1st Ride Impressions-2017 Assault

[Lenn Johnson]

I took my sled north to Colebrook for Thanksgiving at my parent's house. They are located near the Kelsea Notch trail at about 1600 feet of elevation. They had around 4 inches in the yard and the treeline side of the fields around their house had 6"+. I put around 15 miles on my new Assault varying from full throttle runs to just riding around the treeline to simulate some trail riding. I set all the clickers on position #1 and dialed in from there. My fastest recalled speed of the day was 98 MPH. This was on a field with an incline (the field in the background of my picture) There really isn't enough flat field to get any top speed runs. Here's my observations:
1. The rear suspension is really good. I mean really good! (I had ridden a '17 Assault this past spring at GunStock Ski Area but wasn't able to adjust the suspension due to lack of time) I ended up with the front skid shock at 2 clicks and the rear at 1 click. Front ski shocks ended up at 2 clicks. The field was rough in spots and had plenty of high speed whoops. The rear skid easily handles this terrain with ease. It feels very much like the R-Motion Doo skid but is a bit firmer.
This new IGX rear skid absolutely crushes my '16 Pro S LE with it's fancy shocks. I've owned 2 Rush style sleds and I'm telling you that neither of them ride as well as this new skid. Yes, the Rush can be set up to handle rough terrain or smooth trails, but not both. This new IGX skid is simply amazing. It's noticeably better right away. I've got a lot of time on the Doo R-Motion(had a 15 Renegade) and this new skid is very much like it.
2. Wow does this sled hook up! I have the Cobra with no studs. Just flat out hooks up. Weight transfer is great. Won't wheelie like the Rush skid but still holds the ski's in the air until about 50 MPH if you're hanging off the back such as in drag racing.
3. Engine starts easier and idles much better. Never saw my temp gauge get above 126 degrees. (outside temps were 25 degrees)
4. Clutching feels spot on. I was seeing 8100 at high speeds. Still in break in mode so I'm sure I'll see more RPMs once it's full broken in. Clutch engagement is around 3000 rpm. Shifts to 7900 then slowly climbs to 8100.
5. Power seems better in break in mode. I know from all the recent dyno posts that it's got a couple degrees of timing pulled out of it but it just feels better than my '16 did out of the box. Feels like top end is going to be much better than the Rush chassis. Rolling resistance is way less than my Rush.
6. It's hard to tell you're driving a sled with a 144" track. Just doesn't feel as long as it is. Very similar to the Doo Renegade in feel. The only time you notice the length is when it's hooking up! I know I wasn't driving on groomed trails but after driving these fields for a while, I was able to pack down a good amount of area and ride normally to just see how it would ride and handle.
7. Very stable at high speed. As I was approaching 98 mph, the sled held it's composure very well, even when the suspension was fully bottomed out on the whoop section.

Time will tell but I believe Polaris has nailed it with this new sled and IGX suspension. Everyone who has purchased an Assault will be happy the 1st time they get to pull the trigger on this animal. We know it goes based on the impromptu drag race against the '17 850 Doo at Gunstock last spring. Let it snow!

 

[Brock]

I always like reading your non biased reports Lenn .
I have a 17 assault and it's killing me just looking at it with no snow .
I felt my switch was so good in everything and still do . if this tops it , then that's a bonus but tells me how good these Polaris sleds are .

As for the timing being set back up top rpm, it's an ecu break-in mode thing as we've tested two 17's on dyno now . that's not a bad thing though as retarded timing heats the pipe up .

