First ride and thoughts

[SSABMUD]

Coming from an XP to the pro this year, I was very excited to get out with the new sled. We rode Blue lake and Owls head in Siccamous this weekend. My height and weight is 6'1 and 240 without gear so the rear shock was set to the limit. The trail up was brutal and I bottomed the rear shock a couple times so I will need the fat guy spring put in. I did not like the ride with the stock rear spring. I believe the front shocks are the biggest problem with the sled. It seems stiff while on the gas, but come to a corner off the gas and the sled will roll over. This sled is extremely sensitive to being on or off the gas and will take some getting used to. Stiffening the springs almost to max helped with steering but not the ride. My handlebars came set at zero so I felt I was bent over too much, so moving them up one inch made the machine far better to ride. We had two feet of powder in places with no base so were able to make a few climbs. The track sucks and will be replaced. Lugs bending over already. Sled transfers too much weight to the back for me so straight rails coming (I have a 163). The climbing ability seemed on par with an XP so I am happy so far. Power is great, fuel mileage is great. Should be able to go a hundred miles per tank riding hard. Clutching is bang on and handling is freaking awesome. I was tossed off a couple times because of trying to ride it like an XP. After struggling with that for a couple hours it came to me. The biggest thing is to simply look where you want it to go, stay on the gas, and it will go there. Nothing with beat this sled for sidehilling. I have a turbo coming for mine, but hopefully I get another trip with it after the other changes first as with this machine turbocharged, it will be simply insane. Overall, I love this sled. We seen a couple of E-techs but never rode with them. BTW, Siccamous is still a month away for good riding but you can still bring a trailer and ride the trails up.

 

[AndrettiDog]

Good info. Your description of the front shocks are right on with what I saw. The rolling tendency is probably what was intended. That sled rolls into sidehilling very easily, but at the cost of doing the same on the trail. You probably remember your XP "kicking" you back up when you would side hill. The Pro doesn't do that and I'm glad. I think the rear skid is excellent, but there is some shock work to be done to avoid bottoming out (I'm 200 lbs).

 

[Stang84g]

If you want stiffer springs for the IFS, just order the 130 lb rate springs from the 2011 RMK Assault when you order the optional heavier spring for the rear suspension.

 

[catfreak]

How many lbs are the stock front springs?? Last time I checked the optional rear spring was still not available..

 

[NapaMatt]

100 lbs

 

[honda1]

RCS Renton coil spring has a complete set up for us bigger riders

 

[longgold]

i'm 245lbs dry...i have NEVER had a sled set up for me...I am at that point now however (turning 40)! After suffering through those awful walker evans on my '08 I'm ready to open the wallet...

I am riding the stock Assault, and am yet to know if I like them or not as I am not used to so many variables (spring adjustment as well as dials on the shocks themselves)... my suspiscion is that these sleds are built for 185lb'ers and it aint gonna cut it...hopefully the b oys at CodeRed will help sort me out...

would love feedback from other heavyweights...maybe I should start a thread instead of hijacking someone elses...By the way, good post SSABMUD

 

[MNPOLARIS]

Rode my Pro RMK 800 163 this past weekend in the West Yellowstone area and was somewhat disappointed. After I got past disappointment from the hype from my dealer and articles written about the sled, I started to pay attention to what I disliked about the sled and how to make it better. I've used Fox Floats for the past 8 years and quickly decided that the Walker Evans are not for me. Next, I really disliked how the sled dives to the left when turning right and vice versa. This was very noticable going down into crick beds or down steep inclines. Not that I bought this sled for trail riding, but it's on the top of my list for worst trail sled ever. Seat is going in the trash!
Positives? The best side hilling sled I've ever been on! Motor felt great! Extremely agile!
This will be a great sled for newer mountain riders!
With some educating, tweaking and new parts, I still think this will be a great addition to my fleet.

 

[treemagnet03]

???

mnpolaris...what were you expecting...just curious because a lot of what you note as good qualities are what I would want in a mountain sled. What sled were you coming from, what track length, etc? Others on here have noted it is a great 'trail sled.' And if you are stating it is the worst trail sled you have been on, you haven't been in the game very long....some of the sleds from the 90s/00s were pretty brutal. My dad's sleds from the 70s are exceptionally worse. Painful anywhere but the back yard.....I certainly won't be going back that direction. I think you are opening up a can o' worms here and a bit of clarification would be nice.

Thanks,

T

 

[dub]

WOW! I am not trying to bash here at all but the Pro is probably hands down the best mtn. sled (I have owned everything from A-Z) I have ever ridden on the trail... Feels like a rocket and doesn't corner bad at all (for a long tracker).

I think the rear shock spring rate has everything to do with handeling on this sled as the mass is very centralized.

 

[Bigrock33]

I would say that I have no issues so far with the sled on the trail, considering it is a mountain sled. It handled the rough, ungroomed trail (about 15 miles total round trip) almost as good as my Apex that is a Cadillac on a rough trail. The Pro ate up the whoops much better than the M8 that I rode on a few occasions last year and did not beat the he!! out of me. Of course, I do not expect a mountain sled to be able to out perform a shorty trail sled in corners, etc, but for a long track mountain sled, I am very pleased with it's trail performance so far

 

[MNPOLARIS]

Treemagnet03, the idea behind forums is to share issues and ideas with people of the same interest, not to be told "You haven't been in the game long". But thanks for your input.

 

[AndrettiDog]

Treemagnet03, the idea behind forums is to share issues and ideas with people of the same interest, not to be told "You haven't been in the game long". But thanks for your input.

