How to ride the pro?

FrequentFlyer · Sep 11, 2014

Looking for some advice....
I have been riding for 20+ years. My last Polaris sled was an Escape and then I bought a King Cat. Spent the last 8 years riding that sled and I loved everything about it. Wasn't anything left to mod on that sled and I realized last year that the years were catching up to me and I had to move on to something lighter.

So I picked up a 2014 Pro (163). My concern is that I spent a day on one a few years back and I struggled a little with it. I am so used to horsing a sled around that I just could not get a feel for it. Climbing and sidehilling felt normal, but in the trees and on those downhill-sidehill-turn it back up the hill manuevers I felt like I had never been on a sled before. Also, on those downhill-side hill situations where I was trying to pick a line in the trees, the sled felt like it was going to tip over. The sled seemed to really squat on the downhill ski if I stopped to pick a line.

Anyone on here remember back when you first switched to the pro? What riding style adjustments did you make? I have been told that you don't need to get on the uphill running board all the time and muscle it like the old sleds. Just ride straddled most of the time. But still, I know there are situations where you need more and that is where I think I was struggling. So does everyone go wrong foot forward in this situation? Are you using your arms more than your body? Am I over thinking this? It was in spring conditions so the snow was really setup, but I had 0 confidence in those tight technical conditions by the end of that day. Whereas, on my King Cat, I can put that sled anywhere on the hill that I want to be. Hoping I don't have a steep learning curve ahead of me.......

Thanks in advance for your help -

Sneak A Peak · Sep 11, 2014

Subscribed. Im in the same boat, current sled is a 2001 800RMK, 2015 on the way. Would love for this thred to take off...

Wheel House Motorsports · Sep 11, 2014

Honestly, get a few days on it, get into some terrain you feel confident on and practice the moves you know. Downhill turns, etc. The pro takes VERY little effort to ride. body position and rider input are going to be a lot different then the old sled. Its hard to say what exactly you need to do different. Just go out and try and "listen" to what the sled is telling you by how it reacts.

The pro, and all the new sleds are worlds easier to ride in technical terrain compared to an older sled. Just takes a minute to adapt to a new rider input. Learning a new sled in hardpack is scary, and expensive. Find some easy terrain and just let yourself relearn.

Quicksand · Sep 11, 2014

I started really using my body to make the sled work for me, wrong foot forward makes all the difference on a sidehill

The Fourth Wolf · Sep 11, 2014

I too went from an Edge to a Pro 163...and I fell off a lot at first from horsing the Pro.

Best advice I can give is give yourself a "square one" clinic before resuming your "normal" riding. Go find some powder and practice donuts and figure-8s.

Foot position and pressure is a big factor in the Pro's maneuverability. I'm 225 dressed to ride and it took me better than a season to figure out the sled is far more nimble (dare I say "flickable") when my weight is back from the footwells about a foot.

When crossing deep, open snow (meadow or lake) simply shifting your weight to one side while pulling up on the opposite hand grip will put the Pro into a shallow turn. The rest of this you already know.

Downhill turns? Get your feet back a bit and lay the sled over first, steer into the turn at first as you decelerate--you're kind of deliberately washing out the rear end. As the nose comes around, transition to a conventional countersteer as you accelerate out of the turn and back uphill. Go as slow as the hill will allow at first.

When all else fails get a copy of the Schooled series. Burandt lays out the techniques and pretty much makes the Pro monkey-proof.

Enjoy your new sled!

kylant · Sep 11, 2014

I went from my ’13 Proclimb to a ’14 Pro. It definitely is a different ride. It took me about 1 hour riding the reps Pro to get used to it. It is a very easy sled to ride. I can now ride much better and to places I could not ride my Proclimb with only 200 miles on the Pro.

Have fun!

BILTIT · Sep 11, 2014

The Fourth Wolf said:
I too went from an Edge to a Pro 163...and I fell off a lot at first from horsing the Pro.

Best advice I can give is give yourself a "square one" clinic before resuming your "normal" riding. Go find some powder and practice donuts and figure-8s.

Foot position and pressure is a big factor in the Pro's maneuverability. I'm 225 dressed to ride and it took me better than a season to figure out the sled is far more nimble (dare I say "flickable") when my weight is back from the footwells about a foot.

When crossing deep, open snow (meadow or lake) simply shifting your weight to one side while pulling up on the opposite hand grip will put the Pro into a shallow turn. The rest of this you already know.

