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Can-Am Spyder ride

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In reference to another thread here Someone was talking about how their Ducati was a great track weapon but killing them on the street. I suffer from the same fate. I have a RC51 that I love it is the Bike of dreams just don't try to travel on it. For about a year now the plan has been when my wrists and shoulders can no longer stand the RC51 I'll buy a Busa. Well now after riding the Spyder it is a stron candidate for when I can't Kneedrag anymore. Maybe by then the price will be down on used models. It's neat cool and fun but it doesn't lean and I can still lean, and I lean alot, and I like leaning alot, so the CanAm is just going to have to wait for me to get older stiffer and maybe a little richer
SRAD
 
Anybody know if these still qualify as "motorcycles" for the purposes of using on HOV lanes?

Dave.
 
On the demo rides that you guys have gone on, were they decent length demo rides? Also, were you able to give them a relatively concise shakedown. I'm not talking being a hooligan and tearing stuff up or anything, but trying them out on the highway, in a few decent turns, stop and go traffic. That kind of stuff.
 
Do you counter steer on these things, or "pull right to go right?"
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paul


Paul, if they don't lean, I can't see how you could countersteer them.

I'm interested in the ...uhhh...bike?...but for the wife. I really would like her to come along but weight constraints (I am a slow old AND fat guy) make that impossible. I bought a sidecar...not for me. Trike? I think I value my life too much, not to mention hers but this thing is cool. If it had a more touring bent I'd say it's a keeper. Edit: oooh, oooh...an Adventure touring Can-Am. I hope someone there is listening. I'm in (if she'll ride it).
 
the demo ride at Pro Power Sports was 10 or so miles long, 90% was on back roads. parts were curvy. on one spot the leader (from the dealership) stopped and said "OK go ahead and hit it to the end (a couple of blocks) and hit the brakes hard, but hang on because it WILL stop", and it did.
after we turned onto one road the leader hit it so I did also, I got to 85 before I let off some, the guy, Rick, that started this got closer to 100.
as I said before it drives like an ATV, just more stable and faster. you do lean just so you don't fall off in curves, but leaning does nothing for steering. it drives like a car but you have handle bars not a steering wheel
 
yeah but do you have to slide off :trust:

jen-albright.jpg
 
norhasken said:
Looks like a lot of fun, with a little practicality. Price is a bit high, at least to me.
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The price is no doubt higher than some want to put into a trike but considering the quality and the features, it is not out of reason (at least yet!) compared with other vehicles with similar features and capabilities.
 
slowoldguy said:
Do you counter steer on these things, or "pull right to go right?"
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paul


Paul, if they don't lean, I can't see how you could countersteer them.

I'm interested in the ...uhhh...bike?...but for the wife. I really would like her to come along but weight constraints (I am a slow old AND fat guy) make that impossible. I bought a sidecar...not for me. Trike? I think I value my life too much, not to mention hers but this thing is cool. If it had a more touring bent I'd say it's a keeper. Edit: oooh, oooh...an Adventure touring Can-Am. I hope someone there is listening. I'm in (if she'll ride it).
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You wrote, "...Trike? I think I value my life too much, not to mention hers but this thing is cool. ..."

I felt the same about modern conventional trikes until I actually rode one with IRS. The stability is amazing and nothing like the old H-D meter maid trikes of yesteryear.... I look forward to test riding the Can Am reverse trike.
 
whitesands said:
They should make those with ZX14 engines...
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It has the same engine as an Aprilia RSV(Rotax V990)slightly detuned, but I'm sure its got enough power to scare the bejeezus out of the old folks.

I know from experience that it would sound awesome with some race glass piped on it!:rider: :mrgreen:
 
Went for a demo ride at North Texas Yamaha this morning.
I was hoping it might be a logical alternative for "one who gets dizzy now and then".
The Can-Am Spyder is an incredible machine. The engine is powerful (easily hits a ton) and the steering is quite abrupt. The brakes work flawlessly. It was only me reaching for the right lever each time I slowed. :doh:

It is so responsive, that you must be quite attentive during any maneuvers.

Some have mentioned the price and feel it is too much. For those looking for a three wheeled vehicle, this thing is pretty reasonable.
A Goldwing trike is near $40k.
A TRex is near $40k.

This Can-Am is designed from the ground up and nicely executed for less than the cost of a base Goldwing.

It just isn't the answer for me.
 
I went for the demo ride today as well. Nice bike, has a lot of umph when you get on it. I have to agree that the steering is quite responsive and you have to pay attention on it for sure. I probably looked half drunk for most of my ride what with the completely foreign turning method and the fact that every time I twitched a little so did the bike. That's not to say it's a bad thing for the bike, just that I wasn't quite as comfortable on it as I am my Nighthawk.

