Can am

[Plumber101010]

I can't tell you how excited I was to see members of this forum chatting about other UTV's!

I was going to make this post but was doing it very reluctantly thinking I would be labeled a traitor!

Yep I am thinking about it. For me it comes down to this. I just think the CVT transmission is the way to go.

Because I am constricted to speeds of 20 miles an hour and under on my property my biggest gripe is what Honda offers as probably the sole biggest advantage, the six speed transmission. Funny how things work out!

I seem to be at that speed where it constantly and nonstop shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, back-and-forth, forth and back. It's loud and rough and tough. And aggravating because the engine is always whining out to maximum gear.

I've tried manual and manual is cheating and lying to me. If I put it in second gear in manual, it will at a certain lower speed, automatically drop down to first which I wouldn't think it should do in manual!!

So my manual is acting as an automatic like it or not and I guess it's some kind of a safety to make sure you don't take off at two high a gear??

So after a lot of research I have zero in on the Can Am. I chose them because they seem to be the one company that thought the most about the actual consumer and what would he like and what would he use. I think they started there and designed their machine around that.

Conversely I think Honda got cocky and arrogant and decided to do what they wanted to do and put all their thought process into the mechanical aspect of it and didn't much care about the rest of the stuff.

Plus I didn't like being nickeled and dimed for every little accessory that all the other machines seem to come with it...like a BUMPER for goodness sakes. And a REARVIEW MIRROR???? Talk about cheapskates...

I won't lie and say I don't miss my Massimos "one speed" transmission. I am longing for the days again that I had no gears and I just hit the gas pedal and it took off great and I picked up speed fast and there was no shifting or jerking or shaking or... OK you get the point.

I just want to hit the gas pedal and go and not worry about all the other stuff in between.

And the storage options? Oh goodness I'm in love. And an on board air compressor for auto leveling shocks and filling tires with air?

And I love the rear cargo bed where you can pick up the floor and have a whole other storage underneath which secures items from jumping up out of the bed.

And what ya know, it comes with a 4500 pound winch, as did my cheap Massimo.

However, I am not an expert and I have not driven one of these and I don't really know anything about anything about anything past the points I just listed.

So any input would be great. Does anybody know anything about Can Am's customer service, their warranties, their reliability, any complaints or gripes about the machines themselves?

Any the stories of the transmissions burning out, things like that.

And then for the big question, how do you think its going to compare if I buy their 1000 as far as climbing ability and power and going up hill sides?

Thanks everyone. I'd rather not go to the trouble of joining a can am forum to ask these questions because I may not wind up buying one for starters and to be honest I have learned to really trust the opinions of people on this forum!!!

 

[Admin]

 

[Manwell]

I looked around at a lot of machines and choose the Pioneer because I'm not really interested in racing around and I have had numerous Honda's in the past with basically zero problems. I'm assuming that there are forums similar to (probably not as good LOL) this one concerning Can Am's where all of your questions and concerns would already be addressed.

 

[sporttrac4x4]

I can't tell you how excited I was to see members of this forum chatting about other UTV's!

I was going to make this post but was doing it very reluctantly thinking I would be labeled a traitor!

Yep I am thinking about it. For me it comes down to this. I just think the CVT transmission is the way to go.

Because I am constricted to speeds of 20 miles an hour and under on my property my biggest gripe is what Honda offers as probably the sole biggest advantage, the six speed transmission. Funny how things work out!

I seem to be at that speed where it constantly and nonstop shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, back-and-forth, forth and back. It's loud and rough and tough. And aggravating because the engine is always whining out to maximum gear.

I've tried manual and manual is cheating and lying to me. If I put it in second gear in manual, it will at a certain lower speed, automatically drop down to first which I wouldn't think it should do in manual!!

So my manual is acting as an automatic like it or not and I guess it's some kind of a safety to make sure you don't take off at two high a gear??

So after a lot of research I have zero in on the Can Am. I chose them because they seem to be the one company that thought the most about the actual consumer and what would he like and what would he use. I think they started there and designed their machine around that.

Conversely I think Honda got cocky and arrogant and decided to do what they wanted to do and put all their thought process into the mechanical aspect of it and didn't much care about the rest of the stuff.

