# 850XP or Outlander 800?



## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

I'm wanting to trade my Grizzly in and I'm on the fence between an 850XP and an Outlander 800? I know this thread will turn south but I'm looking for some experience/advice not a pi $$ ing match between fanboys.


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## lilbigtonka (Dec 30, 2008)

Both have their flaws but I would get a 850 for my riding style but everyone is different


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## gtsum2 (Aug 29, 2012)

I rode both and ended up buying a 12 brute last year. I have ridden my buddies 700 grizzly quite a bit also. The xp is a better all around package than the outy 800 IMO. The xp's ergonomics r very good with the engine mounted north south. Power wise there is not much difference. I think they r both soft on the bottom end, but the outy more so. Outy suspension is terrible IMO...way too soft for aggressive riding (for me). The xp suspension is really quite good for stock suspenders....too soft for me when riding hard (too much body roll and wanting to roll over the outside front tire), but it is better than the outy IMO. They r both big, heavy quads. You will notice this right away coming for your grizzly. Ur grizzly is going to be at least 100lbs lighter, maybe 140 or so. Canam lists their weights as dry weights....xt weights don't include the bumpers and winch either, so u r rolling down the trail at a pretty hefty weight (which is why I got the brute and put elkas on it...more low end snap, better handling for aggressive riding and it is smaller and lighter than both).

That being said, I am looking hard (again) at Rene 1000xxc. If looking at 800's, why not the 1000xt? There is a good bit more low end power there for sure. If Yamaha came out with a vtwin grizzly with a slightly longer wheelbase and slightly wider stance than it has now, I would be all over it because the grizzly is far more reliable than a brute, xp, or outy IMO. Them grizzlys just don't seem to break and have parts wear out like the others imo


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## Crewsing (Jan 30, 2012)

Next time we ride, take my bike or james 800 for a ride. I cant say anything about 850 never rode one. Heard the 850 dont like water. But my polaris 800 were some beast, alot of torque. From what I have been riding the can am kills it. But 90+ hp will tear up some parts if you dont treat her right. Hell my po 800 would break a front diff or axel if you get in a bind and nail it. Can am does have a soft suspension on most of the models. Mine has the podium fox and you can fine tune it the way u want. I like a bike you can do minor trimming on footwells and throw some 30 ol2. Snorkel and done. My back axels are almost straight across and fronts are not too bad. I think either way you win.


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## brute12 (Mar 13, 2012)

I rode with yall at flagler that last rainy day yall were out there do yourself a favor an get a new brute man to me no other bike is geared better imo yeah the polaris can do 80 mph an the can am has this an that but po po axles arent good and can ams are always in an out of the shop theres jus too much bs on a can am imo so id consider a new brute 750


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## JoninWV (May 18, 2013)

Why not a new Grizzly?


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

Bbrute12 said:


> I rode with yall at flagler that last rainy day yall were out there do yourself a favor an get a new brute man to me no other bike is geared better imo yeah the polaris can do 80 mph an the can am has this an that but po po axles arent good and can ams are always in an out of the shop theres jus too much bs on a can am imo so id consider a new brute 750


 Brutes are priced very good right now, 0% Financing, but I'm just scared of the engine rebuild horror stories and them not being very water friendly. 


JoninWV said:


> Why not a new Grizzly?


My grizzly is nickel and diming me to death right now and if I'm gonna be spending money and making repairs after every ride I just want something more powerful.


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## duckincrazy92 (May 24, 2011)

You can probably get an 850 cheap right now. When I bought my brute I could have got a 2013 850 for 6995 plus tax. And that was a special edition.


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## lilbigtonka (Dec 30, 2008)

Brutes are good in water just make sure you maintain them just like any other bike 


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## Crewsing (Jan 30, 2012)

Ya they all going need a wrench. I don't blame u nice having alittle extra power. Ops in tifton will get u cheap 850 and u don't have to pay taxes tilll u sell I think. Shannon (dude) works there is good to deal with. Have drove there and picked up a three sets of outlaws. I think u can get powersterrin 850 for around 7500. 800 stock 6500. But again he even said the 850 doesnot like water. He liked the older 800.


