2015 Polaris 800 RMK 155 Review

When Polaris unleashed its Pro Ride Pro-RMK in 2011, it had premium amenities, Pro Taper handlebars, lightweight seat and high end Walker Evans shocks. In 2013, the Pro-RMK lost 40 pounds and gained a belt drive system, which retired the chaincase. It also received a carbon fiber engine overstructure and A-arms that had carbon fiber mixed throughout.

But, what if your inner-child is a triple-hybrid RMK rider, that is, part RMK, Pro-RMK and RMK Assault? Furthermore, what if your inner-adult is a budget-conscience rider – not Pro-RMK or RMK Assault bankrolled? Well then, Polaris tied these two questions up in a gold box with this answer: Limited Edition (LE) Snow Check Special RMK 800.

The RMK PRO can instill confidence to even novice riders in the mountains, because is controllable, consistent, and predictable.

There is a second ‘but” here, what if your budget can’t meet the cost of an LE Snow Check 800 RMK, or time ran out and you missed the deal’s time limit, but you still desire a Polaris “Terrain Domination” 800-powered mountain crusher? Don’t give up on your dream – the Standard 800 RMK can offer up steamy rides.

COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2014 Polaris 800 Pro-RMK + Video

The Limited Edition 2015 Snow Check RMK 800 is all RMK Pro minus the low inertia Quick Drive belt drive system and carbon overstructure. It’s a killer deal. Why, you may ask? The simple answer is price and a trustworthy chaincase. Experience tells us, a chain and two sprockets take hard hits from rocks and stumps and long cornice drops. All these can bring a track to a sudden stop followed by mega track acceleration. Furthermore, sprockets and chain take amped-out horsepower from a turbocharger with ease and reliability.

Lyle Dahlgren, one of several lead engineers on Polaris’ RMK project team said: “The Snow Check Limited Edition RMK is all ‘PRO’ with the following exceptions:

          • It has an aluminum overstructure,
          • It has a center bulkhead cooler
          • It has a chaincase.

The [other] ‘PRO’ features are on the Snow Check LE models only. The base stock [RMK] models have the same features they had for model year 2014.

Here is another short to-the-point look. The Snow Check LE 800 RMK 800 is chaincase tough like a RMK Assault, and nearly high-end like a Pro-RMK. We think this is the steal of the year.

The Walker Evans coil-over shocks have proven to be a favorite among mountain riders, now other OEMs are switching from air shocks to a coil-over shock.

It’s true, and sad, because by the time you read this, Polaris’ Snow Check program for a LE-build Snow Check RMK will have come and gone. We believe, however, dealers scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains and across a few snow-driven flatland states like North Dakota, may have these fine mountain snow vehicles ready for purchase.

To churn the snow, the LE Snow Check RMK comes in one tread length (155 inches) and uses the Series 5.1 track, which is a 15-inch wide sneaker with 2.4-inch tall paddles. Unleashing the Snow Check 800 RMK as a 155 is the right thing to do. But understand that no 163 RMK is available for the LE Snow Check RMK 800. If you want a stretched-out RMK, then slap some cash on a Pro-RMK 163. The 155 track is not a hand-me-down track – it is the Series 5.1, the same track the premium Pro-RMK uses.

As discussed earlier, the standard RMK 800 does not come with Polaris’ Quick Drive belt drive system. Power to the track drivers comes via a chaincase, the same system used on the competition-designed RMK Assault. If the chaincase is strong enough for the RMK Assault, it surely can handle the loads heaped on the LE Snow Check RMK as well as the standard RMK. Remember, the other manufacturers use a chaincase drive system.

COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2015 Ski-Doo 800 Summit X 174 with T3 + Video

Under the tunnel, the early buy LE Snow Check 800 RMK as well as the standard RMK uses Polaris’ tough RMK Coil Over Rear Suspension. The Coil-Over Rear Suspension delivers excellent flotation in deep snow and in controlling big whoop impacts from trail to cornice. With no torsion springs and redesigned torque arms, the Coil Over Rear Suspension is a lightweight rear suspension tunable to varying snow conditions – December fluff, February sticky and March hard pack. Tuning is done by turning the spring preload adjuster.

The LE Snow Check RMK has Pro Taper handlebars, the same used on the “Pro” and adhesive-bonded front suspension components – bonded lower control arms featuring forged aluminum ends and steel tubing, PowderTrac runningboards, gripper skis, multi-function instrument gauge and Pro Lite seat. Also, the RMKs are front loaded with Polaris’ electronic reverse, PERC.

Year in and year out we appreciate the feel of the ProTaper bars found only on the Pro-RMK.

The Standard price-point RMK comes with the standard RMK bars with curl-down handlebar hook ends. It also has PERC, PowderTrac runningboards, gripper skis, multi-function instrument gauge and Pro Lite seat. We especially like the Standard RMK’s handlebar height and curl down hooks.

Over the years the Snowmobile.com mountain sled test crew and various trusted guest test riders have worked over the standard RMK and we can perform Pro-RMK-like maneuvers on the RMK. Likewise, the same quick-and-dirty moves are yours to perform on the LE Snow Check Special – such as wrong foot forward back-up-the-hill U-turns and steep-n-deep side hill cuts.

One aspect we have come to appreciate about the standard RMK and the LE Snow Check Special is the pillow soft ride the Ryde FX and AFX shocks provide. Of course, the sled owner can adjust the shocks on a Pro or Assault to be soft, but off the showroom floor, the RMKs are comfortable for that little trail ride we Westerners embark on while motoring to the high slopes.

When cutting a nasty side-hill across a mountain, the Pro-RMK remains solid as it crosses deep trenches left from other snowmobiles, something that cannot be said for all mountain sleds.

What will your pals say if you kick it up a notch or two on a Snow Check Special 800 RMK 155? Well with the graphics, 20,000 combinations of personalization, the Pro-RMK riders, even the XM Summit and M8000 Sno Pro riders would have a hard time distinguishing the Snow Check RMK from a Pro. Here comes the fun, it is cheaper than the other premium mountain sleds, which means money in the pocket for an avalanche air bag system, and BPP – beacon, probe and shovel. So, in a tight sentence, your buds will pop a contact trying to spot the difference between LE RMK and the red-blooded Pro.

COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2014 Arctic Cat M8000 Sno Pro and Limited + Video

The 800 RMK 155 is a sled we enjoy riding. Though heavier than the Pro, it is still lighter than the XM Summit X and T3 and M8000 Sno Pro. With its estimated dry weight of 435 pounds, it is not a snowmobile that performs as a “less-than” mountain stomper. The two Standard RMK variants cost less than its sibling the Pro. It is less expensive than the Summit X and T3 and M8000 Sno Pro, which makes a RMK 800 155 a wise financial purchase, with high fun factor.

The Pro-RMK chassis is in its fifth year of production, during that time it has only seen weight loss. Other mountain chassis have only gained weight.

We find both Standard RMK 155 variants to be masculine. The Clean Fire fuel injected twin with semi-direct injection (SDI) gives snappy throttle response with instant acceleration.

Now, the Standard RMK, though not as popular as the Pro and perhaps not as popular as the LE Snow Check Edition, will be relegated to rental fleet ka-ching money maker for rental companies. And that’s good – we like small businesses to flourish. But if you end up with the standard vanilla RMK 800, don’t hang your head low. This sled will make your day; its DNA is wired to please.

This Fall or Winter, when you are quizzing a Polaris dealer about purchasing a 800 Pro-RMK or RMK Assault, and all the 2015 Assaults and Pros are sold out, look at the LE Snow Check RMK 800 or 800 Standard and go make some highmarks.