I ended up with a Can Am 850 XTP. The 1000 XTP I rode was great but pragmatism won out as try as I might, there really wasn't anywhere to use the power on the trails we ride here. Very technical, lots of climbing, loose rock single track, canadian shield, water but not much actual mud, etc.. The 850 feels just right and @cannondale27 you are right, they can be ridden at an impressively brisk pace. Swapping back and forth between the two (1000/850) convinced me that the 850 was the right choice. When I rode the 1000 it was only on the fire roads and really open sections that you could use the power and then only in brief squirts as traction was basically non-existant. The 1000 also exacerbates the overheating problem.
The 1000 was fun but ... more engine than the suspension/rubber can handle and everyone else we ride with has an 850 or grizzly 700. I found a screaming deal on a 22' 850 XTP that has warranty through 2026 and only a couple hundred ks on the clock, pristine condition aside from some bumper scratches.
Some general comments on the Can Am.. Having torn it down a couple of times for mods and just out of general interest. It is a very strange mix of really nice fit and finish but eyebrow raising construction design choices. Like the yellow sleds, it is designed to go together at the factory and daily stuff just takes more time than it really should. Can Am must have an investment in a company that makes locknuts. It really makes me appreciate how straightforward yamaha is. Simple things like having backing nuts where a threaded insert could be used, or different sized bolts when a more uniform selection of bolt sizes would do the same job, or having layers of assembly where you have to take this off to take that off to take the real part off are a bit annoying. Small things like nuts that are in really awkward positions. An example, the radiators on these things clog easily. To clean the rad properly you have to remove the bumper and front rack and then pop off the plastic. Is it time consuming, not really, but it is annoying that they didn't design the bumper such that the grill could pop out easily allowing you to get enough access to just clean the rad from the front. This forces you to do a radiator relocate which is A. Ugly, and B. Ugly and C. I like the front rack. Anyhow its a fun machine, the engine noise is meh, the power is good, the suspension is surprisingly good, the noises this things makes are alarming (diff howl). Still don't understand why everyone needs giant cargo boxes on their machines (front AND back), the obsession with mudding tires in southern ontario, and the entire sub-culture of folks putting giant wheels/tires/lift kits on and dressing them up like they are going to be entered in a christmas parade but its all in good fun. Trying to dig up information about the machine makes me appreciate this site even more. Moreso than even comparing doo talk to ty4stroke. The CanAm ATV forums are disorganized (at least the ones I have looked at) and tons of poor quality information (little real colaboration). @MrSled if you ever come over to the dark side I will be the first on on the forum. Until then, I wear my Totally Yamaha hat every time I stop during a ride and lament the lack of an updated grizzly with other Yami owners and yellow 'sunshine' riders until that day happens.
The 1000 was fun but ... more engine than the suspension/rubber can handle and everyone else we ride with has an 850 or grizzly 700. I found a screaming deal on a 22' 850 XTP that has warranty through 2026 and only a couple hundred ks on the clock, pristine condition aside from some bumper scratches.
Some general comments on the Can Am.. Having torn it down a couple of times for mods and just out of general interest. It is a very strange mix of really nice fit and finish but eyebrow raising construction design choices. Like the yellow sleds, it is designed to go together at the factory and daily stuff just takes more time than it really should. Can Am must have an investment in a company that makes locknuts. It really makes me appreciate how straightforward yamaha is. Simple things like having backing nuts where a threaded insert could be used, or different sized bolts when a more uniform selection of bolt sizes would do the same job, or having layers of assembly where you have to take this off to take that off to take the real part off are a bit annoying. Small things like nuts that are in really awkward positions. An example, the radiators on these things clog easily. To clean the rad properly you have to remove the bumper and front rack and then pop off the plastic. Is it time consuming, not really, but it is annoying that they didn't design the bumper such that the grill could pop out easily allowing you to get enough access to just clean the rad from the front. This forces you to do a radiator relocate which is A. Ugly, and B. Ugly and C. I like the front rack. Anyhow its a fun machine, the engine noise is meh, the power is good, the suspension is surprisingly good, the noises this things makes are alarming (diff howl). Still don't understand why everyone needs giant cargo boxes on their machines (front AND back), the obsession with mudding tires in southern ontario, and the entire sub-culture of folks putting giant wheels/tires/lift kits on and dressing them up like they are going to be entered in a christmas parade but its all in good fun. Trying to dig up information about the machine makes me appreciate this site even more. Moreso than even comparing doo talk to ty4stroke. The CanAm ATV forums are disorganized (at least the ones I have looked at) and tons of poor quality information (little real colaboration). @MrSled if you ever come over to the dark side I will be the first on on the forum. Until then, I wear my Totally Yamaha hat every time I stop during a ride and lament the lack of an updated grizzly with other Yami owners and yellow 'sunshine' riders until that day happens.
74Nitro
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Good summary.
I work on every brand of four wheelers and the can ams are difficult to work on compared to others, but there are a few things that are unique about them.
My new personal pet peeve with the thing is having to remove the gauge cluster just to check a fuse.
74Nitro
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- Snowmobile
- 2019 Sidewinder LTX
Like early Vipers!
The best part is that there is no tool in the supplied toolbag to remove the gauge (T15). In fact, I went through the tools yesterday and have never seen such a useless collection of metal. Its not me being picky, its that there really is little you can do with what they supply. The shock wrench does fit the shock collars and I guess if it were 1980 and I was going to pull a plug I could do that.. but that is about it. No 17 to pull lugs, no 13 socket to pull.. basically everything.. no number 10 that will actually reach anything.. an air pressure gauge you can't read and retracts as soon as you remove it from the valve, a philips so I guess I can make sure the top of the brake reservoir is tight.. I had to laugh when I realized that if I had broken down before now all I could do is practice juggling with the useless tools until someone came down the trail. Oh, the 10mm wrench could technically pull the beadlock off if I ever wanted to do that without actually removing the wheel from the bike.