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## Crewsing (Jan 30, 2012)

You work hard like the rest of us. And u ride alll the time. Get what you want and build it nasty style. U only live once. Building a newer bike is funner than working on old one anyday.


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

****! That place in Tifton is the cheapest prices I've seen yet. I'm gonna call them when I get off work today.


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## JPs300 (Mar 23, 2011)

I seen the p-ing matches on the FB & just stayed out of it. 


Three out of the four 850 XP's that I know of down here in out area have kicked a rod through the side of the block. Two of them I am certain were well maintained machines, one of those is a bone stock trail-only machine that he & his wife cruise around on. 

Another friend (he's on here occasionally) works at a dealership in the Bradenton area and has had several 850's & 800's in with a rod kicked out. - They are failing on the big-end, breaking the beam off just above the crank journal. To break like that is flat-out a component design failure. 


One of the guys' whose machine broke is a die-hard Polaris guy & he himself said he would never buy another big-bore Polaris. He bought two regular 500 sportsmans in place of it.


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

So I take it you recommend Can-Am? Lol.


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## brute12 (Mar 13, 2012)

Check out a brute man its just like anything u have to take care of it but between the can am po po an brute id say the brute hands down has the best stock parts i always hear ab po po axles an can am diffs blowin out at 50 hrs an my brute does like water but all big bore atvs are sensitive when it comes to water!


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## Crewsing (Jan 30, 2012)

Just get your grizzlys legs back on and lets go riding. that mug is all u need.


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

Crewsing said:


> Just get your grizzlys legs back on and lets go riding. that mug is all u need.


This is more than likely whats gonna happen because aint nobody gonna give what I owe for trade in, lol. I know you've been to hastings alot but thats where we're talking about riding this saturday, you down?


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## Crewsing (Jan 30, 2012)

Yes I should be good to go. Might be solo again but found some nice new holes to hit


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## JPs300 (Mar 23, 2011)

Ole Nasty said:


> So I take it you recommend Can-Am? Lol.


Unless one of the other brands steps up, yes. 


I'm not a "fan boy" to any brand, I simply like v-twin power with the most reliability. Hands-down, as of right now that is Can-Am. 





I'm not impressed with the brutes myself. I guess we just ride thicker mud than most as even with full VFJ clutching the brutes "let the smoke out" of the belt far more frequent than the others.


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## ibgoatin (May 14, 2013)

JPs300 said:


> Unless one of the other brands steps up, yes.
> 
> 
> I'm not a "fan boy" to any brand, I simply like v-twin power with the most reliability. Hands-down, as of right now that is Can-Am.
> ...


 
I'm partial to Can-Am myself, but I have to agree. I saw a 2013 Outty 1000 on Jacksonville CL for $8000.00 a few weeks ago, dang good deal...


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## JoninWV (May 18, 2013)

I was convinced I was going to get a Polaris 850 but the more reading and research I did the more I found out why no one in this area seems to be riding them. When it comes time for me to buy a new on I've decided it will be a King Quad, Grizzly, or a Brute Force depending on which one I can find the best deal on.


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## mini bogger (Sep 14, 2010)

I'd go for a brute I've had a canam not doing that ever again and I rode with some 850s this past weekend and they didn't impress me diffs and axles and belts and so on.. only thing u really have to worry about on a brute is if you sink it and belts. or just keep your grizz. unless you just want more power there's no reason to switch


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## austinlord13 (Feb 26, 2012)

If it were up to me, I would go with the Can-Am. With the Brute second in line. But Can-Am over every thing else, hands down.


