Another Year, Another Battle! These Guys Think They’re Right. What Do You Think?
WINNER: INDY XCR 129 850
Well sno-mo-friends – not including Kent – there’s been precious few new sleds hit the snow this decade that have rung the bell louder than the new Indy XC platform and, in particular, the 2020 Indy XCR 850.
Let’s get right down to the nitty-gritty here (Kent: That means, “let’s be honest”). The XCR moniker is legitimately iconic with a rich racing image and a performance aura that reaches way, way back.
The new Indy XCR 129 with 850 power is poised to continue this rich heritage. If you’re wondering about straight up and down the lake performance, this sled hauls the mail and does it with finesse. No windshield vibes, no cowl shake and an unrepentant top end surge that runs the digi-display past 100-per in a blink.
All this sounds good, and it is, however there’s way more for the discerning buyer of an XCR 850. The suspension is downright telepathic.
After setting up the premium Walker Evans to suit your individual style, you’ll be clearing approaches and shredding ditches like a Polaris factory cross-country racer. This sled is delivered to the market with the capability to run hard and fast on ungroomed surfaces.
If this was all the Indy XCR was about, everything would be cool. But it’s not. The handling prowess of the AXYS chassis is not one of, not maybe, but the best handling platform in the industry.
The variable castor response of the XC’s IFS is predictably strong mid-turn and like a synapse-icle (Kent, I’ve created a clever word play here for your benefit) extension of your body on corner exit.
If you had the insight to Snow Check an 850 Indy XCR you could have ordered it with the sport’s only in-dash GPS system and digital display covering all critical functions. This 7-inch screen is the benchmark in the biz for readable and complete information acquisition. BTW, Polaris now lists a 1.25 Ice Ripper as an option for Snow Checkers.
Clearly the Indy 850 XCR is worthy of this award – and so with great pleasure we knight the new Indy XCR 850 as this year’s Best Ultimate Performance 2-stroke.
– Mark
RUNNER-UP: 850 SKI-DOO RENEGADE X-RS 137
Anyone who’s spent any time riding a Ski-Doo equipped with an 850 E-TEC knows how stout that engine is and how hard it accelerates.
However, this category isn’t just about the engine. Ski-Doo’s 137-inch maximum version, called the X-RS, addresses one of the biggest problems riders with sleds with this much power struggle with: Traction!
C’mon, Mark, what’s the sense of having a sled with 850 power if it won’t hook up? Yes, I know, you’ll say: “Shut up and just stud the track!”
But what about all those riders who don’t want a studded track or furthermore, don’t want to spend the hundreds of dollars required to do it? Ski-Doo’s factory studded 1.5 Ice-Ripper on this 137-incher is the perfect solution.
Not to mention all the goodness of running-board-mounted damping and preload adjustment, a pDrive roller clutch pairing and, oh yes, rMotion!
If you’re as wise as you tell everyone you are, this should have been your choice.
– Kent
