When you’re just one of seven Polaris 155-inch track snowmobile options, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd … especially when you tout the smallest engine displacement of the bunch.
However, for those who overlook the Pro-RMK 600, you are selling yourself short of discovering one of the most versatile and over-achieving snowmobiles on the market. And if you think the 600cc engine size is a deterrent … think again. This is a legitimate mountain sled and will keep pace with any stock snowmobile around.
We’ve been a big fan of the Pro-RMK 600 over the past several years. And we’re not afraid to take it out when we’re riding with groups of 800s and 850s. What it lacks in horsepower, it more than makes up in agility, lightweight performance and rideability.
Sufficient Power
First of all, the 600cc Cleanfire engine is a solid performer. It is part of the Liberty engine family that Polaris designed and builds domestically. With its quick acceleration and rider-friendly powerband, the Pro-RMK 600 becomes an extension of your body—it’s not trying to jump out from under you, but rather jump with you when you crack the throttle.
Often, 600cc engines mounted on the same frame as 800s and 850s tend to be undersized and struggle to pull the weight. However, the Pro-RMK 600 is the lightest mountain sled on the snow at 412 lbs. dry (just more than 500 lbs. with gas and oil and ready to ride) and represents a perfect power-to-weight combination.
Track Matches Design
Although it only features a 2.4-inch Series 5.1 track, it hooks up well in powder and climbs on top of the snow with virtual ease. Its AXYS platform features rider balanced positioning … which means you become part of the geometry in its rigid design. You lean, it leans. It’s that simple. This is really noticeable when you’re riding terrain where the slope is changing continually in even the most subtle ways. You maintain your balance by merely adjusting your weight from left to right and front to back.
Not only does the engine, chassis and track match perfectly, but Polaris engineers have also harmonized the P-85 drive clutch and Team LWT driven clutch with the QuickDrive (belt drive rather than chaincase) to provide a smooth, yet responsive ride. The belt drive system reduces rotational inertia by 21 percent which makes it react that must faster to throttle input.
When you’re crawling through the trees and reach that place where you need to turn sharply and explode out of the hole, this combination of lightweight and less inertia (momentum from rotating mass), you merely lean and “flick” to get the sled to change direction and lift up on top of the snow.