2019 sled being released next week.

Don't have kids, so this is academic, but I'd have to agree with the "nay" votes. They've just turned the shrink-ray on the back half of an Indy 550 and called it the best thing since sliced bread. 409 lbs? So, basically the same as a Pro-RMK? In the end, because they've used so much off the shelf, they've built something too big and heavy for its target audience. How many 14-year-old girls are going to be able to dig this out? Guess daddy better keep close. Also, a 550 with an electronic limiter is a clear "the accountants said 'no'" indicator. What they needed, but didn't want to spend the money on, is a ~350 twin with a lightweight drive (direct drive might make sense), true 3/4 chassis, and tween-size seat and handlebars. Definitely should be <350 lb, pushing 300 ideally.

If I did have a kid the size this sled is targeting, I'd be buying them an old Indy trail and modding out the seat and handlebars to fit them. $1500 vs $5200 and effectively the same performance (or better, with all kinds of track, ski, and suspension options). ~420 lb is the empty weight for an old Trail; a seat and skis alone would bring it even with this. Plus the kid is probably going to find some way to wreck it – way cheaper to fix an old Indy. Why again would a parent spend the money on this?

As a parent with two young kids learning to hopefully be sledheads right now, I don't see the value in this offering from Polaris. I just moved my 5 yr old onto an Indy 120 this fall and the 3 yr old is learning on the Kitty Kat. This IMO is the perfect step in sled capabilities in learning snowmobiling. The 200 will be next in the garage; after that remains unknown.

I'm sure the aftermarket crowd will develop some helpful mods for the Evo. However, the initial cost and what it will take to be a capable machine to be in the garage for more than a couple years, the Evo will likely loose favor to the existing used sled market as a more attractive option.

I really think this is a real joke.
As many have said it is way to heavy,will smoke like a chimney and stink like a damn 2 stroke stinks.
I feel they are just doing a job to get rid of old parts bin material and put lipstick on a pig.

Heavy.
Lousy track.
Lame motor.


Seems like a rushed, and not well-thought-out attempt at a kid's sled.

Attn. Polaris Industries

Given the feedback so far it's safe to assume the EVO does not satisfy the expectations of the majority of our forum members.

If we are to assume that Polaris Industries monitors these forums then it would be a good idea for everyone to speak up now so P.I. can see where they missed the mark.

Polaris Industries, I agree 100% with Bushwacker1's comments below, they echo my sentiments exactly.

I ride in western AB & eastern BC. I have 2 boys that I'm introducing to the sport of snowmobiling & require a youth / entry level machine with deep powder / off trail capabilities.

If you were to produce such a machine I would be a potential customer.


For your information & action........

Bushwacker1 said:

This release does provide for the trail market but does not address the deep powder market at all. I believe there are more sales to be made in the powder market than the trail market, as the trail market is currently full of used options to put young riders on as long as Dad has some basic wrenching skills.

This could be a great starting point for a EVO RMK if a few more pounds could be removed while adding track length and changing to a lighter powder skid. With the newest track technology and a light weight skid I believe 409Lbs is possible for base model RMK. Then offer the Pro RMK model option to get it down to 365 and now the sled I have been asking for is available. They better hurry up though because soon my kids will be big enough to put on a full size sled.

So close but not quite there yet. Polaris are you reading this?

Click to expand...

I know this a mountain forum but this sled was built for trail riding. There are 600,000 registered sleds in MN,WI, and MI. More in these three states then all of the western states combined Polaris is a corporation they think money first. Just not enough market for 3/4 mountain sled at $5000 price tag.
Pretty lame thou for the sled not be efi this day and age thou.

In the live Instagram feed yesterday one of the engineers said this has been in the making for 10 years or abouts. :face-icon-small-con, are you kidding me! Most of the savvy forums members on here could have come up with something better no problem. I agree the west/mtn segment is were this new youth sled should have been targeted towards. Trail sleds/midwest riding is on a decline I would think as we don't get snow anymore. Anyway a AXYS chassis with a 136 length track could have been a great starting point I think.

