Please give your opinions on the purchase of either of these machines. I am wanting real practical thoughts....I want a comfortable ride and low hassle maintenance. I am not a deep mud and water fan. Will be in the rocks and trails.......HELP ME PLEASE!!!!

 

I can't speak for the Cat since I've never ridden one, but the most comfortable machines I've ever ridden include a Polaris Sportsman 500 HO, Suzuki King Quad, Yamaha Grizzly, Elka equipped Kawasaki Brute Force 750i, Can-Am 650 and Can-Am 800 Max. The one that was noticably more comfortable than all the others was the 800 Max. The Can-Am 650 was comfortable too but the 800 Max was better. Probably due to the longer wheelbase and extra weight of the Max since the suspension is similar if not the same as what the 650 has...

 

can't really go wrong with either

 

if you want the best for your type of riding, it would be the max 800.

 

Dottie
Keep in mind this forum (you are in the CAN AM BRP forum) most people here will tell you the CAN AM is the better bike probably. I am one of these people but I will explain my reasoning. You did not list which outlander max you are looking at but because you are looking at the Cat 650 I'll assume you are looking at the Outy 650 as well.

OUTLANDER MAX Features
TTI independant rear suspension (GOOD)
twin cylinder ROTAX engine EFI (excellent)
Extremly confortable seat (excellent)
Drive System 2WD / 4WD selectable with Visco Lok (EXCELLENT)
Ground Clearance 12" (very good)
Transmission CVT (good)
Warranty (3 years included with Bike)

Artic CAt 650 Features
FIS suspension (not bad)
single cylinder carborated H1 (low end for such a big displacment bike)
I have sat on the Cat seat it is ok but not as nice as the Outlander(ok)
Basic 2wd/4wd drive system with differnential lock (ok basic system common to older 4wd systems)
Ground Clearance 10" (good)
Transmission CVT (good)
Warranty basic 6 months (some packages for extened offered at decent prices)

Also, Artic cat in my opinion has no real innovative advantages over the BRP Outlander. they don;t have any propritary innovations such as TTI suspension, SST frame etc. it is all average ordinary equipment. the cat really is not an exciting piece of technology. just my 2 cents worth. If I were you I would be comparing the X2 Polaris to the Outlander. the X2 is a superior bike to the Cat as well and both X2 and Outlander I would personally recomend as I have been on both of them. I know people who have owned the Artic cat 2 up and are happy with it, but given the options you have for 2 up bikes today I would say look at your other options first. Artic cat would be my last pick of the 3.

 

The Arctic Cat will have more room, more ground clearance, and in my opinion a better suspension. The Can-am will probably be faster, and more nimble because it is smaller. I don't know about the Can-am, but the Arctic Cat you can take off the second seat and put a rack there, or a dump box in a matter of seconds. Also it has a lot more attachments that can go back there. Cat is cheaper too. Other things to think about are the cost, and what dealer is better. Most important, make sure you test drive and like what you buy. You will be the one using it, not other people on an ATV forum.

Mattinthehat didn't check out the Arctic Cat too closely, his information was wrong & biased (as he said it would be though, and mine is too) so here is my thought

OUTLANDER MAX Features
TTI independant rear suspension (Good, no real advantage though)
twin cylinder ROTAX engine EFI (very smooth and fast, excellent)
Extremly confortable seat (excellent)
Drive System 2WD / 4WD selectable with Visco Lok (poor if you will add larger tires)
Ground Clearance 12" (very good)
Transmission CVT (very good)
Warranty (3 years included with Bike)
Skid plate (none)
Racks (a very bad joke)
Fuel tank (5.3 gallons)
no receiver hitch

Arctic Cat 650 Features
FIS suspension (Very good)
single cylinder carborated with auto-choke H1 (Out pull everything in it's class - lacks top speed)
I have sat on the Cat seat and it is the best IMO, offers two position seating and more room.
Shift on the fly 2wd/4wd drive system with differnential lock (Best there is)
Ground Clearance 10" (good)
Transmission CVT (very good)
Warranty (3 years standard)
Skid plate (polyurathane full coverage is standard)
Racks (MRP attachments, rear seat can be made into a box or regular rack in seconds)
Fuel Tank (6.5 gallons)
2" receiver hitch

 

I can't say I dissagree with anything catterman said. Down to personal preferenace I suppose. As I said as well, I do know 2 differnt Artic Cat owners who are satisified with their machines so I don't think you'll be unhappy with it if you choose it. It simply would not be my choice.

Good point Catterman on visco lok and adding larger tires. I would not adjust tire size on the outlander it is designed to work with the tires it comes with.
Also Catterman is right Differential lock can be a good thing and I understand why someone would say "best there is" becuase when you engage it, it is there and works flawlessly. with the outlander as long as you are in 4wd it will do all the work for you without the need to engage the lock, and I have personally found it works very well. It is definatly a personal prefereance issue

Most importantly, like Catterman said pick the one you like best. or like I like to tell people pick the one that "speaks to you" after all it is a toy so you need to have the one that you feel is the coolest and most fun.,

 

That was amusing[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

other things to consider are, how far to the dealer and what type of service.i have 2 quads the 800 max and the yamaha banshee. i have 1400 mi on the max and knock on wood only regular service. if possible try and get a ride on whatever you are considering. my max dealer is 75 mi,the service has been execelent, but hate the drive. the yamaha is local so that makes a difference.

 

If you just want to "plug and play" get the Outlander, out of the box it really needs nothing.

As V2 will attest to, if you want a less expensive quad that you'll need to dump a few grand into to bring up to the Outlander standards, then get the A/C. <VBEG>

Seriously though, just based on the engine I'd go with the Outlander.