2008 renegade 800 x

Well as you may or may not know, I'm a 4x4 freak. I love em. I also have a love for fast. And then there is my love for sexy lines. Keeping all this in mind; I was recently walking around an ATV Superstore and there it was. Setting so beautifully perched amungst other quads looking completely content in its authority. I'm talking about the 2008 Renegade 800 X. I don't know whether it was the awesome lines with the black and yellow plastics or the shear size of this beaut, but I had to sit on it. I got to start it up, and even test it out! The only thing I can say is that it's a good thing I don't have a lot of money or this thing would have went home with me.

Now I've said that if I wanted speed, I'd go for a Raptor 700 or KFX700 or something of the like. This machine very well may have changed that train of thought concerning speed and 4x4's. Don't get me wrong here. If you're looking for a quad to tool around the farm or get some serious land work done, this isn't the quad for you. But if you're interested in a quad that is just at home on the trails as the MX course, you might want to check this one out.

As usual, the sales rep couldn't answer 1/3 of my questions about the machine (other than price) so I did a lil homework of my own and combined it with my "lil" test drive in the huge parking area; here is what I came up with.

BRP introduced this machine with some changes made and it apparently really paid off. To start with the new A-arm set up has aluminum uppers and a better line to provide more ground clearance. The adjustable high-end Kayaba piggy back shocks in the front and remote resevoir rears offer up 9" of travel in the front with 10" in the back. The shock settings were designed in colaboration with Mike Penland, Scot Kilby and Warnhert Racing. This is reported to be a very well handling machine considering it is a full IRS quad and I would have to agree even from my limited test ride. The 800cc V-Twin powerplant pushes more power than I was comfortable with. It has a reported top speed of over 72mph. Man...you'd better hold on because the throttle response is instant and powerful. Just a small blip of the throttle will have the front end reaching for the wild blue yonder. This is helped by the 46mm Throttle body with 2 VDO Injectors. Did I mention this thing is fast? All of this power is transfered to the ground with a 2 range CVT and it is very smooth with little vibration present and the engine braking helps slow this monster down nicely. BRP didn't want to mess up a good thing with shaddy tires so they installed 25" ITP Holeshot meats with rolled aluminum rims that include a welded-in cast center. I read claims that the Visco-Lok 4WD system was improved somewhat but I didn't get to play with that so I can't say anything about it.

I still can't get over this quad. As I mentioned, if I had a bunch of money to toss around, I would now own one of these power houses. And at $10,199 suggested retail, I'd need a bit of doe to throw. As it stands, I'm just a land owner who likes to ride quads as much as I do work with them, so making a purchase like this couldn't be justified with my salary. But if you've got the money and are in the market, I highly encourage you to go check out the Renegade 800 X