Hey guys. I'm considering moving from a 2010 Polaris X2 to a new 2014 Outlander. I have always been a fan of Polaris but I'm willing to try another brand. I was able to try out an 800 this past weekend and fell in love with everything about it. Power steering was awesome and the power was crazy.

I have covered many miles in Maine and NH and I just don't see as many Can Am products on the trail as some of the other big names and I don't know why. I have heard a lot of good things about Can Am and am not married to Polaris. To me the fit and finish and tolerance levels on a Can Am are much better then Polaris. Correct me if I'm wrong. At least from the ones I looked at. I have had 4 Polaris's and the fit and finish on all 4 was a little weak.

So my question is should I or shouldn't I? I know this is a very opinionated subject. How is the reliability and dependability of the Can Am? I know all the manufactures have issues....I get that. Anything I should be aware of?

 

Howdy, SageBoy. Like you I owned a Polaris Sportsman X2 500. Mine was a 2006. I really liked it for work. Nothing quite like it and the ability to change over to a 2-up machine was nice. One gripe I had was that it didn't have much of a top-end speed-wise. On winter rides in Warren, NH and other places where you could open it up on a long wide open hill it just wouldn't keep up. I got the Outlander Max 650 XT-P. Love it so far. Had one boot seeping a bit and a new clamp fixed that. I honestly liked the ride better on the Polaris and the CVT is noisy on the Outlander. But, the power is amazing. Much more controllable than the 800 and 1000 but still has plenty of oomph. I got it up to 68 on a wide, smooth trail where I could see a mile or so ahead. (Up by Pittston Farm above Jackman, ME) Felt like it might have a little more but ran out of smooth trail. Lots of fun. Only other thing I can think of is the way the trailing arm suspension works on the Can-Ams. It pogos forward and back instead of up and down like an A-arm rear does. I recommend getting the XT package. Lots of extras thrown in. May seem more expensive but if you were to add them onto a Polaris the price comes out about the same.