2009 Can Am Renegade 800R Review

ATV Product Review :2009 Can Am Renegade 800R

How to describe this ATV? That is the question. Let me start by saying that I come from a dirt bike racing background, and spent more than a decade of my youth desert racing and motocross racing dirt bikes. When our son's grew old enough to start riding we decided to make the switch to ATVs, and have been ATVers for the last ten years. I have struggled to find an ATV that has the performance characteristics that I want, and I think I have tried most of them in the last decade. I've owned a dozen sport quads, and at least a dozen utility ATVs, and none of them were really what I was looking for. I started to think that the song by U2 "I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For" was a good description of my search for the perfect ATV.
Well, ... I have finally found what I was looking for. The Renegade 800 R has the all time best power, and the most power, of any ATV I've had the chance to ride. Most big bore 4x4 ATVs accelerate fairly good up to about 35 mph or so, and then start to fall off in acceleration. Not so with the Renegade; this thing rips, all the way up to and beyond 65 mph. It just keeps on accelerating harder and harder the faster you go. The engine is just marvelous. I love it. And there is plenty of power, even when riding at 11,000 ft elevation. The fuel injection and ignition map are perfect, with no stalling problem just off idle, and no mid-range miss like the Grizzly.
RS-Type TTI Independendent Rear Suspension puts the pivot points ahead of the wheels allowing the rear wheels to pivot up and down to improve traction and handling.
ITP Holeshot ATR radial tires are standard on the 800 Renegade.

I've spent $2000 on Ohlins shocks for our Grizzly 700, and they made an incredible improvement to that ATV. The stock Renegade 800 R is better! It's not as plush at slow speeds over rocks, but the faster you go the better it gets. It is very easy to get to the point where you start to think that the kind of speed you are traveling across jagged rocks, tree roots, etc., just can't be good for the other components on the ATV, like tie rods, steering spindles, etc. But the suspension just keeps getting better and better, the more you push it. The suspension is very impressive for a stock ATV.

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The 80-degree V-twin Rotax engine is liquid-cooled and features a new, more aggressive single overhead camshaft which manages four valves per cylinder.

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Handling is better than any 4x4 ATV I've ever ridden. Its not even close; nothing else is even in the same league, let alone the same ballpark. This ATV feels like it has a very low center of gravity, and just does not feel tippy at any time (even when you've got a rear tire too high in the air). It carves corners and powerslides as good as some sport quads. It feels smaller and lighter than it is. It doesn't feel like it weighs more than a Grizzly, it feels smaller and lighter. And it is smaller, ... Our Renegade is 3" narrower than our Grizzly 700, and it is easier to ride on tight trails because of that. It surprises me that a narrower ATV feels so much more solidly planted, and so stable, but it does.

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"very low center of gravity, and just does not feel tippy at any time (even when you've got a rear tire too high in the air)." Exceptional handling as well as versatility make the 800R perform well on all types of terrain.


Here is a short video clip of Can Am's Visco Lock in action over some uneven terrain.
2009 Can-Am Renegade 800R EFI Specifications Engine 799.9cc twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled, SOHC, 8-valve, EFI Bore & Stroke 91 x 62 mm EFI System / Carburetor 46mm Throttle Body, 2 Siemens VDO injectors Transmission CVT, with high and low range, park, neutral, reverse Drive Train Selectable 2WD/4WD, shaft driven with Visco-Lok front differential MSRP $9,499 Length 86 in (2,184mm) Width 46 in (1,168 mm) Wheelbase 45 in (1,143 mm) Seat Height 34.5 in (877 mm) Clearance 11 in (279 mm) Dry Weight 607 lb (275 kg) Towing Capacity 1,300 lb (590 kg) Frame SST Front Suspension RS-Type Double A-arm, forged aluminum upper arm/ HPG Shocks Travel 8.5 in (216 mm) Rear Suspension RS-Type TTI independent, HPG Shocks Travel 9 in (229 mm) Front Brake 2 hydraulic discs Rear Brake 1 inboard hydraulic disc Front Tires ITP Holeshot ATR - 25 x 8 x 12 in Rear Tires ITP Holeshot ATR - 25 x 10 x 12 in Wheels Center Cast Aluminum Fuel capacity 5.3 US gal. (20 L) MSRP $9,499
I don't know what else to say about this ATV. It is the best ATV for my type of riding that I have ever owned. Way to go Can Am.
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