Test ride on a Cam Am Spyder

[eichh]

A friend mentioned the other day that his friend owns Dockside Marina in Willmington IL and they sell Can Am machines and they were doing a demo day. I went down signed up and picked the manual one to try. They took us out in groups of 4 and I was able to get positioned last mostly because I wanted to lag behind so I can work the corners a little harder and see what kind of power it had. I would compare the ride and comfort to sitting on a nice snowmobile. When you steer you just glide across the lane like a snowmobile there really is no leaning there. The seat was big and soft great for a long haul. Hitting the corners hard it would squat to the outside but the backend never slid around. As far as power I guess it has 100 or so but it is a heavy thing, I couldn't get  the rear to break loose just grabbing a handfull of throttle on a dry clean road. The 1 brake does all three wheels which is nice but doesn't help when you want to do a tire boiling brake torque. All in all I had a blast on it. New it was $15 k they had a used one with 7000 miles and still wanted $12 k . The models range from $15-$28 k. It was a fun but it really needs about 30 more horse to become worth that price. I guess you can take one through the DMV test and get a M license with the 3 wheel restriction on it. Anyway that was my experience on one. loads of fun if you just want to cruise.

[Speedbag]

Turbo..... 

[WarrenJ]

Did they have any of the Can-Am Commanders there?  Saw one yesterday and it looked like lots of fun.  4-wheeler side by side seating with a little truck bed, roll cage and an 85 horse 1000 cc engine.

[ChrisH]

I've been wanting to try one of these out. They look fun. Seems like you think they are, just a bit under powered.

[toudg]

What I really like is the fact that they are built 5 minutes away from my house and that they still cost me 5k$ more here (compared to US).  At 1,04$ greenie (CAN$), i'm always puzzled by those marketing margins, etc.

It's a big huge PASS for me.

[eichh]

Chris, absolutely after riding it I was trying to figure out how I could buy one. If selling my chopper would cover it I would do it. I would just keep the Monster to go fast on. There is a big bore kit for it, I asked about a turbo they had no idea but there are shops that could make that happen. At 60 mph it was at 5000 rpm the redline was 11000 or so, I asked about differant sprockets and they didn't know of any. I imagine you could play with the rear tire size to compensate for low or high end.They get about 35 mpg.

[Rob Hilding]

 I think they are cool transportation

But no lane splitting severely limits my interest

and 35 mpg doesn't entice too much either........

[muskrat]

wife and I enjoyed our ride, really different but I guess that's the point.

[ungeheuer]

I really dont get the point of 'em 

The disadvantages of a car....
(its wide so you cant lane split or otherwise squeeze thru,  it doesnt lean around corners - you "steer" it)
...combined with the disadvantages of a motorcycle....
(you get wet when it rains, you have to wear protective gear, minimal vehicle collision protection).

Wheres the up side?

[muskrat]

wind in your face when you can no longer hold two wheels upright or for those to scared to do so from the onset but seriously who cares.

[CoolBDPhenom03]

I had the opportunity to ride a friend's from the Bay Area down to Irvine.  He own a Spyder rental business (www.spyder-rentals.com) and I was taking it down for a customer.  I have to say, it was a lot of fun.  It's very comfortable for a long distance and the trunk space is a big plus if you're taking a trip.

Here in California, you don't need an M1 to ride one if it's the semi-auto version.  Even though you don't lean (which feels kinda weird) it's very stable in the curves and very safe.  My buddy got t-boned by a red-light runner last year and only ended up with a punctured lung (still somewhat serious, but he wouldn't have even had that if he hadn't forgotten his spine protector).

With 1100 cc's, you'll have plenty of power to have fun.  Also, it's easy to ride 2-up.  Very practical, more fun than a car, not as fun as a bike.

[BCMonster]

I have had a Spyder for about a year and a half now and have really enjoyed it. Purchased primarily for my wife but gets alot of seat time from me as well. I have made some suspension tweaks and it now handles like it is on rails. A turbo from Aerocharger is available to take it to around 130 HP, but the stock is a little over a 100HP and honestly is enough for the chassis design. It is a 4.5 0-60 machine so I never feel it is underpowered. Faster than my Victory but slower than my Duc. Very comfortable for two up as well. When asked about the differences between it and a bike I say this....more difficult to ride because you are moving around alot to go quick in the corners, but instantly more relaxing because you don't need to be so road focused. One of my first rides was highway speed under a torrential rain. Several times I hydroplaned and would have gone down on a bike but the Stability Control kicked in before I could react and straightened me out. Awesome!

[spolic]

I really dont get the point of 'em 

The disadvantages of a car....
(its wide so you cant lane split or otherwise squeeze thru,  it doesnt lean around corners - you "steer" it)
...combined with the disadvantages of a motorcycle....
(you get wet when it rains, you have to wear protective gear, minimal vehicle collision protection).

Wheres the up side?

The advantage is: people like my Dad who wants to ride, but not a 2 wheeled machine can get out there and "be safe." 

[Rob Hilding]

Here's a guy with a reason:

http://blog.cycleworld.com/2010/10/a-tale-of-two-trikes/

I've always enjoyed his writing.......

[SDRider]

Did they have any of the Can-Am Commanders there?  Saw one yesterday and it looked like lots of fun.  4-wheeler side by side seating with a little truck bed, roll cage and an 85 horse 1000 cc engine.

Why stop there?  Hayabusa engine in a Smart Car?