Keeping my 2011 PRO RMK 800 alive for the long haul. Advice please.

[snow4me]

Picking up my Pro R this weekend and was looking for some tips for keeping it together for the long haul. I plan on sending the primary to Indy Dan for balancing and weights for my elevation right when I get it. It has been suggested to me to run a Polaris 080 belt rather than the stock 115 and run castrol T2 NON-synthetic as well. I was also wondering if I might want to run an SLP PC5 as insurance also. Any help or advice would be appreciated as this is my first 800 Poo. Thanks.

 

[Peevo]

Keep it stock and use your 4 year warranty instead, if you are afraid of a serious breakdown..

 

[snow4me]

As far as the motor, I plan to keep it stock. I keep reading on how bad the factory does at balancing the clutch and how the fuel maps are way off. I rather not have my sled in the shop for repair, warranty work or not. I figured a little preventative maintenance would go a long way.

 

[mountainhorse]

First off, IMO.. the fit and finish of this new 2011 platform is top notch... Best out-of-the box ive seen to date...

First.. Read the owners manual front to back at least once.

Set your suspension just for you... the new one is pretty adjustable.

Change your chaincase oil after the 3rd ride to get rid of any break-in metal shavings and keep the chain adujsted... much of the wear occurs during this period. Change it again a couple of times a season and Make sure you keep the chain adjusted.

Get some good grease and a dedicated grease gun and keep all the grease spots well lubed ... I like to use Redline CV-2 grease as it does not get too thick in the cold temps.

Make sure that your airbox is fully seated and sealed... especially after a crash or interface with a tree (aka Guido-syle).

Keep the track at the correct tension... adjust it after the first ride and regularly after... it takes the single ply tracks some time to reach "final stretch".

Check and set the front alignment as outlined in the owners maual... keep it set thru the year.

Change your fuel filter each season or 1500 miles wichever comes first.

Check all suspension bolt torques.. invest in some loctite.. if you move a suspension bolt while checking them.. the locktite bond is broken on the stock part an you will need to do it over again. (not many people understand this).

Use the right oil... SLP recommend Only the Redline oil.. pricey but worth it for the protection in our ever lean sleds... FOG the engine if you have prolonged storage intervals. IMO... for summer storage, fog the motor and run VP SEF-94 for summer storage

See this thread CLICK HERE

The clutch is a good thing to have done for longevity and smooth running IMO. Keep the belt deflection well set thru the season.

After all the testing is done and the snow settles late January or so... look into a clutch kit IF you are finding that others have improved their performance/belt life with the kit in use for your type/elevation of riding....Carls puts together good kits... I'd keep an eye on them.

More to come as others will chime in too.

 

[Ron]

The factory balance job is usually OK unless you make changes! Putting in weights that are out of balance can be a bigger issue. You might check belt side clearance. If you send it off to have the side clearance fixed find out what they will do to get it right. Most clutches have too much side clearance and there aren't enough shims to remove to get it right. So you have to turn the spider, add some threads or remove the large bushing and replace it with shims. It wouldn't hurt to ask how they will deal with the issue if there aren't enough shims to get it right.
I personally wouldn't run the 1080 because they tend to grenade and that's hard on the crank. They are also narrower than the 1115 by .022....that's not insignificant. The 1115 is 1.46" vs 1.438" for the 1080...and there is a tolerance so not all belts are the same width.

 

[mountainhorse]

Ron makes some excellent points...

Most shops don't know how to index a clutch well and most cant cut the clutch if it needs to be tightend up and already has no shims...Check it before you take delivery... easy to do.

If they dont index it properly, the clutch WILL be out of balance.

All depends on how good the dealers service techs are.

 

[snow4me]

Wow, I really appreciate the time you guys have taken to post this info! Was planning to send the clutch to Indy Dan for the balance work so I am assuming the work will be done properly. He spent a fair amount of time on the phone explaining the reasons for the balance work and seems to know what he is talking about.

The 080 belt was a suggestion by another member as well as running Castrol T2 or Arctic Blue NON-synthetic oil. I am unsure as to either so I figure I'd ask the masses.

What about the PC5 idea???

Thanks again for the time.
Let it snow!!!

 

[Murph]

I, too, was thinking of the clutch balancing before I read on another post-- and then confirmed on page 90 of the owners manual-- that the clutch is not to be modified.

Not sure which way to go now...
New to Polaris and two strokes-- want to keep these two Pro's out of the service dept. I have no desire to be the subject of a new TSB!!

 

[4Z]

You won't be happy with the castor oil.

 

[snowmobiler]

What about the PC5 idea???

how can the 11 fuel maps be way off when nobody has rode one?.

 

[snow4me]

You won't be happy with the castor oil.

I imagine you meant Castrol? Why? Looked into the redline oil last night, seems to be pretty highly regarded.

As far as the PC5 goes, I would imagine SLP has been testing some 2011's to come up with a better fuel map for it that doesn't need to meet EPA standards, no?

 

[snopro_ac]

how can the 11 fuel maps be way off when nobody has rode one?.

agreed, plus who's got the maps out for the sled already, unless you are goign to create your own.

 

[snow4me]

Called SLP. They said there are no maps available yet for the 2011 800. When they are available, they will have maps for their kits they offer, pipes, intakes, etc. Nothing in the works for stock, unmodified motors.

 

[snow4me]

The factory balance job is usually OK unless you make changes! Putting in weights that are out of balance can be a bigger issue. You might check belt side clearance. If you send it off to have the side clearance fixed find out what they will do to get it right. Most clutches have too much side clearance and there aren't enough shims to remove to get it right. So you have to turn the spider, add some threads or remove the large bushing and replace it with shims. It wouldn't hurt to ask how they will deal with the issue if there aren't enough shims to get it right.
I personally wouldn't run the 1080 because they tend to grenade and that's hard on the crank. They are also narrower than the 1115 by .022....that's not insignificant. The 1115 is 1.46" vs 1.438" for the 1080...and there is a tolerance so not all belts are the same width.

Just measured my 1115 belt. 1.435" is the number I get. Are you sure about that 1.46"?

 

[63nova]

Ride it

As far as the motor, I plan to keep it stock. I keep reading on how bad the factory does at balancing the clutch and how the fuel maps are way off. I rather not have my sled in the shop for repair, warranty work or not. I figured a little preventative maintenance would go a long way.

Ride the sled before assuming that fuel map is off. If you are satisfied with the performance, leave it alone. That's a lot better than throwing money at a "problem" that comes from heresay.

 

[WyoPro]

how can the 11 fuel maps be way off when nobody has rode one?.

Speak for yourself! Been loggin' miles for a month now...