2014 polaris 550 fan... 144" indy.. What you think?

DustyRMK151 · Feb 6, 2014

I'm thinking about the new polaris indy 550 fan
With the 144" track... Pros / cons ??
Just to use as a trail sled.. 550 eng. any good??
Will be used mainly in the western u.p. Of Mi.

wjl · Feb 6, 2014

IMO save up some more money and get a 600 with liquid cooling and efi.
I rented a 600 Rmk 144 over Christmas (Houghton area) and the sled worked great. Better all around sled and in the end, if you can afford the extra $$ up front. ( compare on Polaris web site)
You will also eventually want to play a little off trail.
Check also on rentals or demos at the end of the season it may save some $$. Most come with some warranty.

DustyRMK151 · Feb 6, 2014

Thanks for input.. Money part isn't a issue.. Just a payment rite lol
Just can't see spending the $12k on a prormk 800.. For the little use it would get. Read a lot on the rmk 600 you rented.. Does sound like a sweet deal..
I have a doo xrs I use for trail and it's a blast.. And a rmk 151 for playing deep..
But that 550 144 sounds neat for some reason lolol

ullose272 · Feb 6, 2014

Fwiw i paid 10250 otd for my 14 800 pro

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mtnpull · Feb 6, 2014

The 550f is only a 60 HP motor and is pretty under powered for any experienced rider. The Polaris 550 has a horrible track record (reliability wise) since about 2007. Personally I would steer away from it and find either a used 600 rmk (125hp) or even better value is the summit 600 carb (110 hp). I have had very good experiences with both motors on dozens of rental sleds with up to 4000+ miles on them. Good luck.

Rider1958 · Feb 7, 2014

I bought a 550 Trail RMK a while back, still have it.
First time I rode it I wanted a more powerful sled.
On one ride the engine blew, only time I've ever had to walk out.
So I read up on 550 fan-cooled failures - lots of reading there.

With my experience with 550's, I'd say get the liquid-cooled 600....

T-Bone · Feb 11, 2014

This thread tells me all I need to know about whether I'll ever own a 550 polaris. Clicky.

Laundryboy · Feb 11, 2014

We have 2013 & 2014 550, I hope those problems have been fixed.

bkpa · Feb 25, 2014

I have a 2001 Trail RMK 550 with 6,300 trouble free miles and a 2012 Shift 136 550 with 4,500 trouble free miles. I picked up a 2014 550 144.

I love my fanners. They are a blast to ride. They also make you a better rider. You don't have the power to get out of situations so you have to think before you get into them.

Reeb · Feb 25, 2014

Those sleds have a problem when ridden in the mid range for extended periods of time. When you hold them WFO(like any fanner should be ridden) they are nearly bullet-proof.
Rings usually catch on the exhaust ports because of port configuration and disipation of heat problems. Feed them the fuel(WFO) and you won't have those issues.

wkocken · Feb 26, 2014

Reeb said:
Those sleds have a problem when ridden in the mid range for extended periods of time. When you hold them WFO(like any fanner should be ridden) they are nearly bullet-proof.
Rings usually catch on the exhaust ports because of port configuration and disipation of heat problems. Feed them the fuel(WFO) and you won't have those issues.

Is this advice still valid, or has this problem been addressed in the newer models? I have 2012 550 fan, and running wide open isn't an option for me. Seems like fuel injection could solve that problem, but at additional cost, of course.

Jackwilliams · Mar 9, 2015

I bought me a 2014 Indy 550 voyager in December 2013. Put long, used and abused 3100 miles on it so far. No problems at all! Although I changed the belt at 2k miles, changed a few spark plugs, new carbides.. My rope snapped at 2500 miles only cause my electric start was not working.. But I need to mention that I live in Alaska! When it was a blizzard this thing doesn't not work well unless you have carb tuning skills.. I use this thing to go hunting nearly every weekend.. My carbs froze a few times and those times I really needed the machine. Invested in "tempa-flow" but never had the time to put it on. The reason I wanted it cause the 550f is very reliable, lightweight and if you take care of it, it'll pretty much take care of you. The power, usual 550 power! Love the handling of it very easy to turn. I love Polaris models cause there light not like skidoo very heavy.. Looking to invest in a 600 for "automatic temp and election carburetor change" invest in a 600 dude. A lot more power.. But 550 more long term reliability!

