Test ride on a Can Am Spyder

Test rode a buddy's brand new 2013 Spyder last night. First off, the bike is beautiful, and is appointed nicely. But, and there always is a but, the ride was really weird. It was glass smooth suspension wise, and plenty peppy, but the motions needed to turn it, well I felt like I was on a big utility ATV! You have to physically turn the handlebars, then the sensation of being tossed off the side takes over! I think this thing would wear me out on a curvy mountain road!

But, as a highway cruiser, I could see it being a real mile muncher. Great ergonomics, great wind protection, and lots of storage.

All in all, a pretty neat 'bike'.

They seem pretty neat and there is a lot of technology built it. I was behind one on a ride and the Spyder rider (2-up) was surprised by a hairpin turn. I saw the rear wheel lift and the bike knew it and dropped the tire back to asphalt.
Seems like a lot of possibilities.
OM

I rode one a few years ago and thought the suspension was broke at first. In a good curve it was a handful compared to my bike. On highly crowned roads it wasn't an enjoyable ride.

The Spyder takes some getting used to. Since it does not lean, turns and curves are way different than a 2 wheeler. More like a snowmobile or ATV. You learn how to lean your body to stay on board. Properly set up, the cornering is quite good. The only thing lacking is quality control. Some people get lucky and have no problems, others have no end of problems. They made some major improvements in the 2014 RT, including a bigger 3 cylinder engine, 6 speed transmission and larger fuel tank. So far it seems to be more dependable than its predecessors. My 2010 was unreliable, leaving us stranded or having problems on 3 out of 4 long trips. Had no use for it after that.

A FOAF (friend of a friend, the stuff of urban legends) test rode one. He didn't quite make it out of the dealer parking lot. He tried to counter steer to go one direction to hit the driveway and wound up in a small ditch when the bike went the other direction. I can easily see that happening on a first ride.

I think their advertising is presumptuous in intimating that motorcyclists will wave back.

I think I like them better than trikes, but I'll take a sidecar anydayoftheweek.

lkchris said:

I think their advertising is presumptuous in intimating that motorcyclists will wave back.

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You don't wave????? Why not? I certainly do. Heck, I even wave at scooters.

35634 said:

I think I like them better than trikes....

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I like them WAY better than trikes. If you ever want to ride something that doesn't want to go around corners, ride a trike. If I ever get to the point where I physically cannot ride a motorcycle, I'll get a Spyder.

royce said:

You don't wave????? Why not? I certainly do. Heck, I even wave at scooters.

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+1.

BC1100S said:

I like them WAY better than trikes. If you ever want to ride something that doesn't want to go around corners, ride a trike. If I ever get to the point where I physically cannot ride a motorcycle, I'll get a Spyder.

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When I get to the point two wheels aren't possible, I'll just pass up the 3 wheel alternatives and get a BMW Z4.

Heresy, I know, but there it is. Rode a buddies Spyder in Nevada a couple of years, zero interest after that experience....not my cup o' tea (nor a wee dram of a great single malt for that matter, since I don't drink...tea).

I rode one. It was a lot of fun, and it passed the motorcycle made me smile test with flying colors.

It is different, very different. And pretty fast for the size. And fun in a different way. When I can't ride 2 wheels anymore, one of these is on the list.

Rod

Got no idea what I'll do when I can't do 2 wheels- because I don't know what will cause it and when it might happen.
Given that trikes, spyders and rigs are all more work to ride than a bike, the answer might be none of the above.

I do know that as long as the SO and I can do a bike each (we own 7 between us), the others aren't making the list. Maybe if one can no longer ride, we might consider the others. But considering that our riding preference is twisties at a decent pace, not sure.

royce said:

You don't wave????? Why not? I certainly do. Heck, I even wave at scooters.

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Thanks. I'll wave back.

I talked with the Spyder dealer who was doing demo rides at a motorcycle event a couple of years ago. He said the best candidates for the Spyder were folks that had not ridden bikes a lot previously. He said the absence of leaning was not as much of a problem with them. He said his most common complaint from customers was the fuel mileage. 25-30 MPH was what owners frequently reported.

I can only imagine... horrible aerodynamics... bikes are bad enough as it is for their load capacity.

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osbornk said:

... most common complaint from customers was the fuel mileage. 25-30 MPH was what owners frequently reported.

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That agrees with what I've read/heard from owners. The updated Spyder (3-cyl and 6-sp trans) reportedly provides better fuel mileage, but still not great. That is the main reason I do not own one. Yet.

lkchris said:

I think their advertising is presumptuous in intimating that motorcyclists will wave back.

