800 Can Am vs Polaris 850XP?

[H2O]

I know the shock package is suppose to be awesome..... So that might be one of the reasons they are more money.
I agree that there is no perfect machine.

Both the can-am and the XP have there strengths and there weakness...... but both are at the top of their game IMO.

 

[S.W.A.T.]

I have been a die hard polaris guy in every aspect. However i know a good product when i see one and it hurts me to admit this but Can-Am defiantly has their quads dialed in. Its true they have had some weak frame issues but that could be the rider. Polaris has had some trouble keeping their big boys cool with that poorly placed rad up front. If it was just straight power and brut force i would take the polaris for sure, but most folks aren't pulling moose through the snow. The can-am will for sure get you there faster no questions asked there.
just saying...

good product.

 

[shenry]

Just bought the new 2011 Limited Edition Polaris and can clearly feel why the forums say this is the best ride ever of any quad. This quad has such a plush ride but yet I don't get any body role in the corners as it stays on all fours...just amazing. I looked at the Can Am and the dealer who sells suzuki and bombardier told me to stay away from the Can am because the frames are weak... how weak are they? do not know and don't care...but this was enough for me to steer me away and stay away. Most of my riding is through grusome trails and the polaris makes driving these trails effortless and I have no worries when I bottom out, not that this happens often. I also pull heavy loads loads through these trails be it loads of camping gear , trees and fire wood. The polaris dominates over the Can Am in this area, it has more low end torque and because it weighs more it gets more traction on hard ground and is able to pull like a bull. This is why I chose the Polaris bike. Some reviews claim that the weight of the Polaris is a negative, but when your pulling a load you need more weight, sometimes you need someone to jump on the back of or the front of your quad just to get traction to get out of a bind and regardless of weight I have power steering which makes the bike weightless and if I am stuck I get the winch out so I never have to lift the bike and even if it weighed 400lbs I would still need a winch, so I don't see the downfall to the weight of this quad or why we compare fuel mileage when every quad out there burns very little fuel to begin with. Can Am's lighter footprint no doubt has it's advantages on the track but I bought a utility Quad and not a racer, if I wanted a race bike then I would buy one, I get all the fun I need out of my CR 500 and I doubt that I will be racing a Can Am 800 any time soon with a load of fire wood behind my Polaris. If you want to do utility work and not worry about a weak frame getting bent then buy the Polaris XP it will work harder and at the end of the day, you have had the best ride a bike can offer.

 

[szprod]

I love my Polaris XP 850. It has more than enough power and torque. I like the very smooth ride and what sealed my confidence in the popo was on the Rocky Rail Line ride. The first ever real muskeg that I have had it in, not only was I on a heavy quad but I also had my spouse on the back riding 2up and the popo cut through the muskeg like it was butter. In fact after awhile of riding the muskeg I started to get a bit board because there wasn't much challenge. I got stuck twice and once was my own doing because I wanted to see if I could get through a mud hole I clearly couldn't. Funny part was with the EPS I rode a relaxed one handed over logs and everything else buried in the muskeg (I would never not have EPS). After a 23hour weekend ride not a single muscle in my body was sore. That's a great quad to me. I also have to credit the Zilla's I put on too, they work awesome! I don't think there is such a thing as a bad quad. They are all awesome! :d

 

[rzrgade]

The biggest problem with the XP`s is people asscoiate them with the old 700/800 s which were terrible bikes. The only interchangble part is the shift lever on the two bikes.The new 850/550 are night and day diffrence to the older models...

So many people have rode with the older ones and assume the new 850s are the same bike with a bigger motor,which could not be further from the truth....

I have owned a 800 canam and now a 850, both great bikes in there own right... I prefer the handling/ride of the 850 over my old canam ,however the canam felt faster a little.

I had the older (09) canam and i was not happy at all with the VISCO lock,however the new QE lock seems to be much better. That being said when i am running 30 inch tires i want then locking up together not one catching up in speed to the other....

