AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
After refining the IQ chassis for 2007, Polaris handed over a new 700 Dragon to us for a full season of handlebar clenching fun. We highlighted this sled in articles last year, in both our November and Spring issues, so we're pretty sure you've got a good handle on many of the specifics. This is a report on how it stood up to a complete winter of abuse.
Surprise handlingYou can quote me as saying the Dragon was our super, happy, fun, extra-special, good-time surprise ride of the year! With a 144 set of Stud Boy studs in the track and an 8-inch single carbide on the ski, this sled did almost everything superbly.
This 700 was my favorite big bump sled in our demo fleet, the F8 being a close second, but it couldn't hold a corner line like the Dragon. My opinion isn't simply a result of Polaris beating its "ride and handling" slogan into my brain, this sled really does both well.
Honestly, the cornering of the Dragon is what most surprised me because it was lackluster in pre-production form. I'm not saying that it corners as well as a '07 REV, but the Dragon is predictable and easier than expected.
The Walker Evans needle shocks took miles of abuse from me and other testers through the baddest mogul fields that the Midwest could offer. I became a believer when others in our group started asking to switch to the Dragon every time we hit a long set of moguls. Shock damping is easily set to exactness. Also, the 700 has an easy transition from sitting to standing, even with a somewhat more traditional layout.
Finally, the Dragon stops on a dime. No, it wasn't due simply to the stud set-up; the Phantom hydraulic brake system here simply never fades, and stops in a heartbeat if you need to.
Surprise hiccupsThe biggest problem we had with the Dragon 700 was atrocious gas mileage. Over the entire season we saw an average of only 9.25 mpg. I saw less than that with the tanks I burned through, as I tend to lean pretty heavily on the throttle. In a world where we are seeing big 800 twins averaging closer to 15 mpg, this is unacceptable. On one trip, I recorded slightly more than 80 miles before burning through a tank of gas.
In Polaris' defense, its engineers had an engine re-map ready for the 700 early in the season, but it was held up at the EPA office. This re-map was meant to take care of the "flat-spot" many Dragon owners felt in the midrange. It also is expected to remedy some of the gas mileage woes, possibly adding 2-3 mpg. In addition, Polaris was aware that to avoid regularly fouling plugs, we had to make sure our sled was securely warm before getting into the throttle - pipe temp at least 80 degrees. The re-map shortens the warm-up cycle and leans it out. You also are likely to see a couple more mph on the top end.
All these problems are expected to be ironed out for the 2008 model year, but if you've got a 2007 and have experienced any of these things, take your machine into your local dealer for a quick fix. Also, if you didn't receive the bulletin last winter and haven't added the new fuel separator to your 700, have your dealer take care of it.
ComparisonsThe truest comparison to this sled is probably Cat's F7. I have been a huge F7 Sno Pro fan for several years, and unfortunately, Polaris is a little late with its 700 to do a direct comparison of the same model year, but the Dragon more than stacks up. In every arena except top straight-line speed, the Dragon performs as well as, or better than, the F7.
Dry weight, the F7 is lighter, but it has a 1.8-gal. larger gas tank, which almost negates any weight advantage once the machines are wet. On the power spectrum, the two are close, but the F7 still has more muscle. Our dyno tests show the F7 with 140.1 hp to the Dragon's 135.8 hp. Full dyno results of the Dragon 700 are available at
www.amsnow.com, as well as archived dyno tests going back several years.
However, our Real World testing showed that the Dragon could hang in there with the 2007 800s from Cat and Ski-Doo. You cannot even compare this sled to Polaris' old 755 or 900 Fusion because it's that much better in every way, but unfortunately, still on par with them for fuel consumption. (
AmSnow averaged 10 mpg on the 900 Fusion.)
Two final points: the storage on this sled is barely big enough for a box of Band-Aids, but the smaller windshield provided much better wind protection than expected.
Polaris Dragon 700Engine: 700cc Cleanfire liquid twin 2-stroke
Exhaust: SC VES, Single
HP: 135.8
Front Susp.: IQ w/Walker Evans needle shocks
Rear Susp.: IQ w/Walker Evans needle compression adjustable front and rear shocks
Ski Stance: 42.5 in.
Track: 15x121x1.25 in.
Fuel Tank: 10.8 gal.
Dry Weight: 476 lbs.
Wet Weight: 593 lbs. w/144 Stud Boy Powerpoint Kit 2007
MSRP: $9,599 US/$12,349 CA
REAL WORLD STATSTop speed: 102.67 mph
¼-mile time: 13.33 sec.
Avg. mpg: 9.25 mpg