At the end of the 70’s, Polaris was continuously improving the performances of its race snowmobiles. After major successes in this matter, Polaris then wanted to bring this winning technology to everyone.
This is how the Indy is born. Produced from 1980, this is the first mass-produced snowmobile equipped with independent suspension. In fact, not many people know that the name Indy comes from this suspension IFS (Independent Front Suspension). This suspension added almost 20 lbs/9 kg to the machine, but highly improved stability and performance on hard and icy surfaces. Also, this model was specially efficient due to its excellent handiness compared with models offered by other manufacturers.
In 1980, the first Indy model was propelled by a 340 cc engine of less than 500 lbs, thanks to its aluminum chassis. Many compared this snowmobile to others with more powerful engine in matter of efficiency and transmission.
At that time, Polaris was also producing another model : the Centurion with a triple 500 cc engine. When Polaris decided to put this engine into the Indy chassis and to produce the Indy Centurion 500 in 1981, a legend was born. Thereafter, Polaris has been tremendously successful and dominated other manufacturers in regards of sales during more than a decade.
Over the years, there have been many editions of the Indy, such as : Centurion, Classic, Edge, Lite, RXL, SP, XC, XCR, XLT, Ultra, Storm, RMK, SKS, Sport, Super Sport, Trail, Voyageur. Add to this all the engines produced over the years, from the 2-cylinder 333 cc to the 3-cylinder 800 cc.
By the end of the 80’s, the triple 500 cc engine has been replaced by the 2-cylinder engine, which made the snowmobile even lighter and easier to handle. Polaris also offered a triple 650 cc engine for the Indy model. During those years, this snowmobile was one of the fastest on the market and it could reach about 100 mph / 160 km/h. On the early 90’s, few Indy models were equipped with electronic fuel injection.
Considering the huge success of this model in the 80’s, it received a serious remake in 1994, noticable by the headlamp and the more rounded front end of the snowmobile. Then, the Indy model disappeared in 2004 (replaced by the IQ) and was back in 2013 completely redesigned on the brand new PRO-RIDE chassis.
The Indy is a snowmobile that marked an era of glory for Polaris and a snowmobile that was very appreciated by its owners. In fact, the Indy is a benchmark that allowed Polaris to hold on in a growing snowmobile market and to become the company we know today. I think that Polaris understood it pretty well by using again some vintage names and colors for some of its latest snowmobile editions.
Concerning the Indy models of these days, Polaris still keeps the same vision. The Indy is an excellent trail snowmobile that is reliable, lightweight, efficient and easy to handle with excellent quality/price ratio. Unlike other manufacturers, Polaris is the only company that offers only 2-stroke technology.
Whether it is a vintage model or a new model, you will still see Indy snowmobiles on trails for many years to come.
