2007 Can-Am Renegade 800

 
“History Repeats Itself”

  CAN-AM is Back!

July 6, 2007
Staff Report

From history past comes a new version of an old school race team that is bound to dominate the ruts, rivers and woods of the true utility recreational rider.

CAN-AM has been revived to become Bombardier of Canada’s primary competition marketing strategy. There is a great racing legend with CAN-AM as the Moto side of off-road may remember. In 1973 CAN-AM took on the world and before anyone could react the trophies were flying off the shelf and into the hands of the greats such as Gary Jones, Marty Tripes and Jimmy Ellis. CAN-AM would make big headlines the same year as Robert Barker would set the land speed record at Bonneville, which was 136.537mph! And this record still holds its place there even today.

So what are the folks in Valcourt Canada up to now you might ask? Can-Am proudly presents the newest member to the ever improving line-up of fine ATV’s and its called THE RENEGADE.

Can-AM Renegade 800                  

The Renegade 800 is considered the solution to the adventurer’s dreams. This machine will allow a go fast sporty rider get the adrenaline rush and still be able to tackle those obstacles that a typical sport ATV cannot get over, or around. This machine is very well thought out and much attention has been given to detail.

First things first, the Renegade has a whopping 800cc V-TWIN Rotax engine and has massive amounts of torque with a brutal 62 horses to add to that. The engineers over in Valcourt decided that if they position the cylinders in an 80-degree V this would lower vibrations that can become bother some to the rider. This is the popular engine that propels riders down the trail on the Outlander and Outlander Max.

The Heart of the Renegade breathes through an Electronic Fuel injection system with a 46mm throttle body and two Siemens VDO injectors. The throttle response is right at your beckon call. This is one time you will be careful what you ask for. The Renegade comes alive with an electric start and can be started in the dead of winter or even any altitude you can dream of because its starting is choke less and doesn’t’ require any labor to fire right off. The liquid cooling is how Can-Am plans to keep the Renegade operating within prime running temperatures. This engine has massive “Take No Prisoners” power and I can say it will be hard to beat!

The drive train on the Renegade is also a piece of art as the engineers over at Can-Am have worked in the Visco-Lok progressive locking differential on the front of this beast. The Visco-Lok was made to conquer one very prevalent problem in the ATV industry. This system not only controls the speed at which it transfers power, it also takes the power from the slipping wheels and transfers it to the gripping wheels. That just makes sense now doesn’t it. The competition lets all the power get to the slipping wheels and that just leaves them stuck!! And the best part of the Visco-Lok transmission is that it has no effect on the steering so its completely transparent to the user.

All the power we keep talking about is sent from the engine and into the CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission. This eliminates the need for shifting gears and gives the rider instant power on request. There is also engine braking along with this package that will give less experienced riders more confidence on those steep descents. The CVT is also very tunable to each rider’s personal liking.

Long-Travel Front Suspension	Rear Suspension

Well once the power has been made and is sent to the CVT it is then sent out to the front and rear suspensions. The front suspension on the Renegade has a few things that will appeal to the racer side of our Utility riders hearts. The front shock mounts have been moved in at the top to give the Renegade one more inch of travel. This brings the total swing to 9 inches and that is something to surely soften the ride a bit. There are double A Arms up front with the upper being aluminum and the lowers being stamped steel. The RS-Type setup is formulated for an Anti-Dive geometry that will help control the roll center on the Renegade while getting through the tight corners. The Shocks on our test bike were High Pressure Gas shocks and these have even been worked over to provide a smother more trail defining feel for the rider. Another feature we noticed was the brake rotors. So often in the past a single rotor is mounted on the drive shaft before the transaxle. But the engineers at Can-Am found that moving the rotors out to the wheel gave the rider better control when braking. This is more evident when racing through high-speed corners and descents.

Working our way to the rear of this beast I found that the rear swingers had only one mounting point. The RS-Type TTI rear suspension is probably the simplest in the industry. The truly independent suspension has a total of ten inches in travel and with the TTI there is virtually no trail scrub. When the rear wheel moves upward through the motion of travel it does not move outward like its competitors double arm suspensions. This saves the Renegade a lot of power to put elsewhere and keeps stress off major components. The TTI rear end is also carried around on High Pressure Gas shocks. The test ride, although short, gave us a feel of stiffness but with some tweaking the shock could be transformed into an agile servant.

