1996-98 Storm – 3rd Generation Case Reed. Add in the tight living space for the triple pipes and you can understand why under hood air temperatures could be an issue. The cast iron cylinder liners of the day would retain heat longer, compromising heat transfer to the water jacket in the cylinder. Engineers believed the pipes were not tuned properly and were pushing too much heat back into the cylinder. The owner would soon see a loss in power. Engineering realized that piston forces would cause the material to peen out and pinch the ring creating a “knife edge” above the dome of the piston. Polaris engineering tore these motors apart and discovered that piston temperatures were reaching near the molten state of aluminum right on the edge of the exhaust port. A minority of owners reported a loss of engine rpm and power. The 94/95 Storm motor however did reveal another durability issue when the throttle was held to the bar for long periods of time. The result was more predictable throttle response across the entire throttle range. Engineering redesigned the top end of the motor increasing the bore, redesigning the heads and pistons and bumped the displacement from 744cc to 794cc for the ’94 model year. The motor really liked to run at WOT (wide open throttle) and man it would scream. The power would just start building as the RPM’s increased and the track would break loose. You could be cruising down the trail at 40 mph and then suddenly the engine would surge and the power would come on. The first case reed Fuji/Polaris triple would turn out to be a very “peaky” motor. The race for muscle sled supremacy was on! 1993-95 Storm – 1st and 2nd Gen Case reed triple Coincidentally Ski-Doo and Arctic Cat would also release their first consumer triples in 1993.
#Indy 440 xcr plus
The 1993 Storm featured a new Fuji 744cc that put 130 plus hp. The boys at Roseau soon started work on the next generation triple which would abandon piston port induction for case reed.
#Indy 440 xcr mod
The popularity of muscle sleds was born on the race track with the Formula III class featuring full mod 650cc motors of the day. Ski-Doo would introduce the 521cc Rotax with RAVE in 1989 and followed that up in 1991 with a new 617cc Rave equipped Mach 1. Surprisingly, Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Yamaha all continued to build twin cylinder engines with Arctic building a 650cc Wildcat in 1988. The first liquid triple was offered in the 1979 Centurion 500 which would morph into the Indy 600 and Indy 650 of the 80’s and 90’s.
#Indy 440 xcr free
There first production triple was offered for sale in 1972 with the 502cc triple free air in the TX 500 LTD. Polaris was synonymous with three cylinder engines starting in 1970 powering the TX race sleds. How could an engine that put Polaris at the top of the sales charts for two decades in the 80’s and 90’s suddenly become yesterday’s news and disappear after the 2003 model year? The answer at the end of the day comes down to you, the consumer. The demise of the three cylinder two stroke is still a sore spot with many sledders today. The only thing in common today with the XCR 800 sold 16 years ago is the XCR name and the P85 drive clutch, and the fact they both still have a track and two skis. The XCR 800 of 2003 was built for the rider that wanted to be first across the lake and loved the triple pipe exhaust note that only a triple piped triple can produce. This engine is today offered in the 2019 XCR, but back in 2003 the XCR was built around a 794cc three cylinder Fuji engine. Today if you’re a Polaris diehard, the motor everyone is talking about is the new 850 Patriot. (Originally published in the December 2018 issue of SnowTech)