Both are great bikes,my point is i see too many people bash the new 850`s because they had a friend with a 05 sportsman that was a POS...That has no bearing on the new 850s which are turning out to be quite a good bike....The amount of bottom end the new 850`s make is incredible.
The canam`s are a great bike, don`t get me wrong...This is the diffrence though $$$
I bought my 2010 with 100 k (demo) and a 3 year factory warranty for 8000$
Right now as far as bang for the buck the 850 XP with 70 hp/eps for 10 K is a hell of a bargain....

 

[quadboy55]

The biggest problem with the XP`s is people asscoiate them with the old 700/800 s which were terrible bikes. The only interchangble part is the shift lever on the two bikes.The new 850/550 are night and day diffrence to the older models...

So many people have rode with the older ones and assume the new 850s are the same bike with a bigger motor,which could not be further from the truth....

I have owned a 800 canam and now a 850, both great bikes in there own right... I prefer the handling/ride of the 850 over my old canam ,however the canam felt faster a little.

I had the older (09) canam and i was not happy at all with the VISCO lock,however the new QE lock seems to be much better. That being said when i am running 30 inch tires i want then locking up together not one catching up in speed to the other....

Both are great bikes,my point is i see too many people bash the new 850`s because they had a friend with a 05 sportsman that was a POS...That has no bearing on the new 850s which are turning out to be quite a good bike....The amount of bottom end the new 850`s make is incredible.
The canam`s are a great bike, don`t get me wrong...This is the diffrence though $$$
I bought my 2010 with 100 k (demo) and a 3 year factory warranty for 8000$
Right now as far as bang for the buck the 850 XP with 70 hp/eps for 10 K is a hell of a bargain....

Airfilters are also interchangable from XP to 800,500,400 etc. Same SKU.

I have a UNI in my XP meant for the previous gen Sportsman.

I know its not really related to the post at all but I figured I'd post it just incase someone is looking for one and the dealer says "we only got one for a 400". It will fit..

 

[dodgeguy]

I love my Polaris XP 850. It has more than enough power and torque. I like the very smooth ride and what sealed my confidence in the popo was on the Rocky Rail Line ride. The first ever real muskeg that I have had it in, not only was I on a heavy quad but I also had my spouse on the back riding 2up and the popo cut through the muskeg like it was butter. In fact after awhile of riding the muskeg I started to get a bit board because there wasn't much challenge. I got stuck twice and once was my own doing because I wanted to see if I could get through a mud hole I clearly couldn't. Funny part was with the EPS I rode a relaxed one handed over logs and everything else buried in the muskeg (I would never not have EPS). After a 23hour weekend ride not a single muscle in my body was sore. That's a great quad to me. I also have to credit the Zilla's I put on too, they work awesome! I don't think there is such a thing as a bad quad. They are all awesome! :d

Completely agree with the fact there are no bad machines!! It all depends on how you ride it!!

 

[tex78]

po po's suck and brutes rule..........................................canslam's brake frames..... so............................................:d:d:d:d

 

[arff]

po po's suck and brutes rule..........................................canslam's brake frames..... so............................................:d:d:d:d

You could hurt my feeling with that kind of talk.....





















J/K bring a rope so my poo poo can tow you around next weekend..

 

[Canadianking]

po po's suck and brutes rule..........................................canslam's brake frames..... so............................................:d:d:d:d

That's funny ch!t. Brutes are the worst quad out there. I'm constantly pulling them home weekend after weekend. I will take my chances on breaking a frame thing is it will probly still pull a brute home after. Thanks for the laugh Tex don't worry if I see ya broke down like most brutes I will give ya a tug and add some performance to that thing you call a quad.

 

[Kelzon]

po po's suck and brutes rule..........................................canslam's brake frames..... so............................................:d:d:d:d

Thats enough Your losing your mind !.And Talking nonsence! ........lol.

