Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's How about Can-Am?

Ok here's one more question. What's the reputation of can-am. Stopped by the dealer today to look at yamaha and saw these. Look like impressive well built machines with nice features. I think I gotta consider one of these in a 650 probably.

My only-recent interest in ATVs leads me to believe that Can-Ams are regarded as probably the most powerful and fun-to-drive machines available. On the other hand, they are also regarded as one of the most problematic and most expensive.

Do a search for cracked frames on Can-Ams. Apparently, they had a problem, redesigned the frames, and still have at least as big as a problem on the redesigned models.

Cracked frame??? HHhhmmm that can't be good!!

Maybe I'll stick with yamaha.

My brother has Can Ams. He prefers them to anything else. Never mentioned cracked frames.

The vast majority likley don't have frame problems. According to this 84 page thread on a popular Can-Am forum, there is a poll with 130 respondents, and nearly 28% (36 out of 130) have reported that their frame is cracked. There are separate categories for "dealer checked" and "I checked".

I have no dog in this fight, but I remember having come across this issue just a few weeks ago. Here is a link:

Can-Am Forum with Poll

I believe they are GAY. Just my $.02

Here's what got me looking at can-am. Good ground clearance, comes with a winch, polymer racks (no rust), auto diff lock, 3 levels of power steering adjustment (not sure if this is important)and comes with a little more aggressive tire.

Can-AMs come with alot of stuff but cost more....i bought a 2012 foreman with power steering for 6200$....I could buy a winch, better tires, etc and still spend less than a canned ham costs...but it'll never be as fast as a canned ham, wont smoke a belt either since it doesnt have any like a canned ham

yes cam-am frames both generation 1 and generation 2 have had cracking issues...

if you want the fast utility atv and like to fly through the woods at 70 MPH then yes, get a canned ham,.....btw the tires they come with can easily be bettered by buying replacement tires

i just priced one out online $10,300!!! wow

Ya I think I'm sticking with yamaha, one dealer has a 2011, 700 I might try to make a deal on. Bigger than I wanted.....but if the price is right.

Nothing wrong with Yamaha's, a lot of my buddies ride them and I still have one in the yard with a jag of miles on it. And to be honest I was a died in the wool Yamaha fan for the last 26 years.

But I bought a Can Am Outlander in March......And I'll never look back. There truly is no comparison between the machines. Yes, they cost more, but a Nightforce cost's more than a Tasco, and nobody complains about that......

To be fair, I did have a screw loosen off on mine and I have had a headlight fail, but for what I've put this machine through in the last 3 months.....Unbelievable.

Im curous what makes them so much better? the v-twin that pumps out horsepower and speed? FOr hunting and trail riding, hauling stuff how are they so much better?
i know they go fast
I do think yamaha has the best 4wd diff lock on the market

So Kodiak, can you elaborate a little, is it ride? handling? Did you put your can-am through more "abuse" than your yamaha? When you mention can-am it seems everyone thinks you want the extra speed and power to fly through the woods, which I don't think that's true, and I have no need for even though the machine might be capable. Are you now a can-am brand-loyal guy now? Curious cause I'm leaning back toward a yamaha mostly due to price and I don't need a "monster" machine just would like a mid-power 450-650.

Well this article doesn't paint the canned ham as dominant

http://www.atvaction.net/ME2/dirmod...amp;nid=2A5A273DACC6440281B2D2C45E58FD10

Good article sako, thanks for the post.

I would have to say yes, I've put the Outlander through a bunch more abuse than most of the yamaha's I've owned, but that's more a function of the Grin Factor it provides.

The ride is significantly better than the yamaha, the handling is better, the power delivery is better, the fit and finish is better, all in all it's just MORE. It's kind of like comparing a hand fitted Sako Vixen to a mass produced sako 85. Sure they are both nice critters, but the Vixen is simply MORE of a good thing.

Mind you, I'm comparing apples to cherries. Although I have ridden/owned everything Yamaha has produced on four wheels over the last 25 years, and this is my first Can Am product that I've owned. And the biggest unit you can get in a Yamaha is a 700cc class machine, and the Outlander I bought is the 1000cc Vtwin, with power steering and the quick engage locker up front.

What I wanted with this machine, was a physically large machine with independant rear suspension and a lot of horsepower and low end torque. When I killed a big bull elk last year I was able to get him to an atv trail, but due to the mud conditions of the trail I wasn't about to drag him through muskeg and beaver ponds and mud for 6 clicks back to camp, so I had to quarter and load him on the racks. The mudholes being what they were and the weight of the bull was too much for the bike, and I had to spend a lot of time winching my way through holes at 2am. With this machine, being the size it is and the torque and weight available it's a non issue.