Maybe that was harsh but he has a point. Looks like you are from MN and can evaluate trail riding better than most of us. But the characteristics that you don't like about that sled are what makes it so good boondocking in the hills. I agree with the WE's. They need to be valved to your liking or some Float Evol or Exits would probably help. That "tippy" feeling is what makes it boondock so well. The Dragon was tippy, but hard to hold at the right angle compared to the Pro. Just strange that you are "disappointed" over those items. To each their own.

 

[troyby]

Treemagnet03, the idea behind forums is to share issues and ideas with people of the same interest, not to be told "You haven't been in the game long". But thanks for your input.

WooooooW! how much value do i put in a statement that a guy from Forest lake, Minnesota makes when he has made 4 posts since Sept of 09 and buys a mtn sled to ride the trails back east? mmmmmmmmmmm none.

 

[MNPOLARIS]

WooooooW! how much value do i put in a statement that a guy from Forest lake, Minneso

Troyby, this sled will never see Minnesota. But hey, thanks for your input as well. I was looking for ideas, not BS. The idea behind this thread was "First Ride and Thoughts". That's exactly what I did and was looking for. Wont respond again.

 

[catfreak]

Rode my Pro RMK 800 163 this past weekend in the West Yellowstone area and was somewhat disappointed. After I got past disappointment from the hype from my dealer and articles written about the sled, I started to pay attention to what I disliked about the sled and how to make it better. I've used Fox Floats for the past 8 years and quickly decided that the Walker Evans are not for me. Next, I really disliked how the sled dives to the left when turning right and vice versa. This was very noticable going down into crick beds or down steep inclines. Not that I bought this sled for trail riding, but it's on the top of my list for worst trail sled ever. Seat is going in the trash!
Positives? The best side hilling sled I've ever been on! Motor felt great! Extremely agile!
This will be a great sled for newer mountain riders!
With some educating, tweaking and new parts, I still think this will be a great addition to my fleet.

How much do you weigh??? I am a bigger guy and it did seem to want to lean over a bit in when going through the corners. Don't think I will replace the Walkers quite yet though. As w/ all my floats on my Cats I thought they were the biggest POS until I sent em to Andy @ GSR to work his magic on them. Poo spent a lot of time working w/ Walker to improve these new
coil-overs over last years air style shocks. I am going to increase the valving ,use slightly heavier ski and rear skid springs first before spending the big $$ on a complete shock replacment.

 

[troyby]

Troyby, this sled will never see Minnesota. But hey, thanks for your input as well. I was looking for ideas, not BS. The idea behind this thread was "First Ride and Thoughts". That's exactly what I did and was looking for. Wont respond again.

What I guess I dont understand is why you would buy a mnt sled and then say its the worst, in your book, as a trail sled. It is not a trail sled! It is not designed to be a trail sled. Would you buy a new corvette and then complain because it rides rough? Would you buy a new dirt bike and take it on a 1000 mile road trip and complain that you had a back ache? You said yourself that the things it was designed for (side hilling,agile, and good power) it does well. I ride the mountains every weekend and love this sled so far, finally polaris is giving us a stock sled that pulls and handles in the mountains. We usually spend thousands of dollars to mod a sled for this kind of performance. Maybe you should be looking for a different type of sled. I just hope people dont read your post and decide to not buy one. They would be missing out on a great MOUNTAIN sled.

 

[SSABMUD]

I don't know if people are reading into things, but the RMK is an awesome machine, not in any way a failure in my opinion. It just seems there are quite a few people that have switched from a totally different machine and the handling of the RMK is quite strange so they are not perfectly happy. Having started sledding in the mountains in the late 80's, it has been awesome to see them evolve into a machine where you really have to work at it to find a fault. With the RMK, I find that the sled has a very definate pivot point to the chassis and will take some getting used to. Never had that before in a sled, including the XP. The biggest thing for me to deal with is the front shocks. Yes they are soft for sidehilling yet they don't move all the much bouncing down the trail. This is probably more the front track shock causing this, but soften that shock, then the steering goes to hell. I am convinced that with a bit of dicking around, I will get it to where I am happy. Between the front shocks and the front track shock, I will get it dialed. Maybe I need to revalve and stiffen the front shocks, remove the sway bar, and leave the front track shock alone. Who knows, but that is the fun of mountain sledding. My comment about the track being soft, I still feel that way. The lugs are bending while stock and hardly any miles. When I bolt on the turbo, it will be useless in a couple of trips. I don't think anyone has any reason to say they were flat out disappointed in the sled. It seems that this year, magazines that are biased are playing such a big role in peoples opinion right out of the chute. Good for business.

 

[Tree Boss]

Rode my Pro today for the first time and I am amazed at how well this sled goes through the trees. sidehilling left or right this thing stays on it's side with no effort.

Getting up on the snow is effortless with this sled. Rode in S.E. Idaho today in 3ft of powder with a good base underneath it and I am loving how well this sled runs and cuts back and forth in the pines. Rode it for 5 hours today and never got the camera out once it was to much fun to quit.

I'm coming off of an 09 XP from last year and I was not tired when I got back to the truck, that is a 1st for me. The way this sled works with you and keeps you from being beat is just another bonus as to what this sled has to offer.

I know the dyno only says 140something but I know this sled would have smoked my 09 drag racing down the trail or in the 3+ feet of snow on top.

This is my first Polaris and I'm loving this sled, for everyone who has not rode it yet get ready for the time of your life this thing is just incredible.

 

[srosscojw]

first ride



I am happy now.