Bad Boy Stampede 900 4×4 EPS Review

Rick Sosebee
by Rick Sosebee
Bad Boy impresses with first gas-powered UTV


One manufacturer is expanding its outdoor reach by jumping off into the massive world of gasoline-powered Side-by-Sides. Bad Boy Off Road, formerly known as Bad Boy Buggies, has long been a producer of electric off-road vehicles and now has a UTV with an internal combustion engine to add to its stable with the new Bad Boy Stampede 900 4×4 EPS.

2016 Can-Am Defender HD8 XT DPS Review + Video Bad Boy Off Road’s parent company, Textron, is no stranger to cool machines. It builds things like the Citation Jet, the V-22 Osprey aircraft, EZ-Go Golf Carts and Cushman job site vehicles. With this kind of technology and engineering heritage you can expect some good things in the utility off road vehicles coming out of the doors at its Specialized Vehicle Plant in Augusta, Ga. The first one is the new Stampede 900 utility vehicle.

The Stampede is similar to many utility-based off-road rigs in the industry today when you speak in terms of passenger seating, hauling and towing capacities, but it includes some small twists that make it stand out in the crowd. Looking at the Stampede from the outside you will notice the extended cab space engineered into the protective structure. This adds space for those items that you just want to be closer or maybe a little more secure than just tossed into the bed of the rig. Those same items will also reside under the back part of the optional roof as well to maybe keep any potential rain or mud from getting into the gear.

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900

Space between the seats and the cab allows for extra storage space within arm’s reach of the cockpit.

The side panel between the door and the bed on both the left and right sides acts as a small door or side gate, flipping down to allow for more room when stuffing the area with cargo. We like this feature, as it does give you a place to store a small cooler or gear bag for things you might want to reach on the trail without getting out of the machine.

Bad Boy Off Road installed its twin cylinder 846cc gas burner in the frame and this engine is powerful enough to move this Stampede along the trails very well. The fuel-injected mill produces a claimed 80 horsepower and I’d say that would be a good position for a machine that can tow a claimed 2,000 lbs. Moving that power to the rear wheels via a CVT belt drive transmission and the utility capability should not be a concern when the land owner decides to work the wheels off of this machine. Of course you can play in the Stampede and according to our experience it is very accommodating when you decide to rip up the trails.

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900 Action Front

Designed as a work machine, the Bad Boy Stampede is capable of ripping up the trails when desired.

Our opportunity to ride this new vehicle came in the trails of Moab, Utah’s Seven Mile Rim. We have been here before and the terrain varies from slick rock to rough washes, some steep rocky climbs as well as descents and plenty of flat, whooped out sandy trails. When we exited the van at the trailhead it was a mad dash to find the color that fit us best and our choice was the Inferno Red Stampede with EPS (Electronic Power Steering). This Stampede was decked out with a roof and some additional accessories like a light bar, as well as a winch that we hoped we would never use during the day.

2016 Honda Pioneer 1000 EPS Review Seating in the Stampede is comfortable and the three-point harness kept us tucked in the seat pretty well during the ride. The floors as well as brake and gas pedals were embossed to help provide traction in wet or muddy conditions, which we did not experience in Moab. The low driveline tunnel running up the center of the floorboard was low enough to not cause any obstruction to us as we exited the passenger side from the driver side. This was our educated test of that pass through everyone is looking to achieve now.

The digital dash in this first Bad Boy Off Road machine is brightly illuminated and gives up critical information and can be manipulated with the dash-mounted controls to its left. The shifting arm is on the right of the steering wheel and a simple up or down gets you the movement you desire. Everything else that you would need in a machine like this from 4×4 switches to high/low beam controls and even the winch rocker is mounted nicely in reach of the driver. The layout in the cab is very welcoming and with a custom tilt steering wheel any driver should be comfortable behind the wheel.

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900 Controls

An adjustable steering wheel makes getting the right fit easy for most any driver.

Ample glove box storage and some smaller cubby’s are available for your trail necessities. The Stampede 900 has full doors and these fill the vast amount of the opening right up to the side shoulder area of the driver and passenger. We’ll have to admit that when casually driving we did want to rest our arm over the door, but the last upsweep of the door/s molding prevented that. We almost wish Bad Boy included an armrest inside the door.

