[subterfuge]

Hello All,

I'm a prospective new CFMOTO owner from central Ontario.

I came across the brand by accident when I happened to see a video from Dirt Trax Television covering a UTV Endurance race in La Tuque Quebec.   I was struck by how well they handled and performed against the traditional brands.  So much so that initialy I thought they might be a halo brand sorta like the Cannodale sport machines of wayyyy back when.

Then I did some research and realized they were inexpensive, and the next weekend I was out at the nearest dealership attempting to get more info.  What struck me was the clever design.( Intakes in the cab.  A roll-cage that looks like it could actually handle a roll-over, and proper 4 point harnesses, well equipt, outsourced key components, great warranty, etc..).

After finding a dealer that didn't try to sell me another product, I think I'm pretty much ready to pull the trigger.  But for a couple of questions.  My line of choice is the ZForce.

600 vs 800?
I see the 600 for sale used a fair bit.  Not sure why.  Quite a bit less horsepower to be sure, but with the same fuel capacity I'm assuming these have better range..  Anyone have any feedback on how they perform on the trail?

53" vs Full width?
Any thoughts on how much the stability is affected on off-camber surfaces?  Obviously the wider stance will be better for high-speed cornering, but I'm wondering how much it affects trail-use (I note that the 600's are 53" standard). 

Thanks everyone!

[NMKawierider]

Welcome to the forum. Get the 800 either way, then set up the clutched for your needs. They are set to the lightest when you get them. As for the 53 over the EX, get the EX if you have no need to ride on tight ATV trails but if so, the 53 is the way to go. They are not as top-heavy as one would think but some cornering and trail performance gains can be achieved with some better tires and Polyurethane sway bar bushings. Know that the shorter a-arms on the 53 like most other 50-inch class machines have less...less travel,...less ground clearance and not as smooth of a ride. Well, you have to give up something...lol.  There are a few short-comings which are easily addressed and we do a lot of that here as you will see in our How Tos. Most notably is the air intake system. The filters are too small, the OE filters have had problems falling apart and allowing dirt into the engine and the intake location is less then favorable. It allows much extra dirt and dust from tire-sling in as well as engine heat. An easy fix though. Overall, for the money and what you get with it, not a bad machine.  Spend some time here and read-up on other issues though.

[mayor hal]

I agree with what NMKAWIERIDER said, welcome to the board. I watched the same Dirt Trax TV program you did probably & also the artic also written in Dirt Trax mag! I bought mine in July 2015. It's the 53" 800. I don't think that they are going to continue to make the 600!  I have trails with width restrictions! I have had a few small issues, one of which was the air filter coming apart and allowing dirty air to get into the engine!  It has not seemed to do any damage to date and I still have 4+ years of warranty. I have changed the oil twice since then.
It definitely needs a lift kit and rear mud guards...other than that, drive it like you stole it!
As long as I can have another season of riding similar to this riding season, without anything too major, I will be very happy!

[Cosmosdan]

They replaced the 600 with the 500/550. Same HP or a little more, no wet clutch, cvtech clutches, glove box ect.. They corrected some of the issues I had with my z6 when they released the 500. If you don't need the extra power of the 800 and are worried about fuel costs, The new 500 might be worth a look. I don't know what they did with the 500 air intake so you should also look at that.