I am thinking of purchasing one of these, 2011 Can-Am 650.

A friend said that they, that he knows 4 people that have these and the frames have broke, under normal riding conditions.

Should I be concerned?

Has any had similar problems or heard of similar problems?

Dan

 

your friend is there are no issues with the 2011 frames. I'd call him out on his claim.

do a search in this forum and you'll find all the can-am frame topics you want.

if you call clipping a tree at 35+mph or jumping 15' into the air and landing on your front tire "normal" riding then maybe you'll have a problem... But I've punished many many can-am outlander & renegade frames on harsh new england trails and never had any issues- at all, what so ever. There are people out there who have destroyed their spar frame, but it was not via "normal riding"!

There is a frame insert you can purchase (peace of mind) and skids are a good idea on any atv you buy.

the whole "can-am has weak frames" debate is really getting old and annoying.

 

There was an issue on pre-2011 frames where they are on the weak side in comparison to other makers. The point brought up most is that they were riding hard, hit an obstruction, and bent the frame where the lower A-arms are attached to the frame. (Side note is that I did this very thing with my Polaris X2. Hit a large root with my left front tire that stopped me short, made the rest of the quad leave the ground, and almost busted my wrist. All without a single issue on the quad.) The weak frame is enough of an issue that there are "fixes" for it. Also, in 2011 Can-Am began to address the issue by putting in an X-shaped brace in the area of the spar frame where the bending was happening. The newest frame, on the 2012 Outlander and Renegade, has a whole new design. Even so, if you get a frame insert, are relatively mechanically inclined, and have 1-1.5 hours to install it, the insert gives you some peace of mind.

 

Thanks to all who replied to my concerns on the 2011/12 Can-am frames. I think i'll ask the dealer about them addressing this problem or at least the "rumors" and put them on the spot, but otherwise I'll probably go ahead and get one with the warranty.
Dan