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Polaris’ RMK has always been one of our favorite mountain machines and one that just works in every way. If it’s not broken don’t fix it!
So we were worried that Polaris might have sacrificed some of the great attributes of the previous IQ RMK in its new Rush-inspired RMK for 2011. Cosmetically and structurally the RMK is all new and a lot lighter, but many of the features that made the previous RMK so good have been carried over to the new mountain sled. The engine, track, skis and geometry are very close to the old IQ, so this feels like an IQ that is lighter, faster and more responsive. All good things!
The biggest change on RMK is the new Pro Ride chassis; this is similar to what is used on the Rush. Built from triangulated aluminum members that are structurally bonded at the connections, Pro Ride is not only lighter, but stronger and more rigid than the previous IQ chassis.
Polaris has gone through this machine trying to save weight wherever possible. The aluminum chassis is the main weight saver, but there are a whole host of other small tweaks that add up to a substantial weight loss (40 lbs.). For instance there’s an aluminum seat support, small holes in the tunnel, a thin and lightweight snow flap and even a carbon fiber rear bumper.
The weight savings are definitely noticeable in how the machine rides and gets up on top of the deep snow. We also found that the stiffer and lighter chassis was easier to maneuver and more sensitive to rider input. The Pro-Taper bars are still too tall and wide for our liking, but larger statured riders probably won’t complain.
The 800 Cleanfire in the RMK keeps the same basic engine architecture as before, but has different fuel injection giving it more midrange power. Hopefully this fuel injection will also fix some of the engine problems that the 800 has had the past few years. While Polaris tells us the engine horsepower remains about the same as before, plunked into this lighter Pro Ride chassis it feels more powerful.
With almost obsessive attention to weight on the Pro RMK we were surprised to see that the lightweight air shocks that were on the IQ had been replaced with conventional spring shocks. Polaris says this switch is due to consumer complaints about the lack of adjustability and maintenance problems with the air shocks. We have to agree as we’ve found that conventional spring shocks are a bit plusher while the only real benefit of air shocks is their weight. Polaris has clearly figured out how to get the weight low enough while still offering a great suspension.