Plus I didn't like being nickeled and dimed for every little accessory that all the other machines seem to come with it...like a BUMPER for goodness sakes. And a REARVIEW MIRROR???? Talk about cheapskates...

I won't lie and say I don't miss my Massimos "one speed" transmission. I am longing for the days again that I had no gears and I just hit the gas pedal and it took off great and I picked up speed fast and there was no shifting or jerking or shaking or... OK you get the point.

I just want to hit the gas pedal and go and not worry about all the other stuff in between.

And the storage options? Oh goodness I'm in love. And an on board air compressor for auto leveling shocks and filling tires with air?

And I love the rear cargo bed where you can pick up the floor and have a whole other storage underneath which secures items from jumping up out of the bed.

And what ya know, it comes with a 4500 pound winch, as did my cheap Massimo.

However, I am not an expert and I have not driven one of these and I don't really know anything about anything about anything past the points I just listed.

So any input would be great. Does anybody know anything about Can Am's customer service, their warranties, their reliability, any complaints or gripes about the machines themselves?

Any the stories of the transmissions burning out, things like that.

And then for the big question, how do you think its going to compare if I buy their 1000 as far as climbing ability and power and going up hill sides?

Thanks everyone. I'd rather not go to the trouble of joining a can am forum to ask these questions because I may not wind up buying one for starters and to be honest I have learned to really trust the opinions of people on this forum!!!

Most of the people that I know that have Can AM's don't keep them very long before they trade them on something else. But most of the Honda owners keep them a long time.

 

[Crow_Hunter]

I also went Honda because I had 2 Honda ATVs that were basically flawless and I used to work for a Tier 1 automotive supplier of Honda and I have first hand knowledge of their quality practices. As you know, I am not entirely pleased with my Pioneer 1000, I still don't think it is as good it should have been. Hopefully those shortcomings in the design will be remedied in the 2017 model year and retrofitted to 2016 models.

That being said, if I could do it all over again (especially after watching the Honda factory tour video), I might have gone with the Defender.

I don't have any personal experience Can Am but I did a lot of research before hand and the Commander (which I assume is what you may be looking at but maybe not) was taken off my list because of the engine placement, noise and heat in the cabin. I think it is one of the better looking machines out there but I have heard that you have to wear ear plugs to ride it and this was from people who loved their Commanders. When my wife and I "old people" ride, we like to talk to each other. They also seem to have quite a bit of electronics in them that can be extremely difficult to sort out and seem to have some random issues that pop up that Can Am doesn't seem to be the best at supporting or fixing. The Can Am forums are rife with people complaining about Can Am not honoring their warranty obligations for obvious defects.

Can Am doesn't use a mechanically locking front diff. They have a viscous coupling that comes on and off as the front tire starts to spin. Lots of people don't like that. I can see both advantages and disadvantages to the system. The advantage is that you don't have the heavy steering and wheel "chatter" when turning that you do on a mechanically locked diff but you also have already lost traction on the front by the time the other wheel comes into play. Depending on what type of a terrain feature caused you to loose traction and how much throttle you were using the sudden application of traction to the non-spinning tire could result in a loss of control or potentially a torque sheared axle.

They also have a "loose belt" type of CVT clutch system versus the wet clutch constant tension system that Yamaha and Kawi uses. I can definitely see why the Yamaha system is superior for belt life and sheave life. I have never owned a CVT anything so I don't know how complicated the belt/clutch servicing really is in "real life" but watching Youtube videos about how you should care for a Can Am clutch on their ATVs (which I assume carry over into their SXS designs), it seemed to be quite a bit of work. Disassembly and cleaning is required periodically to prevent damage to the sheaves from dirt, belt dust, etc. Plus, with a "loose" design, the belt slipping on the sheaves can cause belt/sheave wear and potentially glazing of the sheaves that results in even more slippage.

For my uses, I think the Defender would be a pretty decent alternative to the Pioneer but honestly I still like my Pioneer better than the Defender and many of the reasons above are why I am sticking with the Pioneer for now.

 

[Crow_Hunter]

Excellent video and explanation on how the "dry" style clutches work:

Notice how the primary or drive sheave spins freely when the engine is at idle and the belt is "loose". This is what causes glazing and can cause flat spots on your belt. Polaris also uses a similar clutch design I believe but without the one way bearing.