-AXYS chassis
-136 length
-smaller fuel tank for lighter weight & better youth ergonomics
-revised steering post/handlebars
-lower seat, heck I am 6 foot & want this for my RMK!!!
-engine should be fuel injected, this is 2018!

I suppose it’s a totally fine machine in the east. Just not in the mountains ...given the track choice and Indy name, safe to say this was not intended to be a mountain machine. We were just hoping it may be.

When will we see the final lineup of Polaris this year?

Some of you guys would complain because the beer is too free.

The 550 2 cycle engine..... Makes sense. Lighter, less expensive and more powerful than 4 cycle. When this engine no longer has enough power, it's time for a full size snowmobile.

Carburetors..... Less expensive than fuel injection.

Pro body work instead of Axys..... Get a grip, it's a kids sled. If the little piss bisquit doesn't like it you have failed at your most important job... Parenting

Track size..... Once the kid is capable for deep snow riding she/he needs a deep snow sled, and this ain't it.

Weight..... Of course there's technology out there to build this same sled 40 poinds lighter....and $2,000 more expensive. You all know that business model wouldn't work.

The biggest telltale red flag of a keyboard expert is sayings that start with "They should". You know what? If it's that simple, YOU SHOULD!

For those of you with deep pockets wanting your mini-me on a state of the art pocket rocket mountain sled, have one built for him. I'm sure there are members on here capable and willing to do it for the right price.

Hat's off to Polaris for trying to please you people.

Should have done a 155 track option, other than that pretty cool

Mafesto said:

Some of you guys would complain because the beer is too free.

The 550 2 cycle engine..... Makes sense. Lighter, less expensive and more powerful than 4 cycle. When this engine no longer has enough power, it's time for a full size snowmobile.

Carburetors..... Less expensive than fuel injection.

Pro body work instead of Axys..... Get a grip, it's a kids sled. If the little piss bisquit doesn't like it you have failed at your most important job... Parenting

Track size..... Once the kid is capable for deep snow riding she/he needs a deep snow sled, and this ain't it.

Weight..... Of course there's technology out there to build this same sled 40 poinds lighter....and $2,000 more expensive. You all know that business model wouldn't work.

The biggest telltale red flag of a keyboard expert is sayings that start with "They should". You know what? If it's that simple, YOU SHOULD!

For those of you with deep pockets wanting your mini-me on a state of the art pocket rocket mountain sled, have one built for him. I'm sure there are members on here capable and willing to do it for the right price.

Hat's off to Polaris for trying to please you people.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't it be a great project to customize a sled for deep snow with your son or daughter? Being able to buy a new sled of this size is great there is not many phasers left in the system. This is also at a price point for a family to buy and not break the bank.

I applaud Polaris for this, it bridges the gap between the 120, 200 and full size. That 550 fan is a tried and true power plant that has quite a bit of snort for what it is and at a price you can afford and with enough shared components of newer sleds you can still get parts for them, if your kid needs a 155 track or a fuel injected motor that is what the 600 is for.

Mafesto said:

Some of you guys would complain because the beer is too free.

The 550 2 cycle engine..... Makes sense. Lighter, less expensive and more powerful than 4 cycle. When this engine no longer has enough power, it's time for a full size snowmobile.

Carburetors..... Less expensive than fuel injection.

Pro body work instead of Axys..... Get a grip, it's a kids sled. If the little piss bisquit doesn't like it you have failed at your most important job... Parenting

Track size..... Once the kid is capable for deep snow riding she/he needs a deep snow sled, and this ain't it.

Weight..... Of course there's technology out there to build this same sled 40 poinds lighter....and $2,000 more expensive. You all know that business model wouldn't work.

The biggest telltale red flag of a keyboard expert is sayings that start with "They should". You know what? If it's that simple, YOU SHOULD!

For those of you with deep pockets wanting your mini-me on a state of the art pocket rocket mountain sled, have one built for him. I'm sure there are members on here capable and willing to do it for the right price.

Hat's off to Polaris for trying to please you people.

Click to expand...

X2

Enough with the bitching. All you ladies sound like a bunch of girls that is having your 11 yr old birthday party and crying cause mommy got the pink unicorn for you and you wanted the purple unicorn!

