AJ hits the trail and reignites his love for 600cc powered class sleds as he tests the 2019 Polaris 600 INDY XC 129.
Supertrax Magazine Co-Publishers and Brothers Kent and Mark Lester are at it again bickering and arguing about their picks for the annual Supertrax Best In Class Awards!
WINNER: 2019 Polaris Indy XC 850
Here we go again, same stuff, different year with Kent attempting to thwart my enlightened, rational and intelligent pick in the industry’s most profiled segment: Ultra Performance. No brainer, Kenny – it’s the Polaris Indy XC 850 hands down, running away.
Of course, out of basic respect for Kent’s plight as a less informed sno-mo-journalist I will now espouse boilerplate rationale for this incredibly obvious selection in our annual brother clash.
First, this new 850 Patriot rocks. It’s the smoothest running, smoothest idling, smoothest accelerating hyper-powered sled ever – and that includes some notable 4-strokes.
The new 850 literally shortens Kevlar Lake, leaving the pilot time to check emails while waiting for the other 850 horde to arrive.
Next, and please pay attention here Kenny, the new XC chassis is a near-perfect melding of the AXYS front clip and the all-new Pro CC shock-in-skid full tunnel rear suspension. Pro CC raises the bar in the Ultra Performance segment.
Ride quality here is – and this must be stated clearly, legitimately comparable to the benchmark Ski-Doo rMotion with one exceptional exception.
Pro CC is coupled in such a way it allows the chassis to corner – either throttle chopped, dragging the brake to the apex or on the gas, tail out, powersliding past the exit with virtually no inside ski-lift.
Without hesitation I knight the new Indy XC 850 as this year’s Ultra Performance Best in Class winner. Kent, to disagree with me on this pic would be similar to your continual resistance to accepting that was not a foam baseball bat I hit you on the head with in 1979.
– Mark
RUNNER-UP: 2019 Ski-Doo 850 X-RS
Mark, I’d like you to recall last year after riding the MX-Z 850 how you were jumping up and down, waving your arms, shaking your head and ranting about how it was the fastest, most fantastic hypersled you’d ever ridden. Frankly, it was embarrassing. I had to tell the children to go inside.
Not to mention the fact this year you completely ignored the two sleds that were actually faster in this class last year – the Cat and Yamaha Turbos.
This choice this year of an unknown quantity, the Patriot 850 Indy, merely indicates your shallow understanding of how this BIC thing works. Mark, this particular class is about everything being maximum – ultimate.
For this reason and what follows I would have chosen the G4 850 X-RS. Sure some readers will be on me for not giving more credit to the Turbos but the 850 X-RS does everything in ultimate fashion.
It’s blistering fast, light, has incredible suspension and has two years of on-the-trail G4 history to prove its worth.
Its agility is undisputed, its feature list is frankly, staggering. How could you miss this stuff?
I suspect you’re spending too much time sewing and not enough time riding.
-Kent
Motorhead Mark got his first ride aboard the the 2020 Ski Doo Expedition Xtreme and had the opportunity to put some details and opinions together to share with you about this innovative snowmobile.
Dalton’s adjustable flyweights make clutch tuning super-easy!
Each Quick Adjust flyweight has a threaded orifice on the back of the cam where you can add or subtract weight simply by changing the size of the threaded weight that screws into the orifice.
You don’t have to disassemble or remove the clutch, just unscrew the weights with an Allen wrench (provided) and add another heavier or lighter set.
This simple system allows you to alter clutch engagement and upshift in mere minutes and the best part is, it’s all very observable.
You can tell at a glance exactly which settings you’re using and make adjustments rapidly. Dalton also offers specialty primary and secondary springs and secondary clutch helixes.
Visit daltonindustries.com for more information.
Mark divulges all the details you need to know about the design and development of Polaris’ all-new 850cc 2-stroke Patriot engine.
Following a Turbo Comparison and 800-Class Shootout earlier in the season, we line up the top contenders in the 2019 600 2-stroke snowmobile class and do a shootout between Ski-Doo’s MXZ 600R, Arctic Cat’s ZR 6000 and Polaris’ 600 INDY XC.
After getting a behind the scenes look at how MBRP designs and develops exhausts at their test facility, AJ installs the all-new Trail and Race versions of MBRP POWERSPORTS 850 Patriot exhausts onto our Polaris XCR 850 and evaluates the performance gains you can expect to receive.
And then AJ hammers down on the 160-hp, 2019 Arctic Cat ZR 8000 RR 137 as he rediscovers the true potential of this race-ready sled.
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We’re down to the finals! There’s one more week remaining in the search for North America’s Top Snowmobiler – East versus West.