Another excellent video on what you should be doing to dry clutches to maintain them and to show how relatively simple a belt change is:

Yamaha design, for reference:

 

[CumminsPusher]

I liked the can am far above the Polaris and do think it's better quality but I'm sticking with the Honda. I don't know anyone to put a ton of miles on them either. Even with the problems I've had with Honda I know I would've had way more had we still had a can am and we wouldn't have pushed it so hard.
Personally I really prefer the gears you can select the right one for you, engine brake and run much lower r's for overall dependability and lower noise levels.i understand how not everyone is going to like gears though

 

[Plumber101010]

Crow-hunter what did you mean especially after watching the video of the Honda plant? Interested in more information on that.

Thanks everyone. I'd much rather hear it here. I guess I'm assuming that because of brand loyalty, most people at the Can Am forum would be reluctant to complain about their machine and could be also looking for a reason / opportunity to trash Honda.

Now that's wild speculation on my part and grounded in absolutely no facts whatsoever.

But I look at it as being in the same boat as coming on this forum and asking whether I should buy a Honda P1000 or not.

Even in lieu of all of the issues we are having and all of the complaints we have, we all have to admit, we all still love our Honda and would have a tendency to say, if asked whether a present Can Am owner who is having issues should buy a Honda, YES!

Crow-hunter it looks like you did quite a thorough examination and lots of research on other brands and as I have learned to understand the type person you are over the last few months, a very finicky and particular kind of fellow, one who dots I's and crosses his T's, I value and regard your opinion VERY much.

Sounds to me like you're leaning towards the Yamaha as the way to go?

I'm very hesitant and reluctant to do this just because I'm so vested in my Honda. Light bars front and back and all the accessories and stuff I've done you have a tendency to grow attached to your machine!

So not to be repetitive but I guess to be, it's the shifting versus the no shifting that I just think for my putting around situation would be so much more congenial for my use.

I actually very very very much miss my Massimo 500, which though it's strained when I had the bed full of rock and driving up inclines, was still able to complete the task and without the rock it was a breeze.

I am convinced that had I went ahead and purchased the 700 instead of the 500 I would still be an owner today.

But because it was straining I knew I wanted something with more ass to it and that's what started it and opened the door for the Honda.

There's just something to be said about hopping in your UTV, turning the key, press on the gas and take off like a go cart and not having to worry and endure the constantly shifting. There is a very distinct "smoothness" to the CVT transmission.

Regrettably, I wish I owned property somewhere that I could fully utilize this Honda.

Not a day goes by that I don't envision myself on some open land, like you see in the videos, having an opportunity to open this Honda up and get it to speeds that would be extremely enjoyable. Taking turns, fish tailing and making some small jumps here and there.

Having a Honda P1000 on this property is like riding a racehorse in your garage.

 

[CumminsPusher]

There are problems with the Honda you know that but most are easily fixed. You just can't add dependability to a vehicle. That's why we all bought Honda. What other brand does someone say that about other then Yamaha? I've never heard someone say they bought a popo or can-am for dependability! We b**** but for the most part we're nit-picking. I never trusted our can-am or popo, the Honda ...it's at least still a Honda.


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[Plumber101010]

I never trusted our can-am or popo, the Honda ...it's at least still a Honda.
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CP, did I interpret that right, you own a Cam Am???

 

[CumminsPusher]

Yes for a little bit. 2013 1000xt. Bought it used it replaced our Polaris. I loved the machine really it had a nice feel but just didn't trust it. Found out after purchase from mutual friend that it had given previous owners a lot of hell. It was hard on belts and overheated on us was about all but I was always worried especially after the Polaris. As soon as I found out Honda had the 700 I ran.


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[Plumber101010]

I guess I didn't really stop to think about it, but the 700 is a CVT transmission maybe I would like that!

What's your feelings on the 700?

 

[CumminsPusher]

Plummer I loved my 700! Loved it. Shocks were crap. Coming off of more power was difficult I guess never totally got over it so I wanted the 1000. Like said power is down but for easy cruising the power train was silky smooth. It had enough power most of the time but if you really got on it it just could've used more gears or a little power added it was in high revs a lot that way. Hopefully I don't get persecuted here but I truly believe that to be the most dependable sxs out there from what I've seen firsthand. Stupid dependability! I couldn't break it. I've been a little disappointed at times with the 1000 but sometimes I'm comparing it to the 700 and that's just not fair it's a 1000.