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## lilbigtonka (Dec 30, 2008)

I honestly like them all being any brand stock lol....now when you mod it give it up, you bulletproof stuff when something breaks and they all break seen brutes throw rods seen canam tranny get trashed popo axles so on and so on.....They all break get which looks the coolest cuz your gonna fix it regardless I love my brute to death reason why I still have I


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## jrpro130 (May 10, 2009)

I'm not a huge fan of Popo. Some are but I've seen enough rod through the block. And axle angles re insane. 

I have had grizzly 700 then brute 750 now can am 1000

Can am is bad ***. Best bike I've had. But better have deep pockets. Parts are 2-5 times the cost of Polaris and Kawi. I'm finding it out the hard way. Now granted things don't break much on these. Best bike I ever had hands dowm


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## lilbigtonka (Dec 30, 2008)

Wouldn't go that far yet my brute for the first year or 2 was perfect never messed up get some time in on it and then we will see....I do hope your canam runs great and doesn't mess up along with everyone's bikes but with how we ride it isn't if it is gonna break but when.....we all know that if you can't break it give it to me lol I surely can I have a lil gremlin that follows me everywhere


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## jrpro130 (May 10, 2009)

My brute was perfect for 1.5 years. Then it all went downhill. Didn't break a single thing

We are all rough on our bikes! I am just saying the can am has broke the least. They are good bikes just $!$$$$


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## JPs300 (Mar 23, 2011)

Exactly. They will ALL break the way we ride them, it's just a matter of the frequency.


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## Col_Sanders (May 16, 2010)

I'm kind of in the same boat. Nothing is or ever has been wrong with my Brute, I just rarely ride it anymore and I'd like to try something different. Something with a smoother ride and power steering.

Polaris quality is a good bit behind Can Am. Polaris axles suck and dont handle angles well. Can Am has too many electronic doohickeys and it makes me a little nervous. I hate the non QE Visco lok. The ride on the ones I have driven was pretty rough but they were older. 

From what I can tell, the Popo rides the best and its the most comfortable. I'm sure part of that is because its the heaviest. The 850 is 773lbs (dry) according to Polaris. Thats ~50lbs more than the Outty and probably close to 100 heavier than the Grizzly. The Polaris seems a bit easier to work on. The belt is harder to get to but since I've only opened up my belt box a handful of times on the Brute I dont think thats a big deal.

I'm still up in the air on it. Hell I may just get another sxs or a little Honda 300.


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## linkage (Mar 23, 2009)

Two Problems with Brutes that I had with the 3 I have owned (05,08 & 09) and yes these problems were from beginning to end. 0 -340 hours 
1. Clutching- Even with expensive clutches out there, so far it still sucks for mud riding(at least where and how I rode).I even had the teryx gear swap. This problem alone drove me away from Brutes.
2. Water riding- Could not idle in it over the exhaust, which makes it difficult to shift from forward - reverse if you get in a jam. I am not a fan of the tail pipe snorkel so did not consider that to fix it. I am not sure if the newer ones have this problem.

Problems with Can AMs with the 3 I have owned (08,11 & 13). Two renegades (1) 800 & (1)1000 and a commander 1000. 0-85 hours.
1. Parts are more expensive- Good part of this, I only had to replace a differential on the 08 and it was my fault.
2. I hate the torx screws- 

Polaris, I cannot give advice on, as I only give advice on what I have personally had experience with. I almost bought one though, but seen the new renegade on the showroom and couldn't resist. 

Yamaha Grizzly- Well I simply have not owned and chances are never will due to them being single cylinder.


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## JPs300 (Mar 23, 2011)

Polaris ride quality is nice stock(as is can-am, though popo is probably slightly better), but once you do a lift and spring spacers/etc to take all the squishy sag out for mud riding that's kind of a moot point. 

As far as electronics go, EFI is EFI, and electronic power steering is electronic power steering. The only added electronic with a Can-Am is the Pass-Key ignition, which isn't very problematic. 




We've had a few older sportsmans in the group, along with a couple 850XP's. Just from what I've seen from being around them I wouldn't own one myself. Every bit as problematic as my big Cat was, but w/o the power that thing made to boot. 

