800 Can Am vs Polaris 850XP?

[Scotty]

Wow.... you obviously know your quads! Experience on these machines (riding and working on them) is everything. Great info! I agree that the visco lock has not been a stellar piece of engineering on the older bikes... my brother says he hates it most of the time. I'm sure the QE version is better.... should be. As far as the BRP handling better at speed I have to agree, the cat is less agile for sure, even the T-cat with it's longer wheelbase and slightly lower CG, however, the cats DO handle better then they FEEL they handle. What I mean is when you go hard into a corner they feel like they want to roll over on the front end but they actually dont. You push them hard and they do stay planted... you just have to trust it!! A little throttle steer is a blast though!

The power on the T-cat is pretty adicting, same with the Can-am..... but the cat does pull harder. Both are crazy powerful and a blast to ride. Thanks for the tid bits on the Can-ams!

Cheers

 

[dony409]

i have put miles on both and the polaris definately has a smoother ride but the can am is well worth the money if your ready to spend it they really knjow what their doing with can am

 

[SLICKSTER]

i will say canam all the way. i had a 2008 outlander 500 and i went though more things on the trails than an equivalent popo could g even look at. popos are heavy and underpowered, and not that reliable. plus look at the warranty that canam provides. its 2 years standard and popo only has a 6 month... i had almost 3000 km on my outy before i sold it and there was never any issues with it. it always ran perfect and i drove the crap out of it. i upgraded to the 2012 outlander xt 1000 recently and id like to see a machine that can keep up to me on any terrain. mud, snow, trails or rock it doesnt matter. i will never own anything other than a BRP product. my dad has the 2011 outy 800 max and same thing he has almost 1000 km and never had any issues with it. we push snow with it and play in the mud.

Can-Am 110% the way to go in this decision. they may a touch more but the xt package from BRP comes with way more Extras than the popos do. and there is no stupid plastic front bumper to break if you hit anything.

Be careful with what you say...Can am doesn't come with a standard 2 year warranty, but in fact has a standard 6 month warranty, they just sell you the extendid package, and simply include it with the sale of the quad...most Can am dealers factor in the B.E.S.T. warranty with the price of the quad, to try and hide it, to make people like you THINK your getting it for free, when in fact your not. You don't beleive me that the Can am warranty is only six months, go onto BRP.com, select a a quad, go under specs, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and have a look. Extendid warranty is available on just about any ATV, including polaris.

 

[SLICKSTER]

I hear all the time, everywhere, that Can am has the best warranty out there, and I just have to shake my head, because its nothing more than simply good marketing, its not any better than any other warranty, because the price for the extendid warranty is simply hid in the over all price of the quad, and can be removed if requested by the customer. Most will ask, why remove it, isn't it better to have the extendid warranty, and perhaps it is, but these same poeple should also acknowledge that extended can also be purchased at polaris, suzuki, kawi, yamaha, honda.....so why is it better at BRP?

 

[recguy]

Good post and very true. Buyer should know whats going on prior to purchase right.

 

[Sofa king]

I ride with alot of Can Am riders, don't get me wrong they are nice machines but don't give me the warranty bs. First off they did change to a 6 month warranty (just like most manufacturers). My friends that were bragging up their warranty, hide when we talk about it now. Every time they bring them in for something it's 250-500 bucks (thats under warranty repairs). Now if your motor calfed the first ride after 6 months then great, but I wouldn't pay Can Am for the warranty.

 

[recguy]

The money we spend on these units, 6 month warranty should be plenty. They should last at least 2 years if you maintain properly.