I have an 04 Yamaha Kodiak 400. Runs great, had a blast with it. But I am considering upgrading. I know a bit about the newer Yamaha Grizzly 700's, and I like them (although I have not ridden one). But I really like the look of the newer (2013 and newer I think) CanAm Outlanders. I really don't know anything about the CanAm's other than their price.

I would love to know more about the differences. For example, what is the difference between the CanAm Outlander 500 and the 500R?

My needs for the quad are a little bit of everything. I would use it for towing in my yard, plowing in the winter, and I go riding with friends about 5-6 times a year to ATV parks. The parks I go to have a little bit of everything. Sand, woods, mud, open trails etc.

Not sure if there is a clear winner here between the two, just looking for the differences.

 

Grizzly 700 would have more torque for pulling as it's a single cylinder machine. The Can-Am is a twin cylinder. Both have about the same top speed from what I've read and seen. My son had a Renegade 500. It was very quick for being a 500 class machine. It held it's own with anything but the 800 and up cc machines. If your Kodiak is a solid rear axle you'll like the ride if you're looking for a little bit more comfort. The Generation 2 frame on the Outlanders and Renegades is much better than the previous Generation 1 frames like I have and my son had on his. The G 1 frames tended to be on the weak side. The newer frame is built much better.

I'm not sure what you mean by a 500R. Do you have a website I could look at?

 

Thanks for the info. It would seem one I looked at online said "500R", but I have not seen this as an actual model anywhere else.

I also read online that the Gen 1 CanAm's had weak frames.

I wish there were a place I could just ride one and see how I like it. When I go to the ATV parks with friends, rarely do I see these models of CanAm's. When I do, they look brand new and I don't even want to ask some stranger if I can go ride his brand new bike.

Pretty impressive that the CanAm 500's will run with the 800cc models. I like the idea of the power, but what is the added weight? One thing I do like about my Kodiak is that it does not weigh a ton. The CanAm's look pretty heavy, but I don't know what they actually weigh.

 

I'd even look at the Outlander 450L. It has quite a bit more power than the Kodiak, about the same as what the Grizzly 550 had. A coworker of mine bought one and he likes it a lot. It has plenty of power and he's a bigger guy(about 275 lbs). I like the Brute Force I just bought about a month ago. I'd give one of those a look. The 650 was available with a solid rear axle like mine. Its a little lighter than the irs Brute models but its by no means a lightweight quad. The 650 has plenty of power for me. Its a bit unclear if you're looking for a new quad or just something newer than what you have. The best value I've seen in a brand new 4x4 utility quad is probably the Polaris Sportsman 450 HO. The name is a bit misleading, it actually has the same engine that's in the Sportsman 570 but its detuned to make a little less power. I've seen them priced for as low as $4999 brand new locally, that's pretty reasonable for a brand new 4x4 utility quad with good power and capability.

 

A better way to put it is that the Can-Am Rotax 500 will keep up with just about everybody's 700 class utility quads. It won't keep up with the modern 800+ machines. And the Kawasaki Brute Force 750 will leave it behind too. To keep up with a Brute Force you'd need the Can-Am 650.

 

As much as I'd like to buy a new quad, likely I'll have to settle for a used one.

I have mixed feelings about Polaris. My neighbor has one and always seems to have issues with his. And I have seen some broke at some of the ATV parks I have been to. But others seem to have great luck with them and like them.

Sounds like the CanAm will be great as long as I get the gen II frame (2013+ I think?)

I still like Yamaha also, just maybe wanted more info on other options. Ideally if I rode one of each it would make this a lot easier.

 

The Gen 1 frames were phased out over a couple years. In 2012 the 800 and 1000 cc quads got the G 2 frame. In 2013 the 500 and 650 got the G 2.

I personally liked the Polaris I had. Was pretty good. Only time it gave me trouble was when the battery was dying. And, when I was going too fast to step down a 3' drop and too slow to jump the gap. I landed my rear differential precisely on a large chunk of New England granite. Even with the metal skid plates it caused damage. My teeth literally got rattled. My bad. Any quad that hit as hard as I did would have had some damage.

 

I just bought a 2016 Can Am 570L about 2 months ago and I love it.It has enough low end power for me and has incredible mid range power. I think it has a little stiffer ride than the Polaris I had before but still handles the rough terrain well. I'm not sure how it compares to the yamaha but I think it has a better fit and finish than my Polaris had. I would deffinetly recommend the Can Am

 

The "new" Polaris Sportsman 450 HO costs about the same as a used Can-Am Outlander. Good luck finding one of those in good shape for less than 5 grand. I think a Grizzly 700 would be a good choice for a used quad. Costs less than an Outlander used and has plenty of low end power and available power steering which is really nice. Nice steel racks to secure cargo to, I'm not a big fan of composite racks myself. I would recommend a Brute Force now that I have one myself but the 750 irs versions used are pretty expensive too. A slightly older 650 like mine is a little less expensive but most have a ton of miles. I got lucky and mine didn't but they're hard to find. I wasn't even really looking to get a Brute Force, the dealer just happened to have a nice one in stock in the range I was willing to pay and I got it.

 

Thanks again for the great info. I am going to go to a dealer and see if I can check some of these out first person soon...