i feel like the 550 is too heavy. is it more powerful than a outlander 500 though? what the horsepower of the 2 bikes

 

The 500 Outlander is more comparable to the 700cc class. They have a twin in the 500.

Yamaha makes a 550 with PS also.

I would look at the 550 XP EPS for my wife. It's very stable, easy to operate, decent tires, one lever braking, on the fly AWD, big floorboards, easy to straddle, etc...

The only thing I don't like about the single cylinders is that they vibrate at idle. Other than that and the power issue, the 550 is a better machine overall than the Outlander 500.

The Outlanders have a terrible diving issue with the front suspension, they NEED skid plates, and seem smaller when riding them. Not much talk about the PS in them yet either, so no one knows really how good it is.

Have her look at all of them and then decide.

 

its good that outtys seem smaller when riding them, im sure a woman is not going to want to try to fit through tight trails on a gun boat,they get bored and fustrated id get a 650 rather than a 500 because it has way more power( like 20 horse), and a better front suspension, but all of the bikes mentioned are good including the hondas

 

If I didn't buy Polaris, my 2nd choice would be a Grizzly. The new 700 is a really good machine. The new 550 is getting good reviews as well but I have not riden that model.

 

what is faster a outty 650 or a kawi bruteforce 750

 

Thanks for the info, had her drive the 550 xp- she loved it.It has plenty of power ( she had a 680 rincon before ) it has 40 hp and is a lot narrower on top and bttm.The $ 600 rebate on 2009 is nice too.Thanks and good ridin

 

One thing I found interesting is that my wife and my buddies girlfriend did not like the bikes with power steering! For different reasons. I couldn't have been happier when she wanted her bike back.