If all you internet heroes think your 13-15 yr old needs a 136 to follow daddy with his 174" turbo in the steep and deep, then I think you need to step aside and reevaluate the big picture. I recommend you signing up for that once a week class where everyone sits in a circle and you say "HI, I'm George, I think I know everything about snowmobiling, and think I need turbos for all my sleds."

I'll be honest that I was expecting a 400 or 440. I'm supper stoked that the industry is starting to look back at the early-aged teenagers that need a sled.

Also how many times have these manufacturers introduced a new chassis/sled and the first year was a short track trail sled and the following year is a mountain version? I'm seeing the return of the Trail RMK!

My first actual sled was in Dec '97 when I was 16, and it was a 1990 Jag 440 and I rode it in the mountains. Yes I didn't get far off trail, but I knew better.

edgey said:

I know this a mountain forum but this sled was built for trail riding. There are 600,000 registered sleds in MN,WI, and MI. More in these three states then all of the western states combined Polaris is a corporation they think money first. Just not enough market for 3/4 mountain sled at $5000 price tag.
Pretty lame thou for the sled not be efi this day and age thou.

Click to expand...

The not enough market for a 3/4 sled was one of the talking points every time I bent someone's ear from Polaris at a snow show or new model release get together.

The cost of research, development, and tooling to do this may very well be the reason we will not see a true 3/4 sled.

However this does not change the fact that they have parts on the shelf (Axys Pro RMK) that can be used to bring an EVO RMK PRO to market that is in the mid 300 pound range.

The answer I have received that the light weight parts are very expensive is a cop out when you consider that using these parts requires no added R & D / tooling costs to bring this sled to the consumer. All the research and development costs as well as tooling for these parts has already been realized. Increasing the volume of usage will bring the cost on these parts down for the 550 RMK as well as the 600/800.

The mountain segment is all about weight, power to weight, the effort needed to dig out a sled, and the effort needed to maneuver a sled. The light weight stuff has been marketed as a premium very successfully for some time now, but at some point it needs to be standard issue for all RMK sleds.

The concern over build volume needed should only be a consideration if they were on the hook for a complete new model with R&D and tooling costs to recoup, and using existing available parts should exclude this factor. Polaris has shown they are more than capable of limited builds thru the snow check program. The non shelf parts I see needed are as follows.

New technology version of the 155 track in a 136,141,or 144 what ever is determined to be the best choice. (The 141 1.6 cobra is already available @ 41 pounds if you don't want to pay for tooling for a new light weight track), smaller tank/ lower seat (already available from the new EVO), narrow light weight A arms (these could also be sold as an accessory to fit the full size RMK for those who want to narrow up their ride/ or cut a deal with an aftermarket company that already makes them), new shorter rails to use with the existing RMK skid (current skid can be shortened to 141 without rear arm relocation), new tunnel to fit the new track length (there may be one available already being used on another 550 model, or just add an extension to the new EVO tunnel and provide for RMK style running boards), New quick drive sprockets for needed gear reduction(existing belt could be used if a belt tensioner is installed).

I am sure there are a few more new parts that would be needed but I still see this as using 95% off the shelf parts to build an EVO PRO RMK. Build only enough sleds to fill snow check and do not push sleds on the dealers they do not think the will be able to sell.

Set a base price near the trail EVO and offer snow check options to get this sled to the mid 300 pound range.
If the 3/4 size RMK sled everyone is asking for but just cant be done due to low volume mathematics then do the next best thing with what is available.

I have cringed on several occasions when I have had dealers tell me how so many are putting 10 year olds on a 125 HP 600.

The first MFG to offer a sled to fill this void will most likely own the market and also start the brand loyalty with the kid ridding it that will sell sleds in the future.

Even if the margins are low someone should acknowledge that sometimes you have to invest into the future to succeed in the future.

Polaris are you reading this.


.

revrider07 said:

Wouldn't it be a great project to customize a sled for deep snow with your son or daughter? Being able to buy a new sled of this size is great there is not many phasers left in the system. This is also at a price point for a family to buy and not break the bank.

