Eleven years ago my mom started dropping hints about how nice it would be for her and my dad to have an ATV they could ride around the woods near their home outside of Carlton MN. I shopped around online and settled on a 2007 Can Am 400 Outlander Max 2-seat ATV. I paid for it over the phone and my sister who lives close by delivered it to my parents. I got the red version as I didn't want them getting it lost out in the woods. Mom was happy with the ATV but it did not get lots of use.
When my wife and I visited we enjoyed the ATV a lot. We almost lost it out in the woods even with the red color, LOL. My wife thought the steering was rather stiff though. A few years went by before my wife and I finally decided to get out own ATV for use in WA. She insisted that I get one with power steering despite my complaints that it would add a lot to the cost. The smallest cheapest 2-seat ATV we could find was the 2014 Polaris 559 EPS. It literally had two finger steering and if the power steering failed, it was no harder to steer than an ATV without power steering. I was able to talk the dealer down to $10,000 out the door.
We are about a mile from the Tahuya forest, it is simply an amazing place to ride an ATV. I was kicking myself for waiting so long to get one of my own. There was one problem though; the 48" wide bridges across some of the salmon streams. Driving through the streams is a big no-no and can result in a citation or worse. The 550 EPS is 47.6" wide, but with a rider onboard the width is greater than 48" and does not even come close to clearing the 48" gap between the rails of the bridges. Some of the newer bridges are about 5 feet wide, but the older ones are smaller. Back tracking on the trails to go around most of the bridges was not a problem.
Earlier this year 48" barriers started going up on the trail entrances. My wife and I were able to ease our ATV through some of the barriers, but not all of them. Now it was a problem. The barriers went up as the DNR had a problem with some ATV riders driving through the salmon streams.
Time to go shopping again. The 400 Outlander Max had been my 1st choice back in 2014, but I could not get it with power steering, but in 2018 it was available. The local dealer wanted $9800 when they could order one, but we found one in Lacy, WA for $8800 including tax/dealer prep. The 46" wide 450 Outlander Max barely fits across the 48" bridges, but it does the trick.
The 2018 version is nicer in that it is about 1.5" higher and has adjustable suspension. The rear seat on the 2018 model appears to be a bit smaller than the 2007 model, but is much more comfortable than the rear seat on the Polaris 550 EPS which seems to be made for kids or small adults. The Can Am's ground clearance is about an inch lower than the 550 EPS, but this is not a problem in the Tahuya forest.
The Can Am seems to have stiffer suspension than the Polaris 550 EPS but is a bit louder. I might change the muffler on the Can Am. So far we are very happy with the Can Am. The Polaris is at the MN estate (mom gave me the house) and we ride it there along with our 2-seat Polaris snowmobile.
Ranb