Downhill turns? Get your feet back a bit and lay the sled over first, steer into the turn at first as you decelerate--you're kind of deliberately washing out the rear end. As the nose comes around, transition to a conventional countersteer as you accelerate out of the turn and back uphill. Go as slow as the hill will allow at first.

This sled also helped me realize how bad my back is/was, i was favouring one leg and the sled reacted because of it. It took me awhile to realize it wasnt a mechanical issue but a weight placement issue on my behalf.

When all else fails get a copy of the Schooled series. Burandt lays out the techniques and pretty much makes the Pro monkey-proof.

Enjoy your new sled!

I completly agree with this!

I am the same weight and was amazed how little body weight shifting was needed to make this sled react. It took me a season to get a good handle on small, slight weight transfer VS the old lean and yank on the EDGE chassis i rode the year before.

I have never ridden "wrong foot forward", i will be trying it this winter though. I found straddling the seat and just moving one foot back a foot and shifting weight was enough to make it do what i wanted without over doing it (different pressure on the handlebars also helps maneuver and control the movements).

The PRO also helped me realize how bad my back is/was, i was favouring one leg and the sled reacted to it. It took me sometime to realize it wasnt a mechanical issue and just my weight placement that was causing it.

boondocker97 · Sep 11, 2014

All you have to do is sit on the seat and push the gas! At least that's what I am told by every person who has never actually rode a sled :suspicious:.

I haven't spend a lot of time on a Pro, just jumping on my buddies quick once in a while, but I noticed similar characteristics to what these other guys are saying. Foot placement is very similar to the cat M series. For most maneuvers you will be about a foot back on the boards. To start downhill turns try moving up to the front or about 6" back, initiate the turn with just a bit of counter steer to get the sled rolling onto its side, when it does that then do a little hop back so you are 12-18" back and push the tail around, counter steer at the same and make the back end kind of pivot around the ski that is in the snow, turn the skis back straighter when you are starting to face the direction you want to go and it will kind of release from it's pivot and take off going again.

Starting to ride wrong foot forward takes a while to get used to. It took me about a full season to make the transition. I started doing it on the flats and moderate sidehills to get a feel for it and just slowly transitioned as it felt natural to me. Now that I have been doing it for a few seasons I can say that it is way easier to move around the sled when you are on one foot and the balance is way better. Much easier to react for line changes or hazards you come across. I suggest giving it a try.

SRXSRULE · Sep 11, 2014

Just ride it one handed, that's about all the effort it takes

These sleds pretty much go where ever your thinking in your head and they do it right before the thought comes into your head. Its kind of like ESP. only better.

Clearly I'm Joking....But not really. Once you spend just a little time on them its really amazing how easy they are to ride and how your not beat and worn out at the end of the day. I was on the Apex chassis for 6yrs and even boosted and 100lbs removed it still was a work out to muscle around and you felt it by the end of the day. The pro is kind of like cheating, it lets you pull lines through the trees that just shouldn't be possible

Eric

keithw · Sep 11, 2014

All good advice. For me this sled likes riding on one ski when you are in any type of technical riding scenario which wrong foot forward it the ticket. I tend to think of it like skis or a snowboard in the sense that you need to be on a edge to maintain control and predictability. Foot/body position as most have said is crucial.

AndrettiDog · Sep 11, 2014

Wrong foot forward is a powerful technique on these sleds...but...

I wouldn't start there. I would ride the sled standing (this is a different style than those old bath tub style sleds mentioned above). You need to find the balance point of pulling it on it's side left or right. This sled balances really well. Find an open field and with both feet down pull the sled to either side and practice riding holding it and riding it. I can do it in the parking lot barely moving. It becomes very easy. After you find the balance point you can do wrong foot forward more easily.

sled_guy · Sep 12, 2014

Ride it like you stole it?

sled_guy

takethebounce · Sep 12, 2014

I am going to a Pro this year after several years of being on Doo's, 04 Rev, 09 XP, 12 XP and can't wait to ride a sled that will actually let me ride it.

The changes in the XM just weren't enough for me to really master the sled and go that route. I am also a light guy at 155ish pounds not geared up so riding a Pro that requires less body English to manipulate the sled is a bonus.

I have had numerous hours of seat time on Pro's. Not having owned one it will take some time to gain the confidence of knowing what I can truly do on these sleds.

