[Arly]

nifter shifter

Nice to have you here with us.

If you happen read the HD10 review I posted this spring, you'll see we've had some shifting grief too,,,, which has yet to be corrected. Our dealer has tried to fix that but it still doesn't like to go into high range. All other gear shifting has been 100% fine. Like your machine, ours seems to "clank" into motion when its been at a complete stop and whatever gear we're in, makes no difference. The clanking doesn't bother me much but the lack of high does.....

My husband and I just bought a new Defender HD8 DPS. We love it however when we execrate or slow down there is a "clank" every time that is very annoying. It is like there is slack in the rear end/transmission. it is not getting any better but the dealer insist that it is ok, it is making us very uncomfortable. We also found that the shifting is very hard, LOW is very hard to shift from, it has loosened up some in the High range but LOW still feels like I am going to break it if I push any harder to get it to park.

 

[NickS]

My husband and I just bought a new Defender HD8 DPS. We love it however when we execrate or slow down there is a "clank" every time that is very annoying. It is like there is slack in the rear end/transmission. it is not getting any better but the dealer insist that it is ok, it is making us very uncomfortable. We also found that the shifting is very hard, LOW is very hard to shift from, it has loosened up some in the High range but LOW still feels like I am going to break it if I push any harder to get it to park.

My dad and I each bought the same model last Saturday. I haven't asked him really, but mine makes a clanking noise also. Sometimes when I put it in reverse and give it gas, and sometime when I put it in gear and go. Seems to be pretty common.

We both bought the dealership extended warranty, so another 4yrs on top of the factory 3. So with it covered for 7yrs total, I'm not worried too much about it and it seems to be normal for the most part.

 

[stonejb77]

It's normal, it's the clutch engaging and disengaging.some are just louder than others. The polaris are much louder, especially the 1000 and 1000 turbo,not knocking polaris b.t.w.

 

[Verado]

To tell you the truth in my opinion that Machine is But ugly .

I sure have been worried about what you would think of it. Especially when you don't know how to spell Butt.

Now that's funny!!

I have to tell you, I've driven some pretty nice modified buggies and when my son bought his new Denfender (only it is in camo paint) I was pleasantly surprised. We drove them all including the General. This is one Very Quiet, cool cab temperatures, easy steering, nice handling & no clunk secondary back shifting Can Am to date. Not only do I think Can Am hit a home run with this model, I personally like the look of these models!!

I recommend you don't knock it till you try it! Just saying....

 

[Verado]

I was invited by Can-Am to try out the Defender back in early October. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the Defender for it's power, handling and features. I wrote a small review for it and you can check it out if you want... Can-Am Tackles The Heartland With The All New Defender SxS - Rocks and Ruts

Very nice spot on review (IMHO)?

 

[AMart22]

HD8 vs. HD10

I bought an HD8 XT and love it.

Was wondering if anyone has tested out both the HD10 and the HD8...my dealer told me the big difference was at top speed, not so much on the low end (same towing capacity, payload, etc). I am no speed demon, particularly with a UTV SxS but am wondering if others have different impressions than my dealer had. He didn't have a HD10 for me to test out (plus, I didn't have the extra $$$ to spend).

 

[Arly]

Amart, Can't answer your question but I am glad to have you here with us.

 

[Skidoojunky]

I did test both, for me the additional speed was what made up my mind. I do a fair amount of road riding and there was 10 mph difference. With 30" tires my HD10 will now run 70mph sitting on the rev limiter. Evolution powersports is working on a tune for the ecu that is supposed to add 10-15hp and 2-300 more rpm on the 1000. Once they are done finalizing the tune I will be sending in my ecu to get the upgrade. The 8 is an awesome machine too though and outclasses any other Mfg's 800 hands down!

 

[machumba]

well lets start out this is my first review ever on anything. why am i giving a review on this is because when i was shopping around i couldn't find a review that would suit my needs. it seems like all the reviews i could read are a bunch of pretty boys just riding around in the woods. it just didn't seem like these guys were giving a work machine a work review other than what the factory set up. that being said I recently just got a defender HD8 DPS. what i was looking for was something that i could do firewood, plow, other misc property maintenance and go for an occasional ride around the property while enjoying an adult soft drink.

well start by saying what were the finalist in my two years of looking the the right machine. i was obviously looking at the can am, i was also looking at the honda pioneer 1000 and the mahindra xtv 750s. the other two seemed like they were also very good machines. why did i get the can-am? well it came down to price. my local dealer had the HD8 as a demo and was on a really good sale. like anything else it all came to how much i was willing to spend. now while reading this review i have driven and used the fallowing john deere gator 6x4, 825i, kawasaki mule 500, 3010, 4010 and a kubota rtv 900. besides just driving around a parking lot of everything else i went and looked at these ones listed are what friends have and use for similar purposes.

the things i like.

overall i really really like the machine and have everyone i know try the machine out and would really recommend this to anyone looking for something similar.

