I am getting a new quad when the 08's come out, and wanted some opinions on the 800 xt. I have heard a lot of good things about the bombs and was wondering what some of you with some seat time could tell me about them. Dependable? Ride quality compared to the competition? I know the power is incredible. What did you pay for yours, and what will the 08's cost? Also wondering how these do in a drag to 60 or 65 against the brute force, I know they win, but honestly by how much? Also is there any mods you can do to get these to run with the Renegade, like a efi controller and pipe, or would it take more? Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated?

 

I have an 800XT and love it. It has the best c.g. so that you feel like you're down in it and can handle it well, can skid the corners easy. The rest, except maybe the Praries, feel like you're on top of a milk crate with wheels.

The machine has the best EBS in the business, you can go down a steep, steep decline in 4wd lo, and and times it needs gas (not too much though). 4wd hi is not too bad, but it can get away from you to where you need brake. Most rides I never use the brake, cause coming into a turn, the 2wd ebs will slow the bike down enough.

BTW, that ebs is necessary, cause the brakes on the Outys are not that great. Also, the front suspension sucks, and canam just keeps repeating the 12" GC lie year after year. I had 8" front GC when I replaced the suspension all around. Front went from 8" to 12", rear from 10" to 12". Measure the front and rear GC when you first get it, then see if the front short spring sags down to coil on coil. Might as well be a piece of pipe. I hope they improve this in '08. They came out with 'upgrade' shocks and springs recently, which definitely should have been a recall, at least in the front. Canam does not step up on warranty work authomatically except camo plastic and heat damaged plastic. The dealer is a very big part of what canam will do on warranty work, so pick the dealer wisely.

Dependability is as good as any brand. Again, ride quality and a big thumb on the trails will have you grinning all the time. That is the main feature of the Outys, the grin factor.

To get a std Outy to run with the Renegades, it must be piped and tuned well. Then, it sometimes gets out in front of the renegades. The XT weighs 70 lbs more than the std and probably 90-100 lbs more than the gades. The suspension on the gades is very good, contrary to the Outys. A lot of the gade owners start looking to put on a winch and rear rack after awhile after riding them for awhile.

Lots of guys are running pipes on their outys without the efi controller. One of the recent ecm reprograms makes them run fat enough to do that. Just keep a good eye on the plugs at first to make sure it's not running lean, but I don't think that's much of a probability.

Another good and fairly economical upgrade for acceleration is to put the gade clutch fingers into the Outys. I'm not into racing much, don't know how much the outy will take the BF by, but it will take the BF, even with the 70 lb XT pkg.

I paid $8800 for my '06 in Jan '06. Just remember, crankdog, the dealer or canam are not your friends. They do have the best quad on the planet though. Put skid plates on right away. That BS of sliding over a rock or log without skid plates will get you a dented up spar beam. Canam lies about that, the 12" GC, and front suspension.

I would get another one in a flash, I just know the spending has just begun when leaving the dealership. $2000 in my case to bring the quad up as advertised. I'm counting skid plates in that, probably shouldn't, cause every quad made can probably use them. Most guys get ricochets out of Idaho.

 

kawiyowee,
thanks for all the good info on the outies. I have definitely been keeping an eye on the 800's for a while now, and will definitely be a top choice come this fall. The way I ride though, I'll have to buckle down and get the skidplates before I ride the machine. Thanks again.

 

I own Outlander 650 Max, and from my experience, there isn't really much difference between 400 and 800 model... There is no terrain where 800 can go, and 400 can't... I have friends with both Outy 400 and 800... When we ride the trails I can't notice that I accelerate much faster than 400, or that I'm significantly slower than the 800... The only significant difference would it make if you use your ATV for logging trees, or attaching heavy trailer or something like that... Other than max top speed and a fact that 800 can do a wheelie, there isn't much difference between them... If I had to choose again, I would rather go with 400 or 650 fully loaded, and use the extra money to buy best riding gear and accessories available, than to go ahead with the bare 800...

 

I agree with dvukovic unless you ride rock trail inclines. Then, I do not agree with him. I use every one of my 800cc's when riding up the side of a mountain on rocks, no visible dirt, where the rotax is lifting me and the quad over individual rocks hundreds or thousands of times on that one ride. That engine is working it's tail off and gets plenty hot to prove it. And I ride those kinds of trails pretty often.

If you ride on the flats, then he's probably right. (except if you like to kick *** and take names, then don't settle!)

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Crankdog

kawiyowee,

thanks for all the good info on the outies. I have definitely been keeping an eye on the 800's for a while now, and will definitely be a top choice come this fall. The way I ride though, I'll have to buckle down and get the skidplates before I ride the machine. Thanks again.</end quote></div>crankdog, you're welcome.

Do you grin much? You will on an outy or renegade. Or do you want to be a steady-eddie? (puttin' the hard sell on you now [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img])

 

kawiyowee,
I used to smile a lot when I had the bad *** machine on the block, but it has been some time since I have. When everything was running right, I could just beat out my buddy's brute force 750 with a module on my little 650, but my I am pretty sure I cooked my front cylinder, as I can only go as fast as a stock 650 now. I am soooooo excited about the 2008 models coming out, the only question is what to buy, and I won't fully know until I can ride them all. It is definitely between the brute 750, outy 800, and that new 950 kitten, but I have not made a decision yet. Everything I read about the outy's is good and I certainly appreciate your time to describe your likes and dislikes about your quad. I would look the Renegade, but I need a little practicallity, and I can't afford both at this point, maybe someday. If outy would have bumped to 1000cc's this year it would have been a sure thing. Nothing I like more than smoking some cocky a$$ punk on a sport quad. At this point though I really like the outy's looks and power, and thanks again for the great info.