I agree that it is important to learn to use your body to move the sled. Don't try and steer. Biggest issue coming off a Doo is it is always counter steered and when I would jump on a RMK I would always be over compensating. I have found less steering and more input from weight shifting and changing body position is best. Some have said the sled responds better to standing further back in the foot wells. I think that depends on the situation. I find the Pro chassis to respond just as good when standing further back when comparing it to other sleds that you have to stand further forward.

The Pro can also be washed out and continue forward compared to out sleds. Once you wash out a Doo forget it. Don't be afraid to point yourself at the ugliest area you would never attempt in the past and see how well you do. The more aggressive you ride the sled the more rewarding it is to ride it.

Jaynelson · Sep 12, 2014

Pro likes a good amount of countersteer for downhill turns, etc.

FrequentFlyer · Sep 12, 2014

Thanks for all of the input guys - I really appreciate it. I talked to Jack Struthers last night when I picked it up, he said my problem is that I am going from my sled to the Pro and then back - he said it won't even be an issue for me since I am starting out the season with it... hope he is right.

He also said you just counter steer everything - but the way he described it was not exactly what I am used to for counter steering a sled (or at least not how I have thought about how I countersteer). He explained it more like how you ride a motorcycle. He said just push the opposite side of the bar forward. I used to ride a street bike and that is exactly how I would get it to lay over in a corner. So I will take all of this input and figure it out.

Interesting comments about rider position.... I have always ridden as far forward as possible. Makes sense that now that the weight distribution is more forward you would want to back off a little.

X3 track is under it and Carl's clutching is installed, now I just need some snow.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to give input, much appreciated.

Feel free to add more, I appreciate all the advice I can get.

Deep Powder Guy · Sep 12, 2014

Just let The sled do all the work and use your body as a counter weight as needed...Keep her pinned and they go anywhere.

DPG

WingNutRacing · Sep 12, 2014

haha

I went from a turbo Nytro to the Pro, talk about OVERRIDING it, haha.... Get in an open area and practice your balance and counter steering, then mess with your body, or foot placement, don't doubt this sled, it WILL do what u want.....

akgiauque · Sep 12, 2014

Three things I use or adjust to ride my pro; body english, rider position and sled adjustments. I messed with all three at first and found what worked for me.
With body english I would start with the head, a simple nod can pull the shoulders and point you up hill. I jerked left side hilling slightly on my Pro the first time like I would have on my IQ and did a 180. The input on my pro is much less, it is more finess than the jerking or horsing required on other sleds. It took a bit to get used to the light input of body english. I wzas used to an IQ and REV, I liked both BTW.
Rider position is the easiest for me, ride goofy foot, ride the rails or put your feet on the tunnel, see what works for you. Im a big guy and it took a bit to realize I did not need to keep all my *** mass outside the CG like on a REV or IQ. The input is less however a Pro will wash out and is harder to recover on the flat/ slight incline than a REV. for me this is due to rider position, with yoy feet planted the wider ski stance is acts as a rudder and digs in deeper. Making rcovery harder. IMO this is also why it is easier to sidehill the pro over the REV or IQ. on a steep turn Ill put my feet back to pull the skis up and spin the nose, does not always work for me, Im not a Burandt.
I messed with the adjustments to get my Pro tuned to me. The one thing that effected it the most was the handle bar position. I moved it back and forward and the CG moved a bunch as I adjusted my body weight to a comfortable rider position. It was a trenching machine moved back and was very hard to steer. As I moved it forward the axis of tilt adjusted and I found the sweet spot for me. About 1 incrament forward, this will depend on arm length.

TRS · Sep 12, 2014

A lot of good advice in previous posts. Just an added note. It's your dance partner, the straighter you stand the more control you have. If you want it to follow your lead you need finess not brut force. A lot of first timers have trouble from what I call the "tush push". It's common from riding older sleds, this also happens late in the day when PRO riders start to get tired. They start to push their hinny out changing their center of gravity. This in turn causes a loss in control, straighten up and all is good again. Keep this in mind when riding and you will notice a huge differance.

AdrenalineAddict · Sep 12, 2014

You will more than likely cuss it for a couple rides, they ride very flat. They are somewhat like trying to carve a 4'X8' piece of plywood with ski's through the tree's. I absolutely hated my Pro coming from an edge, but after a few rides I realized I couldn't ride this sled very well sitting in the seat. I learned I had to do a crapload more standup riding and work at getting the sled up on one ski which is very simple to do once you get the hang of it. After a few rides I loved the sled, holds a great line uphill, holds a great line down through the steep and gnarly, jumps up on the snow better than anything else out there. You'll grow to love it!!

How to ride the pro?

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