2006 Outlander 650 MAX XT

I purchased this quad with only 1200km. Nothing had really been done to it except the newer tires. I may have jumped in a little quick without researching the 2006 issues (which are not that big of a deal) before purchasing, but love the machine. These pictures are from when she came home. I then did all the fluids and found it was only running on 1 cylinder. It ended up being the spark plug wires. I cut half an inch off each and its been great ever since.




After purchasing, I was prepping for a trip to Haliburton (HATVA Trails) with some buddies. I know how I like to ride so the first thing I completed was the frame reinforcement mod and added skid plates. I found a group on ebay out of Quebec that sold the main and CV protectors for around $160. For the frame mod I had the 3 pieces of aluminum tacked together and sledge hammered it in. It pretty much took all of the existing dents out.





I had read about the over heating issues and didn't want to hold anyone up so the next thing I did was the relocate kit. The dealer didn't even want to sell it to me as his parts guide said it wouldn't fit a 2006. I knew from the forums that it would...

After the Haliburton trip last June I quickly learned how valuable a snorkel job can be. I never really considered it but after 3 trail side oil changes (Not my machine and we left no mess) in 2 days I changed my mind. The swamps were from several holes that you would never have expected the depth and 1 was an ill conceived attempt to cross a river... So my next project was the snorkel job which I could not bring my self to purchase so I did it my self. I used a mix of flex tubing and PVC. I made sure to maintain the I.D. through the process. When I joined tubing to the plumbing connectors I used a plastic/rubber adhesive, then sank a short screw on either side of the plumbing connector just enough to bite the tubing. I then reapplied the adhesive over the screws and the joint seam. I then used a 3" 2 layer heat shrink over any seams. I made sure the whole thing is easily dismantled in case of any trail repairs.




I also found that my original 2500 winch on the machine was toast. I have since dismantle, cleaned and reassembled. I got stuck recently near McKellar lake and it once again failed. After a lot of research I decided to go with the 3500 direct replacement from Royal Distributing as it was on sale for $97. I really don't understand my more of the manufacturers don't market the direct replacement units.

The other thing I realized with my machine is the lack of ride height. When I bought my machine it came with a old plow. The owner told me that the previous owner mostly plowed with it. I did some reading on here and found I was suffering from saggy springs. I ordered some spring spacers to regain my height. It was one of the easiest things to do on the machine. I used the ratchet strap method to compress the springs and it worked well. I got about 1.5 inches back.

Lastly, I found that the exhaust had been painted black by the previous guys in an effort to conceal the rust. After 300km in 3 days on the trip the exhaust seemed to be full of holes. I ordered the MBRP and it fit nicely. There are not a lot of options for the G1 Max models.

The last two things that I did was add the LED light bar (Princess Auto sale $45) and changed the front end. I found a 2012 XMR front fascia for $30 on ebay that gave the machine a 6 year face lift.

Pictures below and I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed reading other posts over the last year.

Next on the list would be larger tires (once they wear out) and then a clutch kit.

Anyone have any other recommended mods?