Test ride on a Can Am Spyder

[Visian]

 

[Rinty]

I reread the thread and it is interesting. I believe Dave did not keep the Spyder for very long. At a rally in 2012 he was asked why he sold it. In a very studied manner, Dave chose not to respond to the question with any specific reason.

I recall him commenting that it was hard to work on, caused in part by having to remove so much plastic to get at anything.

 

[BC1100S]

I asked him about it as well here in Seattle after one of his safety talks at the local dealer... For the life of me I cannot recall the exact reason(s) so I won't mis-remember.

I'm guessing its for the same reason I don't have a Spyder - I prefer two wheels. Simple as that.

 

[akbeemer]

I'm guessing its for the same reason I don't have a Spyder - I prefer two wheels. Simple as that.

Pretty sure he still rides with a sidecar.

 

[71243]

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.

Can ya explain why a Spyder would be easier than an M/C? I rode one [test ride] a few years back & I think they require more body input than anything.

 

[royce]

Can ya explain why a Spyder would be easier than an M/C? I rode one [test ride] a few years back & I think they require more body input than anything.

For me it will be the ability to hold a two-wheeler upright when it wants to fall over. When my legs lose enough strength or muscle tone that holding a m/c upright is a problem, I'll be on a Spyder. An additional scenario for me will be another back injury that makes it impossible to hold a two-wheeler upright. I've experienced this (back injury) before and not being able to ride was pretty depressing.

 

[osbornk]

For me it will be the ability to hold a two-wheeler upright when it wants to fall over. When my legs lose enough strength or muscle tone that holding a m/c upright is a problem, I'll be on a Spyder. An additional scenario for me will be another back injury that makes it impossible to hold a two-wheeler upright. I've experienced this (back injury) before and not being able to ride was pretty depressing.

A Spyder takes more muscle strength and muscle tone than a medium size maxi-scooter. I had a Burgman 400 that was very easy to balance and handle. They now make a Burgman 200 that is even easier. I now have a Burgman 650 and while it is not hard, it is harder than the smaller ones. I wanted a BMW scooter but my inseam is short and it didn't fit. I made fun of maxi-scooters until a friend talked me into riding his (took him all summer). I rode his on a Wednesday and bought one for myself the next day.

 

[dpmonk]

Spider steering problem and fatality

A friend had a spider and sold it to his son. It was for is daughter in law. She was killed and her daughter is now in a wheelchair because it was unable to make a simple curve. The last thing the mother said to her daughter was, "I can't turn this thing".

My friend had ridden the trike for years with no problems. She was a new rider. I am not saying there was definitely a mechanical problem with the Spyder, these are just facts and I there will probably be litigation.

Lots of people have been killed in cars, motorcycles, airplanes, parachutes, etc........because of mechanical failures. But I would do a lot of research before I rode one.

 

[grafikfeat]

She was a new rider.

End of story.

Regardless... Glad I sold all my holdings in GM years ago...

 

[Tewster2]

The new Polaris Slingshot I think is going to give the CanAm a run for it's money. I believe people who are interested in the CanAm will also be looking at the Slingshot. Also the Slingshot is about $5,000 cheaper than the CanAm.

 

[classicvw]

For it's first few years on sale, a main knock on the Can Am was the amount of effort it took to turn. After a couple hours ride, riders were really feeling it in their arms and shoulders, some were downright exhausted. They have since made incremental adjustments to make the steering/turning effort easier.

 

[akbeemer]

The new Polaris Slingshot I think is going to give the CanAm a run for it's money. I believe people who are interested in the CanAm will also be looking at the Slingshot. Also the Slingshot is about $5,000 cheaper than the CanAm.

Much more car like than a Spyder. Side-by-side seating, car style seats, car like body, steering wheel and hand gear shift to name a few. It may be great fun to drive but will have a very hard time coming across as a motorcycle. I don't notice Morgan making headway establishing motorcycle status for their 3 wheeler, which is essentially the same concept.

 

[71243]

End of story.

Regardless... Glad I sold all my holdings in GM years ago...

Not sure I understand the GM connection ? Can you explain ?

 

[71243]

JMO...but if you require more than two wheels on the ground ?....other than a sidecar rig....think car!

As i see it other than a s/car rig.....the others in no way even resemble a motorcycle. All they do is erroneously change / effect the numbers / stats of the true motorcycling community.

 

[Tewster2]

I was just thinking that the kind of people who who think about a CanAm would also look at the Slingshot.

 

[mtbeemerco]

Too costly

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.

I just cant get interested in a "cycle" that costs more than my Mazda 3 and gets worse mileage.

 

[dpmonk]

End of story?

End of story.

Regardless... Glad I sold all my holdings in GM years ago...

Rather a quick jump to conclusions in my opinion. However that was my first reaction until I learned a few more of the factors involved.
An eyewitness account of a very young girl who may never get out of a wheel chair, numerous posts I read after I googled Can Am steering problems. Accounts from experienced Spyder riders who experienced steering failures and crashes make me more cautious about jumping to conclusions.

And Bombardier is not part of GM is it?

 

[blacque jacque shellacque]

Bombardier builds planes, trains and subway cars. Bombardier Recreational Products was the division that built boats, ski-doo's, Spyders, etc. The division was spun off and became a private company controlled by the Bombardier family years ago. The company went public in May 2013 and goes by the name of BRP. Bombardier and BRP are two separate companies and are not related anymore.

 

[sedanman]

My wife and I test rode CanAm's a few years ago. Neither of us want one right now but I wouldn't totally rule one out if I was ever physically unable to ride a bike.

 

[dancogan]

Back when I had a Spyder and so did David Hough, I recall he gave his up because he couldn't do much maintenance on it himself. Almost everything requires hooking up to the proprietary system (called BUDS, if I recall correctly). They had a massive recall to handle the steering problems and ultimately ended up with a very good handling vehicle. It did not require undue strength to get around corners and was pretty quick in the twisties. My problem was the lack of mechanical reliability and it was sold after the 3rd breakdown in 4 long trips. Decided we wouldn't use it for long trips any longer. Quite a loss, as the trailer made it the ultimate touring trike, except for poor gas mileage, of course. While mpg's has improved since then, it's still below 40. I believe reliability has improved quite a bit.