The ride/terrain – 3 days of mud, hardback grass/dirt, muskeg, mud and water holes, ice (hit -5 Celsius ), day and night riding, slow crawling speeds up to about 25/30 mph max….a moose hunting trip in Northern Saskatchewan…that received a ton of rain this summer…
this is a non biased review, from no expert, but no rookie…..I have had a Yamaha grizzly 03, Honda foreman 05, cat mud pro 09 (still own), Polaris sportsman 800 2012, and now the xmr 1000r 2016
Pros
– power, wow, smooth powerband with solid throttle response conducive to my riding….was worried it might be too jumpy, or pull too powerful, but was able to drive bike with no concerns of too much power – yet found the power available very useful in the skeet and slough water grass scenarios…very happy with the clutching! And clutching was my biggest worry! Never squealed or smoked belt once driving or pulling others out….
– ride ..very solid…nephews 650 xmr is very smooth and almost soft, very comfy ride….mine is much more stout and solid which I liked for passenger etc..no squatting, and 55 miles over weekend of bad terrain, no concerns or fatigue
-power steering top notch
-ergonomics…seat and bar fit great, no sliding forward and crunching nuts like my old yammie
– passengers, wife, daughter and mom all loved passenger seat! Nice easy on and off too
– room…loved the long wheel base, jumping on and off- no interference with the passenger at all- this was very much appreciated by me and passenger…plus didn’t swipe them all over with mud
-lights – very good lights, but my led was amazing..will never drive a bike without again..that I own
-heated grips…worked awesome, loved the memory feature
– loved the clock on the gauges and trip meter – great for hunting
-fuel….the 1000 likes the fuel, but was not as bad as I thought considering I was not driving smooth throttle for break in, and terrain was not gas saving terrain.
Rear cargo storage… Mine didn’t get wet and was in some deep water..hope it stays that way…and the small storage box was good for matches, etc
– handguards…very nice and sturdy, unlike my Polaris rmk snowmobile guards I kept breaking off…these are sturdy, deflect sticks, and help with warmth..and look great!
– I am 5’10 mad standing and driving looking for moose worked well..2 inch riser would be sweet, but not a need right now…handle bars very comfy
– my led took away from seeing directly in front at times, but the light far outweighs this minor factor
-great grip on pegs for driver and passenger
-tires.. All I can say is wow…pulling out of ruts or startling ruts – amazing….granted most aggressive tires I have run were black waters in 03, and Zella’s on Polaris and cat…these tires are sick, and no rough ride at lower trail speeds in terrain I was in
-visco lock..was concerned as my old bikes were really 3 wheel drive..then mud pro had diff lock, and xmr visco…but, wow, in slough grass this thing was like sledding, could feel front almost floating through water, skew, grass condition as the visco flipped from wheel to wheel…when high centred in some ruts, shook bike side to side and was pleased with the visco aspect!
– shifting..says to press brake, I have not been and only once or twice had to shake bike..very nice shifting!
-sound..very happy – while driving not as noticeable as when following…sounds great from behind with stock muffler!
-was impressed with heat…love the heat gauge, and hiw fan still runs on shut off…with some real slow riding no heat on legs and bike never heated at all!
My cons
– rear seat – wish it was further back so I could ride three on bike if I wanted too..I know safety is an aspect but slowly this would be a benefit for me, but seat cuts off part of big seat so can’t fit three…also does not act as a lumbar as seat far enough back that my arms too short for that
-not a fan of the storage box right behind seat loan riding… If you grab a passenger like this (breakdown and have to ride them out, etc, sure the passenger will prob break box??
– gear shift location, find that often handlebars in way when going to shift to reverse or fwd…in fact once went to grab shift to put in reverse when going to pull someone out and forearm hit throttle and bike jumped!
-rear hitch….do not like this set up..two bolts going through hitch, through rear diff….looks like a cracked housing waiting to happen…would like to hear of mods others have done….
-clearance…wish it had as much as my mud pro 🙁
-skid plate from factory is pretty limited and rear boots very exposed….cost money to rectify on an already very expensive bike
-light..although good, quickly had mud on them rendering them not too good…thank goodness for the led!
-white…not easiest to get clean…and noticed the key chain rubs on the white – needed mr clean eraser…minor
-side panel fasteners…brutal…pop out pin style and some screws….why not the bulbs point that pops into the rubber grommet holes? Also where the max panel joins, is a bad setup and think I will have trouble here…
Overall satisfaction:
After spending 16 grand on a bike, 650 on a rear seat…it is easy to,get buyer’s remorse…..well after this weekend of use, I have never been more excited and happy, and impressed with a bike …and have had quite a few bikes now!
I love this rig, and so far it is exactly what I had hoped for..for my use…I worry about the hitch…hoping my tandem quad trailer is easier on hitch weight vs a single axle….
I highly recommend this bike!
And now for some pics..as usual, seems like I can only post one..they are sideways but are straight when enlarged…
Cheers…can’t wait til snow flies and I put the tracks on to update on them…
Thanks to this forum for helping me make my decision on this bike, and hope my write up helps others with some concerns they may have :aniwheeler6:
