1995 polaris indy xlt xtra

There we were, four guys, four sleds, four brands, for a good time. Officially, we were at the American Snowmobiler northern test center to get the cover shot for the March issue, ride moguls, and evaluate sleds. On the side, time permitting, we would taste test walleye fingers, steer clear with "near" beer, survey pit stops and get a lot of hard work done in a few days.

Our cover sled to shoot was the new Indy XLT with XTRA suspension. Hey, it's hard duty to take a pilot build sled to a photo location, pound the crap out of it, and submit an expense report.

Having been in this biz for 20 years, I knew that we should unload the Indy, take the tech shots, find a location, and get the cover shot out of the way first. Bad things can happen to those who waste blue sky mornings and fresh riders.

Good things happened after we got the "job" done. That's when we went "evaluating."

As a point of comparison, we had a Vmax 600, Ski-Doo MX and Cat ZR580. We had sleds with similar performance ranges and a complete offering of the industry's best suspensions as reference points to check on the new XTRA. We arranged to swap sleds from time to time so that we all could evaluate the new long travel Indy against its rivals. As the resident rider with the key to the Indy, I got first crack at the new sled.

Stationed at Izaty's resort on the south shore of Minnesota's second largest lake, Mille Lacs, we mapped out a course that would take us over a major state corridor trail, some local feeder trails, grant-in-aid club maintained trails and the width of Mille Lacs dual digit by dual digit width and breadth. Lake riding on such a huge surface is not like skimming across a pond. The wind cements snow to the ice. The ice buckles and forms short but vicious ridges. And ice fishermen create high-banked snow roads that can send an unwary snowmobiler on an unscheduled space probe. Yeah, we had the full gamut of trail conditions mapped out.

Unfamiliar with the territory, we figured we needed to make a few strategic pit stops so we could recommend a few of our "faves." Just before the Eagle River championships, Polaris called asking if we would like to test ride the XTRA. Originally, they wanted us to ride it at the derby site. We were able to talk them into letting us take it for an extended weekend trip a few weeks later.

At Eagle River, we ran into a Polaris marketing type who told us how great the new XTRA suspension was. We suggested that perhaps he was a titch partial to the Indy. He then suggested strongly that we keep an open mind and that even we would like the XLT XTRA. After that, we ran into a Polaris distributor type who told us virtually the same thing.

Well, okay. We waited until the first weekend in February and picked up the XTRA at Polaris in Minneapolis. We headed north.

Come test morning, it was about zero degrees as a major warming trend hit Minnesota, pulling it out of the -30 degree freezer that it had been in. The Indy started right away. The Xtra Lite Triple sang that song that only Polaris triples know. There's a note of purr interspersed with a crescendo of brute force. A staccato resonance reverberated off the ice as the exhaust pipe spit out the triple's notes. We were getting anxious to get the tech shoot out of the way and head off to Isaty's Dye-designed golf course for a looping shot of the XTRA in mid-flight.

Our glass-eyed photographer focused in on the 10 inches of front suspension, snapping a shot of the Vector shocks and threaded adjustments. He zeroed in on the XTRA-14 rear unit.

According to Polaris' press release: "This suspension system is the next step in snowmobile ride and handling. XTRA-14 stands for Xtended TRAvel suspension providing 13.6 inches of rear and 10 inches of front travel. That amounts to 40 percent more front and rear suspension travel than the best suspensions from all of the other snowmobile manufacturers."

Additional info from the release claims that "...Toughness is also a part of the XTRA design. Tunnel reinforcement and horizontal compression bumpers located on the rear torque arm stops insure trouble free performance. Furthermore, the new longer trailing arms, radius rods, and most of the rear suspensions, structural members are constructed of chrommoly steel which provides the utmost in light weight strength."

We will attest to the ride and ruggedness in our 100-plus mile excursion with the test unit. The XTRA absolutely gobbles up those seemingly endless stutter bumps that aren't painful to hit but can wear you down mile after mile. And, when we did hit a particularly nasty uphill launch with a severely nasty landing zone, we were amazed at how the suspension compressed progressively from a soft rebound off the launch to a fully controlled compression on landing. We braced for a tail bone to cranium jolt that never came. It was awesome stuff.

Yes, we found some places where we felt the track come up and slap the tunnel. But it never slammed our spine. It was incredible.

We know that where we launched was felt by our traveling companions because they said so. And because our resident poet laureate test rider suffered a bruised nose when his sled landed with enough force to slam his helmet down onto his glasses and into his rather prodigious proboscis. Dominus proboscis, amen.

The XTRA suspension utilizes exclusive-to-Polaris Vector gas shocks on both the front and rear suspensions. The Vector shocks are said to be like the best true gas shocks currently on the market and feature internal nitrogen pressurization with an internal floating piston and chrome silicon progressive rate spring. Like Fox shocks, you can take the Vector shock apart and revalve it to suit your specific preferences.

We mentioned the threaded adjustment. It allows you to custom tune your ride by dialing in up to 1-3/8 inches of spring preload adjustment.

All high pressure gas shocks require periodic maintenance. The use of an additional bleed valve on the Vector shock simplifies the process since there is no need to remove the bottom of the shock body when changing the shock's oil. All you need to do is position the piston, fill the cavity with a precise measure of shock oil, charge the shock and bleed off excess air. We would guess that this is probably more simply done by a competent dealer or a competition race mechanic with all the incumbent tools at hand.

