A shiny new G2 Outlander 1000 arrived on our doorstep not too long ago and we had the opportunity for further testing after early exposure to this monster at its introduction this past spring.
Stab the buttery smooth throttle and the 82 horsepower V-Twin under your seat roars to life. Hang on tight because youll be surprised at the arm-stretching power youve just unleashed.
The G2 1000 will pull wheelies from a dead-stop, in fact, even at trail speeds, a heavy application of the go button will get the front wheels off the ground.
We have to admit 976ccs is extreme. Some of our riders found all the available power excessive particularly through tight technical trails when careful throttle modulation trumps available power. However, these feelings were practically eliminated once the Outlander was let loose on an open stretch of trail or fire road.
Tri-Mode DPS works amazingly well to keep you feeling in control by reducing feedback from trail chatter at low speeds and providing less input as speeds increase. Simply select your preferred input level (MIN, MED, MAX) to find what youre most comfortable with.
Our test riders found the stock shock presets to be slightly stiff and backed them off all the way to full soft. This seemed to improve the ride quality within reach of the Sportsman’s, which seems to be the benchmark for ride quality amongst our crew. We feel some slight calibration to the stock setting from Can-Ams engineering department could put the G2 out in front.
Without question, the G2 is the best ATV Can-Am has ever built. If youre the type of guy that needs the most ponies in your stable at all times, youve probably already ordered yours and if you havent, visit your local Can-Am dealer for another look.
You can catch our full TEST RIDE of the 2012 Can-Am G2 Outlander 1000 coming up on the next episode of Dirt Trax Television!