2006's Biggest Twins Compete For A Slice Of GloryCan you remember the time when 500cc was big-bore? In the late '90s 500cc was so insanely big-bore that it warped people's minds when Yamaha's Grizzly 600 came out. Now, just half a decade later, 600cc machines are too small for either of our top two categories of 4x4s. Faced with multiple offerings from some of the makers and a distinct character difference in the largest quads, we split the big-bore class yet again and hereby introduce the Ultimate Maximum Superlative Bore ATVs. Basically, if you can't bring 750cc to the table, don't even bother to show up. And only three makers did with Bombardier's Outlander 800 EFI joining the year-old Kawasaki Brute Force and Polaris' Sportsman 800 EFI, ATV Rider's 2005 ATV of the Year.
These cutting-edge machines are extremely diverse animals with widely differing executions and foci. No doubt, in another five years, we'll look back at this test wondering how we ever got by with only 800cc, but I just can't see that right now. As with the big-bore 4x4 test also in this issue, we did our testing in Georgia on the rocky, technical and fun trails at the Durhamtown Plantation (706/486-4603; www.durhamtown.com) and in the Whissenhunt ORV area in the National Forest (USFS: 706/632-3031; www.fs.fed.us/conf) just outside of Dahlonega.
Another year later and same result. Well, not quite. While Kawasaki's Brute Force got pummeled in the North Carolina mountains in last year's big-bore shootout (April '05), it was barely nipped by Polaris' Sportsman 800 (the winner in that test) in this year's tally. In fact, it was nearly a tie for second. What's the big difference with this unchanged model? Mostly terrain. The big Kawi worked far better in the tight Georgia woods than the steep mountains of Appalachia.
However, our criticisms of the Brute stand. The steering effort is very high, and feedback from the ground has the bar jerking every which way. If you are considering both a super-bore ATV and an upper-body workout machine, you can have it all for one low price in the Brute (it's the cheapest in this bunch). And after you've put all of that effort into getting the thing turned, it will both push the front and get tippy in turns. The suspension (particularly the front) is under-damped and will bounce all over the place in any rough terrain.
A couple of our more aggressive woods riders (the ones who preferred it over the Sportsman) have developed solutions for most of these annoying tendencies, such as dragging the front brake gently through corners. This gets the front end to bite and actually turn, then gassing it hard on corner exits keeps the front end light, which eliminates the bounce and feedback. On a high note, when pushed, it didn't bounce a whole lot more and didn't bottom out at all. In slower, more technical sections there was little you could do, however. Sketchy off-cambers were similarly pucker-inducing.
Once again, the Kawasaki's salvation is its big, honkin' motor. Undisputed by anyone, the Brute Force has a brilliant motor. But all of that power comes at a price, at the time I write this, about $2.25 a gallon. It guzzled gas fast even by the standards of this thirsty bunch. It's the only carburetor-equipped model of the three and it was also the most cold-blooded. The Brute's transmission was well-matched to its motor, transmitting the big ponies to the ground in a very responsive manner, humiliating the fuel-injected Sportsman in this category. The engine-braking worked well but made a lot of noise.
Ergonomics were a mixed bag. It has a taller seat height than just about anything. But the somewhat-narrow saddle was firm and supportive, in contrast to the competition's marshmallow fluffiness. The gear selector worked very well with a positive gate-style engagement. The Brute, true to its name, is light on frills, with no "clean" storage area at all. Everybody loved the separate front and rear brake controls-not found on the other two-as well as the little yellow differential lock lever that you could use any time and not have to wait for an automatic system to engage.
When it was all said and done, we thought we had the Brute figured out. It's a mudder. Bouncy suspension won't matter, and the big motor with the manual differential lock (both of the others are automatic) would work wonders in the deep, soupy stuff. That said, even in its strong points, the Outlander 800 has the Brute Force covered with more power and handling that the whole crew loved.
As has been the case for as long as any of us can remember, weight is the prime enemy of the Sportsman family. Last year, we were happy that a model with some of the unique things that Polaris brings to the table finally had a engine that could get out of its own way. We were so thrilled that it got the win. Last year's test had a plethora of big hillclimbs and sloppy, technical trails that kept speeds down (which probably didn't hurt it either).
The technical riding in the Georgia locale was a matter of how many trees we had to dodge. The wide, heavy Sportsman 800 didn't do so well. With speeds elevated, both suspension and handling, which work well at moderate speeds, went down the drain. The big quad wallowed in the corners and its big-lug tires pushed on the dry hardpack. Slow it down for a tight squeeze between some trees, and not one of the others hit nearly as often as the wide Polaris. That said, as frequently as we got to try it, the Sportsman was the most forgiving when tagging trees and rocks, transmitting less of the shock to the rider. Also, as the only quad to feature heavy-duty cast wheels stock, it never suffered any sort of harm from all those run-ins with the local flora. The big, polished rims look pretty cool, too.