First off big thanks and congratulations to Polaris. I fully expected to get some minor refinements and maybe some color changes from there Mountain sleds. This would have been fully justified and expected after all the major updates they brought to market last year. So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to see the new 9R. The Khaos with 9R engine quickly became one of my absolute favorites for all of Snowshoot.
Between the new 9R and the Patriot Boost, Polaris has essentially eliminated the need to look at aftermarket options to add more power. They have given us true mountain mod power with a factory warranty. The 9R is incredibly impressive and boasts a 7 percent power bump over the 850 Patriot while being 1.2 pounds lighter, which is always better in the Mountain world. It also has a lighter flywheel which helped this motor achieve an incredibly quick feel and a very noticeable difference over the 850.
My favorite package for this new motor was on the Khaos, what a fun combination. The Khaos is more playful and a bit more wild than the standard Pro. The Khaos and the 9R made for the perfect combination in my opinion. I at first wondered if there would be that dramatic of a difference in feel between the 850 Patriot and the new 9R. There absolutely was and I loved every bit of it. The 9R felt incredibly smooth yet packed a much bigger punch than the 850. It was snappier and popped up onto the snow quicker. The snow conditions did not let us fully test the motors capabilities, but I believe it will also shine in the deep powder.
For me the 9R was a clear winner over the Patriot Boost. The 9R is initially quicker gets out of the hole faster and feels lighter and more playful. You can really feel the weight and power of the Patriot Boost and on blower powder days or climbing big chutes it would be the perfect option. For my riding the 9R gives me the perfect bump in power over the 850 with a nimble and responsive motor. The Boost while very fun is a lot to hang on to and not needed in most conditions. It is a bit more difficult to ride and you will find yourself more worn out and tired at the end of the day hanging onto the boost as opposed to the 9R.
Track length was another surprise for me and in talking with some of the Polaris Engineers they seemed to agree. I started snowshoot thinking the sweet spot for a track is 163. I left fully convinced the 155 is my choice. The 155 had zero issues getting up on the snow and really felt nimbler than the 163. The engineers made a comment that the chassis changes really helped with floatation making the longer track less necessary.
Overall, the Khaos 155 9R was one of my favorites at snowhsoot and should be right at the top of the list if you are considering a new sled. This package was not only a ton of fun but very capable in all terrain. It was also a sled you could ride for multiple days without getting sore and tired. It was really effortless and fun.