We absolutely agree with Polaris that this sled rides like no other sled we've ever ridden before. We will disagree with how easy it will be to trailer two XTRAs side-by-side on a fairly standard 84 inch wide two sled trailer. The sled comes with a very wide ski stance to compensate for the higher center of gravity. The uncompressed ski stance increases to 43.5 inches. The compressed ski stance measures 49 inches center to center. When you load the sled on a trailer, you'll be somewhere between the two numbers. We're not mathematicians, but 43.5 times two is more than 84. To comfortably transport two of these Indys, you'll want a new 90 to 102 inch wide trailer. You may want to consider a set of polypropylene ski guides to help you load.

The sled's ride makes any trailer hassles worth suffering. You'll be in great shape after a weekend of blasting down the trail. This sled is a mogul master. After just a couple of miles over supposedly bumpy trails, we set out on a deliberate search and destroy mission. We searched out the roughest sections of each trail. With the new mogul killer Polaris suspension, we aimed for the worst bumps we could find. The XTRA-14 destroyed them to the point that whenever we stopped, we would smile and ask if the trail had been rough or not. That question always seemed to evoke raised mitts and we were never sure how many digits were being held up.

If there is any disadvantage to the Indy XTRA, we found only two. We already hit on the trailering point. The other comes from the sled's higher center of gravity. When we got off the Indy and switched over to another sled, it was like stepping out from behind the wheel of a pickup truck and getting into a low slung sports car. If you are a diehard XCR rider who wants to really hang it out in the turns, you'll find the XTRA a totally different experience. We found that if you corner in a clean, tight turn, you'll have more confidence in an XCR chassis. If, however, that same tight turn is really rough at the apex, clip it clean and straight and lay on the power because the XTRA will hold the course like an arrow, sucking up the worst moguls and giving you a smooth exit while a more conventionally sprung sled will be banging all over the turn. That's an XTRA advantage. You'll win the dirty tight turns and lose the clean tight ones until you get a total feel for exactly what you can expect from this new mogul master suspension.

Would we recommend this sled to the sports rider? Absolutely. We would recommend this sled to any snowmobiler. It has our absolute seal of approval.

Once aboard the Indy XLT XTRA, it all came back as to why Polaris is the number one selling brand. We tend to forget, because unlike the other three sled makers who give us a test sled for the winter, Polaris figures that since we are just across the river in St. Paul, we can borrow a sled from the PR fleet. Therefore, we don't end up riding Polaris sleds as much because in the busy schedule of the season, we usually find it easier to grab a couple of sleds from the backyard and head off down the trails. The Indy XTRA test was different and special.

Once aboard the Indy, we realized that while it may not be beautiful styling that grabs snowmobilers, there is no doubt that an Indy is the most rider-friendly snowmobile you can ride. An Indy fits like a broken-in pair of Sorel pacs. When you lock your toes into the stirrups, you don't have to think about where the handlebar grips fall. They're just there in that perfect spot. The throttle is spoon-like and fits perfectly between the thumb and first finger. The brake lever is light and positioned for a quick emergency tap. Instruments face you. The windscreen lifts the oncoming cold air up and over you. And then there is the confidence you have when the sled flies. Always level. Always consistent. Dependable, consistent flight. You don't fight an Indy. You go with the flow of an Indy. You're tucked into an Indy. The guys in Roseau, Minnesota are snowmobilers. They know what works and what doesn't. Switch from one Indy to another and you'll find a consistent feel whether it's a liquid-cooled burner or an air-cooled trail tourer.

And about that styling thing. When we parked the XTRA at various pit stops, no one ever said, "That's an ugly sled." No, indeed, they were aware that this Indy was special and wanted to know more about it. Isn't it amazing that Indys appear "out-dated" only to those marketing competitive brands? When something works as well as the Indy does - especially the XTRA - don't fight it. Buy it.

If the Indy XTRA is the direction snowmobiling is going, we approve. The beauty of this unit is that you get a complete package. Yes, there is another competition-bred long travel unit available, but it relies on the existing front suspension of whatever sled it's installed in. The Polaris Indy XTRA is a complete package - front balanced to rear. It's the better way to go.

With all those one and two-year-old XLTs sitting out there, we know that Polaris has some killer sales coming as soon as the new model line is introduced to the dealers. The choice will be between the Indy 600 XCR and this Indy XTRA. In reality, it may be a harder than you think choice. Both are excellent examples of the Polaris craft.

As for this season, only a very few XLTs with the XTRA front and rear suspension are available. And while Polaris could have equipped the XLT XTRA with the basic 580 triple (which would have been just fine), the company didn't. The XTRA has a trail ported, slightly milder version of the new 597cc engine found in the 600 XCR. Triple 34mm carburetors are standard as is a three-into-one exhaust system. If you could get an Indy XTRA right now, the suggested retail price would be $6,699 (exclusive of freight or dealer set-up). But don't count on getting one.

As we discovered during our test ride, the XTRA collects interested looks - especially from other XLT owners. From the front, the sled looks a little grasshopper-ish, but it absolutely flies over the terrain. Absolutely mashes moguls does this mogul killer! We like it! Indy riders will love it!