2009 Can-Am Renegade 800R EFI Review

The Renegade 800R is all about power and speed, while combining sport and utility.

Introduced in ’07, when the Can-Am brand was born, the Renegade runs an 800cc liquid cooled V-twin engine coupled to a CVT transmission that boasts electronic fuel injection. This combination offers explosive power that easily gets the bike airborne, on and off the track. Its race engineered high pressure gas shocks keep the landings under control. With five adjustable preload settings the Renegade handles all types of terrain, but it’s more at home on the track than in the bush.

Suspension on the Renegade is built around the exclusive lightweight Surrounding Spar Technology (SST) frame, while the bumps are soaked up by the long travel double-A-arm front suspension and long travel independent rear suspension that features torsional trailing arms and dive-control geometry.

The red color option is new for 2009.

To get more horsepower out of the Renegade, Can-Am re-engineered the air filter, optimized the intake runner and installed new camshafts.

The new 2009 graphics are tougher, thicker and more scratch resistent.

The ‘R’ designation added to the Renegade nameplate for ’09 indicates a boost in power, though this bike hardly needs it. Can-Am is determined to be the horsepower leader. The result is that the Rotax V-twin has added 9% to the top-end of its powerband. The components that have been re-engineered to accomplish this are the air filter (larger intake), an optimized intake runner, new camshafts and a new ECU calibration. Also new for ’09 are updated graphics and a red colour option.

At the Renegade’s heart is the Rotax engine. This 80-degree V-twin is liquid-cooled and features that new, more aggressive single overhead camshaft that manages four valves per cylinder. Feeding fuel to those cylinders is a 46mm throttle body and two VDO Siemens fuel injectors. This system is computer managed to be sensitive to temperature and altitude changes; certainly a factor in Texas where during our testing the average daily highs were hitting 95 degrees with a relative humidity of over 50 per cent. But even under severe stress this engine produces power, without lag, for a pinned straight track run or while rock crawling at low speed.

The engine now breaths better too, which translates to more power and also a more even block temperature. The ECU calibration, while it’s something you can’t see, must be right because the throttle performance feels right on.

The all-new red colour is sharp and while talk of new graphics is far from impressive it is interesting to note that what really is new is the material and outer coating on those decals. The previous generation was found to be a bit too susceptible to surface damage from wear and brush scratches. This is an ATV after all and rough, abrasive treatment comes with the territory so it’s good to see that BRP is responding to the comments from dealers and customers who complained about the softness of the first generation of stick-ons. That led to the new graphics which are tougher, thicker and have a coating that is also more scratch resistant. Is this a big deal? No, but the company’s response to the complaint is. Hopefully they will keep on listening.

Probably the most interesting thing about the Renegade is that it’s race-ready right out of the box – so for the weekend warrior with limited time or knowledge of wrenching the 800R puts him/her on the track without precious free time going to setup.

Some of the key features of that make this possible are the extensive use of aluminum (including rims) and aggressive minimalist bodywork styling. The result is that it is 50 pounds lighter than an Outlander 800R model.

Front and Rear shocks can be adjusted to suit a rider’s weight – for high and low-speed compression. Full floorboards come with aggressive kick-up foot pegs and the aluminium taper-profile handlebars with a centre cushioned square pad ensure a good grip and control.

Also worth looking at is the ‘X package’ that comes with premium shocks, black, center-cast aluminum wheels, aluminum skid plate, handlebar wind deflectors, X-package graphics, X-package seat cover and an all-black graphics and paint scheme.