CanAm Spyder
 

Took a test ride in Tucson Az. It would take a lot more than this to get me to blow my wad and get rid of my Hawk. It is a cool novelty "bike", more like a quad with a aprillia engine. I felt like I was cheating on my SuperHawk, so when I got home I spent some time cleaning the bike grime off the Hawk from the ride back from Prescott this last weekend.
The traveling road show might be coming to a town near you if you are interested in checking it out.

I rode one at the formal press intro in San Diego earlier this Spring (where it was intro'd by none other than Jay Leno) and was impressed. Although I won't be selling my VTR anytime soon, I was impressed with the degree of refinement on the Spyder. Being a snowmobile tester/journalist, I am used to trying new models in various degrees of development but the Spyder struck me as being very well put together and refined (definitely didn't feel like a prototype). In particular, I found the electronic controls (ABS, VSS,...) to work well with a high level of integration. I also throught the water-tight cargo storage capacity (44L) was a nice feature, especially for long trips. The engine, in my opinion, could use a bit more oomph, but the power delivery was very linear and response was very good. It should be said that the engine output is ok (virtually identical to a stock VTR), it is mostly the weight of the vehicle that is at fault in the reduced acceleration. Also, BRP has already developed a very thorough line of accessories, somethign that usually only comes to market some time after the vehicle is on the market so they have really done their homework on this one. While it may not be for everyone (and Bombardier readily admit that it is not meant to replace a motorcycle), those who are afraid of bikes (or whose spouses will not allow them to have one, for example) will find a home on this innovative new three-wheeler. Just remember too, this is the first model. Expect there to be some specialization in the coming years with sportier models sure to make an appearance.

I hope to be able to take one out for a long weekend ride this summer to get a better appreciation for the vehicle as a whole, something a short ride doesn't really allow. Based on what I see and hear though, I think they have a hit on their hands.

The first thing they need to do is add a brake lever to the right grip that is linked to the foot petal. Even if it doesn't do anything different than stepping on the foot brake, it is just safer to have the machine do what people have already trained themselves to do instead of retraining the rider.

You are assuming they want to attract motorcyclists who have become familiar with using two brake actuation devices (lever and pedal). The fact is that this is NOT their target market. Besides, for those who are motorcyclists, you quickly adapt to using the pedal only. I ride snowmobiles in the winter whre the brake lever is mounted on the left handlebar yet have no problem switching back and forth between sleds and bikes. If one's ability to adapt lies beyond this threshold, well, they shouldn't ride the thing in the first place.

Oh I go back and forth between quads etc. without problems, but it just seems silly to me to leave off $25 of parts on a $16000 vehicle that might save someone's life.

Having spoken to the engineers who worked on the vehicle, I can tell you that they struggled with this very idea and could very well choose to go that route in the future but the decision was made to go with just one pedal for simplicity's sake (and to remove the intimidation that may be felt by a neophyte... "What, a lever AND a pedal!!!!"). Still on the brake system, I can state that the things brakes very well and that the ABS is very effective and well calibrated too.

Ah hell, I dont know who always says it... someone here...

This thread is worthless without pics... :lol:

I have some pics of my test ride (taken by photographers hired by BRP) but they are much too "heavy" for this site. To see pictures of the vehicle, visit http://spyder.brp.com

I saw one at a local dealer. It looked like a snowmobile with wheels!

You mean these guys eat too many pizzas or what? "too heavy for this site" hey - mik - wha u mokin?:p

I saw these vehicles on a Discovery program and they are incredible. Thank God for engineering students!