Last year we brought good news to the Polaris faithful. This year we bring more glad tidings. No, the 1996 Indy Storm didn't win the Battle of Old Forge VI, but it did improve horsepower over last year, according to the unflappable, unbiased dynamometer.
Following a steady pattern of improvement over the last four years, the 1996 Indy Storm maxed out 146.5 hp at 8000 rpm, an improvement of 13.8 ponies
over the 1995 model.
While it finished fourth out of four in the eighth, quarter and top-speed categories at the Shoot Out, it did manage to beat Ski-Doo in the first 60 feet by .009 seconds with a time of 2.090 seconds. And it stayed reasonably close to the other machines, which boast much higher power. In the big picture, and for most practical purposes, what's .19 of a second anyway? Bragging rights, certainly, but on any other day, it could have eclipsed the competition.
There are ways to get past the Storm's low pony quotient. Adding new V-Force reeds, for example, will pull 149 hp at 8000 rpm. To get even more out of the 794cc triple, you could try using PSI pipes and V-Force Billet reeds. That combination took the Storm well over the 150 hp threshold to 155.9 at 8250 rpm in dyno testing.
Other good news is that it absolutely dusts a $140,000 Ferrari F355 Spider off the line, reaching 60 mph .74 seconds sooner than the Italian sports car. So next time you meet somebody who owns one, race him pink slips.
1996 POLARIS INDY STORM
STOCK BASELINE
Data for 29.92 inches Hg, 60 deg. F dry air
Test: 100 RPM/ Sec. Acceleration
Fuel Specific Gravity: .752
Vapor Pressure: .13 Barometer: 29.71
| RPM | CBT | CBHP | FUEL | AIR | A/F | BSFC | CAT |
| 6500 | 74.2 | 91.8 | 78.3 | 180.4 | 10.6 | .84 | 33 |
| 6750 | 77.8 | 100.0 | 78.2 | 185.3 | 10.9 | .77 | 32 |
| 7000 | 80.9 | 107.8 | 83.7 | 191.6 | 10.5 | .76 | 32 |
| 7250 | 86.7 | 119.7 | 86.0 | 199.3 | 10.6 | .71 | 33 |
| 7500 | 91.8 | 131.1 | 86.4 | 205.5 | 10.9 | .65 | 33 |
| 7750 | 96.3 | 142.1 | 92.1 | 216.0 | 10.8 | .64 | 33 |
| 8000 | 96.2 | 146.5 | 99.3 | 225.1 | 10.4 | .66 | 32 |
| 8250 | 90.5 | 142.2 | 101.7 | 225.3 | 10.2 | .70 | 32 |
| 8500 | 81.0 | 131.1 | 101.4 | 218.8 | 9.9 | .76 | 32 |
STOCK MAIN JETS · NEW V-FORCE REEDS
Data for 29.92 inches Hg, 60 deg. F dry air
Test: 100 RPM/ Sec. Acceleration
Fuel Specific Gravity: .752
Vapor Pressure: .13 Barometer: 29.72
| RPM | CBT | CBHP | FUEL | AIR | A/F | BSFC | CAT |
| 6500 | 73.9 | 91.5 | 73.2 | 168.8 | 10.6 | .78 | 30 |
| 6750 | 77.0 | 99.0 | 73.4 | 173.5 | 10.9 | .73 | 31 |
| 7000 | 83.7 | 111.6 | 79.4 | 186.9 | 10.8 | .70 | 31 |
| 7250 | 85.8 | 118.4 | 82.1 | 191.5 | 10.7 | .68 | 30 |
| 7500 | 88.8 | 126.8 | 87.3 | 198.6 | 10.4 | .67 | 30 |
| 7750 | 97.3 | 143.6 | 95.9 | 215.6 | 10.3 | .65 | 29 |
| 8000 | 97.8 | 149.0 | 97.3 | 223.1 | 10.5 | .64 | 29 |
| 8250 | 91.4 | 143.6 | 99.9 | 222.3 | 10.2 | .68 | 29 |
| 8500 | 82.6 | 133.7 | 100.4 | 220.3 | 10.1 | .73 | 28 |
RPM: Engine crankshaft speed.
CBT: Corrected Brake Torque.
CBHP: Corrected Brake Horsepower.
AIR: Airflow cubic feet per minute.
A/F: Air/Fuel Ratio.
FUEL: Actual fuel flow pounds per hour.
AIR: Airflow cubic feet per minute.
A/F: Air/Fuel Ratio.
CAT: Carb Air Temperature