Season Review of the Polaris Pro-RMK 155 2019
After an incredible season at the handlebar of the 2019 Polaris Pro-RMK 155, I must now give my end-of-season impressions. Many things were under the microscope all along the season, and we had surprises, good and bad. Let’s go find out!
Patriot
2019 is the first year that the new 850 Patriot engine is used in Polaris’s star snowmobile. It has been the subject of so many discussions since its introduction over a year ago, and we were excited to test it. We knew the performance would be better than the Cleanfire 800 engine, but I was much surprised by the Patriot’s low-speed throttle response. It does not accelerate too abruptly but delivers just the right power to perform a technical off-trail manoeuvre. In fact, during a few situations where I was on a mountainside, the engine was able to respond very well and get me out of trouble.
Also, I did several beautiful wheelies, courtesy of the 850 Patriot.
However, when you think about a new engine, you also think about the risk of a few problems. Indeed, after only thirty kilometers on the counter, we burned a spark plug. These are things that happen in running in. However, burning another one and then two others all at once is more worrying. Fortunately, Polaris confirmed that new programming will be used on the 2020 snowmobiles, and that it is also available for the 2019 models.
Suspensions
For 2019, it's also the first year of the front suspensions React. It makes it much easier to initiate off-trail moves. It is noticeable from the first off-trail manoeuvre. Those who have already driven a Pro-RMK know that you usually must give a little push for a side-hill, for example. React suspensions make this little push unnecessary and make the moves very fluid. It’s now so much more fun and easier to make big S in the deep snow! It is also a lot easier to control the angle of inclination. The most important thing with the arrival of the React is that we do not lose the great predictability of the Pro-RMK.
RMK becomes narrow with React suspensions.
This new feature has the disadvantage of making the Pro-RMK a little less stable on trails and especially in curves, sometimes even a ski lift. It’s a fully justified compromise as the Pro-RMK is not a trail snowmobile, so I support Polaris in this choice 100%.
Everyone Loves it
This sentence was a note for my season review, but it deserves to be a subtitle. Everyone who had the chance to try the Polaris Pro-RMK 155 850 managed to do some great manoeuvres even though they were sometimes beginners, but they also had fun driving it! However, there’s nothing to be surprised about, the Polaris has so many elements that make driving instinctive: the Axys platform, Axys suspensions, the Pro-Taper steering wheel, and so many other elements that I forget to mention.
Even though I already loved it, I couldn’t help but notice that the Hyfax XT rails and PowderTrac XT steps, exclusive to the 850 models, nearly eliminated snow accumulation, which is an incredible feature in deep snow.
The snow evacuation on both steps and rails is impressive! We see a difference with the XTs, exclusive to the Patriot models.
My Wish List
The thing that displeased me the most is undoubtedly the fuel indicator. Once full, it displays the ¾, then once almost empty, it displays the ¼, while when it is half-full, it displays the ¾ again. With the price of the snowmobile, I find that very unfortunate. There should an electronic meter available on other Polaris snowmobiles.
Another thing that would be easy to correct would be for the box above the meter to be waterproof. In terms of security, two small things. It would be a must to have a sound indicator and a standard tether cord so when you fall, the snowmobile stops immediately.
Let’s conclude: is the RMK the king of the mountains?
There is no doubt that when you take off with the Polaris Pro-RMK, you feel that it has several years of experience. It provides performance, predictability, but above all pleasure. With the arrival of the Patriot engine and various refinements in 2019, this snowmobile really stands out. Although we would like to see some changes, the fact remains that the Pro-RMK has taken every driver who has driven it this year to a new level, me first.
No matter what aspect of the mountain snowmobile I can think of, the Pro-RMK masters it. Side-hill, wheelies, and donuts are just a few examples!
I want to thank Polaris Industries for allowing us to test this fantastic snowmobile throughout the season!
