AllAboutTL
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I posted this on HCS while TY was down. Now, time for the real experts to chime-in. Some of these topics have been covered, but here's my take anyway......
After 300 quick 'break-in' miles in the UP of Michigan before Xmas, it's time to see what this sled is really all about. Trip started in Searchmont, ON. scheduled to ride to Hearst, ON. then either the east or west loop back. Car thermometer reads -19F when we unload them on Jan 21. Didn't have any temps above 0F until the last day. The group consisted of an '03 ZR9, '03 XC8 and my '05 RX1.
General Comments - storage on this sled is lacking. I added a windshield bag along with my saddlebags and trunk bag. I'd like to add a tank bag, but I think seating would be very restrictive. Skidoo has figured out touring with the GSX. Seen many of them with the built-in gas/luggage units. Nice. Oddly enough, I felt the right-hand foot well was cold to my foot in these extreme temperatures. I'm used to my old Polaris kicking out tons of heat from the exhaust...not so on this machine. Left foot did not experience this. I'll be looking to block the air flow to the right foot well. Any other RX1 riders notice this? Also, the reverse lever froze-up, was hard to engaged in these temps.
Digital Speedometer is nice, however, damn thing was frosted for the entire trip. Speed digits are easy enough to see-through the frost, but my tired old eyes couldn't make out the odometer reading unless stopped. This was very frustrating when you're trying to measure mileage progression between stops.
Overall, fuel economy was always 1/3 less than either the Cat or Poo. We calculated roughly a $500USD savings in fuel/oil for a 3000 mile season. Enough to pay for a trip....not bad!
Trail Monster - This sled was designed to be trail-ridden...hard. It's absolutely perfect for wide open, high speed Ontario trails. Cornering is predictable and stable...even with the 4" OEM carbides. I can't wait to upgrade those. Braking requires finger-tip pressure only and is excellent. I've grown to enjoy the 'engine braking' of the 4 stroke. I was apprehensive before, but now, use it to my advantage entering corners. Rode 200-300 miles each day, no fatigue factor. Got in the deep snow a few times, this is where you really feel the extra weight.
Suspension - Stock setup is not aggressive enough, I'm 175 lbs plus gear. The sled bottomed on all the g-outs when running at trail speeds, 40-80 mph. Increasing the tunnel adjust to 'full hard' only helped slightly. I've since increased the mono-shock preload by two clicks. Only tested in open fields so-far. As discussed often on the RX1 forums, the stock weight transfer is way to much. Feels cool to carry the skis out of a corner, but unpractical on the trails. I've adjusted the transfer-control-arm half way between STD and MIN. We'll see.
Ice build-up in the tunnel seems excessive to the point of vibration every time the suspension compresses a little and the studs gouge into the glacier that has formed under there. It seems to me, there are too many structural elements in the tunnel (tunnel protectors, exhaust fixturing) for the ice to form around and prevent breaking-off occasionally. This could have some bearing on the bottoming issue with all the extra weight of the ice block...the entire length of the tunnel about 4" thick. That's a lot of mass! I tried remove it by bouncing the rear end to no avail.
One other odd thing. I often do "bat turns" on the trail to turn around....20 mph, lock the track, slide, and do a 180. Some times after performing that maneuver it seems the gear case or clutches 'locked-up'. Apply throttle and it would just grind a little. I had to fiddle with the reverse lever or sit a few seconds then take off again. Any RX1 riders experience this?
Race Results - Stock ZR9 w/192 studs -vs- RX1 w/96 studs. Rolling start - RX1 pulls the cat every time. High speed starts, ~70MPH, Cat would pull a sled length then the RX1 would recover somewhat.
Conclusion - Total miles 875. Polaris blew a jackshaft bearing in Hearst. The owners of P&L Polaris came in on Sunday to diagnose the problem. They couldn't fix it until Monday, but you don't get that kind of service in the States. I've got mixed emotions about this sled, I think there may be a better 'all around' sled out there, but a few more thousand, trouble free miles may change my mind................
