This is a part from the Poll on Pioneer thread that went a little off topic.

I owned a Can Am Commander XT1000 and never had a problem with it. I bought it when my boys were small and I added the rear seat and rollbar kit to it. The 4 seaters just started coming out but were way too big to use on some of the trails that we ride. I happened to be at the Honda dealer looking at 4 wheelers when I saw the Pioneer 700-4. I put my Can Am up for sale that evening and got on the Pioneer waiting list. The first service on the Can Am set me back $650 versus $250 for the Pioneer. Eventually the Can Am would need a belt service and I wasn't willing to part with close to $1000. I took a big loss on the Can Am when I sold it but I got a machine that better suited my needs. There are pros and cons for both machines and they can't be put in the same catagory. The pros for the Can Am were ... it hauls a$$, can climb almost any thing ... the cons were that it gets hot inside, it is loud and whiney. The pros for the Pioneer are that it is a compact 4 seater with plenty of hauling and towing capacity AND NO BELT! The cons would be accessory availability. I'm 52 and don't need the speed and don't care about driving thru deep mud and water. Everyone has a different reason for buying what they want. Honda will eventually catch up to the other manufacturers and there will be a wider choice of machines that will suit the different needs of most of us.

A 1,000 dollars for a belt service? The belt cost 80 dollars, and a few tools to change it. I think its an 8mm wrench and some other small hand tools. It can be done on the trail its so easy.

Even in my RZR 800 the belt cost was around 80, a couple tools, and even with removing the seats, the seat belt bar, the cvt cover, snorkels, and a few other things I could do it in 20-25 minutes.

250 dollars to service you pioneer?

What kind of dealers are you going to?

My local Honda dealer charges 75 to first service a quad and 150 to first service a side by side.

Not poking just wondering what exactly you are referring to on the Can Am that would cost a 1000 for a "clutch service"?

belts easy to change.remove the seat and engine cover.take the housing off.screw in the bolt to lose the secondary.belt comes off new one on.take screw bolt out of secondary and put housing back on.takes 30 minutes and a cold one
not sure why people gripe about the belt

I also traded a Can am to buy my pioneer. Was tied of the trouble customer service. I had it for a week and tie rod and A arms broke first they said warranty would fix it nope ended up costing over $1000 on a week old commander XT. Didn't even hit anything it broke going over flat ground. Just trouble made SxS And it didn't end there so after 2 years of trouble I traded on my pioneer. Maybe i had a lemon. I am happy now with my pioneer.

You broke a tie rod AND an A arm riding over flat ground..............rriiiiiiggghhht.

I was driving in a field don't know what happen maybe something was lose. But the money wasn't a joke. Although it sound wierd don't mean anything it still happened. Was lucky no one got hurt my kid was in passenger seat.

I once seen an engine blow up and it wasn't even running when it happened. Honest. All the oil ran out, and the rod tried to jump through the block.


I don't buy an a-arm and tie rod in snapping awhile riding across a flat field. And obviously can am didn't either. Sorry I don't.

I don't doubt it one bit there was a recall on it.
Recall Summary

Name of product: Can-Am Commander side-by-side off-road vehicles
Hazard: Improper assembly of the steering column to the rack and pinion can result in the loss of steering control, posing a risk of serious injury or death to the user, passenger or bystanders.

Consumers should stop using this product unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Recall date: January 10, 2013
Recall number: 13-718

Sorry that happened to you. Glad no one got hurt also. There is a lot of great info here on this forum. And people. Might of just pick the wrong thread to start posting in that's all. All i did was a google search.