Speaking of piggy-backing, I started this before I saw Bushwacker's post, and he stole my thunder a bit, but NBD.
I don't think anyone here is saying an Indy Lite would be a better sled to ride than an EVO. As for weight, if you want to keep patting Polaris on the back for the EVO, why don't you compare it to the later two-up GT at 434lb? But you'll want to stop reading here, because the earlier direct drive sleds started at 340lb, 367 for the twin (found here:
https://www.snowmobile.com/manufacturers/polaris/1991-polaris-indy-lite-vintage-review-1083.html). The chaincase added around 10lb, but you're still over 30 less than the EVO (comparing to the lighter short track EVO for the sake of fairness). Like Bushwacker mentioned, the bulkhead was steel, not aluminum, and they all had metal skis. Not sure on the bulkhead, but plastic skis are 10+ fewer lbs, and would offset the weight of the chaincase. Swap over to a newer 144 skid and track, and you'll add around 10lb back? So I'm guessing you'd have no problem building a 380lb Indy Lite 144. Just trying to reenforce how light a sled can be when it's designed that way – even one built more to be cheap than light, and designed 30 years ago.
As for the rest of the EVO, you might want to temper your expectations a bit, especially with regard to the powertrain. The 550 dates back twenty years, and it's more of an upgraded version of the old old Fuji fan motors than anything you could call new. It's worth another 20HP, but otherwise the only big improvement is PERC; it's no smoother, more efficient, or long-lasting. I kind of doubt the CVTech clutch is anything to write home about either.
I totally agree about tooling up for some lighter-weight components. As long as it can be spread across several models, not just the EVO, they will eventually profit. Not to mention every pound they cut makes a sled more competitive. A belt drive similar to the quick-drive, but built for half the power would save even more weight, and maybe cost no more than a chaincase. You could take metal out of the belly pan and bulkhead because you haven't got as much stress from a smaller motor. There's no shortage of small things they could do. I'd bet the 365lb 550 pro mentioned earlier has been built, and further, I'd bet a ground-up design could take off at least another 15. That's the chassis you'd want for a smaller rider, but I think we all recognize it could only happen if they could sell as well as, say, the Pro-RMKs. That said, the first half of the weight-shedding is probably a quarter of the cost and effort, and I'd like to see them move that way. I hope the goal is at least a sub-400lb EVO RMK. Maybe if it sells well, we'll see it. So I take it all back; it's a great sled, and everyone should buy their kid one. Then, if and when I have kids, we'll have a 350lb EFI EVO RMK for <$5000!
