I have always heard that honda are the way to go but here lately i have seen more and more this that change my mind. what i mostly want one for is mud digging. i hope to do some competative racing. i dont know much about them. so if any one has any recomendations or stories. what is a good size for diggin. what are the best mods? what is in your garage let me know. and if you dont own a can- am. what is the best things about your bike

 

Im not really much for cutting up BRP or any company ....i own suzuki its been good to me ....anyway my buddy has a 08 outlander 500 3100 kms which may not be the quad your looking to buy...but dam his BRP has been to the dealership at least 8 times in 2 years ......that pretty much says it all i was looking at the 650ds can am but after his troubles i wont bother ....JMO

 

What bike do you have?

 

And just what answer did you expect to recieve here??? I'll bite though and give you my .02 worth. Each manufacturer nowadays have pretty reliable builds and a bike for every preference and style. This used to be a DS650 forum but has integrated all of the Can Am's over the past couple of years. Most of your responses will probably come from the DS folks. There are four of them in my garage and I've owned three others besides the ones I have now. Probably will always own one.
Can't speak for mud digging but if it's dune shredding that you're looking to do the DS is one fine machine. Especially if you're of the larger persuasion. If you are an average size man a DS would suit many of your needs but you might want to also consider the Raptor 700. The DS has a sort of cult following and you PAY for the privilege to ride one. Aftermarket is very expensive. Parts for the Rappy are a dollar a truckload.
The Outlander and the Renegade are both awesome machines and probably better suited for the mud than the DS.
Ride safe no matter what you decide to go with.

 

How did he care for or maintain his Outty? Ride it hard and put it away wet or take care of it through routine maintenance and a little TLC? Seven CanAm/BRP DS's under my belt over the years and never had to take one into the dealer. Rode the hell out of all of them but also maintained them well. I'm not saying they were trouble free, when you live in the middle of the desert, and smack dab in the middle of Glamis and Dumont, you tend to put many hard hours and miles on your bikes, but the Bombardiers that I've owned have been the most carefree of any machines that I've owned over the past 49 years.

Did he get a lemon? Did he take it up with BRP? Sometimes dealers aren't much help after the sell. Hopefully he gets the issues resolved.

 

If you went to every brand here in the forum, you'll find someone with a story of how bad the quad they bought was. Also keep in mind, the majority of the posts are dealing with a problem of some type. So if you had never thought about buying any brand and came on here, sure you'd find a ton of answers. but you might be asking yourself, are they all that much trouble?

A good mechanic can fix things just as a poor one can make them worse. Sometimes it is the dealership and not the machine.

 

Basically for mudding you want a machine with good power. Over 700cc seems to be the trends for mudpit type competitions so it's probably a good place to start. Also, a machine with an independent rear suspension (IRS) is a plus. Lastly, a full locker is a must in mud. You'd be surprised at how many mudholes or rocky climbs that little bit of extra traction will get you over and through. Machines in these categories are the: CanAm Outlander 650 and 800, CanAm Renegade 800, Polaris Sportsman XP 850 and Touring and X2 850s, Kawasaki Brute Force 750, Suzuki King Quad 700, Yamaha Grizzly 700, and Arctic Cats above 700ccs. Arctic Cat and CanAm now make mud machines that you can buy from a dealer ready to go in the deep stuff. Arctic Cat Mud Pro 700 and 1000 if I remember right. And CanAm has a dedicated Outlander 800 for the mud. CanAm tends to have the most power per CC, Polaris has the best ride. All of these quads are pretty good machines. If you can try them on a test ride or a demo days in your area give them a ride and see what you think of each machine.

 

All ATV are good , but Cam AM has the rep for the most power per cc. Honda have there rep for reliability but I think most other brands are there as well now. I just don't like Honda Utility because they have the least power per cc and no true AWD system like diff lock.

 

In all fairness that atv road great...tons of grunt...it might had been a lemon of sorts ....just had too many problems plus the dealership was crap so he switched dealers seems there better...but even my buddy said he was gonna trade it in...he did take great care of it he paid a lot for it .....

 

Honda's are well built machines but boring in my opinion. Honda never pushes the envelope in terms of power/performance. BRP on the other hand is always at the top of its game when it comes to stirring up the industry. They were one of the first in the market with a big bore sport quad (DS650), I believe the first to hit 800cc in a utility quad and will soon be taking over the performance lead in the SxS market (Commander). Sure you might sacrifice a little in reliablity when your pushing the limits. Do you want a kickass machine that puts a smile on your face or an old reliable boring workhorse (Honda). THat what you have to ask yourself...