2009 Can-Am Outlander 800R XT Part 1, 2 & 3

[BATTLEGUN]

2009 Can-Am Outlander 800R XT Review

Hey ATVT readers! I’m kicking of a series of reviews on the 2009 Can-Am Outlander 800R XT. The first review will be taking a look at the some of the more simple things. What do I mean simple? I’m referring to racks, bumpers, and other common items found on Utility ATVs. Let’s see how they stack up.

RACKS & BUMPERS I’ve never seen this caliber bumper on a stock rig. These bumpers are very large compared to its closest competitors. In fact, if we want to look for a bumper that compares we’d have to look at Kimpex, Moose or Bison bumpers. They sport a 1”-2” diameter and protect the entire front AND rear of the ATV. Truth be known, I’m not going to go out and bash into a tree or whatever to “test” the functionality of these large bumpers, BUT I have issued a few respectable blows to them. All of the impacts but one happened to be trees and there are no visible scuffs and certainly no bends. If and when I do get a gnarly hit, I will provide an update with the results. The racks on the Outlander 800R are definitely respectable. They offer a fairly level perch for your gear and are very solid with integrated storage. About the storage, the 800R isn’t overloaded with it, but it does offer some under the rear rack. Downfall? What if I want to mount a box?

INSTRUMENT PANEL & HAND GUARDS The instrument panel is very nice in my opinion. It has a digital tachometer, hour & minute meter, odometer, fuel level, speedometer, transmission indicator, 4WD indicator and it allows you select between a few different displays to suit your needs. The lights are controlled by the key switch. Turn it once and you have headlights twice you don’t. As a safety, the tail light stays on all the time and will remain on for 30 seconds after the switch is turned off. The 800R XT comes with hand guards out of the factory. These are not like the after market hand guards you can buy for your Utility ATV. They are complete. They cover the entire bar to give it a stream lined look and they function just like any other you can buy. They deflect stuff well and appear to be built of quality material.

WINCH All Utility ATVs are coming with winches these days. But a 3,000lb winch? With a sealed line? AND a remote WITH a built in storage for the remote? That’s pushing the bar in my opinion. It works just like a winch. Pulls stuff in and the quad out.

FLOOR BOARDS Do you ever wish you could keep your footing when riding aggressively on your Utility ATV? They make after market extended foot pegs to assist in this department. Can-Am said we can do that. Right off the show room floor you get the extended foot pegs. (So you can hold on as the 800 deals its hand!) The rest of the floor board is the same as any other but it certainly feels roomy. You can see my size 10 wide with room to grow in the picture below.

TIRES The XT’s tires are another high point. The 26” Radial Carlisle's that come on the Can-Am 800 XT are very nice compared to most other stock tires. They have excellent forward traction, decent stability, and seem to be fairly puncture resistant so far and to top it off, they’re radials. I’ll update on these tires as I get more miles on them.

EXTRA BRP has included mounts for off road lights on the 09 XT. I give them a thumb up for thinking about it, but I give it a thumb down for being a low mount. In Can-Am’s defense I’ll say that this is probably aimed at the consumers who can road license the quad because a set of signal lamps would fit in there precisely.

I hope you have enjoyed the first segment of the Can-Am Outlander 800R XT Review Series. There is a LOT more to follow.