2014 Polaris® Indy® Voyager Preview
Polaris®' legendary Indy® family, which was resurrected last year, expands in 2014 with as many as nine new models and the return of another classic name to fill a niche: Voyager. While the philosophy is the same - getting you out into the wilds and back again for light utility duties - today's version is lighter, faster, and more nimble than the original.
Essentially a Polaris® 600 RMK®, but with a cargo rack and different name, the 2014 Polaris® 600 Indy® Voyager also features high-floatation Gripper skis with three-position adjustable stance (39", 40" or 41"). It offers 9" of front suspension travel controlled by RydeFX MPV shocks, and 13" of rear travel with the RMK® torsion spring rear suspension.
The lower-trimmed 550 Indy® Voyager provides only 7.1" of travel up front, but as much as 14.1" in the rear thanks to an Indy® suspension.
Obviously, the real difference between the two 2014 Polaris® Indy® Voyagers lies under the hood -- and explains the major price gap. The 550 model (starting at $7,999) will deliver honest but basic performance from a Fuji-built, fan-cooled, 544cc, two-stroke twin that produces 55 hp with the help of a new clutch. Meanwhile, the 600 ($11,299) gets a liquid-cooled, 599cc Polaris® Cleanfire twin with semi-direct injection that fires up with no hesitation. Generating 125 hp, it's definitely one of the stronger engines in the utility class.
The 550 Indy® Voyager is 33 lbs lighter. As mentioned, a lot of that is a result of air cooling vs. liquid cooling. The 550 won't achieve the acceleration and top speed of the 600, but riders should enjoy a slightly better float over the snow. Naturally, engineers took the 600's heavier weight into account and fitted the deep-snow RMK® Series 4 track with 2" lugs (the 550 features a Cobra track that's also 144" long, but with 1.35" lugs).
Add a new Indy® Pro-Ride seat with widened rear and tapered front, and you have a very comfortable platform to either sit back on or move forward to attack the trail.
With the Indy® Voyager, Polaris® clearly wanted to offer a very interesting alternative to the Ski-Doo Tundra Xtreme, at an equally interesting price. The 600 Indy® Voyager combines the best features of the new lightweight Indy® with serious capabilities borrowed from the company's RMK® family. The result will most likely please trappers, hunters, ice fishermen, and other serious outdoorsmen.
By the way, if you want more cargo capacity and two-up versatility, opt for the 550 Indy® Adventure.