noise. i like how quiet this machine is. you can go for a ride in the wood and still talk to the person next to you. i ran into my neighbor today and he said he never heard me coming. i also came close to hitting a deer in the woods while on the trial. never had that happen with any of the ones listed above.

ride. this thing seems to be really smooth out on our homemade trails that aren't all the smooth. it seems like this machine is a goat. the only time i put this in 4 wheel drive was to climb a cliff just to make sure it worked. everyone in my circle of people seemed really impressed with this fact.

power steering. i really like this. thought that it wasn't a big deal if i got a machine that didn't have it. now i dont think ill get another machine without it. this is the first machine that I've driven for an extended period of time so take this with a grain of salt.

power. this thing has some serious power. to the point where i almost had to go change my underwear. its got some torque. my first ride around i was on sand and just floored it because it seemed like a good idea at the time and the whole defender went sideways. needless to say was not expecting that. I've also had it loaded with firewood above the cab in the back and it didn't flinch. put it in low and it just kept going. i haven't towed anything yet.

the things i don't like.

shifter. seems like this is common but doesn't make it not annoying. for me it has a really hard time going to park from reverse. also when shifting sometimes it doesn't seem like it just won't go into gear. or it just really hard to shift.

plastic. it seems like theres an excessive amount plastic everywhere. well see how it holds up.

some of my concerns are the plastic bed. would prefer a metal one but well see how this holds up. another one is just getting a first year machine. again time will tell.

why i got this machine?

well its a can-am and its got a rotax engine in it. always been a skidoo and brp guy so i guess i was slightly bias on this part of the equation. not that the others i was looking at were not good machines.

to sum this up i really like the machine and would recommend this defender to any one interested. its really a good all round machine if your looking to have a little mix. for me its my wheel barrow, plow, tree hauler, and my sunset cruise machine. im going to add a roof and a plow for sure everything else well see how it goes. not looking go nuts on this. i have yet to plow with it so i hope to be able to tell you guys how that goes. I've only had it for about two months and i don't know how i lived with out it.

ps don't judge the spelling and grammar. not my strong suit.

 

[Tuck11]

Did you ever get the ECU tuned? What was the difference?

I did test both, for me the additional speed was what made up my mind. I do a fair amount of road riding and there was 10 mph difference. With 30" tires my HD10 will now run 70mph sitting on the rev limiter. Evolution powersports is working on a tune for the ecu that is supposed to add 10-15hp and 2-300 more rpm on the 1000. Once they are done finalizing the tune I will be sending in my ecu to get the upgrade. The 8 is an awesome machine too though and outclasses any other Mfg's 800 hands down!

 

[Skidoojunky]

Did you ever get the ECU tuned? What was the difference?

I did test both, for me the additional speed was what made up my mind. I do a fair amount of road riding and there was 10 mph difference. With 30" tires my HD10 will now run 70mph sitting on the rev limiter. Evolution powersports is working on a tune for the ecu that is supposed to add 10-15hp and 2-300 more rpm on the 1000. Once they are done finalizing the tune I will be sending in my ecu to get the upgrade. The 8 is an awesome machine too though and outclasses any other Mfg's 800 hands down!

EVO has not released their tune yet. I'm still patiently waiting.

 

[VtecGSR95]

Your awful close Skidoojunky!! Bloomington IL. here!

MrRPM said he has tunes available for the Defender.....I am thinking about it. BUT, I just bought it last weekend, so need a windshield and few other small items before I start modding!

I would like to find out if there are any exhaust options aside from the HMF Swamp.

 

[Albertastorm]

So far love my Defender!
First the good.
I am 6-2 and 220....lots of room!
Love the heat and power windows!
Cab and wipers cool.
Its quiet and comfortable!
Fit and finish is great!
Storage is good!
Box dumps great and tail gate is like a new truck!
Dash and controls are intuitive!
Starts and runs great...even in cold temp.
Looks great!
Now the Bad
Gear shift...Its cumbersome???
This day and age should be a electronic...not mechanical.
Cab doors leak cold air at high speed...maybe adjustable ...will play with that.
Little jerky in eco mode.
Needs lift kit with cab.

 

[Arly]

delete

 

[Albertastorm]

Defender HD8 or HD10 reviews!!!

Sorry thought this was the title of this thread???
Although it did stray from this topic

 

[Troy]

Defender HD8 or HD10 reviews!!!

Sorry thought this was the title of this thread???
Although it did stray from this topic

I thought this was the review thread also .
But I was going by the thread name . Lol

 

[fundytrail]

Defender HD8 or HD10 reviews!!!

Sorry thought this was the title of this thread???
Although it did stray from this topic

If this thread is not for Defender review then I'm not sure what it is for.

 

[arcticmonster]

It's for HIS review is what I read and not for others?

 

[Hawkeye]

Always 1 in every group!

 

[arcticmonster]

But there are other reviews that are OK lol