Really, the only complaint I had (and it's not really that big of one) is that it took WAY too long for the guys at the dealership to get everything together so that I could take my ride. I was there for about an hour and a half and my ride lasted about 10 minutes. The rest of the time was spent tracking the guys down to get everything ready so I could go. I'll give it to them though, they were pretty busy, and other than my natural impatience, it wasn't really that big of a deal (which I kept having to repeat in my head because I'm an impatient person).
 
SRADkneedragger said:
I found that when cornering fast/hard under the Nanny's sight lines the bike did have consierable G's on your upper body and it seemed to help to move inboard, which felt really weird. I would say that for around $9K it would be great but $16K no way!
SRAD
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Show me a motorcycle that features what the Spyder does for $9k. $16k is very reasonable for what you are getting.

This is an excellent alternative to the typical trike for those that still want to ride, but have been physically impaired in some way that makes holding a bike up at a light somewhat precarious. Make one with optional handbrake in lieu of the foot brake and an auto tranny with thumb actuated manual shift mode and you've got a killer new scooter for paraplegics.
 
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I test rode one in San Antonio about 3 weeks ago...my impressions were:

Bike was almost squirrelly because of the sensitivity of steering inputs. Very responsive! Lead rider say the squirrelly feeling goes away after riding it for a little while.

Unusual feeling when stopping because I would reach for the front brake and try to put a foot down....oops...

Acceleration was great once you got it to about 4K to the redline which I thought seemed low (I think it was 9K or something). The redline hit very quickly!

A lot of heat from the right side. Ride lead said the exhaust is being redesigned to address that issue.

Fun little toy and would be neat to try in some real twisties! Just need to get used to leaning into the corner while the bike leans out of the corner.

Shawn
 
one thing i feel compelled to mention is like everything, it can tip over.
this is not limited to this particular brand or model.

just a knee-jerk response, sorry about that.
 
scgstuff said:
Unusual feeling when stopping because I would reach for the front brake and try to put a foot down....oops...
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I did that the first time that I rode an ATV in the days before there was any guards (3-wheeler) and found out quickly that you have to "change" you instincts a bit when riding those.
 
suzukijo said:
one thing i feel compelled to mention is like everything, it can tip over.
this is not limited to this particular brand or model.

just a knee-jerk response, sorry about that.
Click to expand...

Under the 'right' circumstances practically any highway vehicle "can tip over." It's kinda like milk and honey. Ingestion of too much in too short a time period can make one sick.
 
Squidward said:
Show me a motorcycle that features what the Spyder does for $9k. $16k is very reasonable for what you are getting.

This is an excellent alternative to the typical trike for those that still want to ride, but have been physically impaired in some way that makes holding a bike up at a light somewhat precarious. Make one with optional handbrake in lieu of the foot brake and an auto tranny with thumb actuated manual shift mode and you've got a killer new scooter for paraplegics.
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Nearly there John!

The base Can-Am is $15499 with manual shift.
The SE5 Can-Am is $16999 with electric shift. (Much like the FJR)
The SE5 will also downshift automatically as you come to a stop so that you aren't hung in a higher gear.

+1 on the hand brake..
 
donroger1 said:
Nearly there John!

The base Can-Am is $15499 with manual shift.
The SE5 Can-Am is $16999 with electric shift. (Much like the FJR)
The SE5 will also downshift automatically as you come to a stop so that you aren't hung in a higher gear.

+1 on the hand brake..
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That is fantastic. :clap: :clap: :clap: I bet an enterprising individual could convert the existing brake system to a hand-controlled one. I know a few former riders that would love to have one of these. Some are paraplegics and some just have impaired use of their lower extremeties. I need to go get a closer look at one and its brakes.:trust:
 
I really enjoyed my test ride (drive?) several months ago, despite having 0 previous entrance in one. It felt a lot like piloting an ATV, only lower, more stable, and more powerful. Would make a great commuter or tourer w/ the built in trunk.

I also noticed the heat from the right side near my foot, that's the only fault I could find. Rolling burnouts sure are fun!

I'd be tempted to buy one if I had the extra garage space and cash burning a hole in my pocket.
 
I rode one these today at Wild West Honda. My boss is interested in one, he has a 45 mile commute and is looking for something to ride in a few days a week. He asked me along cause he knows pretty much zero about motorcycles.

I really liked it. Lots of power, and handled well. I took was grabbing for the front brake, but I was always using the rear so it wasn't a big deal. It stops well. I was also feeling odd because it wasn't leaning, but I think I'd get over that too. That shouldn't be an issue for my boss since he hasn't been on a motorcycle for awhile.

Which brings me to my question. Can he take the MSF on this thing? The sales guy wasn't sure and said he may have to take the MSF on a small bike. Does the MSF still provide bikes? If it was me I'd rather train on what I'm gonna use, especially in this instance where it is a little different.
 
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