We purchased our 2009 Renegade 800R in August of 2008. Can Am ATVs provide a superb level of performance and have a very innovative design that allows for a relatively light overall weight, while still having very stout drivetrain components such as driveshafts, axles, CV joints, etc. The overall product is very durable, but has one vulnerable area. The Can Am frame center spar is wide and exposed to potential damage from rocks, stumps, and other immovable objects. If the frame is bent or dented it can loose its structural integrity, leading to frame failure. So the first upgrade we make to each and every Can Am ATV we purchase, is a good set of skidplates to protect the frame from being damaged.
We installed a set of Ricochet Off Road Armor skid plates on our 2009 Can Am Renegade the very first day we brought it home from the dealership, one year ago. Here is what they looked like back then.
So what has happened to our Renegade in the last year? It has been used, and used in some rough terrain. We just turned over 1000 miles, with 80 hours on the engine clock. The ATV has been ridden almost exclusively in the Rocky Mountains, in terrain just like these pictures.
Don't jump your ATV in the rocks without serious skid plate protection.
After 1000 miles of rocks, with some trails so bad that the frame drags every ten feet; after jumping the quad and landing on a big rock we didn't see on the back side of a blind jump; and after more abuse than I care to recall, the frame on our Can Am ATV is still straight and strong. The Ricochet skid plates have not only done their job, they have also increased the value of our ATV by more than the cost of the skid plates to begin with. We recently had our ATV on ebay, and several of the bidders told us they were bidding on our Can Am and not other Can Am ATVs
because of the Ricochet skid plates on our ATV, and because they knew there would be no frame problems with our ATV. They did not have that same reassurance with other Can Am ATVs that were not similarly equipped.
So here is a picture of our new Can Am, with its very first mod installed (you guessed it, another set of Ricochet skid plates), and our one year old project Renegade 800R, and its thoroughly tested Ricochet skid plates.
And here are some close up pictures that show how many frame wrecking impacts these skid plates have deflected in 1000 miles worth of rocks.
So after one year, I am 100% satisfied with the protection Ricochet Off Road Armor has provided our Can Am. I wouldn't own a Can Am ATV without them. The only thing I did differently this time was spring for the extra protection provided by the a-arm skids. I tried to keep weight to a minimum last time around, and opted out of the a-arm skids. In the last year I have torn two CV boots on the Can Am, which could have been prevented had I went with the a-arm skids last time. Ricochet makes an excellent product, and I highly recommend the whole package.
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