Can-Am Spyder...a motorcycle?

The one time I rode one, I tried to take a corner at the recommended speed. The thing literally tried to throw me off mid corner.

Never riding one again.

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how did it try to throw you. They corner at speed with the inside wheel off the ground when flying. Perhaps you need more practice.
 
Remove the post in quesiton and I will consider it closed.[/QUOTE

As I said earlier and I repeat "I apologize if I directly offended you" and no I will not remove the post.I did not name or say anything directly to you

Just who do you think you are?The whole world does not bow to you Macdoc.

You are taking this to another level with idle threats directed at me like' IRRESPOSIBLE QUOTE HAVE CONSEQUENCES' just leave me to my opinion and thats that.

What you gonna do get your scooter riding grannybots come and hunt me down

Oh yeah almost forgot you have yourself a wonderful evening:cool:
 
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As I said earlier and I repeat "I apologize if I directly offended you" and no I will not remove the post.I did not name or say anything directly to you

Just who do you think you are?The whole world does not bow to you Macdoc.

You are taking this to another level with idle threats directed at me like' IRRESPOSIBLE QUOTE HAVE CONSEQUENCES' just leave me to my opinion and thats that.

What you gonna do get your scooter riding grannybots come and hunt me down

Oh yeah almost forgot you have yourself a wonderful evening:cool:
LOL... come on man, the Burgman is 80% of any sport bike.
 
As MacDoc said, it EVERYWHERE in quebec...when i went last summer, i can swear ive never seen that many of them on the road!
I guess people go to the cottage with em and packem full. Basically mix between atv and motorcycle
They even have specific driving schools that offer the course (well..that driving school (Tecnic) has schools all throughout the province, and theyve added the Spyder to their course line up)
 
The 3 wheeled car thing you can get looks cooler, IMO. Both are way overpriced for what they are, though. And neither are considered a motorcycle in my books (although both technically are, I think, but the car one is even greyer since you sit down like a car and I think it even has a steering wheel).

Only reason I would get one would be to put snows on it and have something to drive in the winter. Would probably get stuck all over the place, though. At least you won't fall over. Maybe I will get one actually because just the other day I was thinking if ATVs were legal I probably wouldn't have a car... I guess this is pretty close to a street legal ATV.

Now that I think about it, though, why are ATVs not street legal but this thing is?
 
I think it's an interesting concept and when I was in Quebec I saw a ton of them on the road. Cool looking, and I'm sure it appeals to people that want to feel like they're riding, but for whatever reason (health, fear, comfort) are not into the 2-wheel thing.
My buddy is one of those, he wants to do a cross country tour on one and will be doing his motorcycle license next year. I told him sure by all means because that means I'll just throw all my gear onto it and less for me to carry! LoL
As for me, yes I would look into one at some point in life when I can no longer ride on 2 wheels but would like to continue with something that gets me as close to riding as possible.
And for 2-up...frankly it looks like the most comfortable thing around! The damn thing had adjustable lumbar support for the passenger!
 
Personally I think they're cool. If I could ever afford one, I might pick one up. I too might be tempted to get rid of the car with one of those in my garage. About the only thing I'd be really concerned about is all the salt during the winter. Hey I wonder if you can legally mount skis on the front?

I think scooters have a place for sure, I like to think that if I lived in TO I would probably have one, I think my ST1300 is too big for constant TO traffic.

Given the choice between a Spyder and a Goldwing, I think I'd get the Spyder, and I've thought about the Wing on the odd occasion, just love the ST too much.
 
If insurance and parking wasn't an issue I'd definitely have a scooter in the fleet. I like too many vehicles and I've already got too many.
 
Just my opinion, but to me, the Spyder is worse than both a sport/sport touring motorcycle or a convertable sports car:

- doesn't lean, and doesn't even corner as well as a Miata
- underpowered for the weight, doesn't accelerate worth ******
- can't work a line like a bike
- CVT transmission, can't work the clutch & gears to really enjoy the riding/driving experience
- have to wear a helmet & the gear, which I happily do to get the benefits of being on a bike, but since you aren't, you're also not enjoying the open air feeling in a convertable, especially on a hot day
- exposed to the elements, without the benefits of being on a bike

If something happened and I couldn't ride any more, I'd go for the sports car, and wouldn't try to fake the motorcycle experience on something that doesn't even come close. Again, this is just my opinion, but as they do manage to keep selling them, they must appeal to some people.
 
You are taking this to another level with idle threats directed at me like' IRRESPOSIBLE QUOTE HAVE CONSEQUENCES' just leave me to my opinion and thats that.

What you gonna do get your scooter riding grannybots come and hunt me down

Oh yeah almost forgot you have yourself a wonderful evening:cool:


HA HA HA HA..

WHAT HAPPENED DID YOU OFFEND A:

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ON A:

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?
 
