I have always had Polaris, but considering changing brands. I have been hanging out in here reading, listening, looking, learning , and lurking. I still have alot of homework to do. I rode an Outty 800 yesterday. It rode good, but that was on dry pavement. Heck, even a Honda would do good in that situation. My point is, it is hard to imagine certain things while on a test ride, unless the ride is in the trails. The quad felt secure, and it felt like it was built good. I haven't heard or seen too much about the performance in the mud! It looks to be a quad with less cleanup time, much less areas for mud to accumulate, which I would like. The rear axle protection is a concern for me. Seems as if the quad could slide off a high centered rock and hit the axles. The plastic CV protection wouldn't hold up to a rock. They LOOK like they are just hanging out there ready to take damage, but nobody is complaining about it! Also, I read on a different thread, that the Visco lock doesn't perform very good with bigger tires. At this point, I do not understand why there would be any effect. I understand about clutch kits, but differentials acting up because of tire size, confuses me! Some feel that the Visco lock is superior, how is it better than a Polaris? Mine is a true 4WD, without a locker. Would this be a good mud boggin quad? I have never seen one do the things we do, BRP is a little scarse where I ride. Does anyone have any muddin videos of there Outty? I am sure the thing would hold up in the trails, there isn't much to trail riding. Also, I saw a dirt wheels mag line-up with different quads, and the only good thing they said about the Outty, was the power. I am still concerned with single ski type skid plate. It seems as though, there isn't much protection. Maybe it is just an illusion, or I am just used to traditional skid plates.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

I am very new to the sport so I have nothing to compare my experiences to. I do know that the crowds at Reiter Pits (near Gold Bar, WA) were amazed that a stock two-up machine was able to perform as well as it did. Yes the power is awesome. The power and the Rotax engine were the main selling points for me. I don't plan any mods and I'm not heavy into the mudding or climbing scene but I have been thouroughly impressed with its ability and quality.

 

I have a 2005 Outlander MAX XT, and it seems to perform great in the mud (because of the excellent Carlisle radial tires that you get with the XT model.

Also, if you are concerned about under protection, you can get extra plates from Can-Am.

James

 

Instigater,

I am "starting to look" at upgrading to a bigger machine. I saw your Thread title and I wanted to know the same answer. All your points about the Outty are the same thoughts I had after looking at them. I have not ridden one yet.

I did find some videos at the below URL. Based on these videos they look to be really good in the mud but I have not first hand experience

http://www.jacobsatvvideos.com/index.html

 

04Eiger's Link

 

HEY BOYS HOW WOULD IT DO WITH 28 MUDDZILLAS IM IN NORTHREN CANADA LOTS OF WATER AND MUSGEG VERY HARD STUFF TO GO THROUGH YOU MAY GET TWO TO THREE MILES IN A GOOD DAY AND WINCH TEN TIMES I RUN A 2006 650 CAT WITH DYNA BOX CLUTCH KIT AND 14 CLEARENCE LOTS OF LOGS ECT TO GO THROUGH IM THINKING OF BUYING A 650 I WONDER IF IT IS STRONG ENOUGH SO I DONT BREAK FRAME IVE SEEN IT DONE MANY TIMES

 

I've had my 800 out to the mud pits twice, and all I can say is "Wow". I haven't even come close to getting stuck. I will say that I don't go in mud over mid-way or so on the quad, I've spent tooooo much money on quads that I've "Sunk" I've had people watching me go through mud and they are just amazed at how easy it looks on the 800. Mine is stock and will probably stay that way, just for the fact that it has handled anything I've thrown at it. I hope this helps some...Keep the rubber side down...Mike

 

The out lander is probably good as any of them There all pretty good in the mud. Depends what kind of tires you have the atv. Sportsman have better tires.

 

Outy does good in the mud. Snorkles for sale on another forum.

Ground clearance on my Outy is 8.5 inches. No typo. CanAm continues the 12" ground clearance lie from 06 to 07.

After spending 9300 + big taxes on a new one, start spending on skids, elka springs, tires to get some ground clearance. I luv my Outy, I do not luv CanAm. BTW, I hear the 3 yr warranty ends this year.

If you want to do the above, the Outy will kick a$$ in the mud or anywhere else.

 

When I had the opportunity to put one through it's paces here on the farm I ran it through what mud was available during a dry spell which meant a few creeks that had water and my pond. It seemed to do a good job. Lots of power and the suspension worked well to find traction on the uneven ground in the slop. The ?visco-lok? worked well in this instance as I was giving it throttle and the tires were spinning and it was apparently keeping the front end locked. All in all it worked very well. Did great. Loads of fun in the mud especially with all that power to sling mud all over the place!

Oh, I'd also add that I was in some very deep water (unintentional) with it in the pond and it didn't get anything wet as far as belt or intake.