Let The Games Begin — 2010 Can-Am DS 450, Renegades

ATVs, Home Page Slide Show, Sport, Utility — By ATV Mag on September 11, 2009 at 10:06 am

Those who love sport quads and aggressive four-by-fours won’t be disappointed by Can-Am in 2010, because the Quebec-based brand still has the throttle pinned as it attempts to expand its reach into the ATV super-enthusiast niche.

The unique power steering system that is being introduced for 2010 on select Outlander ATVs is also finding its way onto a special Renegade model, plus the machine gets a front sway bar, making this already fierce back-country adventure machine even more capable of taking riders where they want to go.

2010 Can-Am DS 450 EFI

In the pure sport category, the DS 450 EFI is back in all of its iterations, but now those who are accepted into Can-Am’s racing program can get their machine with significant upgrades that add horsepower and torque to the already impressive powerplant.

Overall, Can-Am knows its target and is hitting it hard, creating more exciting machines for the hard-core rider who will consider buying a sexy new quad no matter what the doomsday folks on TV say about our economy. Ready For A Renegade
Even before turning on the key and pushing the button, educated viewers can tell that Can-Am’s Renegade 800R EFI is an interesting “tweener” machine for the sporty woods rider who’s willing to pay a certain weight penalty for the luxury and capabilities of four-wheel drive.

Just sitting still it looks like a mega crossover, with big ground clearance, front and rear differentials and larger body plastic like a utility quad (but without racks) yet aggressive styling and ride-it-hard attitude like a sport quad.

When fuel and spark mix in the combustion chamber, even the uneducated riders take notice. The sound of the engine is truly unique – yes, it’s a fire-breathing V-twin, but somehow it sounds like a V-8 muscle car when it takes off. It’s tough.

2010 Can-Am Renegade 800 X XC

All Renegade models feature the Visco-Lok front differential, SST frame, Torsional Trailing arm Independent (TTI) rear suspension and RS dual A-arm front. It all works very well, but the upgraded Renegade X xc model holds the big news for 2010.

It starts up front, where the additional of a half-inch sway bar tightens up the handling a bit. Plus, buying an upgraded X package has always meant better shocks. For 2010, that means HPG piggybacks up front and HPGs with remote reservoirs in the rear. Dialing in the perfect ride is just clicks away, thanks to the high- and low-speed compression adjustments.

Wait, there’s more: The mightiest and most high-end of Renegades also gets Can-Am’s new, two-stage Dynamic Power Steering (DPS) system, which makes steering lighter while also absorbing trail energy that would otherwise upset the chassis and transmit impacts up through the handlebars.

2010 Can-Am Renegade 500 EFI

All of these features added together make the already rollicking Renegade easier to control for 2010. Past Renegade 800s sometimes felt like they wanted to run out from under us when pushed particularly hard through turns. The combination of power steering and sway bar adds control, with less body roll and diving in corners for maximum good times when lugging this beast hard down a twisting trail. Rocks, ruts and tree roots disappear under its mighty 25-inch tires, which are mounted to 12-inch aluminum beadlock wheels on the X xc version.

Other notable upgrades to this model include a re-calibration of the Visco-Lok front differential system which engages more quickly when it senses slippage, plus a more powerful magneto to handle the unique, magnet-based power steering system.

The sporty Renegade 500 returns essentially unchanged

DS Lineup
Despite the woes in the economy and ATV market in general, and the sport quad market in particular, Can-Am is not backing away from its commitment to its high-tech DS 450 EFI and its various upgraded versions.

Introduced for model year 2008, the DS 450 brought fresh thinking to chassis and suspension design and claimed the ATV Sport Sport Quad Of The Year title. For 2009, Can-Am expanded its racing reach by introducing the DS 450 X mx and DS 450 X xc versions custom built for motocross and cross-country racing applications, respectively. Upgraded shocks, adjustable width, camber and caster adjustment, application-specific tires, beadlock wheels, nerf bars, skid plates and anti-vibe steering systems came factory installed on one or both models.

Plus, Can-Am seriously backed up its machine with an expanded race effort, from grassroots local support all the way to adding some major national talent. Still, it wasn’t enough for this group.

2010 Can-Am DS 450 X MX

For 2010, Can-Am is again expanding its racing efforts, and then allowing people who qualify for the team to get a FREE upgrade in the form of a Stage 1 tuning kit. It includes a Motoworks slip-on muffler and matching airbox, plus a new, performance-tuned ECM. Can-Am says the kit boosts peak horsepower from 45.3 to 50 and gives 35 percent more torque, but it also voids the machine’s warranty and makes it a “competition only” machine, as it no longer meets emissions and sound standards with the hop-up kit.

What it does do, however, is place this model in the same loophole as Can-Am’s new nemesis, KTM, and allows Can-Am engineers to serious turn up the wick. In the field, that meant the already powerful engine has a better jab when you stab the throttle coming out of turns or when landing a big jump, plus a better knock-out punch when staying on the throttle and running it to top-end.

All DS 450 models get a new front grill for improved cooling, plus the X mx package gets a netted heel guard with its nerf bars. The DS 250 returns essentially unchanged for 2010.

For a look at the press event held by Can-Am introducing the 2010 line-up, view the “behind the scenes” image gallery HERE