Jack in Ohio
After 300 quick 'break-in' miles in the UP of Michigan before Xmas, it's time to see what this sled is really all about. Trip started in Searchmont, ON. scheduled to ride to Hearst, ON. then either the east or west loop back. Car thermometer reads -19F when we unload them on Jan 21. Didn't have any temps above 0F until the last day. The group consisted of an '03 ZR9, '03 XC8 and my '05 RX1.
General Comments - storage on this sled is lacking. I added a windshield bag along with my saddlebags and trunk bag. I'd like to add a tank bag, but I think seating would be very restrictive. Skidoo has figured out touring with the GSX. Seen many of them with the built-in gas/luggage units. Nice. Oddly enough, I felt the right-hand foot well was cold to my foot in these extreme temperatures. I'm used to my old Polaris kicking out tons of heat from the exhaust...not so on this machine. Left foot did not experience this. I'll be looking to block the air flow to the right foot well. Any other RX1 riders notice this? Also, the reverse lever froze-up, was hard to engaged in these temps.
Digital Speedometer is nice, however, damn thing was frosted for the entire trip. Speed digits are easy enough to see-through the frost, but my tired old eyes couldn't make out the odometer reading unless stopped. This was very frustrating when you're trying to measure mileage progression between stops.
Overall, fuel economy was always 1/3 less than either the Cat or Poo. We calculated roughly a $500USD savings in fuel/oil for a 3000 mile season. Enough to pay for a trip....not bad!
Trail Monster - This sled was designed to be trail-ridden...hard. It's absolutely perfect for wide open, high speed Ontario trails. Cornering is predictable and stable...even with the 4" OEM carbides. I can't wait to upgrade those. Braking requires finger-tip pressure only and is excellent. I've grown to enjoy the 'engine braking' of the 4 stroke. I was apprehensive before, but now, use it to my advantage entering corners. Rode 200-300 miles each day, no fatigue factor. Got in the deep snow a few times, this is where you really feel the extra weight.
Suspension - Stock setup is not aggressive enough, I'm 175 lbs plus gear. The sled bottomed on all the g-outs when running at trail speeds, 40-80 mph. Increasing the tunnel adjust to 'full hard' only helped slightly. I've since increased the mono-shock preload by two clicks. Only tested in open fields so-far. As discussed often on the RX1 forums, the stock weight transfer is way to much. Feels cool to carry the skis out of a corner, but unpractical on the trails. I've adjusted the transfer-control-arm half way between STD and MIN. We'll see.
Ice build-up in the tunnel seems excessive to the point of vibration every time the suspension compresses a little and the studs gouge into the glacier that has formed under there. It seems to me, there are too many structural elements in the tunnel (tunnel protectors, exhaust fixturing) for the ice to form around and prevent breaking-off occasionally. This could have some bearing on the bottoming issue with all the extra weight of the ice block...the entire length of the tunnel about 4" thick. That's a lot of mass! I tried remove it by bouncing the rear end to no avail.
One other odd thing. I often do "bat turns" on the trail to turn around....20 mph, lock the track, slide, and do a 180. Some times after performing that maneuver it seems the gear case or clutches 'locked-up'. Apply throttle and it would just grind a little. I had to fiddle with the reverse lever or sit a few seconds then take off again. Any RX1 riders experience this?
Race Results - Stock ZR9 w/192 studs -vs- RX1 w/96 studs. Rolling start - RX1 pulls the cat every time. High speed starts, ~70MPH, Cat would pull a sled length then the RX1 would recover somewhat.
Conclusion - Total miles 875. Polaris blew a jackshaft bearing in Hearst. The owners of P&L Polaris came in on Sunday to diagnose the problem. They couldn't fix it until Monday, but you don't get that kind of service in the States. I've got mixed emotions about this sled, I think there may be a better 'all around' sled out there, but a few more thousand, trouble free miles may change my mind................
Jack in Ohio