 

[hadster]

Just bought the new 2011 Limited Edition Polaris and can clearly feel why the forums say this is the best ride ever of any quad. This quad has such a plush ride but yet I don't get any body role in the corners as it stays on all fours...just amazing. I looked at the Can Am and the dealer who sells suzuki and bombardier told me to stay away from the Can am because the frames are weak... how weak are they? do not know and don't care...but this was enough for me to steer me away and stay away. Most of my riding is through grusome trails and the polaris makes driving these trails effortless and I have no worries when I bottom out, not that this happens often. I also pull heavy loads loads through these trails be it loads of camping gear , trees and fire wood. The polaris dominates over the Can Am in this area, it has more low end torque and because it weighs more it gets more traction on hard ground and is able to pull like a bull. This is why I chose the Polaris bike. Some reviews claim that the weight of the Polaris is a negative, but when your pulling a load you need more weight, sometimes you need someone to jump on the back of or the front of your quad just to get traction to get out of a bind and regardless of weight I have power steering which makes the bike weightless and if I am stuck I get the winch out so I never have to lift the bike and even if it weighed 400lbs I would still need a winch, so I don't see the downfall to the weight of this quad or why we compare fuel mileage when every quad out there burns very little fuel to begin with. Can Am's lighter footprint no doubt has it's advantages on the track but I bought a utility Quad and not a racer, if I wanted a race bike then I would buy one, I get all the fun I need out of my CR 500 and I doubt that I will be racing a Can Am 800 any time soon with a load of fire wood behind my Polaris. If you want to do utility work and not worry about a weak frame getting bent then buy the Polaris XP it will work harder and at the end of the day, you have had the best ride a bike can offer.

Congrats on your new XP , just a warning however, never use high range unless you are on hard pack at higher speeds or you will blow the belt (without any smells or sounds). Also if pushing alot of heavy snow or towing heavy loads, it may engage the SLD (sort of a slip clucth inside the trans.) once it does that a few times, it seems like it does it more often. There is a fix for that but the trans has to come apart (not covered under warranty). In addition be carefull going down steep hills with loose or slippery footing, the ADC may (skid or lock) the rear tires just enough to skid the bike sideways and make it difficult to maintain control.
Because of the SLD slip feature i think Polaris does not dominate in pulling heavy stuff (once it slips you are done). That being said yes it does pull very good indeed and it does take alot before it slips, it is good.
I have found that both my Can-Ams 2007 reg. & 2010 MAX would out pull my 850XP, mainly due to that SLD slip of the XP.
It doesn't happen to all of them of course, but mine and many others had power steering failure (mine a week after warranty), so i would consider getting the extra warranty for piece of mind.
Overall you did pick an amazing bike that i'm sure you will love for a long time, enjoy that great ride.
The Can-Am frame is not as weak as you may have been told, yes in accidents etc. they will bend (so will your car or truck) & mine is bent right now, but only because of a major crash that would have done any brand in.
Happy Trails

 

[Slamnek]

That's funny ch!t. Brutes are the worst quad out there. I'm constantly pulling them home weekend after weekend. I will take my chances on breaking a frame thing is it will probly still pull a brute home after. Thanks for the laugh Tex don't worry if I see ya broke down like most brutes I will give ya a tug and add some performance to that thing you call a quad.

Thats a crazy statement, I have yet to see a brute being pulled home due to breaking down. My kawi has been a fantastic quad but i might not be as hard on it as some people are. I believe all quads break if they are pushed hard, some before others. Everyone has a story about how there brute, can-am, poo, yam, pulled home the "other guy with his POS machine"

 

[Slamnek]

I'm gonna retract my last statement as i read a couple of threads down I see a bunch of people needing front diffs for there brute 750's. does anyone know what years the brutes had the front diff problems? I have heard that the earlier models had problems but i thought that was fixed in 09.

