Comments / Reviews From 650 Owners
Ron says:
Old Guy Buys 650 Max-First Ride Impressions
Picked Bombardier Outlander Max 650 EFI up from the dealer and had it out in the desert in less than 24 hours later (yesterday).
It's the first ATV I've ever ridden so nothing but magazine reviews for comparisons. But no preconceptions either; other than the fact that it cost so many hard earned dollars I'd better like it!
After a very exciting (heavy on the adrenaline) trip down the ramp from the bed of the (3/4 ton) pickup (it's really WAY up there); we drove off S_L_O_W_L_Y. I kept trying to twist the grip to get it moving and duh, oh yeah...it's got a thumb throttle--weird (at first). (Having had a number of motorcycles will do that to you).
I set all springs with softest possible pre-load and the ride was absolutely what I had hoped for....so smooth. We rode at that setting all afternoon. The thing felt absolutely stable and just floated over the bumps and rocks: of course this might have had something to do with the fact that the first hour never saw anything faster than 12 mph!!! (See subject line for explanation). OK, second hour was much more dynamic--couple of bursts to 22mph!!
Rode in sand washes where the old motorcycle (Yam TT-R230) would get very "squirrely" and expected the ATV to need 4wd--not even close! In fact we never needed 4wd all afternoon. Turned the (sand wash) driving over to wife--almost couldn't get her out of driver’s seat. Then worked up my courage to ride as passenger and let her drive some more. Big mistake-- we finished the afternoon in this configuration. Now she wants to go back out and do it again this weekend!
Finished the day by putting the "Max" into 4wd LO and riding back up into the clouds to get it loaded into the truck bed--gotta be really fast with that hand brake!! (Whew, that back window comes up fast!)
So, bottom line impressions:
- more power than I'll probably ever use (except perhaps in future Glamis trip—been wanting to go there for years!);
- just what I wanted in terms of ride;
- doesn't turn quite as sharply as I'd like (but clearly that comes from longer frame and safety in design);
- turning effort is definitely as easy as I'd hoped;
- engagement of drive train when transitioning from idle not smooth (slightly intermittent then constant as more than expected RPM applied to get everything moving) but quite manageable—wondering if clutch adjustment or simply drive belt break-in might solve this;
- 0-10mph takes up through 3300 RPM then it seems after that point speed finally comes more into line with RPM
- engine sounds great, idles very well (whether cold or hot) and seems well balanced (no choke to mess with. yea!)
- LO range is about 50% of HI range RPM/Speed
- Radial tires get good grip on sandy banks
- Wife rode so comfortably she declared it easier than riding in new Jeep Wrangler we used to have.
- Riding the Bomb up and down ramp out of and in to the pickup takes a bit of getting used to
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