Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Can Am UTV

I like the old school SxS/ATV.

My ride when I was stationed in Kodiak was a 2 wheel drive Suzuki 160 4 wheeler. I'd load that up with my wife and an ice chest on the back and guns, rods and reels and tackle bags on the front. When I got stuck, I dismounted and dragged it out of the hole.

I've only known 1 guy with a can am, and he is satisfied.

I was dropping an atv off at a repair shop just yesterday and ask the mechanic which brand he'd suggest for most reliable/less repairs. He told me Yamaha was the least seen brand in their repair shop, followed by Honda. He said kawasaki uses an engine made in China and he works on the newer kawasaki's daily. Ymmv

I think-if you stick with the mainline manufacturers you'll find pluses and minuses that most can work with.
I've had a JD diesel, Mule and finally settled on a Rhino.
Haven't heard of any CanAm owners that weren't happy with their choice[know a few]

My cousin had a Can Am SXS. Had problems from day 1. Had it less than 6 months and got rid of it. Bought a Roxor. He had a cab and I think they never could get A/C to work correctly. I’m a Yamaha guy. Have had many over the years and are very dependable. I currently have a Viking S X S, a Grizzly 700 and a Big Bear 400

I do have a Can Am Defender for just over two years. It has been problem free.

Thank god there are folks on this forum that do not believe all of the complete and utter bullshit that is spewed upon these pages!

My 2008 Yamaha Rhino 700 special edition has been trouble-free since I bought it (Used). It had 1,500 miles on it, it has 4,000 miles now. I added a 3" lift and taller tires, a winch and a plow.

Built like a tank and last forever thats why municipality's purchase them.Go figure..

This is what 2 different dealer mechanics told me also, when I was looking. They both sell Can Am, Kawi, Honda and Yamaha. They both said the Yamaha's were hardly ever in the shop compared to the others.

That was 6 - 7 years ago though, so take it for what it's worth.

You want to find different dealers. Having worked on several different SxS's the Yamaha's have been very dependable and the Kawasaki KRX is a brute with very few problems, I could retire on keeping Polaris's and the Mavericks running. Both brands have many weak points and you never know when you are getting a stop ride with a Polaris.The 2019's KRX had weak ball joints which Kawasaki replaced under warranty. I put almost 8,000 miles on a 2012 Can-am commander 1000 with zero issues.

One thing I've noticed with Polaris is that without a full enclosed cab, they suck in dust so bad, the riders are filthy dirty when they get to the pit stops.


Like shake 2 lbs of dirt out of your hair, dirty...

Thanks for all the replies. Seems like Honda, Yamaha and CanAm are good choices. Polaris, not so much.
Availability is an issue.

I don't know of anyone with a bad thing to say about Yamaha UTV - sport or work. Sport guys would like better HP and suspension but not actual "failures".

All of the Can-Am guys I know are sport guys so they're adding huge turbos etc and breaking things with gross application of the right foot and quick stops caused by trees.

The Polaris guys - issues but I don't know specifics. I'm not a Polaris guy at all so I don't pay attention, it's not in my decision process.

Honda - my uncle has a Pioneer. I'm not a fan, I found it DAMN loud and hot (and slow).

I really REALLY like the look of the newish Yamaha Rmax 1000. 10 year warranty on the belt, able to boogie to 70mph if having fun, still has a dump box etc.

OP,

I did a lot of research, and there is a ton of it. But after the dust settled, I went the Honda Pioneer 1000. It is mostly used for work on property and some trail rides. What made me go with the Honda was reliability, and no belt.

My .02

I have one friend that bought a Can Am. It broke suspension components too easily so he sold it. He is a full motorhead, dirt bikes, other buggies, rat rods. He knows how to take care of stuff and he wasn't abusing it,

That was one of the issues the mechanics talked about and others on the forums. Too much throttle, not enough beef, in the areas that see the torque.

I have a Polaris RZr xp1000 trail and rock edition. I’ve had it for 3 yrs and I have about 1700 miles on it. Only issue I have had was a blown input seal on the front diff and it was covered under warranty. I’ve made several trips to WV outlaw trails around Crumpler Mt, been to Tackett Creek in Speedwell Tenn. and multiple other trails around my area. We ride hard and sometimes fast. We go through creeks and some awful mud. We have climbed hills and gone down hills.
Mine has a 30% lower gear reduction and it will climb a wall. I’ve made upgrades just because I don’t take chances and don’t want to break down out in the middle of nowhere.
With all that said, they are all going to breakdown if you don’t upgrade cheap OEM parts and keep up with maintenance . I don’t regret my purchase.

Which parts did you replace, if you don't mind?