 

[Joshgrizz660]

I'm gonna retract my last statement as i read a couple of threads down I see a bunch of people needing front diffs for there brute 750's. does anyone know what years the brutes had the front diff problems? I have heard that the earlier models had problems but i thought that was fixed in 09.

i pooped the front diff in mine and had it replaced, imrunnin an 05 soo the first years of these things were pretty ugly but once all the fix's are done ie, buss conector, catch can mod, and front diff haha but seems to run fine now

 

[rzrgade]

Congrats on your new XP , just a warning however, never use high range unless you are on hard pack at higher speeds or you will blow the belt (without any smells or sounds). Also if pushing alot of heavy snow or towing heavy loads, it may engage the SLD (sort of a slip clucth inside the trans.) once it does that a few times, it seems like it does it more often. There is a fix for that but the trans has to come apart (not covered under warranty). In addition be carefull going down steep hills with loose or slippery footing, the ADC may (skid or lock) the rear tires just enough to skid the bike sideways and make it difficult to maintain control.
Because of the SLD slip feature i think Polaris does not dominate in pulling heavy stuff (once it slips you are done). That being said yes it does pull very good indeed and it does take alot before it slips, it is good.
I have found that both my Can-Ams 2007 reg. & 2010 MAX would out pull my 850XP, mainly due to that SLD slip of the XP.
It doesn't happen to all of them of course, but mine and many others had power steering failure (mine a week after warranty), so i would consider getting the extra warranty for piece of mind.
Overall you did pick an amazing bike that i'm sure you will love for a long time, enjoy that great ride.
The Can-Am frame is not as weak as you may have been told, yes in accidents etc. they will bend (so will your car or truck) & mine is bent right now, but only because of a major crash that would have done any brand in.
Happy Trails

The SLD is gone on the new ones...As far as pulling goes, at the Darwell quad pulls the 850 xp won easilly and the canams were brutal m ainly due to the crappy visco lock ,would not let them pull straight. A canam dealer sponsered it,he was sad....lol

 

[Canadianking]

I'm gonna retract my last statement as i read a couple of threads down I see a bunch of people needing front diffs for there brute 750's. does anyone know what years the brutes had the front diff problems? I have heard that the earlier models had problems but i thought that was fixed in 09.

I have three buddies with brute forces two 08s and a 07. The 07 has been a better quad other then belts and front diff actuators. Pulled him home every time. The 08s electrical problems, diffs, belts, overheating, pretty much every time we go something happens and need to be towed or worked on. Its from experience of riding with my friends and they aint happy with them either. Sure we might ride hard but my king and outlander usually make it home might need some work but not towed. I want to ride a 2012 and see how they are as I like the power of the brutes.

 

[quadboy55]

You got some bad intel there bud, the 2011 XP has the best clutch of any Polaris. They also removed the SLD. You can go tons farther in Hi range, though its not something I recommend doing in the mud, it works tons better than the previous gen 800. Also, its got a way stronger belt too.

The ADC on the XP only works when its in AWD, so all 4 wheels slow the quad, not like the previous gen where it was just the back tires.

 

[szprod]

On the rocky rail line ride I used ADC on a few of those really steep hills and not once had a problem, it works great. I also was in high going up a steep hill and I could smell the belt burn with the slipping and it did not break. I just stuck it in low and off I went. One question I do have for other XP owners is what happens if you forget to turn off ADC after coming down a hill and drive 30km/hr with it on for awhile? does it do any damage? My spouse and I were quadding and forgot to switch back to AWD instead of ADC.

 

[jgonie]

ive never had any front diffs probs or accuator probs and have only burnt one belt on 2800km and its had 30" mudlites and 29.5 laws its hole life. you have to keep changing oil in the front diff and it will be fine, I have a few freinds with outlanders and im not a fan, i have ridden the xp and i love the awd and the way its set up, i was never a polaris fan untill the 850, which might be my next unit