Installing extra parts and vehicle customizing is nothing new for ATV and Side x Side riders. Almost everyone installs a few aftermarket goodies on their off-road toy, but some riders take that concept to the extreme. Bobby Meeks is one such rider and a few new parts weren’t going to do it for him.
Bobby has been a lifelong rider and Can-Am fan, but rather than just roll onto the trail or into the mud pit with the factory machine his vision was to create a one-of-a-kind mud monster that would not only spin huge tires, but heads as well. What started out as a 2013 Outlander X mr definitely accomplishes both. Rather than us telling his story we’ll let Bobby tell you himself.
ATVI: Nice job with the Outlander X mr and thank you for sharing your project with us Bobby. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into riding.
Bobby Meeks: I am a happily married man of five years. I live in east Texas, where I have been a lineman with the electric co-op for 11 years now. I originally started riding three-wheelers on our family farm in New York, where I was born and raised. We used ATVs to check cattle and newborn calves and for all other types of farm work. I started riding at the early age of four-years old. After all the farm work was completed for the day, the neighborhood kids – all farm boys, too – would ride and race our bikes until our parents made us go to bed. When I was 10, we built an oval race track at the neighbor’s farm in their sand pit and raced that track until we graduated high school. By then we had progressed to four-wheelers because of the three-wheeler ban.
ATVI: Is this your first Can-Am?
Bobby Meeks: This 2013 X mr is actually my fourth BRP product. My first was a 1998 Ski-Doo® Mach 1 700 snowmobile. The second was a 2001 500 4x4 four-wheeler, and the third was a 2012 X mr 800r.
ATVI: What inspired you to select the X mr for a build?
Bobby Meeks: I believe the X mr has the ultimate foundation for an ultimate build. It has all the options and features – power steering, air suspension, radiator relocation, just to name a few – that have been combined on one awesome bike. Also, in the back of my mind I knew that the 1000 X mr was going to get a lot of hype and attention worldwide. That’s why I’ve chosen to customize it, taking the X mr to the next level in mud riding.
ATVI: What modifications have you made to your XMR?
Bobby Meeks: I bought it stock. Since then here’s what I’ve had done:
1) 6-inch CATVOS custom lift with Gorilla Axles, powder-coated yellow
2) 14x7 MSA Crusher rims
3) 32.5 x 10 x 14 Black Mamba tires
4) CVTech primary clutch
5) STM secondary clutch
6) EPI high-performance belt
7) 2-inch billet aluminum wheel spacers
8) 1 ¼-inch billet aluminum spring spacers
9) Relocated radiator
ATVI: What was your final vision when you decided you were going to customize your Outlander?
Bobby Meeks: My vision for this X mr was to build a bike that no one in the United States has ever seen before – a one of a kind ATV. I had to use the new 1000 X mr and a combination of accessories that had never been put together before. There were many lifted 800 X mr’s out there before this build, so I had to have the new 1000 X mr push the boundaries, going above and beyond what everyone else had done with the 800r.
The easiest choice was the lift. CATVOS has the industry nailed in this market. Their lifts are stronger, thicker material and by far superior to any other out there. Scott Meshell, the owner, has been building bikes and riding bikes so long that he knows from years of experience what will and will not work in the mud on a custom lift. It’s not uncommon at all to see Scott on a big ride in our area. The choice of rims and tires was the hardest decision I had to make. It seems like 75% of the mud bikes out there run either 31” Outlaw tires or 29.5” Outlaw 2 tires. If I was going to be different than everybody else, 32.5” Black Mambas were the only real choice. You hear all kinds of talk on how heavy the Mambas are, but the fact is, it’s all just talk. Very few bikes run 32.5” Mambas, and the ones that do absolutely love them. My decision was made.
As far as rims go, I saw very few bikes with the new 14” Crusher rims, and no one had the Crusher-Black Mamba combination. This rim-tire combination was the most rewarding decision of the build. It definitely went against all the odds. The tires are amazing in the mud, and when they hit a deep hole, they just eat! 
Once I was at this point, I had to figure out my clutching package, to put all this power to the ground, and not tear the bike apart in doing so. This is an important decision, since the Outlander X mr 1000’s Rotax engine has 82 horsepower, and I had 32.5” Black Mamba tires hitting the ground. After many hours of research and visiting with many clutching experts, I decided on the CVTech primary and STM secondary combination. The EPI belt is a must with this package because it’s a belt width of 30mm, compared to the 32-mm stock Can-Am belt. The aftermarket clutches grab the EPI belt more efficiently and more power to the ground.
ATVI: How long did the build process take?
Bobby Meeks: The actual hands-on build process took place over a nine-hour period on September 13, with three CATVOS mechanics servicing the bike. I bought a stock X mr 1000 from Shane Dowden, general manager at Rock Powersports in Shreveport, Louisiana. I’d asked Shane if he would deliver the bike to CATVOS first thing that morning so they could start the build as early as possible. Rock Powersports had the bike at CATVOS by 9 am, and the build was on. Earlier that week, I had discussed all the accessories that I had wanted on the bike with CATVOS owner, Scott, so he had proper time to get all the parts that were not made custom at his shop. It was a long day for sure, but the build was completed by 6 pm that day.
ATVI: What are your thoughts on the Can-Am Maverick?
Bobby Meeks: First off, 101 horsepower. WOW! Second, I wonder how long until the aftermarket companies figure out a way to get the four-wheeler 1000 motors to put out 101 horsepower. And lastly, I’m very anxious to see the first big build that someone produces with this new powerhouse.
ATVI: What’s it like to ride?
Bobby Meeks: You are always a tad bit nervous going on your first ride with a new build. You’re unsure if it will perform, if you will tear the bike up, or if the first mud hole you hit will break something. That was hardly the case. It handled the swamp, the highline, and multiple mud holes with ease. The performance of the G2 chassis and the Rotax 1000 motor was superior. Combined with the stability of the CATVOS lift and the 32.5” Mambas under me, the bike exceeded my very high expectations.
ATVI: Do you have any upcoming plans for rides or trips? Mud Nationals?
Bobby Meeks: A must-attend event is the Mud Nationals at Mud Creek park in Jacksonville, Texas. Mud Nationals is the largest ATV and SxS event in the country but there are multiple rides to go on every month until mid-June. Our core group of riders that we have usually go to one big event each month and usually a day ride or an overnight trip between each big ride. 
ATVI: Any advice to X mr owners about getting the most out of their Can-Am?
Bobby Meeks: My advice to anyone that is looking at an X mr to buy is that this bike stock is more than capable of handling anything that you can throw at it – on the trail or in the mud. If you’re looking to modify your X mr with a lift or rims and tires, then by far the most important aftermarket accessory you can add to enhance your performance is a CVTech primary clutch. I would also highly recommend both CATVOS and Rock Powersports. I will definitely be buying from them again in the near future.
ATVI: Thank you Bobby. We’ll be happy to see any future projects you have as well, and good luck at this year’s Mud Nationals
Did Bobby Meeks create the ultimate, powerhouse machine for the trails or mud pit with his Can-Am Outlander Xmr? No doubt, mission accomplished!