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Next time you refuse to waive to a trike, think about this guy and many like him, who have no choice but to ride one:


WEST POINT ?Veteran Isaac Jensen gets around by wheelchair, hand-powered tricycle, motorcycle, and a truck that has been converted to hand controls. Video Interview right here

However, it is on his motorcycle that he shares the camaraderie of other veterans. Riding out on the shiny red Can-Am Spyder, Jensen has found his freedom. The Can-Am has been outfitted with hand controls to accommodate Jensen, a double amputee as the result of an explosion while serving in Iraq.

While in Iraq, Jensen and two other soldiers were clearing a house when one of the soldiers tripped a bomb. A refrigerator had been rigged so that when opened, explosives ripped through the men. Jensen, a medic, first applied tourniquets to one soldier and then to his own mangled limbs. Jensen was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. Where others call Jensen a hero, he doesn?t see himself as one. He says, ?People just do what needs to be done when the situation calls for it, and if that is being a hero, then everyone is a hero.?

spyder tv article isaac jensen 1

Last year, Jensen and his wife, Bethany, and son, James, moved into a home in West Point that had been built by Rainey Homes and the non-profit Homes for our Troops. The Patriot Guard Riders escorted the Jensen?s to the location of their new home. It was then that Isaac Jensen met Bart Young, one of the riders.

After leaving the service, Jensen felt the loss of his sense of family, the men and women in the military forge. He needed to associate with others who had been in similar circumstances and who understood him. The American Legion provided that friendship and closeness. One day, he mentioned to Young, also a vet, that before entering the Army, his goal had been to ride a Harley. Young said if he had the money he would have bought Jensen a bike on the spot. Instead, Young and others in the Legion helped make it possible for Jensen to have his head in the wind, as bikers would say, by sponsoring numerous fundraisers throughout Northern Utah.

Jensen thrived with the newfound freedom the bike gave him and soon bought a new Can-Am Spyder. The first month he had the Can-Am, he put on 3,000 miles. Now he rides his Can-Am with the Legion Riders and the Patriot Guard Riders wearing a vest bearing his biker name, ?Feet.?

spyder tv article isaac jensen 2Young said when Jensen rides with the Legion Riders or the Patriot Guard, he is not treated any differently than the other riders. If it weren?t for the crutches on the back of the cycle, one wouldn?t realize that he is an amputee. Young watched a transformation occur in Jensen from when he first met him to now when he rides. He said Jensen is a whole person now, even without legs.

Wherever they go, Young said, it seems folks know Jensen. He is greatly admired by those he meets. Jensen said Utah has been a wonderful place for a veteran. Other locations have sometimes treated him and other Iraqi vets poorly, but he said in Utah, he is treated with respect and honor.

Jensen said, ?My job is to sit in the wheelchair. My job is to remind people that we?re still there (in the Middle East).? He is a vibrant man and doesn?t seek sympathy. Instead, he says: ?Live your life; make my sacrifice worth it. Live the American dream.?

Spyder.....NOT

After riding on a spyder for a short ride. I felt like I was my ATV. I can see these spyders for people who have issues with 2 wheelers and i respect that. And to each his own...But for me, I would much rather drive my wife's Miata mx. Way more fun and what the heck... We are only adding the 4th wheel and still enjoying the elements. Leaving a sport/touring bike at home and taking the spyder for a 2week trip is cause for severe depression. No joking.
Rob.

Of course what each of us has chosen to do (ride) is the perfect answer, not only for us but for others we choose to criticize or laugh at too. Anybody who does it differently than I do just has to have it all wrong.

Comparing a Spyder to a large street legal two-wheeled motorcycle is like comparing a four-door sedan to a three axle box truck. Different types of vehicles which do different things better or worse than each other. It makes no more sense than trying to compare a K1200LT to a 125cc purpose built motocrosser.

But we insist on doing it nonetheless.

My g/f rydes one. She has ATV experience, and her only m/c exp was in taking the MSF BRC (needed to license to a 3 wheeler in all states but CA). She LOVES hers, a 2009 RS. In just under 2 years, she's put on over 20K, including a 3 week trip together last summer, including the MOA National. No problems, other than an occassional "i don't wanna start, and you can't make me" scenario- which always resolves itself fairly quickly.
GREAT technology for the $, far beyond what you'd get with a factory trike. Hers has the same motor used in the Tuono, so plenty of pep. About 30 mpg, a bit better in tour mode. it's always weird for me to ryde it- no front brake (integrated in a single pedal), no countersteering (ack!), no leaning ( ), but there's no denying it has its appeal.

i find it interesting that their model designations are identical to BMW's- RS is the sportier one, RT is the full-on tour model, and ST is their new sport-tour variant.
we'll be going to the big factory sponsored Owner's Event in Durango in June. Should be "different".

and yeah, I wave at Spyders too. They get to suffer most of the bad that we on bikes get, so why not?