Polaris innovations?

[rhalloran]

A friend and I were talking about sleds recently, and he said "Polaris is the leader in innovation, but not as reliable."

Huh. I like Polaris sleds a lot....but beyond clutch stuff in the 70s, I'm not sure that they're "leading innovation." I mean, they've had some really cool stuff over the years, but my perception is that BRP is kinda winning the "let's figure new junk out" race.

I'm not into brand warfare, I'll ride whatever - but the guy I was talking to is a pretty freaking smart dude (understatement) - if he says X=Y, there's a good chance he's right.

Anyone have thoughts? What's Polaris innovated in the past 20 years? Super light stuff, that's for sure.

?



RH

 

[joshkoltes]

The innovated a holz rear suspension, a cmx belt drive, and a timbersled scooter oh wait Maby they just bought em

 

[BLITZKRIEG]

Oh snap, secrets out about Polaris!

 

[89sandman]

I would say the 11 Pro was the most innovative sled produced lately. Ground breaking weight loss, cast bulkhead, carbon fiberish parts, springless rear suspension. All might not have been their own but they were the first to put them in a production sled. Just like the 13 and up boards and belt drive. Too bad sacrifices in durability also came with it...

 

[Jaynelson]

I would agreed that Doo is usually the first out with new toys. That said, if you look at a sled as a full package....the 2011 Pro was hands down biggest leap in the modern era. It made technical riding accessible and reasonable to an average rider, and totally next level for an expert rider. I remember when that sled came out Justin Cowett had a YouTube clip that just blew my mind on what was possible on a sled...let alone a stock sled. Totally started a new era and style of riding....that carries more weight to me than individual techy pieces and parts

 

[Drewd]

Poo innovated disposable engines.

Snowmobiling's 10 Most Important Designs

http://snowgoer.com/snowmobile-features/snowmobilings-10-most-important-designs/

 

[Timbre]

Poo innovated disposable engines.

Snowmobiling's 10 Most Important Designs

http://snowgoer.com/snowmobile-features/snowmobilings-10-most-important-designs/

That article brought back a few memories Those first liquid cooled sleds had maybe 40ish HP and we all thought they were a 'beast" at the time hahaha.

The engines of all brands have had their bad apples. I have personally seen and even participated in getting several of each brand out of the mountains.

 

[Pro-8250]

They invented Flickable. :face-icon-small-con

 

[revrider07]

Who invented perc?

 

[Marty UT]

Who invented perc?

BRP

 

[rkm]

I would say the 11 Pro was the most innovative sled produced lately. Ground breaking weight loss, cast bulkhead, carbon fiberish parts, springless rear suspension. All might not have been their own but they were the first to put them in a production sled. Just like the 13 and up boards and belt drive. Too bad sacrifices in durability also came with it...

08 XP was lighter, also had cast bulkhead, fiberglass has been used since the beginning of time in sleds, Cat had a skid without torsion spring 3 years earlier.

Cat innovates, BRP thinks way outside the box and Polaris refines.
The 11 PRO was no more than a really refined M7

 

[slyrydr]

they invented MANY new ways to cause a breakdown....and leave me stranded, hat's off to the engineering department (you and me) :face-icon-small-win

 

[Pro-8250]

They all break down. None are bullet proof.
Wasn't the RXL the first EFI?

 

[srw]

A little history

Yamaha produced the first cast bulkhead on the '97 sleds. They also had been using coil over shock suspensions for years before Polaris switched

 

[ak]

They all break down. None are bullet proof.
Wasn't the RXL the first EFI?

Yes and they ripped the originator of the Efi that tryed to sell it to them. Polaris went to court on that one and didn't win.

 

[mtncat1]

08 XP was lighter, also had cast bulkhead, fiberglass has been used since the beginning of time in sleds, Cat had a skid without torsion spring 3 years earlier.

Cat innovates, BRP thinks way outside the box and Polaris refines.
The 11 PRO was no more than a really refined M7

yeah all polaris did was take those ideas and concepts put them all together into a package that combines superior handing ,light weight. strength.and a chassis that get's up on top of the snow better than anything else out there ,and redefined what a high performance mountain sled is supposed to do .and made a led that the other three would give their left nut for . and that has left the other 3 manufacturers scrambling to duplicate their success . well i guess your right they are not innovators every body else was just leading from behind .:face-icon-small-dis

 

[Sleddergal]

Sled Comparison

Reliability really isn't an issue with any of the sled manufactures. They've all had issues at one time or another. If you look at the failure rates and warranty claims they are very low and down significately.

To really know what sled you should buy you need to ride them. They all offer different features which work with individual riding styles.

Polaris is one of the lightest sleds on the market and is very nimble. Horsepower to weight ratio they have the market beat.

Auburn Extreme Powersports (Polaris Dealer) has demo rides available and I'm sure the other dealers offer similar demo programs.

 

[Mafesto]

Polaris innovations?

Just not a phrase that is spoken of.
It's like saying unicorn with big balls.

 

[Pro-8250]

Yes and they ripped the originator of the Efi that tryed to sell it to them. Polaris went to court on that one and didn't win.

If my memory serves me right which is a rarity. :face-icon-small-hap
The originator was from California. Polaris was fined $8 million, and Fuji was fined $40 million. Don't hold me to it though. :clock:

 

[Jay]

I was told the ECU was directly off a 4 cylinder Subaru, they just used 3 circuits. Yes I had one, (2 actually) still have all the fuel injection components out in the barn.