2011 Polaris 800 Pro-RMK 155 Long-Term Test
King of the cluttered sidehill
Published: August 9, 2011  Polaris’ Pro-RMK was the king of the technical sidehill last season, at least from our varied experiences.
Photo by Stephen W Clark
I can usually get through about three narrow tree wells before running out of energy… and talent. Then I’m forced to ride the roller coaster back to the bottom, trying to avoid contact with trees. Such tree-filled sidehill theme parks are where we spend a good chunk of our winter out west, and it’s in this terrain that the Pro-RMK really shines.
Light weight is key
Polaris’ Pro-RMK was the most anticipated snowmobile in the mountains last winter. In a new chassis boasting a class leading 431-lb. dry weight and backed up with an aggressive marketing campaign featuring Polaris Pro riders taking the machines through wild terrain. There was a lot of hype surrounding the Pro-RMK. But it takes more than just a lightweight machine and marketing dollars to create a good snowmobile. We spent a season on an 800 Pro-RMK 155 to figure out exactly how good this sled really is and if its performance lived up to the hype.
When we first rode the prototype Pro-RMKs at Daniels Summit, Utah, in January 2010 our riding impressions weren’t exactly “love at first ride.” The lightweight machine and chassis changes were impressive, but we found the Pro was difficult to ride as it would roll up onto one ski easier than we were expecting and many times when initiating a sidehill the sled would roll so far over that we couldn’t get it back, and we ended up digging the end of the handlebar deep in the snow.
But after a few early-season rides on our long-term Pro-RMK our attitude toward this machine changed completely. We figured out that we were just being too aggressive when pulling the machine onto one side and once we learned more of the RMK’s handling characteristics, riding became a lot more pleasant.
Technical sidehill tree-riding is where we really like to play and the Pro-RMK shines in this type of terrain. With a narrow 40-inch ski-stance, slim bodywork and a plenty of sidebite from its Series 5.1 2.5-inch paddle track the Pro is perfectly at home negotiating trees on steep sidehills. Its narrow body and small diameter handlebar grips give the Pro an extremely light feel that inspires confidence. This allowed us to attempt technical lines that we wouldn’t normally consider on other machines.
At times we would point the RMK too much up the hill in deep snow without enough momentum. In such situations you’d normally get stuck, but the Pro has an amazing ability of being able to get back up on the snow and keep trudging forward.
The Pro may be slightly down on horsepower compared to its 800 class competitors, but it makes up for its power deficit by being lightweight and by captalizing on how well this chassis goes through the deep snow.
This 800 Liberty has an even power band with few surprises; you can always count on torque when you need it. We proved as much with our Real World Powder Evaluation that showed the climbing abilities of the three 800s is very close. But we feel the Pro relies more on the chassis and less on the motor to keep it in the game with the other two.
If the Pro had a motor with another 10-15 horsepower to match its chassis this machine would be far ahead of the competition. If we were going to own a Pro-RMK for several seasons we would look seriously into increasing the horsepower with some aftermarket engine goodies like a pipe or even a turbo.
This season we also got the chance to spend time on the base-model RMK that differs from the Pro with less expensive shocks, handlebars, handlebar switches, an additional tunnel cooler, and no carbon bumper.
We feel the Walker Evan’s coil-over shocks on the Pro-RMK really make a difference in the ride especially on the trail and rough terrain. The Pro-RMK’s premium features give the sled a more refined, quality feel.
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Photo by Stephen W Clark
For a first year machine with a low weight we were nervous about how the Polaris would hold up to the abuse of a full season of mountain riding, but the Pro ended up being quite durable. Certain parts of the machine like the running boards originally feel a bit flimsy, but held up well through the course of the season. The belt life also was good as the original belt had almost 700 miles on it, with many of these miles ridden on deep powder days that tend to eat belts quickly. In the mountains a typical day might only be 30-40 miles depending on snow depth and terrain, so we got plenty of time on our sled by years end.
After months of riding the Pro-RMK in varying snow conditions and terrains we walked away with a vastly different view than after our pre-pro rides. Its great handling and powder performance made us believers in its abilities to tackle steep deep snowy terrain. |
 Josh Skinner
“For my riding style, the 2011 Polaris Pro-RMK 800 is a perfect match. The sled is a blast to ride and feels very light and flickable with the new rigid chassis design and rider positioning. Everything from the Pro Taper bars to the seat height and footwells just feels right. A good looking sled with hard lines and great throttle response. I wouldn’t change a thing!.” – Josh Skinner, Western Test Rider
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