New 05' 900 RMK Owner!

[quarters]

Hello! this is my first post on snowest. I grew up in Manitoba riding a 580 ZR & EXT Arctic Cats, that was 15 years ago. Now I live in Rossland BC. My brother, 1RMDave, has a FST, so when it was time to sled shop, I wanted something that he was familiar with so he could help me. I settled on an 05' RMK 900.

It has 2,200 KMS, receipt for rebuilt motor with 06' Pistons, and a "Crank & Clutch Kit." that's all it says on the rebuild receipt. The motor was rebuilt by Terra Alps Racing in Kelowna. It also has an MBRP can, SLP dash vents, and a 3" riser. Other than that, I believe it to be stock. got it for $3450 + $150 to deliver to my house from Kelowna.

I called the local Polaris dealer and they said all the updates were done, except the fuel tank recall. After doing some reading here, it seems that upgrading the mounts is almost a must do. Is there anyway I can tell if the mounts were upgraded previously? And I'm told to vent vent vent, i might ghetto fab a bunch of vents.

Inside the pull start cord housing there is an awful rattling, other than that it seems pretty good.

Anything else I should really check for before I go for a first ride? It's puking snow here right now.

Thanks!

 

[polarisfornow]

Well.... first the bad. Congratulations on buying what is widely considered the most unreliable sled built in the last 10 years. If you're on here enough you were gonna find out sooner or later.

Now the good.... They go!!! But yes they need mounts to control the engine movement. There are many different ones available but on mine I had an slp torque stop and torque link. The stop is basically a rubber bumper on the front of the motor that keeps it from moving forward. Clutch side of motor BTW. and the torque link is essentially a little tie rod that hooks the bottom of the motor to the chassis. Clutch side also. should be easy to spot if it already has them if you look hard enough. Mine had those plus vents in the shock tower area and the belly pan sides and my belts would last 6-800 miles in mixed heavy snow riding and light trail riding.

Its been 3 years since I've had mine so there might be some new things out there that I'm not aware of but I think that different skis are a must have also. Belts, heavy steering and snow ingestion were the biggest issues so stick with those areas and you should be set.

 

[quarters]

I was quite aware of their terrible reputation before I bought it. Some people said 'STAY AWAY!' I was told the same thing when I bought my 90' Civic Wagon with 327,000kms on the clock. Now it has 499,000kms. I'm not easily scared away.

Is there any way to tell if it was upgraded from 05' mounts to the 06' mounts? It seems they are different.

 

[polarisfornow]

Mine actually was an 06. I believe the biggest difference between the 05 and 06 were the spindles. I believe the motor mounts were the same. Could be totally wrong on that though.

 

[Mech Engr]

I was quite aware of their terrible reputation before I bought it. Some people said 'STAY AWAY!' I was told the same thing when I bought my 90' Civic Wagon with 327,000kms on the clock. Now it has 499,000kms. I'm not easily scared away.

Is there any way to tell if it was upgraded from 05' mounts to the 06' mounts? It seems they are different.

Welcome!

The mounts are definately different. They have a different part number than the 06 mounts that you should use. I just did the mounts in my 05 900 RMK a couple months back when I had the motor out. They didn't look any different than the 05 mounts. I've been told that it was simply a different rubber used and an improved way to bond the rubber to the metal part of the mount.

John

 

[94fordguy]

Welcome to the club, sounds like you got a good deal on a very powerful sled. The beauty of the 900 is that unlike some other sleds out there, the 900 CAN be made super reliable... contrary to popular belief... When everything is working in sync, the fuel mapping is spot on, the electrical components are pretty robust (but you NEED to make sure not to yank on the wires or let anything rub through and cause a short) with the exception of some cheap wire that has been problematic and the sled is built like a tank (a bit heavy as a result though).

To start, I would throw on some 08 or newer Polaris spindles to improve the turning radius and lighten steering effort, Put a few vents on to help the heat escape, gear to 18/39 or 18/40 if not done already, delete the front radiator, remove the sway bar if you want it to roll around easier for carving/sidehilling, Skinz bumper and float plate, new fuel filter, gut the stock airbox or replace with Fire&Ice, Gripper skis, and a full pre-season inspection to find out what you've got.

The motor mounts on the 05s are softer than the 06s and allows more engine movement and belt heat... the 06s are stiffer and will help, but you might feel a little more vibration as a result (I know I did). Unfortunately the only way to check them is to pull the engine out... there is NO way to check them in the sled. Also check the intake boots for cracks.. if you see any cracks, replace them immediately!

Other than that, be sure to read through the stickies... there is years worth of priceless info in there on how to setup and troubleshoot these torque-monsters... (Yes, the links have all been fixed)

Good Luck

 

[bigjusty]

so its ok to delete/remove the radiator?

 

[mtbroncrider]

yes it is, just buy ice scratchers and run them down when not in a foot of powder

 

[quarters]

Thanks for all the information!

I bought a set of SLP torque stops from Guido... if he gets off his butt and sends them to me, firemen are so lazy.

I'm am a total novice at working on sleds. I don't even know how to change a belt. How much should a shop charge to install the SLP stuff, how many hours should it take a shop to do? I have limited tools and no garage, lame, yes.

 

[Newfusion900]

If the clutch comes off easy it should be done in less than an hour. The only special tool you really need is a clutch puller which you can buy from slp also. www.startinglineproducts.com . Other than that you need a drill (90 degree drill head comes in handy), drill bits, sockets and wrenches, and allen wrenches/sockets. The SLP torque stops are very easy to install and hard to mess up. I would recommend you trying to do it your self if you have or can access these tools. If you have questions about it just ask, someone on here can help you.

 

[Danbot]

Thanks for all the information!

I bought a set of SLP torque stops from Guido... if he gets off his butt and sends them to me, firemen are so lazy.

I'm am a total novice at working on sleds. I don't even know how to change a belt. How much should a shop charge to install the SLP stuff, how many hours should it take a shop to do? I have limited tools and no garage, lame, yes.

Baaahahahaha