However, that said, I'm not sure that ANY midsize machine would have made any difference at all in the same situation.

But to answer short and sweet, the handling and power make them easier and more capable in tricky situations. The suspension is seemless, which makes them more capable in off-camber situations (although the same can be said of any independant rear machine). Power delivery makes them more capable (kind of like how a diesel is strong from the start, but a gasser might be faster in the long run) as it comes on smooth and LOTS.

A RIDER will be able to get farther on one, than a guy who rides will. But the same can be said of the difference between a sportier side by side than a quad as well.

But I do agree, the Yamaha differential locker is a nice system. I was a full on skeptic of the Visco Lock until I actually used it, and I was a full on lover of the Yamaha locker system up till I ran the Visco Lock. It is simply a nicer system. The full locker on the yamaha is great, if you don't have to turn, or go with any momentum, or climb a steep hill. It does have some apeal in the mud, for sure, but it has a lot of downfall (turning, handling, power availability - governed when it's engaged unless you push and awkward to get at button).

And if you don't have it engaged it's an open front diff and the easier tire spins.

The Visco system is a variable rate locker. Being hydraulic based it runs on channels in the face of the diff, so the tire with more traction is the one that gets the power. If it starts to spin then fluid runs up the ramp and engages the other wheel until you back off the throttle. And it does that in less than a quarter of a rotation of a tire. Pretty slick system, that works.

One thing I will give the Yamaha though, is that the belt system is flawless. Constantly engaged so no slipping or glazing is possible.

If I were looking for another mid range machine, I'd probably go Yamaha due to the weight savings and diff lock. But after riding something with almost double the horsepower of anything else on the market, I couldn't go back.

The other thing to think about, is that regardless of the unit you buy, you are better off buying a tire tailored to what you are going to be riding. All trails, some gravel, stuff like that you would do alright with a Pitbull Growler. Lots of mud and muck and heavy traction requirements, MudBugs, Mudlites, Silverback Lites, etc....

But you need to decide what it is you want the machine to do for you. Great ride, putt around a bit on a weekend, maybe something like the Can Am 650 (which generates more horsepower and torque than any of the 700/750's on the market from other brands), or you want something a bit more utility with less snap to it then a Grizzly 700 is going to be more up your alley.

Regardless, if you go with either of those you are still going to be farther ahead than if you went Honda or Polaris.......

Good explanation, thanks. It's doubtful I'll ever put a machine through what you do, but good to know what they can do.

I've run an Outlander 400 (or 450?) for around 8-9 years now....before they were known as Can-Am they were Bombardier. At the time it had so many more options that the other makers. The visco-lock works great. I loved the CVT transmisstion for easing down steep/rocky washouts. I liked the disk brakes that were inside the frame rather than un-sprung out on the wheels. It was just way ahead of everyone else then when I was doing the research....and the cost reflected it.

When I was looking to buy an ATV I happened by a John Deere dealer near me and they had two of them which surprised me. I'd already priced them at the next closest dealer about 200 miles away and they were more than I wanted to pay.....the JD dealer said he'd sell either of them for his cost....I almost flipped. He said no one around here knew the name so no one would buy them. I took one home and if I'd have had the $ I'd have taken both of them. At that time they came with a 3 year warrenty.

It's been a great machine. Other than replacing a battery and wearing out the pull cord it's been a great machine. I'm not a rider...I use it for working the farm and hunting. I pull a brush cutter with it, drag uprooted stumps and tree tops, I've busted one of the lights, the seat has a couple of melted spots where embers from a brush pile landed on it, carry hay on it, use it for pulling wire, all the tires have been plugged at least once....it gets used hard and has never faltered.

Friends of mine that I've let ride it always mention how much more zip it's got than what they're used to...and some of them ride big rigs.

When I get a new one I'll look them over again and $ may be the deciding factor, but I can't find a complaint on this one right now......

Rode my first can-am in about 3" of wet snow - Helping my uncle flag out a fence line down some ravines. His Yamaha left me in the dirt going up slick snowy inclines.

Part of it was that the can-was a bigger machine, bigger tires and less maneuverable. The ride on the other hand sure was nicer than either my 06 rubicon or polaris 6x6. Power was outstanding, but once the tires started spinning it was dive off and head down hill and find a easier path.

My polaris sportsman 6x6 with the dump bed has been a great machine. Weak point is the chain drives needing re tightened frequently. Newer ones are all shaft now. I've had it loaded with a 3x3x8 bale before and had to have my daughter sit on the front to steer. For a pure work horse when you need to carry a bunch of gear they are good. Ride is what one would expect of a "work truck" type compared to a cruiser. If you have dogs that like to go with you then they will love one of these. My three dogs don't let it out of the yard without them being in the box.