AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
The RR was at the top of my wish list last season. Like many other 30-somethings, I continually think I'm younger than I am, so I pictured myself launching off huge triples with our Polaris 600RR demo sled.
Basically, this is the same sled used by all the factory Polaris snocross racers who won so many races last year. I couldn't stop imagining myself as one of them.
RealityThe fact is that there simply aren't enough places for the average Joe, who thinks he's an above average Joe racer, to ride this sled the way it should be ridden. Unless you have a huge farm field behind your house, complete with snocross track, or you ride on trails that never see a groomer all winter, you won't really see many places where this sled can be used to its full potential.
However, we did think of our Western crew when riding the RR. We knew they would have had a blast on this thing by exchanging the normal 1.25-in. lugged track with a 2-incher and running this sucker in the mountains. That's exactly what many folks out West did with this machine, along with putting a longer track, tunnel extension and other goodies on it. If you need ideas, see the guys at www.outdoortoystore.net and they can give you some advice.
The engine pulls extremely hard for a TM38 carbed 600, and the tall center of balance, narrow ski stance and tall bars make it deep snow friendly out of the box. It's easy to toss this sled around, especially in the air. The hydraulic Phantom dual-piston caliper with Cyclone master cylinder brake system also is the best in the industry.
Except for the pipe heater button being converted to the PERC reverse button and a small amount of shock calibration in the rear skid and front shocks, this is virtually the same sled the racers get. BUT, your normal trail guy doesn't need a racer setup. Also, if you're going to ride any farther than 45 miles, you better have a gas station already picked out. We got atrocious gas mileage with our sled and it wasn't an oil pump, jetting or gas problem.
So how many miles did we put on the thing? Good question, there is no odometer, speedometer, fuel gauge, windshield, storage or anything else on this sled, so we couldn't tell ya. We did keep track of approximate mileage by looking at odometers of the other sleds in our group each time we went out. After getting an awful 6 mpg the first several tanks, while comparing with the other sleds in our group, mileage steadily increased on our next few tanks. However, the average over the first 400+ miles was only 6.5 mpg. That's a lot less than Polaris' stated 10-12 mpg. Now, we don't doubt that we pushed the throttle hard, but isn't that the market demographic that this sled is aimed at?
Final takeWith belts that currently cost $198 (part no. 32114) and low mileage on premium gas, average oil consumption and an uncomfortable all-day ride, we could not recommend this sled to many of our friends at year's end. In addition, the sticker price was $400 more than the solid 2008 Dragon 700, and almost a grand more than the 600 Dragon. Maybe that's why this one is only being sold overseas for '09.
However, each time that we knew we were just going out for a rip in the fields, or going to play in the ditches or find some gnarly terrain off trail, we picked this sled to take along. It's certainly fun to ride despite its drawbacks. It's like having a motocross bike and living in the city. You know you'll rarely use it to its full potential, and you might bang yourself up trying to do something you physically can't do, but for some reason its fun to have and ride.
2008 Polaris 600RREngine: Liberty 599cc carbed liquid twin
HP: 120 (mfg.)
Exhaust: SC VES, single
Ski Stance: 42.5 in.
Front Susp.: IQ Race w/Walker Evans IFP 16 position compression adjustable piggyback shocks
Rear Susp.: IQ race w/Walker Evans aluminum springless front shock and Walker Evans IFP 16 position compression adjustable piggyback rear shock
Track: 15x121x1.25 in.
Fuel Tank: 9.0 gal.
Dry Weight: 475 lbs.
Wet Weight: 551 lbs. (
AmSnow tested)
Price: $10,299 US/$13,299 CA
REAL WORLD STATS Top Speed: 90.34 mph
¼-mile Time: 13.66 sec.
Avg. mpg: 6.5 mpg