The registry
Bombardier Registry: Models, Builds & Photos
Bombardier traces to 1942, when Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded L'Auto-Neige Bombardier in Valcourt, Quebec to build tracked snow machines. The company created the Ski-Doo snowmobile in 1959 and the Sea-Doo watercraft (first in 1968, revived in 1988), then showed its first ATV, the Traxter, in 1998 and put it on sale for the 1999 model year. In December 2003 the recreational products division was spun off as BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products), and for the 2007 model year BRP moved its ATV line to the revived Can-Am name, ending Bombardier-badged quads after 2006.
Pick your model
From snow machines to quads
Joseph-Armand Bombardier built tracked vehicles for snowbound Quebec roads and incorporated L'Auto-Neige Bombardier in Valcourt on July 10, 1942. The 1959 Ski-Doo made the company a powersports name, and Rotax, the Austrian engine maker it picked up in the 1970 purchase of Lohner-Werke, became the heart of nearly everything it built. The ATV program came late. Bombardier showed the Traxter prototype in February 1998 and sold it as a 1999 model, its first four-wheeler. ATV Magazine named the Traxter ATV of the Year a year after launch.
The short Bombardier ATV era, 1999-2006
Bombardier-badged ATVs existed for less than a decade. In December 2003 Bain Capital, the Bombardier family, and the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec bought the recreational products division out of Bombardier Inc. for about 875 million dollars, creating BRP. For 2007 BRP rebadged the whole ATV line under the Can-Am name it had used on motocross and enduro bikes from 1973 to 1987. So a late Bombardier quad and an early Can-Am quad are often the same machine with different plastics and decals, and parts frequently interchange across the rebrand.
Outlander
The Outlander arrived for the 2003 model year on the then-new SST frame, and it is the model that carried the platform forward. Early Bombardier Outlanders ran Rotax singles, starting with the 400. The V-twin era began with the Outlander 800 H.O. EFI for 2006, an 800cc fuel-injected Rotax. Bombardier-badged Outlanders cover 2003-2006; later years wear Can-Am badges on the same lineage.
DS650
The DS650 was Bombardier's big sport quad, built from the 2000 through 2007 model years. It used a 653cc liquid-cooled Rotax single with a four-valve head and a five-speed manual gearbox. The engine stayed carbureted its whole run, a 42mm Mikuni, and made roughly 45 horsepower in stock form. The Baja and X variants added desert-race equipment over the base quad. Final examples sold as Can-Am DS650s.
Rally 200
The Rally 200 was the entry-level quad of the line, sold from 2003 through 2007 with the final year badged Can-Am. It ran a 176cc liquid-cooled Rotax single through a CVT and drove the rear wheels only. It shares almost nothing mechanically with the DS650, so treat it as a separate parts ecosystem.
Asked all the time
What years were Bombardier ATVs made?
Bombardier sold ATVs under its own name from the 1999 model year (the Traxter) through 2006. After the December 2003 spin-off of BRP, the line was rebadged Can-Am starting with the 2007 model year, so a 2008 Outlander is mechanically a continuation of the Bombardier machine.
Is a Bombardier Outlander the same as a Can-Am Outlander?
Largely yes. Bombardier introduced the Outlander for 2003, and when BRP switched to the Can-Am brand for 2007 the platform carried over. Many chassis, driveline, and Rotax engine parts interchange between late Bombardier and early Can-Am Outlanders.
How long was the Bombardier DS650 in production?
The DS650 ran from the 2000 through 2007 model years, with the last examples badged Can-Am. All of them use the carbureted 653cc liquid-cooled Rotax single; Baja and X versions added desert-race equipment.
Are parts still available for Bombardier quads?
Yes, because BRP still exists. Many Bombardier part numbers superseded directly into Can-Am numbers, and Rotax engine internals are well supported. Body plastics and Rally 200 pieces are the hardest items to source; the DS650 and Outlander have strong aftermarket and used-parts supply.
Why did Bombardier stop making ATVs?
Bombardier did not stop, it renamed. Bombardier Inc. sold its recreational products division in December 2003, creating BRP, and BRP moved the ATV line to the Can-Am brand for the 2007 model year, since the Bombardier name stayed with the separate aerospace and rail company.
The wall
The most-documented Bombardier vehicles in the registry, every photo by the owner.
