Hi I'm new to this. And I am looking a buying A new quad and am wondering which is better, Canam Outlander 650 MAX XT or Polaris Sportsman XP 850 or 550. Tell me anything you know! Wether pros or cons!! Thanks




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06 Honda TRX 400 With GPS Canadian Trail Edition, 2500lb. Warn winch, county plow

 

I had the same problem,I was comparring the 850 to the outy 800 while the can ams are lighter they also have had frame problems being weak and while the polaris ride better and are stronger they have had reliability issues in the past and the new xp are new this year,the polaris are cheaper I decided to go with polaris 550 for her and the 850 for me and so far I am happy with the polaris,hope this helps

 

Thank you!! How do the XPs like the mud? Water? Belt problems? I have heard about the week frames on the outlanders. I have ridden an XP 550 over mougles and stuf, and it handled very well - Better than my Honda!!

 

Polaris and Can, buy you choice of trucks you like heavy duty stuff so I see 1 option for you. Polaris.

 

This used to be a much easier question to answer when it was the CanAm 800 VS Sportsman 800! If you wanted speed and handling, go CanAM, if you wanted comfort and work, go Polaris! To a certain extent, it was pretty much that simple! They both had/have their own particular issues but are both good machines!

Then Polaris came out with the XPs and changed this entire decision making process!
IMO, for what ever it is worth, the XP rides better, handles as well if not better, is roughly equal on power/speed, is smooth as glass, MUCH less fatiguing to ride all day, and is unmatched in the work/payload arena...simply put Polaris has raised the bar here and all the other manufacturers are scrambling to figure out how they are going to compete...it's going to take more then a power steering unit this time...Sorry Yami! (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

Now, with that said, the CanAms have a certain "coolness facture" in their design that the Polaris probably just doesn't have...this comes from two completely different design philosophies, CanAm is about the riding experience, they tend to be more sports car...while Polaris is built around the sales slogan "the worlds toughest ATVs" and they are designed to meet that goal!

I guess you have to ask yourself, is "cool" more important to you then the total "functionality" of the XP and is it that important to pay more for it!?

 

Another thing to consider is that if you ride slow technical trails the Can-Am visco-lok isn't suited for that type of riding.

 

they do great in the mud and the belt is now sealed so the water does not bother it

 

Was having the same problem making a decision on mine. Decided to go with with the xp 850 LE with power steering. Picking it up next week. Can't wait. Wanted power and comfort so went with polaris.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Tundra27

Was having the same problem making a decision on mine. Decided to go with with the xp 850 LE with power steering. Picking it up next week. Can't wait. Wanted power and comfort so went with polaris.</end quote></div>

Congrats on the ride!!! You will love it. I have the 550, so far I love it. The maintenance is easy, its fuel economy is good, it will start and idle unattended in
-30 F, and its ride is smoooooooooooth!!!! The eps makes plowing fun!!!!!