Ride review of the new 850

So are you saying if I go ahead and pull the trigger I wont be disappointed?

doudea said:

I got to throw a leg over an 850 yesterday, and thought I’d share my thoughts. It was a RMK 850 running the 163 2.6 track, with the monotube shocks. The new engine is a tank, it just keeps building power on step long pulls. Seriously a huge improvement over the 800 throughout the whole power band. I found it deceiving how powerful it really is because the power is so linear. Jumping back on my turbo 16 running 7lbs, is when I realized how much power the new engine is producing. With that, the new front end impressed me as much or more than new engine. Initiating and holding side hills is much improved over my 16 axys 163. The new sled is nimble, precise, and predictable. Found it surprisingly easier to hold technical lines than my 16. Which in my opinion is a compliment of the robust linear power and the improved geometry of the front end. Polaris hit a home run in my opinion. This sled most definitely raises the bar in the mountains.

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What are you running for a front end on your '16?

I am loving my Raptor 37r front end so I am sure a stock one will be great as well!

Mine is 36 unloaded and 37 CTC static loaded.

The 850 sounds promising for sure. I was considering 3 options
1. RMK 850
2. ALPHA 1
3. Holdover 800 with BD sidekick turbo.
Decisions decisions :juggle::juggle:

doudea said:

Zbroz 39” front end, on the stock clicker shocks. So as a comparison to after market narrow front ends it’s not a direct comparison.

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You know what I am running - we chatted on FB.
The K mod 37 is a different world of handling- and the raptors make it that much more. But ya cannot beat the torque of the 850.. Again. Good write up..

Got to ride 3 different 850 today. 174, 163 with 3" and one wth 2.6. I ride a 16 with sidekick so I'm not the best to compare the engine. But I thought it pulls really nice. It just keeps climbing.. I didn't think it fell as snappy as the skidoo. But the rep told us that all 3 sleds had different mapping and they're still working on figuring it out which one will work best
One thing I like about skidoo is how easy it is to turn back uphill but the skidoo is terrible riding on the trail. I felt the poo's new front end now turns much easier on the hill, but felt so much better on the trail. Felt very stable
For me that was the deciding factor. I was actually planning to get a doo, I'm getting older and I'm no pro rider. I feel like I have to fight my axys sometimes to make it go where I want it. The doo felt less tiring to ride. But the new front end fixed that for me. Very happy about that. Staying with poo

Got to spend some time on a couple 850’s yesterday. Good snow and the sleds were a 163x3 and a 174x3. Ive mostly been riding a 163x2.6” and a 174x3” this year, just for reference.

My biggest fear going in to this was that I would be searching for differences between the 850 and 800 if the traits weren’t “in your face.” 1 minute on the sled and it was obvious that wasn’t going to be an issue...you will NOT mistake the 850 for an 800 axys. The power difference is notable right from the bottom end, and becomes more apparent the longer you stay in it. Keep on it and the speed just keeps building. We weren’t in big terrain, and finding somewhere you could stay in it for a length of time was a bit tricky...compared to the 800 I brought that you could hold wide open quite a bit more. So that was telling of how much more juice was on tap. You actually feel like you have more grip, as the larger motor has way more zap off the bottom and come the mid range you can loft the skis as much as you like.

Comparing the 800 174 with the 850 174 was cool...on the 800 the 174 works great, but the big track takes a bit of the fun factor away, as it just doesn’t spool up as quick. On the 850, the bigger track doesn’t seem to phase it...response seems very similar and it totally injects more fun in to that machine. Pick the front end up and point it whatever direction you want...no big deal!

The 163x3 was a riot tho...want to keep things mellow? Sure, lean forward a bit. Want to ride wheelies over everything (and still maintain speed)? Sure, lean back a bit. Pop the front end up to turn out...no prob. The new front end took a few minutes to dial my head in to not over riding it...it reacts significantly quicker and more aggressively than the previous machine. Downhill pow turns (personal fave) were much easier to initiate, and quicker to link up.

With the skis set on the narrow stance (how these all were), it wants/needs to be ridden aggressively. Being lazy and trying to cross a mellow side hill just by leaning (while keeping sled on “all fours”) doesn’t really work. It wants to be sidehilled...but thankfully, that’s so easy it’s not a thing. I think I would center the ski spacers and give that a whirl.

Overall, my consensus was...power difference = more than expected. Handling difference = more than expected. Increased fun factor = ...you get the idea. I can’t see anyone being disappointed with their snow check!

Question for you guys that have ridden the 850.

I'm curious how responsive and quickly engine rev's on light throttle engagement on the 850 say right off clutch engagement in that 4,000-4,500ish RPM???

This seems to be the biggest improvement of the 2018 Axys 800HO that I notice versus the Pro motor of 2013-2015 and even the 2016 800HO's I have ridden. I just can't get over how much more torque, the pull, and how quickly the engine rev's on the 2018's.

Is this the same or better with the 850?

Not sure if you guys noticed that as well but I thought the 850 had quite a bit more engine brake. Pushed me forward a few times when letting go of the throttle.

I also got to ride the 3 sleds in Revy Fri/Sat. Being extremely happy with all apects of the 16-18 RMK I had 2 major concerns with the realease of the new model. 1) The initial response of the Axys 800 is unparalleled in my opinion and I was concerned heavier rotating mass of a larger engine would impact this. WRONG! Initial response is as good as the 800 and after the familiar snap in the first 10ft of WOT is when things change drastically, the 850 seems to be clutched aggressively and hunker down and yank when the 800 starts to sign off.
2) I was concerned the 36” front end would give up the stability and consistency that I loved about the 16-18 95% WRONG. The the machine is significantly easier to maneuver and crazy responsive. Steering effort is drastically reduced. The only minor negative to that is it was a bit quicker to lift the inside ski cornering on the trail. This is to be expected but still out handles any 36” front end I’ve ever ridden and doesn’t do the floppy noodle like the yellow guys through the whoops and ruts.

Came in to the ride anticipating (and would be satisfied with) a slight improvement over the current machine and left knowing Polaris hit this out of the park.

Can’t wait to get one one full time!

LL

diamonddave said:

Question for you guys that have ridden the 850.

I'm curious how responsive and quickly engine rev's on light throttle engagement on the 850 say right off clutch engagement in that 4,000-4,500ish RPM???

This seems to be the biggest improvement of the 2018 Axys 800HO that I notice versus the Pro motor of 2013-2015 and even the 2016 800HO's I have ridden. I just can't get over how much more torque, the pull, and how quickly the engine rev's on the 2018's.

Is this the same or better with the 850?

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I would say the same, but with more meat to it. The engine feels much more electric off the bottom....smaller throttle inputs give you more forward movement at low speeds off engagement...if that makes sense.