Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Can-Am Outlander 700

Have any of you purchased or ridden a new Can-Am Outlander 700?

I gave one of my wheelers to my son for graduation from H.S. and we'll need another.

I have a can-am outlander 450 and it's great. I have no problem getting another of the same if it came down to it. It's been a reliable rig, fun and easy to ride. Truthfully, easier and more fun than the Honda Foreman I gave my son.

It's not the only one we're looking at but it's in the running. It looks like they replaced a twin cylinder 650 with the new single cylinder 700 with some electrical upgrades as well.

I drove a few last weekend at a dealership where my buddy is the finance manager at the place.

The dealer I was at sells Can-Am, Polaris, and CF Moto. CF Moto is a chicom bike.

I rode a Can-am Outlander 700 (single cylinder) 2-up machine first. It was very smooth. Power was great and the throttle was very responsive, the shift lever was very smooth compared to the one I have and the machine itself was very smooth. Suspension was good, rolled a bit in sharp corners when you get on the throttle. Breaks were adaquate but not fantastic. I don't like the single lever breaking they all come with now, but they all do. It also has a foot break that operates the rear breaks. It was quieter to operate than my Outlander 450 that we have. The 700 compared to the 450 is not even close in comparison to riding the updated versions. They're better all around. It was all I could ever really want on an ATV actually. Pretty impressive actually. More so than I thought.

Then they brought me a CF Moto 800 2-up. I told the salesman I'm not interested in the CF Moto but I'd ride it for comparison. That thing was scary fast. It was a blast but way to fast to have someone on that back of that sucker. My helmet started to lift off my head at 65 mph and I backed off the throttle at 70, but there was more to go if a guy wanted. The suspension was pretty soft, not as sporty. The breaks were not adequate for the power of the machine and the engine breaking was decent.

Next up as a Can-am outlander 850 (twin cylinder) 2-up. Smooooth like the 700, less throttle response, but more power. Geared different maybe? Handled well like the 700 and much better than the CF Moto. It wasn't as fast as the CF Moto but it handled so much better that I think you could probably ride it a lot harder at speed and not feel like it was going to kill you. lol

Last was a 700 single rider platform. It had a bunch of aftermarket stuff on it including 30" tires. BFG Mud Terrain and some hunting gadgets. Performance was mostly the same as above except it didn't handle as well with that tire/wheel combo.

Truthfully, I liked the ride of the 2-up machine's a bit better but I'd like to compare apples to apples and not have the big tires on it. I'll go back soon with my wife to let her try a few, including the 500's.

Good reviews, Tzone.

Tzone, Sending you a PM.

Did you put the Outlander 850 in sport mode? I only ask, because I have an 850 and in work mode it's amazingly slow. In regular mode, it has plenty of power, but the throttle response seems slightly delayed. In sport mode, it's insane. Throttle response is almost instant, it'll lift the front end off the ground easily, and it's scary fast. I was amazed by how much difference the different modes made.

I wanted to post that question before I start rambling on with a response that will be too long for most people to read. I bought a Can Am Outlander 850 earlier this year after months of research, and I'm in the market for a 2nd atv now. I'm very happy with my choice, and I'd make it again (although I'm not sure I'll get another one for my second atv, as it was costly). In my opinion, the reason you buy a Can-Am is for the v-twin power and handling. What you give up is the quality and reliability of the Japanese brands. It really came down to the Suzuki King Quad 750 and the Can-Am Outlander 850 for me. The quality difference is obvious looking at them side by side. Not to mention the Facebook groups and forums filled with people talking about blown differentials on a regular basis, constant leaks, clutch issues, etc. To me the performance was so much better that I decided it was worth it it give up a little quality in exchange for fun, and this machine is a ton of fun. Coming from big bore dirtbikes (CR500), and sport ATV's, I definitely prefer the 73HP over the 49HP of the King Quad I test rode.

If you give up that power, (which you do with the 700), I don't really see a reason to go with Can-Am. You give up the reliability, get a crappy warranty, and you get approximately the same power of the KQ750. Braydon Price did an informative video of one on YouTube and the first ride out, the rear end was already clunking on it. If you're looking for a 50 +/- HP machine, I really think getting the tried and true King Quad is the answer. The KQ also has a better clutch system, which is a big benefit. It's been proving it's reliability for the last 15+ years. If you want more power, that's where Can-Am comes in. The V-Twin Can-Am's are a great option.

Looking at the KQ vs my Outlander side by side, the quality of the Outlander is pretty poor. The welds look terrible, the plastics fit poorly, the bumper has grind marks it in in several places and they just painted over them, the paint on the painted parts have runs in it, the headlights aren't sealed well and fog up, etc. If you join some of the FB groups, you see tons and tons of people complaining about the same thing. It's pretty well known that it's just how Can-Am is. It really doesn't matter at all for the functionality, but it just demonstrates the level of QC they have. In comparison the KQ had none of these issues, and looked great. There is absolutely 0% chance I would have bought this machine over the KQ if they had the same power. So I can't imagine stepping down to a single cylinder version that does have similar power to the KQ, and choosing it.

I used it it in whatever mode it came out in. I didn’t know I could switch it. I wouldn’t say it was a slow throttle response but it wasn’t as responsive as the 700. Which I thought was strange.

Thank you. I did have a KQ 750 and one point and it was a good machine.

I have historically been a Honda fan. Just picked up a new 2024 Camo Rubicon Deluxe IRS DCT EPS. My Can am sample size is 3. One being a 2012 Outlander 500 still running strong never been to the shop except for oil changes once a year and 2 batteries. Second one being a 2019 Outlander 570DPS. Although I only kept it 3 years it as well had 0 issues. I agree with your comment about the front rack welds looking crappy (on the 2019) but other than that, no issues or complaints. Third is a 2018 Defender HD10XT. This thing (in 2018 when I purchased it) was well ahead of all other SXS's. I drove the Pioneer, Viking, Ranger, John Deere and none of them compared. The Can am was quieter, had more power, rode smoother, better steering, had more cab space I could go on and on. The only comparable machine I didn't test drive was the Kawasaki. Anyway 5 and a half years and over 3000 miles later it is still going strong. I have changed the battery once and a clutch roller once ($200 parts & labor) and that is it. Service manager said the clutch roller was most likely damaged by towing or hauling heavy loads in high gear instead of low gear or switching gears while still slightly moving. It has pulled trailers with a pallet of corn on it, box blinds, an ATV on it, I've loaded 20+ bags of corn/seed/fertilizer in the bed many of times, never an issue. I couldn't imagine being more pleased with a machine. The ONLY complaint I have is the suspension squeaks from time to time and needs to be greased twice a year. Its caused from the dusty and dirt roads I drive on 90% of the time.

The people always having issues with Can-ams are usually the ones that bought the most powerful machine they could find so they could dog it out, drive it like they stole it, jack it up with 35 and 40 inch tires and drive them through lakes and then complain that the thing broke. I'm not saying you should baby the machine but if they took the comparable (if there is one) Hondas, Suzukis, Yamahas etc etc and did the same crap with them they would all break too.