I have been leaning towards buying a 2008 Outlander 650XT. Now my buddies are suggesting that the 700 Yamaha Grizzly is the way to go. I am so confused. All and any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

I have both, almost. I have a Outlander 800 and we bought a Grizzly 700 for my wife. They are botrh excellent in their own way. Sitting side by side in the garage, it is apparent which is the beast and which is the mule. The Outlander is built much stouter than the Grizz. I suggest you ride both and then make your decision.
Interesting thread on another forum. A very large farm in the midwest has a bunch of quads. They work them 16 to 20 hours a day. Some of them have over 20,000 miles. They are Outlanders and the shop that sells and maintains them say that periodic maintenance is all they have required. Says a lot for CanAm.

 

Thanks for the comments. Do you remember which thread or forum that was where they spoke about the farm?

 

If money isn't a concern and you want something that has a little punch, an Outlander would be your machine. Just don't forget to throw some Ricochet skids on it. If you'd rather save a few more dollars, and don't mind a much more milder user friendly power curve, and can appreciate electric steering, then the Griz should be your pic if you're only considering those two.

 

I have an 800 and a 650, and we ride with a friend who has a Grizz. IMO, the Outlanders are more comfortable, handle better, have more power(even the 650) and they are better on fuel.

I like the Visco lok better than the manual locking system because we never ride rocks(the Grizz would be better in that case) The Grizz does have better ground clearance but it doesnt seem to matter because we can go anywhere he does.

When you really look at it, the OUtlander are a better value as well. Take the price of a 700 Grizz, add a 3,000lb winch, bumpers front and back, hand guards, 26in tires with aluminum wheels then see what the price differance is....bet the Grizz would be more.

 

wtrfrt
NYROC
The Service Center I take my 07 800 & 500 Outty Max's to is out in rural Oklahoma near quite a few LARGE dairy farms. The best story I've heard from them so far is that they service all the Can-AM ATV from this one farm that has over 20 Outtys running 7 days a week for about 18 hours a day. Some of the Outtys on that farm have over 20,000 miles on them with only the normal scheduled maintenance done to them. The Rotax engines are very durable and IMO put out the most power per CC."
The service guys there have also told me that Can-AM knows about the Outtys with the high miles and wants to send down some of their engineers to go over them because the "farm Outtys" have more mile on them than even their own factory test machines. I have seen some of those Outtys on a few of my visits to the shop and MAN!... they look like they are driven hard.

One more funny story about them is that they (the farm) are always (about every other month) replacing the front bumpers because they get really beat up with all the cow "nudging" they do with them. If I remember right, the shop now makes them custom fab'd heavier duty ones cause the stock ones don't last long enough.

The shop/service center is called Standridge Equipment in Chickasha Oklahoma. Give them a call and hear about it for yourself, 405-224-4411 ask for Brent. They're all GREAT people down there."

 

I just purchased a 2008 can-am 650 outlander xt a couple months ago, and love it. So far it has exceeded my expectations. Not to mention the few improvements from the 2007 to the 2008 models, which i waited a few months for.
I had been researching atvs for months before deciding to go with the can-am. The power, styling, rugged build, brakes, reputation of the Rotax engine, ride and comfort, all played a part in my decision.
The Yamaha is a very good machine, tryed and proven. But it really comes down to what your looking for in performance, in an atv. I have two close friends that both own Yamaha 660s, and they like them very well. Ive' riden both and they are great, very reliable, and attractive machines. But neither can touch my Can-Am in power, speed, ride or comfort. As for reliability, the BRP should perform there too.
Tough decision, I know. Just have to weigh out what each has to offer, and see who comes up the winner. Happy Shopping

 

Both are great machines... only if the outtie had EPS!

If your gonna get the outtie, get the XT package. Its will worth it. Also the Outtie has more power [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

We have 2 Outlanders 07's mines is a 650 the wifes is a 500 both are plain Outlanders, the XT'S have wenches and other goods we don't need, paid $6900, for the 500 $7400 for the 650. We are real pleased with them, great ride & handling, and more power than you need. the 500 with 110lbs my 650 with 220 is a close race but after 40mph the 650 takes over. The 500 will push 70mph the 650 pushes 80mph.
We had a couple 330 Outlanders we liked them put 3000 miles on them, but we just had to have the 500 & 650.
Get the Outlander you won't regret it.

 

I owned a '05 660 Grizzly, sold it and went to an 800 Outlander. The Grizzly was a good performer but not as spirited as the Outlander. The fuel usage is much better on the Outlander compared to the 660 but the new 700 now has fuel injection so I don't know if it improved.
I like the Outy's for the play side although I have towed way more than the recommended amount with ease. The only complaint about the Outlanders are the stock front shocks and the need of skid plates right from day one. Other than that, I would vote strongly in favor of the Can-Am's