The Quickshift
- Polaris has a cool, proprietary connected ride feature included in its Ride Command system for its side-by-sides
- The Group Ride feature allows drivers connected to it to send messages and track each other on a handy map on rides
- Indian Ride Command doesn’t have this feature, but it should
- A connected ride feature like this could be a game-changer if Polaris licensed it to other OEMs, too
If you regularly ride with at least one other person, then you know it can sometimes be a struggle to stay together. The potential to lose someone (or maybe more than a single someone) is even greater when you have a group that isn’t familiar with each other’s habits and riding styles, or if you invite newer riders to join the group.
Having Bluetooth comms hooked up can help, but what if you could just see all your friends in your riding group on a convenient map on your dash? Maybe even in the app you’re already using to navigate?
Connected rider tech is something that OEMs like Honda have been talking about bringing to market for years. It’s primarily been part of discussions surrounding connected driver tech and how to get our vehicles to communicate with each other as we share the road.
But here’s the thing, and it’s a thing you may or may not have known because powersports interests don’t always overlap. See, Polaris already has a working version of this tech that it’s successfully using on its SxS lineup.
It even has a name you may already be familiar with: Ride Command.
If you’re thinking that Indian also uses something called Ride Command, you’re absolutely correct.
But the really important thing to understand here is that they’re not the same.
Polaris
2025 Polaris RZR Pro R Ultimate 7
I just got back from checking out the new 2025 Polaris RZR Pro lineup in person (and you’ll hear more about that very soon). Anyway, when I asked Polaris Off-Road Vehicles Division Project Engineer David Elia what the two Ride Command systems have in common, he said that hardware and software start in the same place, but are then built out differently by each vehicle development team to more specifically suit each application.
One thing that Polaris Ride Command has, and that Indian Ride Command currently doesn’t, is a really cool Group Ride feature. If you’re using it, you and the other SxS drivers that are part of your Group can send messages to each other on the route. It’s something that can really come in handy if someone in your group has a mechanical failure, or gets lost.
And the really key part here is, because it’s made for ORV use, it’s specifically made to function without a need for cell phone service.
That’s right; zero bars necessary. Throw your phone out the window (or yeet it off your bike entirely) and you’ll still be able to talk to riders in your Group Ride.
But that brings me to another cool thing that Group Ride feature does, and that’s the fact that it allows you to see exactly where your companions are on a map. If you’re following other riders, that makes it much easier to know that you didn’t miss a turn, and which direction you need to go in if you want to catch up. And for ride leaders, it’s a helpful way to know whether the drivers following you are on their way, or are lost.
Ride Command uses a proprietary radio frequency signal to transmit information between vehicles that are connected in a single Group Ride, said Elia. He added that up to 20 drivers can be connected in a Group Ride scenario.
Riders who’ve dealt with flaky Bluetooth comms units cutting in and out might also wonder what the range is like, and there’s good news there, too. According to Elia, the comms range for Polaris Ride Command’s Group Ride feature is approximately 70 miles.
Even if you assume that number is slightly optimistic, if the reality is anywhere close to that number, it’s pretty impressive.
And it could be absolutely amazing if something like this was implemented for Indian Motorcycles. Or, thinking bigger, perhaps even licensed by Polaris to other OEMs if they’d rather not spend the time developing their own connected rider systems like this. It could be a pretty big deal, honestly.
Think about how many bikes have TFT dashes now, where something like this could potentially be right at home. It’s the kind of connected rider advancement that could have far-reaching effects beyond just the side-by-side world.
