MOTOR ISSUE

We’ve several motors that not only stand out in performance but also happen to be some of our personal favorites. Each one represents the craftsmanship, engineering, and reliability that Indy Specialty is known for. Whether you’re chasing speed, durability, or a perfect balance of both, these motors showcase what makes our builds exceptional.

AXYS 800 LONG ROD

 

One of my favorite motors and WHY? It's because of the longevity that this motor provides.

 

  The long rod uses a 136mm center to center connecting rod - where are the stock 800 uses a 132mm. This might seem only a small difference when the engine is turned off, when the motor is running at 8,000 rpm and the piston is traveling up and down 133 times per second the side load of the piston is drastically reduced by the longer connecting rod. Thus increasing piston life!

To extend crankshaft life - we removed the stock single PTO bearing and went to a dual PTO bearing with a lock ring machined into the case. This helps reduced the side load on the crankshaft rod pin from the drive clutch moveable sheave hitting the drive belt.

In the end, these refinements add up to a motor that delivers unmatched durability and performance you can count on season after season.

AXYS 850 LONG ROD

There are so many reasons why this is my favorite motor but I will try to keep it short and highlight a few of the things that really set this motor apart from the rest. It took 11 years of trial and error and it has a long history.

A 2 cylinder motor past 700cc starts to suffer from vibration and hormonic complexities. The 850 platform from Polaris has increditablty well designed motor mounts to reduce the vibration and thus providing a smooth and enjoyable ride.

 When Polaris went to the light weight crankshaft design in the 2015 some vibratio n and premature drive clutch wear started to show up. It was mainly because of the small motor mount design.

When I received my first 850 motor back in November 2018, you already know what happened—I tore it down immediately. That’s what I do: pull it apart and study every detail. What I found was some truly innovative engineering…along with a few things I wasn’t a fan of.

*I didn't like the unsecured PTO roller bearing and no lock ring to secure it to the crankcase. I changed that and made a custom PTO end so I could fit an dual angular contact conventional C4 ball bearings with a lock ring. So it could better handle the side load from the drive clutch.

*I wasn’t a fan of the center‑seal configuration compared to the 800 small block, which used sealed center bearings. That's where they lubricated with a shallow oil level supplied within the water pump/oil pump shaft cavity.

The 850 design was seperate individual center seals located just inside the center bearings. Polaris decided that they wanted to flood the cavity full of oil and they put a check valve at the very top. It leaked out -excessive oil into one of the transfer ports.

This design has 2 weaknesses - 1. the crank case sealer can plug the check valve which can pressurize center cavity and blow the oil supply line off. So the fix? we machined 2 grooves in the upper crankcase half to apply the oil to go out over the top of the center seal and drain into the 2 center bearing. "NO the groove isn't big enough to allow a center seal air pressure leak cylinder to cylinder." You might find a post on this from Snowest forum long ago...

Back to the positive of this 850 motor and what I'm impressed by is the Polaris engineers creatively stole or robbed a little bit of the crankshaft length from the magnito side and put it in the center of the crankshaft to widen out the spark plug center to center to give the motor cylinder transfer volume. Which means they made a motor that is close to the exact same length of the old 800 small block in a somewhat big block 850.

Polaris did decide to use a single ring piston, with again a fairly short center to center connecting rod.

We decided to go to a 10mm connecting rod and go back to the stock OEM 800 small block twin ring piston. Which provides an significantly less side loading and better heat transfer into the cooling system thru the twin piston rings.

After years of testing, tuning, and tearing these engines down to their bare bones, I can say without hesitation that the 850 stands apart. It’s a platform with a long evolution behind it—some brilliant ideas, a few areas that needed refinement, and plenty of opportunities to make it even better. In the end, that’s why this motor has earned its place as my favorite: it’s a smart foundation, built with intention, and capable of becoming something truly exceptional when the right engineering is applied.

A-8.5 WARTHOG PATRIOT 850 MOTOR

 

While this review is short, this motor is built for the true turbo‑hungry riders out there. It’s a turbo‑specific engine that branches off the original 850 long‑rod platform. Yes, it carries over everything that made the original great, but we dropped the exhaust and transfer timing to sharpen low‑end throttle response and boost low‑end torque.

 If you’re a tree rider chasing instant throttle snap...You will want the Warthog!

862/924 Starfire Stroker Motors

 

These motors are something special to us. The only two-strokes rocking a full-blown Indy Specialty crankshaft, built right here in our shop.

What makes this simply special?

The 862 is a 76mm stroke configuration with a twin ring OEM Polaris pistons. The

924 is a 76mm stroke configuration with a twin ring 88mm special alloy forged pistons.

If you are looking for something special the Starfire lineup is available!

 

At Indy Specialty, we believe a motor should deliver more than just raw performance—it should stand the test of time. That’s why every motor we build is engineered for longevity and dependability, without compromising on power. We take pride in our craftsmanship and back every motor with the confidence that it will perform when it matters most. Because for us, quality isn’t optional—it’s the standard.