ATV Adventures: Product review – The Polaris Ride Command technology
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- My grandson’s Polaris Pro XP, which is equipped with Ride Command technology.
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- Ride Command can be customized to keep trail and operating information at your fingertips.
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- The Ride Command screen, which is loaded with pertinent information for your ride.
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- Lynn R. Blamires tries to keep his hat on while riding the Musket Shot Trail.
I have written articles about riding in the backcountry with a GPS. I have tracks stored on my computer of all the rides I have been on. My Garmin 600 series GPS was the one I used, which replaced two other Garmin products that I learned on. I attached it to my machines with RAM mounts, which made it easy to move it to the machine I chose for any given ride. Power to run the GPS came from a power cord I plugged into my accessory power source.
Things changed when I bought my first RZR. It is a 2021 Polaris RZR XP 1000 Premium, which came equipped with Ride Command technology. After logging miles with it in my RZR, I can say that it is more than a gadget — it’s a game changer.
At the heart of Ride Command is a robust, built-in GPS that works without a cell signal, which is critical when exploring remote trails far from the nearest cell tower. It comes loaded with maps, which I keep updated. Ride Command has more than 1.1 million miles of trail to be ridden. I have yet to unload my RZR without a trail on my screen waiting to be explored. I can adjust the viewing altitude on the screen and know if a given trail is a dead end or goes somewhere I want to go.
The interactive maps are detailed, showing trail names, difficulty ratings and points of interest. When you finish a ride, it allows you to label and store the track. At your convenience, you can download it to a flash drive and transfer it to your computer, where you can store and share the track with friends, or for when you want to ride it again.
The Ride Commands Group Ride feature is one of its best. It allows everyone’s location to be visible on the screen, as long as their machines are equipped with Ride Command. Each rider is represented by a dot in the color of their choice, along with their name. On the right side of the screen, it shows the distance between the riders. At the beginning of a ride, a group is formed. It will show on everyone’s screen, allowing all riders to join. This eliminates the constant stops to regroup, keeping the pace smooth.
Ride Command also allows you to send text messages to other riders in your group without a cell signal. This is a safety feature. If someone breaks down or gets stuck, you know exactly where they are without relying on spotty radio connections or hand signals.
As with other technical devices, they can do far more than I understand they can do, but this one is worth getting to know. In addition to tracking other riders in the group, you can know how fast each rider is going. At the top of the screen, you can see the fuel level as a percentage, ambient temperature, time and the direction of travel. Change the screen and you can monitor altitude, engine temperature, battery voltage, trip miles and tachometer. These gauges can be configured to monitor those in which you are most interested. The system keeps accurate time and automatically changes when the clocks change in the spring and fall.
The RZR comes with an integrated rearview camera, but it is set up to allow you to install a front camera if your Polaris doesn’t come with one, which will also be displayed on the screen. I have made good use of the front camera on my RZR.
Ride Command offers a Personalized Audio Experience. You can seamlessly pair your smartphone to the display monitor via Bluetooth or connect a flash drive loaded with your playlists for music on the trail. I have yet to delve into this feature.
In the past, I have been content to listen to the beat of the motor. However, there have been times when I have felt like belting out my rendition of the Carpenters’ song, “I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation and the only explanation I can find is …” and I did. Well, that works when I am by myself, but when I have a passenger … I think this is one feature that I need to understand better, because on some trails, a twangy cowboy song would fit perfectly.
When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and see how Ride Command can improve your ride.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.