Click to expand...

I'm kind of in the same vein of thought, but with a used sled. Around here, if you know where to look, you can find plenty of low-mile sleds in great shape. My brother bought a '94 500 SKS with 1600 miles from a friend for $900 a couple years ago. Another guy I know is selling a 700 and an Indy trail (the trail has barely been ridden). You could make over any number of sleds for half the money of this and come up with something more capable and better customized to the rider. Also, you can keep the full-size seat, handlebars, and such for when they grow.

Another thing, if you want a kid to be a truly competent rider, there's no better place to start then refurbishing an old sled. They can learn how all the pieces work together, see where maintenance comes into play, and hopefully develop a sense of the mechanical aspects of riding that otherwise take years of trial and error. Also, forgive me for the "I grew up with nothing" story, but I didn't get to ride snowmobiles until I was an adult. I was 25 when I started riding, and even at 34 I'm still running old sleds and don't plan to buy a new one until I can pay cash. So, you can bet if I'm in a position to buy a sled like this, my kid is going to have to prove themself on something not so shiny and new first.

Getting back to this sled, the argument that there's not enough market to build a true 3/4 sled is valid, but doesn't help the case. I'd bet this sled proves to be a case of "little ventured, little gained." They'll sell some, maybe even enough to turn a nice profit, but the sales will be based far more on the "shiny new toy" prospect than actually hitting the mark. Yeah, R&D to "do it right" would cost a lot, but if another maker ponys up for it, this sled will sell about as well as a boat anchor. A 3-400 fan twin and a drive built around that power level would be much lighter, less expensive in any kind of volume, and help fill a niche in the full-size market. So it's not like the youth market has to pay for all of it. Dare I say too, it may be a good time to invest in a new four-stroke. Also, with regard to a mountain sled, you need something much lighter for a smaller rider to be able to use it. Any 80lb kid can drive any sled around on a trail, but in a lot of situations it's just not enough weight to handle things off-trail on a 400lb machine.

Ultimately, you have to follow the market, but it just seems in the time I've been snowmobiling and following the trends that Polaris (and others) are being purely reactionary. The only innovation I see is being driven by the mountain market, and even there things seem to be stagnating (the 800 twin has been the dominant powerplant for almost 20 years now, for example). Maybe it's symptomatic of a shrinking market, but the thinking behind sleds like this seems aimed at holding onto that and hoping it comes back on its own rather than driving up demand and seeking out new customers.

550 Fan Axys 155

A kids/teens sled should teach a kid how to ride, not take them anywhere dad goes with a push of the throttle and a death grip. Some people forget the fun part about having to earn a hill or deep snow with technique. I think this is a step in the right direction, but it can always be improved. Just put the 550 fan in the Axys 155 chassis. Use a 1 inch paddle track, shorter seat, shorter bars, drop the liquid cooling parts (lighter tunnel), and a few more tweeks and you would have a good teen setup. I use to have a blast on a1999 trail RMK 550 back in the day following my dad's 700. With a light weight kid on there it could be impressive.

My first trip to west Yellowstone was on a ss 440 Yamaha. Guided by a gentleman of age that had been ridding there since 1968. Sleds have came along ways. Could not go far off trail but was hooked on powder since. If I would have saved all the money spent on sleds and trips I could retire today but I would not trade it for all the fun I have had with family and making lifetime friends across the west. If winters would cooperate in the Midwest sled sales would increase dramatically. This sled helps fill avoid that was needed at a fair price point. So when will we see the rest.

In the Polaris line up, the next bigger sled from the Evo is the 550 Indy 121. It is almost the same sled it appears but as a full size version. It also retails for $6,999. I think Polaris did pretty will if they can come to market with this smaller sled for $1800 cheaper.

Here you go a 550 fan with a 163. They have taught a lot of kids how to ride. I built 2 of them in ‘08 for my 7 year old Grandkids. We had an 11 year old girl on it for 3 rides and she went places today many adults can’t or won’t.
It’s a confidence booster. This is what the youth need. If you put them on an overpowered or under tracked sled they become frustrated and so do you. When that happens they have a tendency to quit.