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We'll be honest, when we tried the 800 RMK last spring in St. Donat, the idea of short tracking that powerplant was a bit scary, especially if it was going to be in the lightweight EDGE chassis. But, after riding it on the trails and ditches of Roseau and on the Lake of the Woods, we'd say it is a perfectly well-behaved trail master.
Our test sled last spring couldn't keep its nose down when we hit the throttle… and that was a stretched-out RMK. While the 800 XC SP is still interested in raising its nose to the other sleds on the trail, we learned that even a torquey 800 twin can be taught trail manners.
To begin, this 800, like the others we've tested from other factories, is smooth and quiet. Its power delivery is strong, but it isn't an on/off switch. You can actually feather into the power and out of it when you come to corners and tight trails. The TM 40 carbs, outfitted with a throttle position sensor, offer a light pull and confidence-inspiring performance. With a little saddle time, you can make the engine do exactly what you want it to do.
Polaris put its fledgling roller secondary onto this sled to give it even more twisty trail manners. You can't tell it's there from the outside, but once you get into the cockpit and start riding it in the woods, you'll find a slightly better backshift.
Of course, with the light weight of the EDGE chassis, you can find yourself going way too fast way too easily. The light-pulling Polaris High Performance brake is liquid-cooled for consistent stopping ability when you find yourself in this situation. It is the same redesigned hydraulic brake disc found on this year's performance machines.
The suspensions on the 800 XC SP are the same as the other EDGE sleds we've written up this winter. Well tuned and comfortable at both low speeds and high. Polaris has Fox IFP shocks on the front end and on the front torque arm. The Fox Position Sensitive shock is on the rear torque arm. The combination of CRC and the tipped-in trailing arms gives the front a stable feel in smooth corners and not-so-smooth ones. The rear can suck up just about anything you have the guts to hit at speed.
Overall, we think the 800 XC SP is going to be right in the mix with the ZR 800 and the MX Z 800. We rode each sled on a different day and in different conditions, but our overall impression of the class is that they are all surprisingly smooth and quiet, with some potent punch. We'll have a better feel for them after our test session this spring.