Polaris off-road track experience

For the residents of Mumbai, off-roading (no, real off-roading, not pothole bashing) is an activity not easily found. But, steadily and quietly, Polaris has been opening up avenues for people to get their feet dirty. After Virar and Borivali, Polaris has opened an Experience Centre in Marve, their 54th in India!

Roaring Farms, the venue that houses the Polaris Experience Centre has an off-road track filled with a series of technical bends, straights and humps that would be relatively easy to manage, even for beginners. The track was initially set up for motocross but has now been reconfigured for the ATVs and is flatter and shorter than before.

There are six quad bikes from the Polaris line-up that will be available which include the Phoenix 200 and the Sportsman 570. The Polaris Phoenix 200 is obviously the smaller of the two ATVs available and better suited for newer riders. The power on tap is relatively manageable and its smaller size makes navigating the series of bends easier. The Polaris Sportsman 570 on the other hand is a little more serious. Having a 567cc fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine translates to a significant amount of power that is transferred to the wheels via a 4x2 or 4x4 setup. It’s also proportionately larger in size, so a bit of precision may be required when going around the narrower bends.

Once you start getting comfortable with the vehicle and the track, things start to become a bit more fun. Sliding out of corners and jumping the ATVs will be something you can add to your list of things to do. There will also be a whole team on location to assist with the vehicle familiarisation and safety instructions. And, there’s safety gear available at the venue, but you’re welcome to carry your own.

The Phoenix 200, the first quad we had a go on, felt a tad underpowered and wasn’t too keen on sliding around. Of course, going a little hard on the gas did allow it to get a little air over one of the humps but it wasn’t anything gnarly. The Sportsman 570 was definitely the more fun of the two. Despite its larger overall size, the extra power on tap certainly kept things a little more interesting. Slotting it into 4x2 mode did allow the rear to slide out a little. Powering over the humps saw the Sportsman getting all four wheels airborne! The track is quite tight and won’t really let you push the vehicles anywhere near the limit. It’s still fun but more suited for recreational rides.

Since the Roaring Farms track is on the fringes of the city, it’s fairly easy to get here. Once at the venue, you’ll notice there’s also a provision for refreshments; families will find it rather convenient to make a day of the visit here. This is an excellent initiative by Polaris India and Tao Experiences, adventure activity specialists, to give our off-road deprived companions an outlet for some fun in the dirt. With the onset of the monsoon, things are bound to get a little gritty. But once you have a smile plastered over that mud-covered face, it’ll all be worth it.