Kawi I'm not overly versed with, but now that I own a Teryx I'm sure I'll learn to love & hate them soon enough, lol.


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## Crewsing (Jan 30, 2012)

Looked like that grizzly was doing some work last ride. Hell the polaris 500 was going thrueverything too.


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## CaN_Am_RyDeR_1000 (Oct 22, 2013)

I'd go with the can am IMO. I have seen too many problems with brutes. Engines blowing under 5000 miles, wheel bearings every year. Snap axles on the regular (if lifted with oversized tires). The list goes on. Am I saying my can Ams were perfect? Of course not. If they made a perfect 4 wheeler it would cost a fortune and they wouldn't sell enough to stay in business. IMO the benefits of a can am out weigh all the risks.


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## greenkitty7 (Jan 26, 2011)

gtsum2 said:


> I rode both and ended up buying a 12 brute last year. I have ridden my buddies 700 grizzly quite a bit also. The xp is a better all around package than the outy 800 IMO. The xp's ergonomics r very good with the engine mounted north south. Power wise there is not much difference. I think they r both soft on the bottom end, but the outy more so. Outy suspension is terrible IMO...way too soft for aggressive riding (for me). The xp suspension is really quite good for stock suspenders....too soft for me when riding hard (too much body roll and wanting to roll over the outside front tire), but it is better than the outy IMO. They r both big, heavy quads. You will notice this right away coming for your grizzly. Ur grizzly is going to be at least 100lbs lighter, maybe 140 or so. Canam lists their weights as dry weights....xt weights don't include the bumpers and winch either, so u r rolling down the trail at a pretty hefty weight (which is why I got the brute and put elkas on it...more low end snap, better handling for aggressive riding and it is smaller and lighter than both).
> 
> That being said, I am looking hard (again) at Rene 1000xxc. If looking at 800's, why not the 1000xt? There is a good bit more low end power there for sure. If Yamaha came out with a vtwin grizzly with a slightly longer wheelbase and slightly wider stance than it has now, I would be all over it because the grizzly is far more reliable than a brute, xp, or outy IMO. Them grizzlys just don't seem to break and have parts wear out like the others imo


Lol if Yamaha came out with a v-twin grizzly, it would be just as likely to break as the other big bores, a single cylinder big bore is gonna be the most reliable. in theory, less moving parts/bearings = less crap to break. More power=more breakage. Every machine is susceptible to breakage, all in how you ride em or how you maintain em. Remember the bikes we build simply ARE NOT meant to do what we do on a regular basis. So it usually comes down to brand preference or wallet size.


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

greenkitty7 said:


> Lol if Yamaha came out with a v-twin grizzly, it would be just as likely to break as the other big bores, a single cylinder big bore is gonna be the most reliable. in theory, less moving parts/bearings = less crap to break. More power=more breakage. Every machine is susceptible to breakage, all in how you ride em or how you maintain em. Remember the bikes we build simply ARE NOT meant to do what we do on a regular basis. So it usually comes down to brand preference or wallet size.


Lol, my single cylinder grizzly is always broke, that's why I started this thread.

Just to update this thread, I still have my Grizzly(broke for a lean angle sensor) and I recently traded my wife's '09 Sportsman 500 for a 2005 Rhino 660


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## greenkitty7 (Jan 26, 2011)

Thats nice!


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks, it was bone stock when I got it. I built the cage and back seats for around $100, I traded my stock intake set up for snorkeled setup(free) and I picked up a 2" lift for $10. It desperately needs some wheels and tires.


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## CaN_Am_RyDeR_1000 (Oct 22, 2013)

I'd suggest a clutch kit before you get new tires. IMO the rhinos are dogs in the low end.


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## Ole Nasty (Jul 7, 2012)

I agree its a dog in the low end and top end. Some clutch work will be done at the same time as tires IF I don't sell it first.


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