Picking Up The Pace
The harder I pushed, the more forgiving this beast became. The suspension of the Outlander wanted to be tested, so I complied! I have never felt a suspension on a utility that desired to be pressed and abused as much as the new Bombardier's. Through roots, ruts, rocks, off-cambers and G-outs, this suspension was very forgiving and performance-oriented. Once again, my confidence rose to an even higher level. That was until the width of the track began to diminish.
As I entered the tighter sections, my coolness wavered. It would be a disservice to blame the machine for being too wide for a track of this nature. More appropriately, I was simply not accustomed to riding a quad of this size through tightly spaced woods. Even with a smaller sport quad, it takes practice, discipline and endurance to guide it through tighter wooded sections at a fast pace, and I had simply not had the time and training on this particular machine necessary to run fast in the tight. Several riders had caught up to me and began pushing me even harder. All of a sudden, smack, my right hand went numb, then my arm and the enormous yellow beast came to an unforgiving halt into a stern tree.
I immediately positioned myself off the track as a train full of riders began to pass. My first concern was my wrist. Was it broken or just badly bruised? If I hadn't had the luxury of Fasst Company's Flexx Bars, this injury could have been so much worse. I waited for a short time in order to get some feeling back, and I determined I could continue the race-but not at 100 percent. As the pain and agony in my wrist set in, I determined to do just one thing: finish this race! I've never in my life wanted a race to end as badly as I did this particular day, but I pushed with every bit of life I had. As I emerged from the woods on the last lap, I embraced the most beautiful sight I have seen in many years: the checkered flag!
As Penland pulled off the track, he began to celebrate his exceptional second-place finish on his very first race aboard the Outlander 800. "The Bombardier exceeded all of my expectations," Penland said as we rambled on about our races. He added, "I have ridden all of the IRS [Independent Rear Suspension] utilities, and this one by far handles better than any other one on the market." We both agreed this quad not only outaccelerates any ute available but the overall handling was like none other. I couldn't agree more with his statements.
Pro Rider: Mike Penland
National No.: 211
Age: 52
Hometown: Rabun Gap, GA
Years pro: 14
Training: Lots of seat time, cardio, weights
Marital status: Married to Wanda for 29 years
Greatest accomplishments: 11-time GNCC champion, four-time Baja 1000 winner, Baja 500 winner, two-time 12 Hours winner, two-time 6 Hours winner, two-time ATV Olympics winner and Blackwater 100 winner
Sponsors: Bombardier, Maxxis, ATV Direct, Durhamtown, HiPer Technology, HMF, Klotz, Millennium Cycle, O'Neal, ATV Nation, Custom Axis Shocks, Blister Resister, Boyesen, Cometic, C.P.W., CTi2, Custom Decal, Cyclops, Cycra Racing, DP Brakes, E.P.I., Fasst Co., IMS, Liquid Performance, Metal Tech, Moto Tee's, Multi Seal, M2R, Outerwears, P.B.R., P.F., Progressive Suspension, Race Day Pics, Ricky Stator, Rox, Summers Racing Components, Smith, Stomp, Team, Tire Balls, Twin Air, W.E.R., Wiseco, Spyder grips
Penland's 2006 Bombardier Outlander 800 4x4 XT
Engine
Mechanic: Mike Penland along with Hoyt Penland, Steve Gullet and James Pendry
Tuner: Mike Penland
Displacement: 800cc
Bore x stroke: Stock
Piston: Stock
Rod: Stock
Crank: Stock
Porting: Stock
Valves: Stock
Cams: Stock
Carburetor: Stock
Radiator: Stock
Ignition system: Stock
Airbox: Stock
Air filter: Twin Air
Air-filter oil: Twin Air
Exhaust system: Stock
Oil: Klotz MX4 15/50
Fuel: Klotz 113-octane