Hey All,
Guess what I did today.. ?
I was at the Bombardier Dealer show for my region and man, they put on a good one.
As most all of you will already know, the star atv of the showing was the new 800cc Outlander.
First, they went through all the specs and most was exactly as posted on Friday nite/ sat morning with a couple of exceptions. The gas tank holds 5.3 gal instead of the 6.5 gal that was posted online. I also have a copy of the 2006 printed product guide and it shows 5.3
The other thing that I learned that I don't think was online is the EFI is what was called a dual stage type. The way it was explained what that when you are in situations where a smaller amount of power is needed like for climbing a rock or log, then ease on the throttle and you get stage one, then when you are ready to leave ALL the other ATVs behind you in a cloud of dust (or mud), punch it and you will get the full force of Stage 2 and let me tell you: That is a force that other quads will soon hate.
After the informational speeches, we were then divided into different groups and allowed to go on demo rides. There were several bikes in the line up with the 800 in front (of course) followed by the 800 Polaris, then the 750 Brute, 700 KingQuad, the 400 outlander 05 model and then 400 Outlander 06. There were a couple of others including the 450 Yamaha and in the back were several different models of the 2 up MAX versions in 400HO and 800, both XT and standard. The riding formation was like this, everyone got on something and we would head out to the trails (real trails with mud and rocks and dust and steep hills and whoops..
After riding a period, we would stop and everyone would move to the bike next in line, so you got a great feel of one compared to the next in the line up.
Here are my general impressions..
The SP800 in my opinion it is top heavy and under powered and not smooth as for as the power band goes at all. Please, if you are thinking of one of these: Ride it and then ride the other choices..
The Brute, awesome power and great sound but very mushy suspension. I felt like I was floating all over the place.
The King Quad... Very impressive machine and I think it would be the second place winner as far as the big boys go... Very nice.
Keep in mind that I am bomb rider, but riding the 800 Outlander was an experience I will not soon forget.... not until I get my own
The suspension felt perfect to me, I was not sure how I would like it, coming from a long time solid axle rider, but it was just right. Just stiff enough to make you feel like you are not going to swish and sway all over the place till you just roll over and not so stiff that you get beat up. It is a little stiffer then the KQ and I felt very stable at all speeds (speedo goes to 90mph, but I don't...)
Power, I wish I had a gauge that measured G-force because this machine can take off like a bat out of you know where and keep on going. The power band was the smoothest by far and felt like it would never end (and I didn't get to the end, nor do I want to)
You have to be careful on this monster, as it was fool you. It is so smooth that you will be in way over your head long before you know it. (I got the impression that a 660cc is coming in the not to distant future)
The brute is fast, but this will eat it for lunch and then go out for desert (sorry BF riders)
The KQ is a great ride, but this is a little bit smoother and it felt twice as powerful.
As for the SP800, I don't know that this statement will make sense to others, but it just felt like old technology when you road it. Do you self a favor and at least ride the outlander or the KQ before you buy.
It sounded like this should be out on the market in September, but they are quick to say that until they are off the line, no one will say for sure.
Price. Talk to your local dealer as they should have the pricing. As I am not a dealer, I was not given a cost/price list but I think it was starting around $8995.
I know, that is a lot, but after you have had a chance to ride this incredible ATV and you are the Alfa Male type that needs the baddest bike on the block, you will understand.
Please keep in mind, I am not a dealer. I am just an avid fan of ATVs and I own 2 bombs that I have enjoyed a lot of trouble free miles out of since 2000. I was in the market for a bigger bore and if it had not been for the release of this, I would be thinking real hard about a KingQuad.
So you all know, I am not a speed demon and much more of a mud and trail rider and this will be the bike for me in a MaxXT version.
Jeff Jones aka TnIceman