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Being unprepared for the riding conditions from nothing more than being ready to take the first ride on the new beast, we had not anticipated what would soon become the dirtiest riding adventure ever. It QUICKLY became obvious that with the Can-Am Renegade 800, if you plan on riding in wet conditions, or water or mud, you should go into it knowing that the coverage provided by the front and rear fenders is minimal at best. What should have been obvious at first glance of the Renegade from the front is that in factory form, the front tires stick out from under the front and rear fenders a good two inches. so, you can imagine how quickly a clean ride turns into a muddy mess when you add poor tire coverage with 3-4 inch thick mud. It wasn't pretty to say the least.
Therefore, after a good ride, then a good pressure washing to the quad and a change of clothes, we identified what would be the very first modification our brand new quad would get, assuming we could find a well-made set that would help resolve our muddy dilemma. Our first mission was to find a set of fender flares, also known as overfenders in the ATV world, that would help with the issue at hand.
Amazingly enough, we found very few companies making such a product and most all of them looked very poorly designed. After all, if we're going to mount something like this to such a beast of a machine, we want it not only to be functional, we want it durable, to have a proper fit and to look good.
Since we had dealt with Direction2 out of Canada in the past for a Kawasaki Brute Force project, we looked to them again for the Renegade 800. We knew the quality of product they had released for the Brute Force and how well it fit, so we decided to go with Direction2 again for our Can-Am Renegade overfender needs.
First Impressions:
Upon opening the package from Direction2, we realized that they had not changed their standards at all. As was the case from our previous installation of the Brute Force overfenders, Direction2 made the Renegade 800 overfenders out of a very thick, well-formed, and durable plastic.
There was not a blemish to be found, all of the edges were nicely shaped and smooth, texture and color was a near perfect match to that of the factory floorboards that the D2 overfenders would be meeting up to. Not only that, but D2 even went as far with the detailing of them to add in some factory contours to the bottom of the rear fenders to go along to the ridges that are made into the factory floorboards of the Renegade.
Installation:
D2 provided a set of simple one page directions that included photos of the installation. Installed was very straightforward and the total install time was around 45 minutes. The matched fabrication made it a much quicker job.
For the installation, only basic hand tools are required. You will need a Phillips screwdriver, a 10mm wrench or socket and ratchet and a drill. You need to drill your fender at each spot where hardware is needed so remember to mark twice and drill once, as holes in your fenders are permanent!
Direction2, in the provided instructions, made a point to instruct you which bolt hole to drill first as a reference point when getting started. It is imperative that this instruction is followed because if you don't do so as they said, then it could get your entire overfender alignment off which will result in your drilling multiple holes. That would NOT be good.
Installation Notes:
- Remove the tires/wheels to make it easier to maneuver a drill in there and drill your holes perfectly perpendicular to the fender
- While the front fenders can be installed pretty easily by yourself with a little bit of creative hand-holding, due to the size and roundness of the rear fender, we advise you to have someone help you hold the rear fender in place while you drill the holes in the proper location.
- Each time your drill a hole, go ahead and insert a bolt and loosely snug up a nut on it, but not too tight at this point.
As you can see from the image below, after a day of riding in heavy mud, not only has the seat on the Renegade remained clean for the most part, my helmet was also clean, all due to the protection of the Direction2 overfenders.
All-in-all, Direction2 makes by far the nicest set of Can-Am Renegade 800 overfenders that we were able to find. Their fit is true to the Direction2 standard of perfectness, the quality is simply unmatched and they are made of a very thick and durable material. Most importantly, Direction2 has been able to accomplish all of this while still allowing the Can-Am Renegade 800 to look as if nothing aftermarket has been added to it. It looks completely like something that Can-Am would have provided for this quad from the factory.
Adding almost 3 inches of additional fender coverage to our Can-Am Renegade has been one of the best mods for the money period. Because the factory fenders on the renegade do not come straight down and they have angled cut-outs in them, in factory form they allow a lot of dirt, water and mud to be thrown in the riders face from the front wheels. Because of the design of the Direction2 overfenders for the Renegade, they have prevented this from happening, which makes for a much more enjoyable ride in those conditions.
Contact Information:
(Web Site) DIRECTION 2 INC. - HOME
(Phone) 450.971.0407
(Email) [email protected]
(Address) Div. Créations Direction 2 Inc., 50, Sicard #114, Ste-Thérèse, Québec, CANADA J7E 5R1
