Sporty in every way!
Some model lines have been around for a while, like the RZRs for side-by-side vehicles or the Chevrolet Silverado in the pickup world. For Polaris snowmobiles, the Indy line has been doing well over the past few decades. When the first Indy model was released in 1980, it revolutionized the brand’s image in the snowmobile world. If you wanted to be cool on the snow, you had to be riding a 1988 Indy 500. These machines were fast, fun, and state-of-the-art back then, and that’s still true today for the 2021 Polaris Indy 850 XC Launch Edition. This is a really fun trail machine that you need to try.
Let’s talk handling
Over the years, manufacturers have competed annually for the “best in class” or “snowmobile of the year” banner. They all want to be the industry leader and the big winners are, of course, you and me. We have a great time comparing each model in terms of engine displacement, power, handling, suspension… While there is no hiding the actual displacement, the real power numbers are not as easy to find. With the Indy XC Launch Edition, let’s start by focusing on handling.
The Launch Edition (LE) differs from the standard XC model in that the cockpit area is narrower. The console area is almost 5 inches narrower, and it’s 3 inches narrower at your knees. Polaris borrowed a lot from their snowcross concepts to design this setup, and it’s all in an effort to make the LE more agile and give you more freedom of movement. You might not think it makes much difference until you get on it and start hitting the trails aggressively. And who doesn’t want to ride a little more aggressively? What’s really remarkable here is that it makes the vehicle easier to drive, especially for good-sized people like me.
Much of the design comes in the form of Polaris’ new Matryx platform chassis. One way to look at the evolution of this chassis is to go back to the days when snowmobiles were all about the engine. The entire snowmobile was designed around the engine, and companies were most concerned with the maximum engine size they could fit into a frame. Power means absolutely nothing if you can’t control it, and that’s why snowmobiles are now increasingly rider-centric. The Matryx platform is designed to give you optimal control, which allows you to get the most out of the engine, in this case the Patriot 850, but we’ll get back to the engine in a moment.
Remember the first snowmobiles with their big, powerful engines? Yes, you had the displacement and raw power, but once you hit the throttle, you did everything you could to hang on and keep control. I remember feeling like I was being dragged a few inches behind the machine. If you wanted or needed to change direction, forget it. You had about as much control over the steering as a passenger in the last row of seats on an airliner. With the Indy XC 137 LE, you don’t feel that way at all. You have tremendous power, but you’re the pilot. Making course corrections doesn’t take as much effort as it used to. That’s the beauty of the Matryx chassis. It’s a lightweight, yet extremely rigid frame design that uses a special alloy to create a stiff feel while dramatically reducing weight.
The suspension
The amazing chassis design is complemented by outstanding suspension performance. The overall layout is really good for a wide range of trails. Once again, this snowmobile borrows its suspension setup from the snowcross scene. Up front, the Matryx double-wishbone independent suspension uses WER Force external reservoir shocks with 9.3 inches of travel. They allow for a wide range of adjustment, so you can tune them to ride the way you want.
On the trail, Polaris uses its PRO-CC suspension system with a WER Force front track shock paired with a WER Velocity rear track shock. This system offers 16.2 inches of rear travel. Once you set it up for your weight and riding style, the rear system takes a lot of the hits that were going straight to your knees.
Here’s what I really liked about the suspension. Once configured for me, it was much easier to push hard in aggressive riding, while allowing me to relax and enjoy the trail at a more moderate pace. This machine likes to be pushed hard, and once again Polaris is showing us the snowcross DNA here. The Indy XC LE‘s chassis and suspension lends itself very well to riding in a standing position. If you prefer to ride sitting down most of the time, you might want to consider a non-LE snowmobile. The transition from sitting to standing is phenomenal, so when you want to get into it, it just happens, without forcing it. This is very handy when the trail gets rough and you need to get past your friends when the trail gets a little rougher. And the suspension is incredible for those times when the groomed trail offers a surprise that’s hidden under what you thought was a smooth path.
2021 Polaris INDY 850 XC Launch Edition – The engine
Let’s talk about this Patriot 850 engine. This engine is a two-headed beast, an 840cc liquid-cooled twin-cylinder with Cleanfire injection that runs on a TEAM LWT clutch. It expels its hot breath through a single three-stage VES exhaust. Like many of you, we thought all manufacturers were focusing on turbocharged four-stroke engines because of stricter emissions standards and the insane amount of power you can get from a modern four-stroke engine. But Polaris and Ski-Doo have both innovated with more durable two-stroke engines that perform better than the traditional two-stroke smokers of the past while producing amazing power-to-weight ratios.
As you may have guessed with a name like Launch Edition, acceleration is something special for this machine. You get amazing power, but that’s not all. The chassis design helps balance things out to help you leap forward in a controlled manner. So when you go from a complete stop to the desired top speed, you’re going to go through that space at an incredible speed without feeling hung up on the rear bumper. As for my snowmobile, we opted for the Storm 150 track with 1.5 inch lugs. The traction is adequate and responds well to our travels in different trail conditions.
This is one of the most fun and fastest production snowmobiles I have ever ridden. Is it a perfect machine? No, but I haven’t found one yet. I’ve yet to find a two-stroke engine that doesn’t have at least some power lag somewhere along the curve, and this engine has a slight one around the 6,000 rpm area, but it’s not so bad, really. Fuel economy isn’t great, and that fact is compounded by the fun of cranking up the throttle and driving aggressively. The thumb warmers and hand warmers get really hot and that’s both good and bad. It allows me to wear a thinner glove, which is nicer for riding, but when you leave the snowmobile to stroll along the trail, you find that you spend all that time with your hands in your pockets trying to keep them warm. I’m usually able to find the right balance between gloves and heated gear, but it gets a little more difficult with Polaris machines.
Do you want one?
Talk about a question to ask. Are you the sporty type? Do you want to hit the trails and ride aggressively? If so, you might want to check out this model from Polaris. Its combination of chassis, suspension and engine gives you incredible acceleration and handling. If your goal on a hike is to take time to bird watch, there are other models that are surely much better suited. But if you’re a thrill-seeking sportsman, this snowmobile will give it to you!
