Polaris is one of the most daring manufacturers for the new season. The company from Roseau in the United States is starting the 2021 season with some great new products, and will certainly bring back some great sensations to those who own or have already owned a Polaris Indy 650 versions in the 1990s! Who doesn’t remember the good old RXL 650 three cylinders with a majestic sound to the ear? The new season also serves as a springboard for a whole new form of driver interaction. The generation of large touch screens is also on the way in the snowmobile mode for 2021 at Polaris!
650 CC two cylinders
2021 marks the return of a 650 CC, but this time with a very interesting power-to-weight ratio! The new Polaris thoroughbred is a Patriot two-cylinder engine, developed on the same architecture as its 850 CC sibling. As usual, it’s very difficult to get an exact figure on the power of the new two-cylinder, but we’ve been told that it has easily 10 percent more power than the 600 CC version… All in all, we can definitely say that it has more than 135 horsepower, and even closer to 140, which, let’s face it, is more than respectable for a mill of only 650 CC…
The reflection of this power on the trail puts it in a league of its own among small engines. This engine provides a high level of satisfaction that makes us forget its smallness in most of our tests. So much so, that I had to make sure of its displacement at one point by looking at the side panel. On twisty trails, this little gem does very well among its more powerful counterparts. Passing maneuvers are spirited, and low-end power is very respectable, allowing for a smoother clutch calibration with less revving. Our test models, like every year at Polaris, were perfectly calibrated, every millimeter on the throttle is well exploited, the calibration of the clutch pulleys has a lot to do with it. We have to thank the technicians on site who do a remarkable job.
New Matryx platform
This new platform is all about better rider interaction, and after a few miles, it’s easy to see the work that went into achieving this ultimate goal. Polaris has made it a habit for many years to test their new finds in the snowcross world before bringing the modifications to production, which is the ultimate place to go for both durability and riding ergonomics. The Matryx platform was developed to reduce effort and improve interconnection with its rider. The upper portion near the fuel tank is slimmed in width by 4.8 inches and 3 inches at the knees. This change greatly facilitates left-right transitions on the snowmobile providing a remarkable ease of riding. Does this theory apply to reality? Absolutely! When you first ride the VR1 650, you feel like you’re on a small, extremely maneuverable snowmobile, the space saved for lateral movements improves ergonomics, and when the urge to push a little more on winding trails arises, you just have to get out of the snowmobile a little more to keep it in line.
The developers who worked on the chassis put a lot of emphasis on wind protection. Although the snowmobile looks smaller to us because of its design, computational fluid dynamics studies were used to optimize the protection against wind, but also against the backdraft that often occurs behind the driver. Although during our testing it was sometimes difficult to perceive this kind of change, it was noticeable when switching to a model with the previous years chassis.
Phare NightBlade
Unfortunately, it was impossible for us to test this new technology during the tests since our days ended before nightfall. Nevertheless, we can say that this new headlight gives a very nice and unusual look. Honestly, it would be difficult to question the efficiency of such a headlight, its power is remarkable even in daylight.
In short, the Polaris VR1 650 is probably one of the most beautiful revelations of the 2021 vintage! Looks, ergonomics, performance and comfort are all there!
