Is SoCal the only place with people nuts enough to ride on of these? I've seen 8 or 10 in the last several months. In that same time I've seen 2 SuperHawks.

If you're not familiar, the Can Am Spyder is a reverse Trike with two 14" wheels in front. Its powered by a Rotax 998 Vtwin with HP and torque similar to the VTR. And it weighs 700 lbs dry.

Usually when I see a "traditional trike" the rider has some physical limitation that prevents them from safely riding a 2 wheeler. I can get behind that, they are getting the wind in their face. But the Can Am just looks lame to me, and every person I've seen riding one has looked fit and between 35 and 50.

The kicker was 2 days ago when I saw one while I was driving my Tacoma to work. The rider was about 40 and was riding hesitantly up Pacific Coast Highway, getting passed by cars. You can't lane split and maneuverability sucks. These things look HUGE.

Am I just being elitist, or are these machines LAME?

 

I just saw 2 travelling together today both riders wearing Favre jerseys.
I'm 30 miles NW of Green Bay BTW.

 

I think you're being elitist (or something), not that there is anything wrong with that.

The thing is way cheaper than a Camry or Accord, it weighs less than a Gold Barge, it quarter miles in the twelves, quicker than 99% of the cars on the road, it gets good mpg and it doesn't fall over when you walk away from it.

I'd rather ride my VTR, but the Spyder looks like a lot more fun than an econobox to me.

 

i wanna put some paddle tyres on it and go to the dunes!

not really.

i saw one not too long ago and i instinctively went "pffft!" and shook my head in disgust, but i was watching some stuff on youtube and it looks like it would be fun to ride around the beach or something, but i would never own one....what a waste of a v-twin engine....

 

Had a LABIKER Female just take delivery on an AUTOmatic CAN Am.

She had a MC accident and could not ride conventional and still wanted to ride so she got one.

She is so excited to be MOBILE again.

Do not knock what may be alternative transportation.

 

Like I said in my original post, Physical Limitation would be a GOOD reason to ride a three wheeler, but for an able bodied middle aged or younger male I don't get it.

I've seen a couple of these guys off the machine, and they're not handicapped. Maybe it was the closest the wife would let them get to a motorcycle. You have to love the lean, its like a bottom turn in surfing.

Reggie Showers raced Pro Stock Motorcycle in the NHRA for several years with prosthetic legs from the knees down.

 

Well I passed one in the twisties up on the way to Prescott a few months ago. I'd have thought that configuration would allow it to go faster around the corners than this guy was going, but oh well.

 

The rider could have been riding at "his/her" limit -- probably not at the machines limit.

 

[quote=VTRsurfer;173528]You have to love the lean, its like a bottom turn in surfing.
/quote]

+1. my life until i had to move away to college

 

The Spyder was never intended to entice motorcyclists away from their bikes. Rather, it is meant to attract affluent men (35-50) who are either afraid of bikes or whose spouses/gf's won't allow them to have bikes. I rode one at the launch in San Diego last year and am currently testing one now and, although I wouldn't sell my bike for one, it is a neat vehicle and I think that Can-Am will do very well with them. Besides, I'd rather see someone ride it than a f***in' cruiser.....

 

I demo rode a Spyder about 6 months ago. Its a fun ride, but definitely different from a m/c. One thing I did notice is that the 3 wheels, because they run in three different wheel tracks (like any trike), tend to follow road grooves, channels, etc. It causes a bit of a wander tendency on the road. On the other hand, it had plenty of power, cornered well for a three wheeler and was fairly comfortable to ride. I can see how someone who either couldn't or didn't want to do two wheels might go for one.

 

I rode one about a month ago at a demo at a local race track. They had about 10 dealers at the event with about every kind of bike you could think of. The spyder was the only thing i was interested in riding. So i get on the thing and take it into the parking lot and rip it around. First impression, This thing is as terrifiying in a high speed turn as a quad. I mean , It turns, but requires alot of input and the stability is questionable as i routinely pulled the inside wheel off the ground in most higher speed turns. I took it out on the track for about 5-6 laps. It was acutally really fun to ride. I talked to the sales guy when i returned it and he told me it took him about 100 miles to become comfortable in the machine. I was told that its impossible to flip without hitting a foreign object. It is supposed to have very advanced stability controls and will just cut power and engage the brakes when things get out of hand. Overall, its not motorcycle but its still wicked fun to ride.

