This is an unbiased, independent review of a new 2019 Outlander 650 Xmr with the G2 chassis and added 2019 features. Being a pretty loyal Honda guy, I was a bit apprehensive to move to a Can Am to say the least, after having plenty of Honda power sports and equipment use under my belt. Now the main reason I chose to grab a G2 chassis was due to physical size. I was looking at all makes and models of ATV's, from the Honda Rancher and Rubicon, to a Polaris 450/570 Sportsman and even the 570 Xmr Outlander L. For me, being a tall guy at 6'9", I needed something I would fit on, which eliminated the Honda, Sportsman and Outlander L. At this point after deciding on a G2 chassis, was to go 2018 or 2019. The XMR part was a obvious for me as I enjoy riding in deep water and mud fairly often. Starting from the front, the 2019 Model year replaced the cheap plastic bumper corners with strong welded on bumper corners. Given a friend of mine has replaced two of his corners in the 700 miles he has on his bike, this was a nice improvement. The bike also now features a front sway bar, which really levels the bike out on corners and help kick the back end out when desired, a feature all bikes should have! A big upgrade in my opinion was the arched A arms, which I feel has helped me in a few situations already where I would have been stuck or damaged something from a rock or stump. After three days of rock riding and plenty of deep water, I only have one scratch on the underside of the bike. The DPS motor has been replaced from the 2018 models due to the 2018 issues they were having. Plenty of guys up here (Powermodz, Eh-tv for example) have reported the issues with the 2018 design. The bike got a great (in my opinion) color scheme for 2019, as I found the 2018 to be a bit awful (Sorry if you own one, I just dont like the honda looking red on a CanAm!). I am very glad they blacked out the rear grab handle, as it looked out of place on the 2018's, and I am very happy they kept the color matched rear mono-tube rear trailing arms and it sets off the rear end. I do however wish they would give twin rear brake rotors and calipers, as I think it would help the bike and reduce wear on the axle shafts and diff. One thing I liked was the added width as well with the new wheels, as it is a tall bike at around 50".
Now, about the ride, comfort and handling. I picked the bike up with all of 10 minutes on it, and as of Sept 16th, have 11hrs and 42 minutes on it. To really test the bike, we headed north to Ardbeg Ontario, a place filled with rock, sand, water and lots of skeg. As I had done some riding around on local property prior to our trip, I had about 2.5hrs on it when we got to the trails. After a quick unload and some oo's and aah's from friends, we hit the trail. The first ride was a powerline run with mostly shelf rock, water crossings and some mud. I was immediately impressed with the throttle response of the cable driven throttle body and the EFI system. The bike is quick to start, snappy on the gas (almost too snappy at times in tight areas), and most of all had the power I needed on tap when I needed it! As I am so used to smaller bikes not of this caliber, I was taking things pretty slow until I realized the suspension soaked up the rocks and ruts as if I was on a couch. Sitting or standing, even the roughest terrain was very manageable. I received similar comments from friends who took it for a spin and were impressed how agile and fun it was for such a large bike at almost 900 lbs with fuel.
The bikes capability was where I was most impressed however. There wasn't an obstacle I pointed it at that it wouldn't go over or through so long as the tires were touching ground. Rock climbs, loose sand, mud, skeg, it went everywhere. On our way back from our first days ride, it took 3 passes over the same skeg spot to really dig it in and get it stuck (I was trying to see what it would take). On day 2, we decided to head north around a lake loop where we had the more technical riding of the weekend. From steep descents, to wet slick rock ascents, the bike went everywhere, only requiring 4wd twice (on a rock ledge and when jammed in a pit between two rocks and in mud). The more I rode, the more my confidence in the bikes ability grew, which when leading on a new trail, is a great thing to have. As I was the only Xmr in the group, I was usually the one testing water depth and how bad the holes were, which was a neat thing to be able to do.
On out way back to camp from the loop trail is when I decided to test the water and mud ability of the bike. (image #2) We found a deep hole of skeg and thick muck, and I eased my way in. The 28" IPT Mega Mayhem's did a great job of churning me through the muck and dug down to the rock bottom. Just when we though I was stuck (and water was over the front fenders and the rack was disappearing), I leaned it right, turned the bars left, and it walked right up and out of the hole without assistance. My mind was blown, and I knew I made the prefect choice for my riding style and height.
The evening of the second day, we had a bit of a recovery mission to get a bike that was around 2 hrs north of us. We headed out in the pitch black, close to 9pm. I was over playing on the rocks near camp when I realized everyone already went north and I decided I'd try to catch up. This is where the nimbleness of the bike really shined. Over rock, through water, across sandy pits, the bike flew. Knowing the trail, I was able to cover a section that would take a jeep 25 minutes in a matter of 10, and caught up to the group just before they turned down the technical section of the trail. This power, comfort over pretty rough terrain and confidence I had in the bike really firmed up that I made the right choice, as even on 28" ITP Mega Mayhem's with a 1.5" lug, it handled great! Little did I know, the technical section of the trail ahead would be the biggest test yet. For about 70% of this trail which I had not been down yet, it was littered with melon sized boulders everywhere. Thankfully due to the arched A-arms and great ground clearance, I only touched a rock very lightly once from the front tires uprooting it. We made it to the bike, hooked up and towed it through the middle of the night back to camp at a impressive speed. In this section, while sitting was very possible, it felt better to let the bike bounce and stand for more of the ride out.
In total, this equaled most of my riding for the weekend and I used exactly one tank to do over 8hrs of trail riding. We cleaned it up to like new when I got home, and I couldn't even tell it was trail ridden. I am getting ready to do fluids, grease everything and give it another run soon, and as I get more hours on it and if I have issues, I will update this thread. If you dont hear from me though, it's because i'm out burning gas and having a blast on this bike!
For anyone on the fence, pull the trigger, you wont regret this bike. And if you want the best guys to deal with for anything BRP, give Delta Powersports in Seaforth a call, they blew me away and will do the same for you too.
Happy riding,
Koomafloo.
