M
modsledr
Well-known member
First, I want to thank Polaris for the opportunity to be one of the first 5 consumers to sling a leg over the 2013 Pro RMK's...couldn't pass this one up!!
We had a chance to get a little face-time with the engineering team that develops the chassis, and they were very open to our questions, thoughts, and concerns. It's apparent after some one-on-one with them that a significant amount of time and resources have gone into making a sled that's as rider friendly as possible. They are taking the concept of energy conservation to a whole new level!!
There has already been a lot written about the 2013's...so I'll focus on the 2 primary things that I found to be significant: the running boards, and the handling.
1st, the running boards: If I was an aftermarket manufacturer of running boards, I'd stop making boards for the Polaris Pro chassis. These new boards are probably the best I have ridden on, offering a combination of rigidity, traction, and snow elimination. When stepping on the sled, there was no give to the boards....transfer of weight into sled movement was instant, with no sag or give. Riding down the trail, and later when riding off trail through the trees, the running board traction was awesome. I cant imagine the situation where your boots will slip off the boards. These bad boys are aggressive!! This is an absolute positive for every level of rider. If you're a beginner, the sure footed traction will do nothing but inspire confidence in your footing...one less thing to think about when learning. If you're an agressive rider, then you'll be able to hang it out even more without worrying about your feet slipping off the boards at the wrong time. Finally, once we got into some snow, the open design cleared snow as good as any aftermarket boards out there. When switching from the '12 to the '13, the difference seemed like nite and day. Very little "kicking the boards" with the '13.
The Polaris engineers shared with us that they spent a lot of time focussing on many little items to reduce the amount of energy expended during a day of riding. The running boards are one result of this thinking (finally!!). Greater rigidity results in less flex and more immediate transfer of energy. Better traction means less foot slippage. And better snow elimination means less clearing of the boards (think about how many times you do that in a day!!).
The primary result of all of their efforts is that they have managed to take the best handling sled and make it even better. The many little changes (and a couple of major one's...belt drive, boards) have added together to make a significant difference. It responds to rider input instantly, with a minimal of effort. It felt lighter in the front end, and laid into a carve effortlessly.
The engineers told us all of the changes resulted in 5lbs less force required at the bars to lay the sled over. This may not seem like much, but it was noticable when riding. And multiplied over the length of a day (or multiple days) the reduction in energy expenditure should be significant.
The '13 Pro is the most responsive sled I have ever ridden. I can't wait to put some more bar time on this sled (and not in a "there are only 5 of these sleds...PLEASE DON'T WRECK THEM"... environment...lol).
We had a chance to get a little face-time with the engineering team that develops the chassis, and they were very open to our questions, thoughts, and concerns. It's apparent after some one-on-one with them that a significant amount of time and resources have gone into making a sled that's as rider friendly as possible. They are taking the concept of energy conservation to a whole new level!!
There has already been a lot written about the 2013's...so I'll focus on the 2 primary things that I found to be significant: the running boards, and the handling.
1st, the running boards: If I was an aftermarket manufacturer of running boards, I'd stop making boards for the Polaris Pro chassis. These new boards are probably the best I have ridden on, offering a combination of rigidity, traction, and snow elimination. When stepping on the sled, there was no give to the boards....transfer of weight into sled movement was instant, with no sag or give. Riding down the trail, and later when riding off trail through the trees, the running board traction was awesome. I cant imagine the situation where your boots will slip off the boards. These bad boys are aggressive!! This is an absolute positive for every level of rider. If you're a beginner, the sure footed traction will do nothing but inspire confidence in your footing...one less thing to think about when learning. If you're an agressive rider, then you'll be able to hang it out even more without worrying about your feet slipping off the boards at the wrong time. Finally, once we got into some snow, the open design cleared snow as good as any aftermarket boards out there. When switching from the '12 to the '13, the difference seemed like nite and day. Very little "kicking the boards" with the '13.
The Polaris engineers shared with us that they spent a lot of time focussing on many little items to reduce the amount of energy expended during a day of riding. The running boards are one result of this thinking (finally!!). Greater rigidity results in less flex and more immediate transfer of energy. Better traction means less foot slippage. And better snow elimination means less clearing of the boards (think about how many times you do that in a day!!).
The primary result of all of their efforts is that they have managed to take the best handling sled and make it even better. The many little changes (and a couple of major one's...belt drive, boards) have added together to make a significant difference. It responds to rider input instantly, with a minimal of effort. It felt lighter in the front end, and laid into a carve effortlessly.
The engineers told us all of the changes resulted in 5lbs less force required at the bars to lay the sled over. This may not seem like much, but it was noticable when riding. And multiplied over the length of a day (or multiple days) the reduction in energy expenditure should be significant.
The '13 Pro is the most responsive sled I have ever ridden. I can't wait to put some more bar time on this sled (and not in a "there are only 5 of these sleds...PLEASE DON'T WRECK THEM"... environment...lol).
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