 

[joeymt33]

I guess I didn't really stop to think about it, but the 700 is a CVT transmission maybe I would like that!

What's your feelings on the 700?

Are you saying the Pioneer 700 is a CVT? It's not at all, it's a 3 speed auto with a torque converter.

 

[Plumber32]

I had a 2013 xt 800. it was awsome . I traded it in 6 months for my honda pioneer 700. here's the deal for me. canam is very high tech oil change was a b****. and overly complicated . motors are probably the best in the world. Probably not probably they are. it's not a long term rig unless you have the coin. anything that goes wrong is easily $500-$1000+. my pockets aren't that deep for a hobby. having said that if was rich I'd probably own half the can am lineup. I ride with every brand and owned most. I maintain my vehicles really well. the commanders suck period. Defender is a definite choice it's low geared. Motor is detuned which is good. I can see where you come from. But I can almost guarantee that that annoying shift will be there 10 years from now. the canam will need alot in 3-4 years.

 

[Plumber101010]

So plumber, you're saying the engines are the best in the world but the rest of it is not necessarily so? Just want to make sure because if the engine is best but there's no longevity to it than I'm assuming the rest of its crap? 3-4 years is not long at all.

And I heard you, even though I didn't want to Joey but yes you are correct which means it gets scratched.

 

[joeymt33]

So plumber, you're saying the engines are the best in the world but the rest of it is not necessarily so? Just want to make sure because if the engine is best but there's no longevity to it than I'm assuming the rest of its crap? 3-4 years is not long at all.

And I heard you, even though I didn't want to Joey but yes you are correct which means it gets scratched.

Don't throw out the P700 for its transmission. It's probably the most reliable transmission in the market today and it's smooth as butter.

My ink complaint was the lack of low gearing because I was using over sized tires. On stock size tires, it goes pretty good.

Take a second look at the Pioneer 700 bud. The deluxe version is pretty nice with paddle shifters, power steering, etc

 

[Plumber101010]

Like as smooth as a CVT transmission smooth or as smooth compared to the 1000 smooth lol

 

[joeymt33]

Like as smooth as a CVT transmission smooth or as smooth compared to the 1000 smooth lol

I've owned both and the P700 shifts smoother. The P700 is quieter than a CVT because you can lug the engine at a lower rpm and it's fuel efficient. In my experience, the engine may be a little louder than the P1000 but that's hard for me to judge because I had done exhaust work on the P700.

 

[Plumber32]

So plumber, you're saying the engines are the best in the world but the rest of it is not necessarily so? Just want to make sure because if the engine is best but there's no longevity to it than I'm assuming the rest of its crap? 3-4 years is not long at all.

And I heard you, even though I didn't want to Joey but yes you are correct which means it gets scratched.

Rotax imop is 2nd to none. as far as hp. and torque . very few canams have motor problems. not counting the x3 there suspension is horrible . Like unbelievable bad for the speed they achieve . Mine was absolutely dangerous above 40. Especially the rear. there 4wd works fine for hi speed situations . busting snow ect. tough crawling it's a joke. I could easily carry higher speed on an old sportsman 500 in the rough. they are a high tech machine . Probably too hi tech in my opinion . you can't work on them with out a degree in rockets.

 

[CumminsPusher]

I'd never trade my Honda for any other machine but I don't need absolute power. I don't judge an engine based off of power I base off of dependability, price of maintenance and ease of maintenance. That's it. I've had many brands and Honda IS THE BEST in all those categories except cost of repair Period. The rest of the drivetrain is bulletproof minus clutches. They are easy and cheap. If they didn't give out something else may I'm ok with that after personally digging into it. Honda engines are the best. Maintenance is very light. Tolerances are tight so if it has to be worked on it's expensive but they won't need anything.
I liked my can am but...never again. Like Plummer says I'm not made of money. I'd rather fix the rig up then fix the rig. For those that can afford to drop off your rig every few rides at the dealership and pick it up next ride well I guess it's easy place for storage. Plummer I'm sorry you're not happy with the shifts I know you haven't been and as much as I'd like to sell you on the 700 you may not be happy but I gave you as honest an opinion as I could. I loved mine but I'm not sure about you. It does come down to gears and dependability or belts period


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