Im currently in the market for a new atv and I really like what I saw from the Outlander 650.I just wanted to know what some of you people that ride them think about them and if they are powerfull and handle well and all that kind of fun stuff.Right now I have a 2002 KVF 650 but its a real piece of crap so I dont want to get into the same problems I have with my bike right now.

So please let me know asap what you think and if there having alot of problems with them so far.

Thank you.

 

Well.. I can't commet on problems with the 650, 'cause I havn;t had mine long enough to have any. I've had mine about 2 weeks now, and have to say it runs awwsome! I only have 15 hours on it so again, I can;t really say with a lot of experience, but this bike so far can do ANYTHING!

I just got back from Evarts Kentucky (black mountian) and with 2 heavy adults on it, it performed amazing. and had no trouble keeping up to all the other bikes on the trail. it has loads of power i my opinion. and runs great too.

What are you planing on doing with the 650? trail riding, dune riding, utility plowing? work, play? mud runs? whats yer goal?

there are very few problems reported on the forums with this bike. if you do a search of outlander issues you'll probably find

1) CVT water leaking (some people who use their outlanders as submarines complain of CVT leakage that causes the belt to slip. I have not had this issue yet and ran mine through a lot of water this week without incident. However a friend of mine with the 800 did have the issue and added a CVT snorkel to his bike and the issue went completly away, he rides in water a lot! others are putting RTV on the CVT seal, and apparently that helps as well, but I have not had this issue so I can not comment from experience. but BRP has somewhat acknoladged this issue, as the 2008's will feature a redesigned better CVT cover that supposidly is much better. if you are not planning any trips to the bottom of a lake anytime soon, you should be fine. if you frequently ride trails that require deep water passage, such as a prolonged section in a river, then I would say snorkeling the CVT would be highly recommended. this is a simple mod. less than $50 in parts.

2) bottom frame denting. Some people have had issues where the SST frame gets severly dented from hitting rocks and such on the undercarrage of the bike. There is a link you can find on the forums on how to beef up the undercarrage using some steel. very simply low cost, low labour, low weight addtion modification. that apparently works really well. however that issue seems to be coming mostly from people that do not have a skid plate installed. So my recomendation is install a skid plate either at the dealer (like I did) or get a aftermarket one put on immediatly after purchase. I have not heard as many complaints on this issue from people that have skid plates so that is a good prevention for this issue. however if you are going to be riding in heavy rocky areas, and plan on striking the bottom of the bike a lot. then the mod is probably a good idea as well as the skid plate. Again less that $50 in parts.

3) some people have complained on the forums that the frame is week and bends easily. most of these people seem to have severly crashed their bikes from what I can tell. so play safe and try to avoid crashing it. Good tip for all bikes.

other than that I have been reading the forums a lot over the past year while I made my purchasing decision, and their are no other issues that I have seen repeatedly pop up in the forums which is good. I think that means its a solid bike. (and it seems to be from my admittidly limited experience with it so far)

 

Thanks for the advice I will keep that in mind and also great idea with the skid plate.For your other questions I use the bike for mostly trail riding and I also use it in the mudd my Dad uses it for hunting and for plowing the yard in the winter.Also what tires are you running on there I currently have 27X12X12 mub bugs on my KVF but the 2 rear ones are starting to wear down and I was wondering what you guys use for tires.

 

Right now the 650 only gets beat in utility drags by the 800, and it's very close.

I do mountain trail riding, if it's nothing but rock where I'm going for the trip, I put on my bighorns, 25". Other riding I use 26" Terracross on ITP type 7's 14" rims. I don't mud so maybe you can do a search on them if you want them. Lots of people use bighorns, they're tough, but will skid with you and don't hook up too well.

 

I Just Got my 650 EFI XT and have 6 miles on it. So far I am extremely impressed. It goes 65 Miles an hour in 4WD and the dealer Guy told me after 50 miles the computer will let the break in chip unlock an give it even more power and will go over 70 MPH. I will update after I get some more time on it!

 

Nice!

You know kesa, I don't know if these dealers are just ignorant or if they're just born liars, but I tend toward the latter.

I have talked with techs and dealers on other forums, as well as my own stealer, and have learned that there is no such thing as a breakin chip. The quad will run a little smoother and quicker after breakin, but that's just cause the moving parts have mated to run smoother against each other.

There is a chip in the engine that measures key-on time + run time, whereas your pod display is just engine run time. No break-in chip though.

 

hmm, Ok good to know. I will say though it is a beautiful wheeler and runs awesome. The Fuelies are where it's at, I'll never buy another Carb!

 

drove around in a field tonite and put 3 hours on it. It does wheelies now ans is alot smoother. I am still very impressed (mind you this is this very first thing in my life that I bought Brand spankin new) Very overpowered and smooth. I cant imagine having an 800. this 650 is way overkill. And with the EFI I am learning how to drive again at low seeds. By the way it burns no fuel at all!!!!!

 

Kesa, I see you have both a 400 and the 650, and I was POSSIBLY thinking of upgrading from my '05 400 to the 650, but now hearing about the extreme power, maybe I should just get the 500 (which is also a twin-cyl. EFI).

My question is, did you find a huge difference in power between your new 650 and your '03 400?

 

check. as you know I originally considered the 500 as well in my purchase. I am really glad I got the 650. Just got back from black mountian Kentucky. spent 3 days riding the max with my dad on the back. With 2 adults on it the 650 performs amazingly. It is fun and rides great. it clibs thouse mountian hills with 2 heavy adults with no problems.
if yer gonna be doing a lot of 2 up and you want to ride feeling like yer not bogged down. thats the way to go. with 2 adults it rides with the power of a 1 up. I'd say 650 is the way to go. Also I rode it for an hour or so 1 up. and the max does not do wheelies. the wheel base is too long for the power of the 650. so you won;t need to worry about bringing the front up.

Also in one up. It's really funn and really sporty. the extra power puts a smile on yer face but it does not feel dangerous at all. which is what i was oringinally concered about. Don;t get me wrong the 500 would probably be enough power for you. but I don;t think you will find the 650 indimidating or worrysome in the max configuration.
just my thoughts on it.