Test Driving The 3-Wheeled BRP Can-Am Spyder
A friend of mine told me about a demo day at Coleman Powersports to try out the 3-wheeled BRP Can-Am Spyder. For those that don’t know what it is, a picture tells all:
The Can-Am Spyder is like a mixture of a motorcycle, quad, and car…all in one. There is really nothing like it out there. The two wheels are in the front, allowing you to turn it without having to lean your body like a motorcycle. With a variety of stabilizers and traction controls and then some, it keeps the vehicle planted on the ground and giving it a surprising amount of traction. You could even consider it an all-weather motorcycle, as there are no traction issues with a wet road.
For the demo day, BRP brought over a bunch of the Spyders:
After taking a short survey and watching a video, they took us out onto a small course setup with cones. They showed us the basics of using the Spyder, and we took it out for a couple laps to get the hang of it. There is only a brake on the right foot, and the clutch works the same way as a regular motorcycle. There is an optional automatic option which is about $1,500. There is also a reverse functionality that you obviously won’t find on a motorcycle. If you can ride a motorcycle, you’ll get the hang of this right away…it’s very easy to ride. Here’s a shot of me going through the course:
After going through the coned course, we took it out on the open road, driving it around for a few miles. It was a real blast, and I actually enjoyed riding it a lot more than I thought I would. Taking corners were fun as you could really feel it compensating the weight differential. It’s fairly quick as well…faster than I thought it would be. There is a 110mph limiter, so you can definitely get it up there if you wanted to.
The company who makes the Spyder is the same company behind Sea-Doo, the popular maker of jet skis. The Spyder MSRP’s for $15,499, but they may actually be going for higher as the ones I see on eBay are mostly going for closer to $20,000. Prior to the test drive I would have never thought that I would actually want one. While I wouldn’t personally spend $15,000 on one…if I had a bunch of expendable income, I wouldn’t mind having a few of these to have some fun with friends. If you’re just interested in getting into motorcycles, but may not be ready or comfortable getting on two wheels…check this out at your local dealer, it just may be for you.
Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via e-mail
Derek
03/17/2008 3:43 pmThat is far more than I would pay for something like that but it does look like it would be a pretty fun toy to have at your disposal. At first glance it looks like you are riding the thing backwards, lol.
Jason
11/12/2008 12:47 amI drove one this past summer, and I plan on buying one this next spring. It was a blast. Lots of fun to drive. Head turner for sure. Easy to drive. I might get a few funny remarks from my buddies but it’ll be worth it when I’m doing donuts around them! CAN’T WAIT!!
john doe
04/17/2009 3:15 pmthis bike sucks
yo kim
05/03/2009 10:59 pmJohn doe is a retard! This is the best thing that has happened to biking!
Jessica
05/09/2009 11:54 amI work at a hospital, and one day I was looking out the window and saw that someone had parked one of these on the parking deck! I was like, “Hm..I have to go see what the heck this is..” I went down there and I read “Bradford Marine & ATV” on the back of it, I guess a store from around here, and all I could ask was, “Is this street legal??”
I wouldn’t mind driving one around for fun though. It’s kinda cute.
Trent
05/25/2009 10:25 amGot one and am having a blast. I traded in my Burgman 650 for it. The Burgman was a fantastic bike for what I wanted (a commute vehicle). I have a Vision for the long rides. So the Spyder is my new commute vehicle and it’s great. One of the reasons it tipped the scales for me to get it is because I am comfortable riding it in the rain. Wasn’t the case with the Burgman (or any bike really).
Tracey
08/12/2009 4:59 pmMy brother is test driving this….Can you tell me the pros and cons?
Jon O
04/09/2010 8:08 pmI got one a month ago. Love it so far.
Pros:
- It has traction control, stability control, and ABS. You can do things you’d never dream of on a MC (like braking hard around turns in the rain!)
- It’s a bit heavy, close to 700lbs, but with 106hp it has more power than 99% of riders will ever need.
- Front trunk for storage.
- Fun to ride.
Cons:
- Corners very well, but doesn’t lean, so you might get a bit of a workout if you take a lot of tight corners at high speed. Not at issue at reasonable speeds, though.
- It has a tight turning radius, but you have to extend your arms pretty far to make a tight turn. Be careful about accidentally throttling up! Not an issue though if you have any experience with an ATV.
Jon O
04/09/2010 8:11 pmP.S.
Con:
- Pricey for a MC
Pro:
- Cheap compared to convertible roadsters (which is what I was thinking of getting), more fun to drive, and a better power:weight ratio than all but the most expensive supercars.
Truth
04/12/2010 2:33 pmUgly. I stopped riding tricycles when I was 4.