 

[Bigfuse]

View attachment 1621 I took my sled north to Colebrook for Thanksgiving at my parent's house. They are located near the Kelsea Notch trail at about 1600 feet of elevation. They had around 4 inches in the yard and the treeline side of the fields around their house had 6"+. I put around 15 miles on my new Assault varying from full throttle runs to just riding around the treeline to simulate some trail riding. I set all the clickers on position #1 and dialed in from there. My fastest recalled speed of the day was 98 MPH. This was on a field with an incline (the field in the background of my picture) There really isn't enough flat field to get any top speed runs. Here's my observations:
1. The rear suspension is really good. I mean really good! (I had ridden a '17 Assault this past spring at GunStock Ski Area but wasn't able to adjust the suspension due to lack of time) I ended up with the front skid shock at 2 clicks and the rear at 1 click. Front ski shocks ended up at 2 clicks. The field was rough in spots and had plenty of high speed whoops. The rear skid easily handles this terrain with ease. It feels very much like the R-Motion Doo skid but is a bit firmer.
This new IGX rear skid absolutely crushes my '16 Pro S LE with it's fancy shocks. I've owned 2 Rush style sleds and I'm telling you that neither of them ride as well as this new skid. Yes, the Rush can be set up to handle rough terrain or smooth trails, but not both. This new IGX skid is simply amazing. It's noticeably better right away. I've got a lot of time on the Doo R-Motion(had a 15 Renegade) and this new skid is very much like it.
2. Wow does this sled hook up! I have the Cobra with no studs. Just flat out hooks up. Weight transfer is great. Won't wheelie like the Rush skid but still holds the ski's in the air until about 50 MPH if you're hanging off the back such as in drag racing.
3. Engine starts easier and idles much better. Never saw my temp gauge get above 126 degrees. (outside temps were 25 degrees)
4. Clutching feels spot on. I was seeing 8100 at high speeds. Still in break in mode so I'm sure I'll see more RPMs once it's full broken in. Clutch engagement is around 3000 rpm. Shifts to 7900 then slowly climbs to 8100.
5. Power seems better in break in mode. I know from all the recent dyno posts that it's got a couple degrees of timing pulled out of it but it just feels better than my '16 did out of the box. Feels like top end is going to be much better than the Rush chassis. Rolling resistance is way less than my Rush.
6. It's hard to tell you're driving a sled with a 144" track. Just doesn't feel as long as it is. Very similar to the Doo Renegade in feel. The only time you notice the length is when it's hooking up! I know I wasn't driving on groomed trails but after driving these fields for a while, I was able to pack down a good amount of area and ride normally to just see how it would ride and handle.
7. Very stable at high speed. As I was approaching 98 mph, the sled held it's composure very well, even when the suspension was fully bottomed out on the whoop section.

Time will tell but I believe Polaris has nailed it with this new sled and IGX suspension. Everyone who has purchased an Assault will be happy the 1st time they get to pull the trigger on this animal. We know it goes based on the impromptu drag race against the '17 850 Doo at Gunstock last spring. Let it snow!

That's pretty much what I experienced yesterday Lenn. Also I'd like to add that it floats in powder like a boat and climbs like a goat.

 

[Brock]

Floats like a boat and climbs like a goat, lol

That doesn't sound young and gnarly , sounds like old timing man, lol

I tease I tease

 

[Bigfuse]

Forgot to mention that it handles G outs pretty well.

 

[Lenn Johnson]

That's pretty much what I experienced yesterday Lenn. Also I'd like to add that it floats in powder like a boat and climbs like a goat.

Great feedback. One more week till the trails open in Pittsburg, NH. Hoping to have plenty of snirt or snow by then to see how this animal really goes. I thought I might have the fastest sled in the group this season until my brother Pete called and said he bought a SideWinder....damn!

 

[Lenn Johnson]

Forgot to mention that it handles G outs pretty well.

I noticed that also. My Rush sucked in G outs. The Assault is going to be the sled to beat this season.

 

[Bigfuse]

I'd also like to mention to check your chain case level as mine was off by about 3 ounces and my track is really tight. Even when I checked it yesterday I had to loosen it. The owner's manual says to have 10 pounds of weight at 16 inches forward from the centre of the rear axle with 7/8 to 1 1/8 inch tension. The MRM says to have 5/8 to 3/4 inch tension. I had 5/8 on the left side and 3/4 inch on the right side. It had to be like this or the track would rub on the drop bracket for the rear scissor.