Thoughts of the new RMK so far

[dirtyrice]

At first I was not sure the new sled was better than my 2010 M8 I rode last season. The M8 was and still is a tough sled to beat. Previously I only had 153s and the new sled is a 163 so quite a bit more track than I'm used to. The RMK feels like the motor is not as powerful as the M8 but part of that is turning more track (163s turn slower obviously). Even though the M8 feels stronger the RMK climbs just as well if not better than my previous sled.

It lays over and carves just like an M chassis and you can hold a sidehill forever on it just like an M sled. Unlike the previous Polaris chassis it is completely predictable in almost any situation. The little bit I rode on a Dragon I noticed it would sometimes just spit you right off the sled because it over reacted subtle changes in snow conditions or ski position, which the new RMK does not do.

I wasn't completely sold on this sled being "all that" until yesterday in Cantwell. I took it into a big bowl with steep sides and started sidehilling. I was able to pull moves that I never could have gotten away with on my M8. Uphill, downhill and sidehill 180 degree turns and the track never washed out from underneath me.

It also gets much better gas mileage and uses much less oil than im used to. The new ETIC from skidoo probably get slightly better gas mileage but honestly if fuel economy is such a big deal go buy a f'ing Prius and see how well it towes a sled

All in all. I would say if you are looking for a new mountain sled this season. Look no further.

[Summit800]

Sounds like you have convinced yourself,

[dirtyrice]

It took some doing to get me to buy into it. I was Arctic Cat thru and thru after my last sled, but from what I can tell the big three all have really good sleds this year. Ive heard the 2011 M8 got its suspension reworked to make it not beat you to death on the trail (the biggest complaint about the M chassis) and the XP got its stance narrowed so it rolls over much easier than previous models (that was my biggest issue with the XP chassis).

The Cat and the Doo have more power than the RMK but for me the ultra narrow body of the RMK makes a noticeable difference on the sidehill. My money is next year Cat will put out a new sled for their 50th anniversay, then Doo will put out a new chassis in 2013 and my sled will be obsolete! Gotta love capitalism.

[crazyleg]

I picked up a pro-rmk 155 and love the heck out of it, passed over 300 miles yesterday. I ride mostly with m-8 and hcr's and at no point do I feel like I have less power. For the techincal deep powder mountain riding that I do this sled is the best one I've owned.