Wow, thanks for all that information, Dan! I'm leaning towards the 800 HO, but it's too bad it's stuck with some of the same things, call them maintenance items, as my Pro (motor mounts and TPS). I'd definitely balance the clutch and go with one of your heavy covers if I go that way. I could be on the Pro a while though, and I'd like to keep it, or at least sell it to a friend: it's got all the right upgrades, and it's a tank of a sled. As for cutting inventories and tooling and such, I definitely get that. In a bigger market, you could afford to have four or five completely different motors, each aimed at its own nitche. The way the market is, that's a losing proposition, but I think there's enough market to warrant R&D investment in a smaller architecture. Two lines of engines makes sense to me (maybe three, keeping the fan motor in the mix); it's great to have the fastest Thoroughbred, but there's a reason a lot more people ride a Quarter Horse.
Not to defend Polaris, but I can see their position with ambassadors. You're being paid money to advance the brand, which means putting on your best suit and hiding the dirty laundry. If it were me though, I'd bring on guys like Dan and @TRS who've done nothing but made sleds work better, and let them say what they want as long as the stick with Polaris. I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by trying to squelch any negativity on social media and such: I'd much rather see them reaching out to people with problems and offering solutions than just pretending they don't exist and posting another video about how perfect their sleds are. It's part of the reason I get most of my info here, and don't follow any manufacturer's official stuff.
Anyway, to bring it full circle (and sorry for the threadjack, @MDEVO), less than 1000 miles on a motor is pretty weak, even if you're an aggressive rider. I'm also curious if they diagnosed the failure. Given the rod failure, it could be the engine had lubrication issues... On the other hand, getting a new one in a month is pretty good given where we're at. The trouble is, even if they have a new motor on the shelf and have the sled back up the next weekend, there's still a big cost. It adds to the manufacturer's cost, but it could be a complicated and expensive recovery for the rider, and at a minimum, it ruins a day of riding unless you're very lucky. Not sure I'd be buying a 9R on the heels of a blown motor, but to each his own! I'd be more interested if Polaris made something like Dan's twin-ring; I'd gladly give up some HP for a motor that would just keep ticking through lots of mountain miles. I'm fine with the power level of my Pro, although that could change if we get a good snow year. The couple seasons I've been on it have both been pretty weak for snow.
Not to defend Polaris, but I can see their position with ambassadors. You're being paid money to advance the brand, which means putting on your best suit and hiding the dirty laundry. If it were me though, I'd bring on guys like Dan and @TRS who've done nothing but made sleds work better, and let them say what they want as long as the stick with Polaris. I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by trying to squelch any negativity on social media and such: I'd much rather see them reaching out to people with problems and offering solutions than just pretending they don't exist and posting another video about how perfect their sleds are. It's part of the reason I get most of my info here, and don't follow any manufacturer's official stuff.
Anyway, to bring it full circle (and sorry for the threadjack, @MDEVO), less than 1000 miles on a motor is pretty weak, even if you're an aggressive rider. I'm also curious if they diagnosed the failure. Given the rod failure, it could be the engine had lubrication issues... On the other hand, getting a new one in a month is pretty good given where we're at. The trouble is, even if they have a new motor on the shelf and have the sled back up the next weekend, there's still a big cost. It adds to the manufacturer's cost, but it could be a complicated and expensive recovery for the rider, and at a minimum, it ruins a day of riding unless you're very lucky. Not sure I'd be buying a 9R on the heels of a blown motor, but to each his own! I'd be more interested if Polaris made something like Dan's twin-ring; I'd gladly give up some HP for a motor that would just keep ticking through lots of mountain miles. I'm fine with the power level of my Pro, although that could change if we get a good snow year. The couple seasons I've been on it have both been pretty weak for snow.
