indy Lite GT. All have the 339cc fan-cooled twin with dual 30mm Mikuni slide carburetors. The Deluxe version offers electric start and handwarmers as standard. The GT model has a rear cargo rack, tow hitch and standard front bumper.

The 224cc fan-cooled single cylinder engine powers the standard Indy Starlite and two passenger, extended track Starlite GT. Like the Indy Lite models, the Starlite versions have an 8 gallon fuel tank, mechanical disc brake, and adjustable handlebars. For low cost snowmobiles, it has been difficult to beat the dollar-to-fun ratio of these Starlite and Indy Lite models.

For 1993, Polaris comes in with a Storm but goes "Lite" on your bank account.