CanAm Spyder

[Bustanut joker]

Nope, no way, nada, It ain't fer me.

Good looking machine and gets tons of looks to boot but... lotsa rattles with all the bodywork. Exhaust note is nice. Very busy ride, lots of jerkiness? in the bars, started to feel the dreaded "arm pump" right away, ya gotta wrestle this thing, steers like a truck. Ride was damn rough too but they had the suspensions wound up tight. I imagine tuning it to your needs will help but ya ain't doing anything for the steering effort

Leaning felt unnatural, seat is sticky can't slide around without a bit of effort. Feels like the foam will break down rather quickly, kinda soft.

Brakes are nice but it takes some getting used to as there is no front brake lever. Man it sucks when ya grab an it ain't there :blink: Damned linked brakes no burnouts Speaking of brakes, the park brake peddle is behind your right foot so you're always resting your heel on it when you're just cruising. Don't work worth a shit either.

Heard the guys ahead of me talking about how it 'takes off' when you ham fist the throttle when you hit second gear. Must be they own 250 rebels cause I about fell asleep waiting for the hit that never came :huh: I don't think these were in anyway detuned for test rides, just under powered.

Looks like they'll be easy to work on everything is pretty easily accessed but I don't think that 8 foot long drive belt is going to come cheap

High point? It's got a real horn. My bud Trevor said it sounded like a Cadillac when I blasted it leaving the dealership. I didn't bother listening as I was busy whippin the gas

Nice try but I don't think anybody serious about riding is going to drop the 15 grand for something thats gonna tire you out after 25/30 miles.

jmho,

:jester:

 

[Fastmax]

Nice try but I don't think anybody serious about riding is going to drop the 15 grand for something thats gonna tire you out after 25/30 miles.
jmho,

:jester:

I thought I had read that this thing came with power steering. Am I incorrect about that or does it just not work well?

Roy

 

[Bustanut joker]

Dealers reply to the steering issue, Yeah, they steer like tanks. That leads me to believe there ain't no power assist.

:jester:

 

[Hoog]

Nice try but I don't think anybody serious about riding is going to drop the 15 grand for something thats gonna tire you out after 25/30 miles.
jmho,

:jester:

I thought I had read that this thing came with power steering. Am I incorrect about that or does it just not work well?

Roy

It has variable power steering and I would hate to think what it would feel like without it. Obviously (or maybe not so obviously) you don't counter steer this thing; you have to muscle it through the corner. On top of that, it leans outward. You steer right, it leans left. For folks who have only ridden motorcycles in their lives, that is a very unnerving feeling. I spoke with the Can Am rep for quite awhile after I rode one a few weeks ago and motorcyclists are not the intended target. There are thousands of four-wheeler and snowmobile riders that they think would love the Spyder. I do think it is a well executed idea, for what it is.

It is kinda twitchy and in a panic situation I could easily see a "biker", ingrained to counter steer, actually turning right into what they are trying to avoid. I think it would take a ton of disipline (and seat time) to seamlessly switch between the Spyder and a motorcycle.

 

[E1Allen]

I have ridden snowmobiles, dirtbikes, and four wheelers for ten years. Now on a street bike. Each serve their own purpose, but for summer road riding, a bike just seems like the best way to go. It's a good idea for those who want more than two wheels, but for me I think i'll stick with the FJR.