Just my opinion, but to me, the Spyder is worse than both a sport/sport touring motorcycle or a convertable sports car:

- doesn't lean, and doesn't even corner as well as a Miata
- underpowered for the weight, doesn't accelerate worth ******
- can't work a line like a bike
- CVT transmission, can't work the clutch & gears to really enjoy the riding/driving experience
- have to wear a helmet & the gear, which I happily do to get the benefits of being on a bike, but since you aren't, you're also not enjoying the open air feeling in a convertable, especially on a hot day
- exposed to the elements, without the benefits of being on a bike

If something happened and I couldn't ride any more, I'd go for the sports car, and wouldn't try to fake the motorcycle experience on something that doesn't even come close. Again, this is just my opinion, but as they do manage to keep selling them, they must appeal to some people.

Let's assume that someone is unable/unwilling to ride a 2 wheel bike, but still wants the motorcycle experience. That leaves them on a trike. In the states there are tons upon tons of converted Goldwing/Harley trikes. I would much rather something like this, that has been engineered from the start to be a trike, vs a bike that has been jerry rigged into a trike.
 
A friend of mine has one and while he is in the 40+ age group he certainly doesn't make 100k. I think he bought it because his wife did not like riding on any of his bikes; she is more comfortable on the back of the Spyder. He has the sport model without all the luggage, but can still pack quite a bit into the trunk on the front.

I will say that riding with him is a little disconcerting because when he is behind you in a staggered formation one of his front wheels can get a little close. As a result, I prefer to follow him, which gives me more entertainment value watching him try to muscle this beast through the corners without being thrown off in mid-corner. I have not tried to ride this thing, but one of the other guys on a ride a couple of years ago took it for a quick run and came back just shaking his head. He said he would never get on it again.

As noted by others, they do attract a lot of attention whenever you stop. There is a constant flow of people coming over to look at it and ask questions. When riding in the States we have seen far more of them than up here.

I personally believe the Canam Spyder is a motorcycle because you straddle the seat and steer it with a handlebar. They also share many of the same controls that other bikes use. The CVT transmission is not unique to this vehicle, as there have been a few two-wheeled motorcycles over the years that have offered an automatic transmission as well. I consider Spyders to be in the same category as a bike converted to a trike or side-car rig. All allow the rider to enjoy the riding experience, just in slightly different ways.

Next year I am going to have to take my friend up and try his Spyder for myself.
 
Just my opinion, but to me, the Spyder is worse than both a sport/sport touring motorcycle or a convertable sports car:

- CVT transmission, can't work the clutch & gears to really enjoy the riding/driving experience.

Just to clarify its not a CVT transmission. There are two transmission choices both are traditional geared.

The SE5 a semi-automatic. Rider shifts up with the paddles, it shifts down. Rider can also shift down.

The SM5 is a traditional 5 speed. 1 down, 4 up +reverse. Hydraulic clutch on the left handlebar, foot shifter.

My wife's is the SM5.

John
 
Let's assume that someone is unable/unwilling to ride a 2 wheel bike, but still wants the motorcycle experience. That leaves them on a trike. In the states there are tons upon tons of converted Goldwing/Harley trikes. I would much rather something like this, that has been engineered from the start to be a trike, vs a bike that has been jerry rigged into a trike.

For anyone who has ridden a motorcycle, I don't think this counts as a true "motorcycle experience". As Malks says "I prefer to follow him, which gives me more entertainment value watching him try to muscle this beast through the corners without being thrown off in mid-corner. I have not tried to ride this thing, but one of the other guys on a ride a couple of years ago took it for a quick run and came back just shaking his head. He said he would never get on it again." To me the motorcycle experience is more than just straddling a machine. Its about leaning the bike over, flicking it from corner to corner. The freedom to accelerate without the burden of unnecessary weight. There's something fluid and natural about riding a motorcycle that doesn't appear possible on a Spyder. Since the question the OP posed was ... is this a motorcycle? I've got to say No. I'm not denying that it is an experience some people may want (they obviously do), but if I couldn't ride any more, I suspect that I would be more frustrated by the limitations of the vehicle while I'm trying to relive the "motorcycle experience". Better to drive a proper open sports car. And no, I wouldn't be caught dead on a Harley trike!

Nhoj, sorry, I didn't realize they offered a true manual transmission. All the reports I've read and discussions I've had about them always relate to some form of automatic transmission. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to this. Whether its in my car or on my bike, I prefer the connectedness of working a clutch & gears. I know that dual-clutch transmissions may be slightly smoother and faster, but to me they take away from the act of driving/riding. Its a shame the way cars are going, especially in North America. I truly hope it doesn't catch on with motorcycles. Quick shifters & slipper clutches are far enough. Cudos to Can Am for actually offering a manual.
 
In Quebec all you need is a motor vehicle driver's license to drive these. They sell huge numbers in the belle province!

And for the record i don't consider this a motorcycle. Just a toy on three wheels.
 
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