Laundryboy · Mar 10, 2015

Does anyone know if there are any options to narrow the stance on theses 550s? I haven't tried yet but just visually it looks like an arm from an RMK would bolt right in place. I think my son would enjoy the ride more if it were a bit narrower.

Merlin · Mar 10, 2015

mtnpull said:
The 550f is only a 60 HP motor and is pretty under powered for any experienced rider. The Polaris 550 has a horrible track record (reliability wise) since about 2007. Personally I would steer away from it and find either a used 600 rmk (125hp) or even better value is the summit 600 carb (110 hp). I have had very good experiences with both motors on dozens of rental sleds with up to 4000+ miles on them. Good luck.

Is the poor track record related to actual engine issues or aux. components & tuning? I.E. oil injection problems & lean carb. settings

Reason I ask is that's what seems to be posted on the forums about the 550s.

Just curious?

cateye5312 · Mar 10, 2015

I've had a bunch of 550 fanners. I've never had one single engine issue with any of them.

I am looking at snowchecking 2 Indy Voyager 550 155's. Anybody have any experience with them? I ride a Pro RMK 800 but I think these 550's are going to be great all around cabin sleds to pull our crap back and forth with, they ought to be great sleds for my mom and dad to ride and also for the grandsons. The grandsons are about grown out of their 340's and I'm not ready to turn them loose on a 600 yet. Mom is about due for an upgrade -she's still riding a 2002 RMK 550.

And yeah you heard right - 4 generations on the snow! And we all ride.

So, any thoughts? Anybody own 'em? Love 'em, hate 'em? Why? The 155's come with some big a## skis on them. I like the look of that articulated rear skid. I think for kids, rookies and putt putters these are going to be the ticket.

Laundryboy · Mar 10, 2015

We have two 550s, a 2013 shift 550 and a 2014 Indy 550. The shift makes a great loaner sled. The Indy is much lighter and nimble. Both have been bullet proof. I just want to narrow the stance down as the Indy is 42.5" and my son is pretty challenged to get it on it's side.

Boreal · Mar 10, 2015

The pro-ride chassis 550s are great now. They were dogs before, but now that they are light they work great. We use them for work, and everyday they are driven hard and have had minimal problems. The local dealers are selling loads of them as work sleds here in the north. Much cheaper and lighter than the skandic / tundra option.

I have used them in deep snow conditions and they stay on top of the snow. Drive them with some care and you won't get stuck.

As a work and farm sled they are the best option right now. They work well in easy terrain in the mountains too.

I wish they would put the 155 on the basic model. The extra weight of the adventure model wrecks that option for me. It really does well with the 144 anyway though, but I would still like the 155.

tdi · Jan 28, 2018

Hi!
I am from Finland, and we have a very difficult terrains, like canada/alaska.
I have -15 rmk 800 i love it, but now is the third time when the tunnel cooler breaks out, and I am tired to walk home, or get towed and spend the entire weekend in the welding coolers back together...
Now you wonder how this is possible? I show you...
https://youtu.be/7Ns2LQBhxOE

My friend have skidoo tundra 550f and it's really reliable, never had any problems.
I love the 800 power and rmk driveability, but im very tired to fixin the liquid-cooled problems and overheating issues, so I thought thats it. i was thinking of switching my rmk to indy 550 -155. do you have good experiences with the new 550 reliability?

tdi · Feb 3, 2018

Now i got my new voyage 155. do you have any tricks what to do to improve engine durability? I was thinking of drilling a few small holes in the oil tank cap so that it can properly breathe.

Tomorrow I test it better, but the first impression seems brilliant!
I like it:face-icon-small-coo

tdi · Feb 5, 2018

After rmk it feels light and stable. I love it! :third:
The only big minus is running boards, they are really slippery!
It has Oil Bleed Kit stock, but i did small hole to oil fill cab breather.
What do you think about main jettin? It has 220# main jets, do you think should I put bigger jets or lift the needle?

2014 polaris 550 fan... 144" indy.. What you think?

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