 

That's kind of what I thought. Everyone I've seen riding one fit that age demographic.

The Smart cars we see around here seem to be a toy for the affluent as well, as the 3rd or 4th car, not replacing a car. So there goes the "I want to be green" image, since the Escalade is still in the garage.

 

The Spyder is a snowmobile with wheels. Look and you'll see.

 

I've only seen one up close and thought it was pretty neat looking. It looks like it would be fun to ride one, even if it would serve its purpose best as a commuter. Besides, it's probably the closest thing to a street legal ATV that we'll see in the States...ever.

And to each his own. I personally don't get excited about cruisers, trikes, Wings, etc. There are some great bikes out there, but not for me.

 

i saw tons of those in france.

 

Tell you what I've seen. Snowmobiles outfitted to drag race that will make Hayabusas look like they're sitting still. (Sorry for the thread jack)

 

I rode one and was not impressed at all. It took my whole body leaing off hard to make what would be an average turn on a bike. It seems like it wants to fight you to turn. I felt like the outside wheel wanted to come up in every turn, which scared the **** out of me. It does not seem like a good ride for the mobility challenged. But hey some people like that kind of thing. I only rode it around the block a few times so I guess I can't really judge.

 

WTF! I saw 3 Can Am Spyders on the ride my wife and I took this morning. All were piloted by guys who appeared to be 35 to 45 years old.

 

I'm still torn on the Can-Am... It looks like it could have fun potential, but I have to wait untill the aftermarket supports them mor before I would think of getting one. My buddy got one because his wife wouldn't let him have a proper bike and it was verry un satisfactory to me. The engine is there but it's all choked up, but besides that it has a retarded computer that cut the motor when it senses wheel spin or dramatic amounts of tilt. No donuts. We are going to mod it when there is stuff to mod it with.

 

Check out the Piaggio MP3.

 

I'd rather ride the piaggio. Way cooler in my opinion. The 500cc version anyway.

 

Yeah, if you are able bodied, why bother with something you can't lean. Seeing the Piaggio MP3 in action on the street is mindblowing. Some great engineering there.

 

My brother and I had a rule: Lose a limb, gain a wheel. Otherwise you only get two wheels.
Applied to the trike Goldwings with car tires at the rear, applies to the MP3 and the Spyder.

 

What about the T-Rex? do you need to loose a limb to get one of those?

Oh, and you can even get it in the fastest color!

 

IMO, the T-Rex isn't trying to be a bike. Side by side seating, seatbelts, roll cage, it's just a vehicle that happens to have a motorcycle drivetrain. To me, it feels spiritually closer to the Lotus Elise than to a motorcycle because it has very light weight and a relatively small engine.
From what I've heard, the T-Rex is a blast. I'd love to get the chance to drive it.

 

+1 Since you sit IN it not ON it, its a whole different animal.

 

My wife and I took a ride up the coast to Palos Verdes today (she on her SV650S), about 140 miles round trip. Very nice riding weather, and a fair number of riders considering the time of year.

During the ride we saw:
2 Can Am Spyders
3 Piaggio MP3s
1 Gold Wing Trike
3,000 Harleys
2,000 600cc I-4s
ZERO SuperHawks

 

I agree with #3. It's not my first choice, but I'd rather see someone else riding that than a Camry.

I shake my head just the same when I see these $10,000 scooters on the roads, but hey, everyone can't have good taste.

 

love it or hate it, these things sound pretty damn good with a set of aftermarket cans. I like the fact that they decided to use a twin instead of another mill. It's sort of like the moto equivalent of a chick with a smoking body and a face that looks like it was backed over by an 18 wheeler....you would only ride it if your friends weren't watching.

anyway, with a set of jardines on it, i think it sounds fairly nice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-keF...eature=related