All of these fine pieces are mounted to Can-Ams SST frame system. This frame is so narrow and simple but it has very useful design characteristics. Being that the frame is narrow it should allow riders to skip across any obstacle with ease. It looks like a single ski and I guess if we think about it the SST frame works like one. This frame has just enough rigidity to make the Renegade tough but allows for flex to help in the bikes handling. Every mount for the suspension has been strengthened and this goes for the shock towers also. This will let fast riders be more confident in the trail while not having to worry about parts flying off when the going gets rough.

The looks of the Renegade 800 caught our attention as it definitely speaks to you from a distance. The aggressive front plastics just say “I am Explosive, Muscular and always battle ready”. These are words that engineers at Can-Am have been looking for in their efforts to make a statement with the Renegade. Then I noticed the four-projector beam lighting system and when we were told it had a total of 120 watts of lighting power I though “man this would be great for Baja”. Of course the unit will not be made available until November 2006 so we may have to plan on that for next year.

 

The color is also a testament in its own right. The yellow color has been around for a while and it has carried over from the Outlander family to the new Renegade. Sharp corners and positive lines are the only words I can use to describe the futuristic looks of Renegades clothing. The designers have put in a few long hours and I think they have a winner. The seat is tight and narrow for the riders to move around on. It is also very comfortable. The fenders from the drivers seat have been cut in a little so that you can see the leading edge of your wheels. This will also be helpful in the Cross Country racing series as the Renegade has already had many eyes focused on it there.

 

 

The Center-cast wheels are also a new feature that only Can-Am has ventured into. With a typical rolled edge rim and a cast center the wheels designs are limitless. The accessory department back in Valcourt will have their hands full trying to come up with cool designs for the wheels center. Not to mention that they are lighter than a standard rolled edge wheel! Mounted on these cool wheels are ITP’s newest and possibly most aggressive tires. The ITP holeshot ATR tires have so much meat on them that it must be ment for extreme mud conditions. They look great but only time will tell how they work in all situations.

Up on the flight deck I found a Digital gauge that tells me anything I want to know about the Renegade. The compact digital multifunction gauge is mounted right between the bars just in eyesight. This handy little compact multi-function gauge will tell you when you are in four wheel lock along with gear position, fuel levels, speed, trip and hour meters. And its back lit for those night riders out there.

Right behind the flight deck I found a rack area that Del Bohlman of Can-Am tells me will be extra storage and eventually have accessory racks for hauling goodies around the house. They plan on having a few cool accessories for the Renegade that will just put a sweet topping on the cake.

I guess we will have to wait to get some ride time on the new Renegade as the final refinement is taking place as we speak. Until then we will just have to drool!

ENGINE	SPECIFICATIONS	RENEGADE 800 EFI 4X4
	Type Bore & Stroke Torque Fuel Delivery Starting System Transmission Drive Train	800cc, 4-stroke, V-twin, liquid cooled, 4-valve OHC 91 x 62 mm 73 Nm@ 5,500 RPM EFI, 46mm Throttle Body, 2 Siemens‡VDO injectors Electric CVT, sub-transmission with high, low, park, neutral & reverse Selectable 2×4/4×4 shaft driven with Visco-Lok front differential
CHASSIS	Frame Front Suspension Type Travel Rear Suspension Type Travel Front Brake Rear Brake Tires /Front Tires /Rear	SST RS type double A-arm, Forged Aluminum upper arm, 9 in (203 mm) RS type TTI independent 10 in (228.6 mm) 2 hydraulic discs 1 inboard hydraulic disc 25 x 8 x 12 in (635 x 203 x 305 mm) 25 x 10 x 12 in (635 x 254 x 305 mm)
DIMENSIONS	L x W x H Wheelbase Dry Weight Ground Clearance Seat Height Rack Capacity Towing Capacity Fuel Capacity	86 x 46 x 45 in (2,184 x 1,168 x 1,143 mm) 51 in (1,295 mm) 597 lbs (270 kg) 12 in (305 mm) 34.5 in (877 mm) 200 lbs (90 kg) 1,300 lbs (590 kg) 5.3 US gal (20L)
FEATURES	Instrumentation   Anti-theft Storage Electrical Lighting DC Outlet Color	Multi-function gauge: Speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip and hourmeter, fuel, gear position, 4×4 indicator, diagnostics, auto shut off D.E.S.S. (digital encoded security system) Rear storage 1 US gal (3.7L) Prewired for winch 4 fender mounted Projector Beam headlamps (60W) with tail light / brake light Lighter type in console, Standard connector in the back (15A) Yellow