carguy 1 Posted June 20, 2007 I had the opportunity to get up close to the new Can-Am Spyder. I guess there are only a few in the States to look at. They are calling it a motorcycle, I am not impressed. After talking to the rider, it is like riding a quad. It is almost as wide as a small car(no lane spliting with it). At 17K it is an expensive car with little protection. Some pics I took at Irvine. Here is some info from the May edition of American Motorcyclist. A Spyder for the road By James Holter Although they have had some broad appeal overseas—mostly in the build of small, two-person fully enclosed automobiles—three-wheeled vehicles have never taken off in this continent. But Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) is betting that if the product is solid enough, that can all change. And they're putting their money on the table with the all-new Can-Am Spyder. The Spyder is a three-wheeled vehicle with two up front, one in the back. Although it doesn't lean through corners, it has an upright rider position and receives directional input via handlebars. BRP classifies it as a roadster. The Spyder draws on the expertise BRP has built on the back of its numerous other product lines. BRP is the same company that makes Sea-Doo watercraft, Rotax engines, Ski-Doo snowmobiles, Evinrude outboard motors and Can-Am ATVs. The Can-Am brand, of course, is resurrected from the off-road motorcycle line that thrived in the 1970s and early 1980s. Big deal, you're thinking. You've seen crazier concept vehicles. But the Spyder is not a concept. It's slated for full production. BRP introduced the Spyder to the world press in San Diego last week. Journalists got about an hour of riding time down the Southern California coast. While that's not enough time to draw any hard conclusions about performance, I did get a general feel for the basic operation. And in basic terms, riding the Spyder feels like riding an ATV on the street—but a very smart and fast ATV. The smart comes from something called the VSS, or Vehicle Stability System. Four computers—and one back-up—constantly monitor variables such as wheel speed, engine speed, even rider load, and adjust power and braking accordingly. The Spyder has anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control. I could clearly feel the VSS while riding the Spyder on both the street and through an obstacle course set up by BRP. In my limited testing, the system did a good job allowing all three wheels to maintain traction. It stops on a dime. It resists lifting the inside wheel through sharp corners. And it modulates power to the rear wheel to keep it from braking loose when turning. The fast comes from the 998cc Rotax V-twin engine that kicks out a claimed 106 horsepower at 8,500 rpm. Although we were never in a position to really push the engine, it felt strong the few times we were able to accelerate up to cruising speed. It has a five-speed manual transmission and low-maintenance belt drive. A mechanical reverse can be actuated via a hand control and the foot shifter when the Spyder is in first gear. (An optional electronic, push-button shift, similar in operation to the System Yamaha uses on the FJR1300AE will be available soon.) Although making any real statements about the Spyder's capabilities would require much more time behind the handlebars, it's clear that BRP has a finished, production-quality machine on their hands. Although technically and legally the models at the intro were classified as prototypes, they felt and looked like they were fresh off the production line. Making the Spyder work as a complete unit is certainly a force of considerable engineering effort. One thing is still unclear about the Spyder, however. Although they have a target demographic, even BRP admits that they're not sure whether mostly car enthusiasts or motorcyclists will ultimately buy the Spyder. They have a good excuse, though. There isn't a high-production vehicle like the Spyder available today for comparing notes. But that doesn't mean that BRP didn't do their homework. The company burned a lot of midnight oil with focus groups, studies and low-scale riding tests as they inched toward the official rollout. They're also planning a test-ride tour that will cover most of North America. Because the vehicle is so new, BRP thinks they will sell most of their Spyders to customers who get to test ride it first. So if you're interested, keep an eye on spyder.brp.com to find out when the road show is coming to a city near you. BRP starts shipping Spyders to dealers in September. The base model, which I rode, has an MSRP of $14,999. Another version with push-button, electronic shifting and an automatic clutch, will be available later, probably in 2008, and will have an MSRP of $16,499. 2008 Can-Am Spyder Engine 998cc DOHC liquid-cooled Rotax V-twin with 4 valves per cylinder Claimed horsepower 106 hp @ 8500 rpm Claimed torque 77 lb-ft @ 6250 rpm Carburetion Multi-point EFI with 57 mm diameter throttle bodies Compression ratio 10.8:1 Drivetrain Sequential Manual 5-Speed manual transmission (optional electronic shift), belt final drive Steering Electrically assisted Dynamic Power Steering (DPS) Front suspension Double A-Arm with anti-roll bar 5.67 inches of travel with adjustable preload Rear suspension Swing-arm with monoshock, 5.71 inches of travel with adjustable preload Tires 2 x 165/65-14 front, 225/50-15 rear @ 13-17 psi Brakes Foot-actuated, fully integrated hydraulic 3-wheel braking system Seat height 29.0 inches Wheelbase 68 inches Overall length 105 inches Ground clearance 4.5 inches Overall width 59.3 inches Front storage capacity 2,685 cubic inches Fuel capacity 7.13 gallons Dry weight 697 pounds MSRP $14,999 ($16,499 with optional electronic shift) AMA © 2007, American Motorcyclist Association More info can be found at ;Spyder Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2Wheels 0 Posted June 20, 2007 It's an interesting contraption. I'm waiting for the motorized unicycle that automatically balances itself. I bet THAT would get some attention. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Metal Twister 0 Posted June 20, 2007 I had the opportunity to get up close to the new Can-Am Spyder. I guess there are only a few in the States to look at. They are calling it a motorcycle, I am not impressed. After talking to the rider, it is like riding a quad. It is almost as wide as a small car(no lane spliting with it). At 17K it is an expensive car with little protection. Yep I agree! There was one at the ORBA show. It was just a big hunk of plastic. Not very impressive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted June 20, 2007 Without having seen one, I agree. A few years ago the there was this guy who was building an enclosed motorcyle which he had hopes of putting into production. I tried to drive this darned prototype, but it felt awkward and foreign, neither car nor bike. It didn't seem to have enough protection from the elements or comfort to fit into the car catagory, and was too clumsy and closed in feeling to offer the benefits of riding a motorcycle. Needless to say, that although others have followed in small production runs, this fellows bike never made it to market. What makes a motorcycle a motorcycle is so unique and wonderful, that any modification to the formula just waters it down and ruins the true "motorcycling experience". A three wheeled "cycle" would fall into that catagory....a sort of non-motorcycle catagory. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCHWINN 0 Posted June 20, 2007 The husband and wife team that manage the Hideout when Im not working (pete & anita) bought one,they recieve theres in I believe August, so we will have one parked in front of the bar coming soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted June 20, 2007 They are calling it a motorcycle, I am not impressed. After talking to the rider, it is like riding a quad. It is almost as wide as a small car(no lane spliting with it). At 17K it is an expensive car with little protection. Yuk I hope they don't try to make an "off-road" version of this.........thing ..... (I was going to type "bike" but that just seemed wrong)......bad enough having to deal with "Quad-Tards" out on the trails.......don't need to add any "Spy-Tards" to the mix Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted June 20, 2007 Sent this thread out to a few friends.....one replied with a link to a similar bike(?) that his father designed/sells: "Or, if you want to sit lower, check out one of my father’s websites. I’ve built and raced several of these" Sport Cycle "They’re not meant to replace or compete with two wheelers. They are to give the indy car feel at a reduced price. He’s sold quite a few. Car and driver did a 2 page article on them a couple of years ago (see link below)" Car and Driver Sport Cycle Review Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
