TESTED | CAN-AM MAVERICK XDS | Comparisons | Tested
When you run out of upgrade ideas, it’s time to strap on a turbo. Can-AM were one of the first manufacturers to go turbo with the Maverick back in 2015 but could it beat the Suzuki RMX450?
When Can-Am called us about a toy they thought was faster than most dirtbikes, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to pit the Maverick XDS against the Suzuki RMX450Z.
Being a dirtbike guy for as long as I can remember I’ve always been of the opinion that there aren’t many machines faster in the dust than a dirtbike. Sure some of the comp trucks may clean up in the race to Finke, but I’m talking natural-terrain, motocross tracks.
The turbocharged Maverick XDS was Can-Am’s latest masterpiece in 2015 and left even the most masculine tester weak at the knees. One lap of the grasstrack we had set-up left all drivers and passengers white in the face and trembling.
Think of the most intense roller coaster you’ve ever stepped foot on and double the scare factor. You know the Green Lantern at Movie World? That’s a child’s toy compared with the Maverick and the Tower of Terror at Dream World would put you to sleep after a few quick laps in the Maverick.
I JUST WET MY PANTS
I wasn’t lying when I said driving the Can-Am Maverick XDS was like steering a remote-control car only big enough to sit in and with 121hp under your arse. Right from the moment you plant your foot, the Maverick’s 1000cc Rotax V-Twin lights up, with a claimed 40% more torque than its predecessor. The turbo kicks in almost at idle so you get that high pitched whistle when you accelerate right off the bottom. Torque is the aim of the game for the Maverick XDS and the soft, wide Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tyres find traction with it.
The Maverick has switchable two- and four-wheel-drive modes via a switch on the dash. As expected, the four-wheel-drive mode pulls harder out of corners but is nowhere near as much fun as two-wheel-drive.
This was where the Maverick out-muscled the RMX450Z. Despite being three times the weight of the RMX, the Maverick was able to get all of its ponies to the ground faster than the Suzuki. It throws roost from all four wheels and goes from zero to hero faster than Stephen Bradbury did at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
While the RMX450Z was still drifting its way out of an-off camber corner, the Maverick XDS was digging trenches on its way to the next one. That being said, if the corner had a rut in it, the RMX450Z could keep up with the Maverick XDS but it would take a decent ’bar drag to do so.
The XDS gets all this power and torque to the ground through a clever clutch unit they call a Quick Response System (QRS). There was no delay in take-up and the way the clutch engaged on and off the gas was as smooth as butter.
Can-Am has informed us the XDS has received an upgrade to the Continuous-Variable Transmission’s airflow which supposedly sucks 68% more cold air through the pulleys.
THERE GOES LUNCH!
Going fast in a straight line is fun, but going fast through a corner is better. Cornering was one of the areas I knew the RMX would be able to challenge the Maverick for bragging rights. Any four-wheeled machine with as much suspension travel as a side-by-side designed to get airborne is going to suffer body roll. And while the Can-Am was impressive in keeping all four-wheels on the deck through corners, the feeling of going over (even if we weren’t even close) still kicked in if you came in to a corner too hot.
So when cornering we concluded that most B-Grade or higher riders would be faster than the buggy through corners. However if you don’t enjoy a two-wheeled drift and find yourself backing off as the rear-end steps out rather than rolling it on, than you’re likely to get rounded up from the outside by the Maverick.
The Maverick’s steering was incredibly accurate and the feedback through the steering wheel seemed similar to what you see in footage from the inside of a rally car. The Dynamic Power Steering (DPS) as Can-Am calls it, has three different modes of control: minimum, moderate and maximum. Most testers didn’t notice the difference between modes, and I think it would take a seasoned pilot to really pick them. Regardless, the Maverick went where you pointed it.
THEM’S THE BRAKES
Finally an area where the RMX450Z could shine. With less than a third of the weight of the Maverick the RMX could out-brake the Can-Am with ease, but only if you are a good rider.
That being said, the Maverick brakes are good gear. It took a while to get used to them because they were surprisingly soft. I found myself slamming them on with little regard for finesse. But, as I soon found out, when the terrain was rough (as it always will be when riding the Maverick XDS) this was actually a massive bonus.
If the brakes were as touchy as car brakes, braking into corners would be a jerky operation accompanied by a bunch of skidding as your foot bounces on the brake pedal.
Getting airborne in a vehicle that weighs half a tonne isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when testing one of these. It obviously goes without saying, the Suzuki will out jump the Can-Am any day, but hucking big triples isn’t exactly what the Maverick was designed for. The Maverick still got airborne and the landing didn’t see the buggy bouncing like a tennis ball. The suspension soaked it up and planted the wheels for instant drive.
The Fox 2.5 Podium RC2 HPG Shocks which run 16 inches of travel are the best in the business. They absorbed everything we threw at them, which included paddock bashing through rough terrain with long grass and many hidden rocks. While the RMX450Z would end up in a horrible highside if it clipped a hidden rock, the Can-AM Maverick XDS just cruised over the top without so much as a small bump.
WHICH IS FASTER?
So, is the Maverick faster than a dirtbike? Let’s do some roll play to paint the picture: as the gate drops the Maverick will launch off from the start and beat the dirtbike to the holeshot. But, as the corner gets closer the dirtbike will begin to edge ahead with its superior late braking and, hopefully, hold a narrow lead through the apex before the buggy finally straightens up and flattens the dirtbike as it exits the corner, absorbing the bump as it clears the flattened rider with its soft suspension. If said rider isn’t wedged in between the deep knobs on the buggy tyres, he can remount, open the throttle and hit the first big triple with ease, sailing over the buggy and across the finish line in first place.
Okay, maybe not quite, but you get the picture. The Maverick is a race-bred weapon. From the comfortable bucket seats, fluoro rollcage, two- and four-wheel-drive options, adjustable DPS, holy shit bars for the passenger to grab hold of, an Eco mode for the run home and switchable mapping via two different keys (an aggressive and soft map) the Maverick is designed to thrill. It is the most fun you can have on four wheels in the bush. The torque, and drive out of corners and off the start has to be experienced to be believed!
Can-Am Maverick XDS
Engine Type 976cc turbocharged, V-twin, liquid cooled, SOHC, 8-valve
Bore & Stroke 91 x 75 mm
Fuel metering iTC with EFI and 54 mm Throttle Body, 2 Siemens VDO injectors
Transmission Quick Response System (QRS) CVT
Drive Train Shaft
Frame Steel
Cage Type 2-in. (5.1 cm) diameter, high-strength steel, ROPS-approved
Steering Adjustable tilt steering, Tri-Mode Dynamic Power Steering
Suspension
Front Double A-arm FOX 2.5 PODIUM RC2 HPG Piggyback shocks with dual
speed compression, rebound and dual rate spring preload adjustments 15 inches of travel
Rear Torsional Trailing A-arms independent rear suspension (TTA) with sway bar FOX 2.5 PODIUM RC2 HPG Piggyback shocks with dual speed compression, rebound, dual rate spring preload adjustments and spring crossover, bottom-out control with 16 inches of travel
Brakes
Front Dual 220 mm ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic twin-piston (32 mm) calipers
Rear Dual 214 mm ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic single-piston (32 mm) caliper
Tyres Maxxis Bighorn 2.0
Dry Weight 634.6 kg
Wheelbase 223.5 cm
Ground Clearance 33 cm
Fuel Capacity 37.8 L
Warranty 6 months limited warranty
