Polaris has decided to roll out their 2011 models with a couple of teasers, and not to be outdone by the flatlander’s Rush 800 Pro-R, they are introducing the 2011 800 Pro RMK 155. It’s not called Rush, but it includes a lot of Rush technology and good looks. We’ll give you a closer look in this release.
The all new Polaris 800 Pro RMK is specially designed for the mountains, just like their RMKs of past years. The RMK is by far the most popular mountain sled of all time. It may not be the hottest seller from year to year, but we’re willing to bet that this new breed of RMK will be the hot ticket next year.
New is the Pro-Ride deep snow chassis that is completely redesigned to cut weight where they can, yet stay strong where they have to. The structural bonded chassis reduces overall weld length, rivets and fasteners. Utilizing the latest in 3D design technology and FEA (finite element analysis), Polaris engineers have developed a new front clip and chassis design that makes it lighter and stronger than previous RMKs.
The same modeling techniques that allowed Polaris to develop the Rush Pro-Ride rear suspension helped them to develop the all-new RMK Coil-Over rear suspension. The rear suspension is designed for better floatation and it uses a coil-over shock spring to eliminate the torsion spring and save weight; over 7 pounds from the RMK Dragon. The coil-over shocks are a Walker Evans rebuildable, IFP, mono-tube design. The track is a 155 x 15 Series 5.1 with 2.4-inch lugs.
Like the Rush Pro-R, the Pro RMK gets a lighter weight rotor and jackshaft reduces rotating mass by 2.5 pounds. This is something you can feel and as a direct result offers quicker launches.
The rear of the tunnel gets a low-profile LED taillight. LEDs are brighter and last longer, plus draw less power. A new lightweight punched snow flap looks like it directs snow out the edges. The coolest thing you’ll notice is a carbon fiber rear bumper mounted between extruded billet mounts. This is an actual carbon fiber bumper, not decaled aluminum. It adds to the overall style the Pro RMK has.
The hood design is directly from the Rush, but the wind screen is specially made for the RMK crowd. It’s a little smaller, yet offers some protection from snow, flying ice chunks and wind.
The 800 Cleanfire engine hasn’t changed from 2010 and has had its ups and downs over the years, but Polaris has tweaked and refined it so there aren’t issues as they’ve had in the past. In fact, Polaris even fixed consumer’s 800 engines recently with the latest updates. They are serious about quality. The 800 Cleanfire has always been a strong contender in this class.
The RMK (Rocky Mountain King) stems from deep roots in Polaris and every snowmobiler knows that when you say RMK, you’re talking about the most popular mountain machine of all time. While their popularity may have been diluted over the last few years, Polaris has retooled it and plans to make a statement in 2011.