As far as our initial ride goes, from the time we twisted the switch and started the Stampede it was evident that this engine would perform well. As the day wore on it was clear that there was good power coming out of the twin cylinder and we bet with some tweaking the power numbers could be much higher. Power under hard acceleration was very linear when the gas pedal was pressed to the floor and allowed us to power over everything we could find to challenge it with little trouble. When we had the chance to lock the Stampede into 4×4, the results were positive and on par with any other UTV in the market these days.

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900 Action Right

With 80 horsepower at the ready, the Stampede should be able to achieve its claimed 2,000-pound towing capacity without issue.

The Maxxis Big Horn 2.0 tires are a well known and respected durable tread that had us gripping the trails all day. Power steering on our machine performed well and even when locked into 4×4 it still seemed to give the steering support you would expect from EPS. We crossed large rocks and also made some pretty slow crawls up and down rocky-faced sections of the Seven Mile Rim, where the power steering really shined. Our 11.25 inches of ground clearance gave the suspension room to work over these obstacles as well.

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900 Tires

The venerable Maxxis Big Horn 2.0 tires offer up very respectable traction and performance.

Keeping in mind that this machine leans more toward the working segment of our industry, we found the suspension travel to be very adequate and predictable. Even when we pushed the chassis through its envelope we felt comfortable that it could withstand some aggressive driving should you decide to get after it a little. Not to mention it was very fun to drive with a top speed of somewhere around 55-60 mph. We had no issues in our group during our trip with the fleet of Stampedes that Bad Boy Off Road brought to Moab and for the first time out we think Bad Boy did a very good job.

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900 Front Suspension

Despite being designed with an eye on work, the suspension of the Bad Boy Stampede 900 is capable of spirited trail riding.

Overall we were impressed with the Bad Boy Stampede 900 4×4. If you think of how much competition is in the Side-by-Side world these days, it was equally as impressive that a company would jump in with both feet to challenge the current market leaders. We welcome Bad Boy’s efforts wholeheartedly! For this being the very first entry for Bad Boy Off Road and Textron, we applaud their efforts and they have certainly done their homework when it comes to building a Side-by-Side.

It may be a bit premature, but this machine only makes me wonder just how the next few will be because the word on the street is these guys are about to unleash a “Stampede” in the off-road power sports marketplace!

The Bad Boy Stampede 900 4×4 comes in three iterations: Non-EPS ($13,799), EPS ($14,799) and EPS+ ($15,599). What sets the EPS+ apart are premium seats, cast aluminum wheels and larger 27-inch Maxxis Big Horn 2.0 tires (26-inch Kenda tires on EPS and Non-EPS models).

2017 Bad Boy Stampede 900 Moab
Bad Boy Stampede 900 4×4 EPS Specs


FrameStructurally Welded High Strength Steel
Body & FinishE-Coat Base & Powder Coat Top Black, Painted Injection Molded TPO
TransmissionCVT Dash-Mounted Cable Shifter (H,L,N,R,P)
EngineLiquid-Cooled 4-Stroke, Twin Cylinder, Gas Engine, 846cc
Horsepower80
Fuel SystemElectronic Fuel Injection
Fuel Capacity9.5 gal.
Brakes231mm 4 Wheel Hydraulic Disc w/Dual Pistons
Front SuspensionDual A-Arm with 9.3 in travel, Performance Shocks
Rear SuspensionDual A-Arm with 10.4 in travel, Performance Shocks (Rear)
Wheels/Tires27 x 9 – 14, Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 Tires with Alloy Wheels (Front)


27 x 11 – 14, Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 Tires with Alloy Wheels (Rear)
Weight1650 lbs dry; 1690 lbs curb
Length x Width x Height126″ x 58″ x 75″
Ground Clearance11.25″
Cargo Bed Capacity600 lbs
Towing Capacity2,000 lbs
Standard ColorsInferno Red, Black, Platinum
Rick Sosebee
Rick Sosebee

Whether he is in Mexico covering the Baja 1000, building ATVs for local racers, or out enjoying the trails, Rick’s passion shows in his stories. Learning to wrench his own machines from his grandfather, Rick also has an undying appreciation for the mechanics of off-road vehicles. Do not let the dirt and mud fool you, though, as Rick also has a deep love for street cars.

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