In the finals we have; Dustin Boyd from St. Johns, Newfoundland and Sheldon Kelly from Cranbook, BC. Both Dustin and Sheldon have proven to be very deserving of the title. . . but only one can be crowned champion!
During the competition we’ve been giving away awesome prizes packages including your choice of a Ski-Doo helmet, XPS oil lubricant kits along with $300 gift certificates from Woody’s Traction and Superclamp.
So here’s what we need you to do. Click on the link in the description and log onto supertraxmag.com/nats – check out the videos and profiles for Sheldon and Dustin and cast your vote for who you think is most deserving of the title: North America’s Top Snowmobiler. Every time you vote, you’ll be entered into the drawing of our next prize package giveaway! Thanks for your support and don’t forget to vote!
Vote now at: https://supertraxmag.com/nats/
We take a gander at the future of snowmobile riders as Luke and some newly recruited junior test riders give us a rundown of the growing youth snowmobile market including an Arctic Cat ZR 120, Yamaha Snoscoot, Ski-Doo Freestyle and Polaris INDY EVO.
Following his recommendations of carbide runners in last week’s episode, AJ looks to complete the traction ensemble by providing some insight on a variety of snowmobile trail studs from Woody’s.
Never again lace and re-lace your boots with the Klim Transition GTX® Boa Boot.
This lightly insulated winter boot is built for those who like to move through snowy landscapes quickly. Built from the ground up the NESTFIT® comfort system combined with the micro-adjustable BOA closure system works perfectly in following the natural flow & contour of your foot.
The Transition GTX boot rates as one of the most comfortable casual winter boots we have ever tested. Adding to its comfort is the Gore-Tex waterproof-breathable membrane with the Hypergrip foundation outsole.
This is a boot that will go anywhere and is guaranteed to keep you dry. Lastly, we found the Mid-High boot design gives you the support you want with a lightweight fit you desire.
For more information visit: klim.com
Fertile, MN (February 11, 2019) – The Winnipeg to St. Paul I-500 is a legendary race in the world of snowmobiling. It was perhaps the first big money, big exposure race to enter the sport. It captured the essence of snowmobiling – traveling cross-country in the dead of winter, a task no other vehicle on earth was equipped to handle. This year’s famed 500 took place February 9-10, around the Northern Minnesota towns of Goodridge and Grygla, where volunteers from the local snowmobile club and community took it upon themselves to make sure the 500 got its due in 2019. The two-day race featured a loop format, with a 250-mile run and multiple fuel stops each day, and a home base of Goodridge. The course was made up of the terrain that has defined the race including woods, river, ditch and fields.
With one I-500 win already to his credit, Zach Herfindahl has shown he’s the rider to beat on the cross-country circuit this season. He wasted no time, taking the lead on the time charts the first day and holding through the second day, earning the Pro Factory 600 win by a full two minutes ahead of second place. But it wasn’t necessarily smooth sailing for Herfindahl, a blown belt slowed him down on Day 1 and breaking trail as the lead rider cut his pace on Day 2.
“The Goodridge/Grygla 500 went great for the team,” said Herfindahl. “To come in with a 28-second lead after blowing a belt the first day, then having to break trail on the second day, seeing the gap close between us and second place but still taking the win was a great feeling. The team worked hard and gave me a great sled both days.”
For David Brown, Christian Brothers Racing’s Semi-Pro rider, the race was a little more of an adventure. Brown rode as high as 4th in Semi-Pro Factory 600 before finishing in 5th place, and with a double entry in Pro Factory 600 was able to finish 10th in the top class.
“I got a slow gas pump at one of the fuel stops the first day and four or five sleds that came in after me left before me,” said Brown. “Then I came off the sled twice trying to make up time, but was still in a good spot at the end of the first day. The second day I was passing a lot of sleds and making up ground when I blew a corner in some snow dust just before the fuel stop. I got tangled in a chain link fence and probably lost five minutes getting my sled out. Overall it was a great race and our team is the best when it comes to preparing sleds for events like this, and they did an awesome job!”
Next up for Christian Brothers Racing cross-country riders is the Seven Clans Warroad 100 February 23-24 in Warroad, Minnesota. For more information on Christian Brothers Racing visit www.christianbrosracing.com. Follow Christian Brothers Racing on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
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SNOWTRAX has established itself as the most watched snowmobile TV series in North America.
Each season, the SNOWTRAX crew guides viewers through informative and entertaining content; revealing the inside scoop on the latest snowmobiles, accessories and riding destinations that make snowmobiling winter's greatest adventure sport.
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