[Andy]

While Fred Rau has given this site the permission to run his ongoing Blog and Videos of his experiences testing a pre-production Can-Am Spyder RT-S, he just sent over this video that is a summary of his experiences with this trike after a 7,000+ mile road test. Since it has so much information, I thought I'd give this one its own thread.

And yes, as always, comments are welcomed!

 

[Gossamer]

i think they have a winner for people that don't want a two wheeler bike or are finding themselves incapable of handling a two wheeler for whatever reason. Like the Vision, I find myself attracted to the bike from some angles and repulsed by others. If I ever go the 3 wheel route this would be a consideration, as would a Lehman Vision, as would a Boss Hoss Trike. When you're ready to drop 30g on something a few thousand one way or the other is pretty insignificant.

I do believe there is a target market that will simply eat up this new model, however, like Victory/Big Dog/Titan/Boss and several others it'll never be much more than a niche brand.

Next time you talk to this guy, ask him about MPG on this machine. I've read that the old can-am's aren't very good with the pumps, i'm guessing with the additional luggage and trailer it's probably pretty poor. Not that it's an only issue but part of the fun of bikes is performance and good fuel economy(which allows for additional chrome baubles).

I've never driven one of these but I expect some of the fun of 2 wheeling is not there either, but the additional safety is nice.

 

[FishWitch]

I am seeing more and more around. They are way more dynamic than a trike but have stability of one.(So it seems) I test rode a basic Can Am a couple years ago on a baby loop at the IMS and thought it was fun, although not a MC. The ones I have seen on the road were having a blast, cornering, and using their machines!

In other words...HAVING FUN!

ODDS ON! Wanna make a wager? When is Andy getting his Can Am Spyder?

 

[ddawg]

Andy gets his Can Am within 4 months. He's aching for the adventure - gotta stretch some Florida miles.

 

[Andy]

Andy gets his Can Am within 4 months. He's aching for the adventure - gotta stretch some Florida miles.

I'm hoping it's a lot sooner than that as humidity has finally left the South Florida area! Yes, it's windy...but very pleasant. WooHoo! I'm hoping it arrives by the end of the year or by mid-January. After all, riding season has now officially begun in my neck of the woods.

Personally, I've never considered a traditional trike as they just didn't do anything for me. I did like the Can-Am RS, but the riding position was too aggressive for me at this stage of my riding life.

The RT though, seems to feature more of a Vision/Touring Bike riding position.

Of course, at my height, (or lack thereof), I'll be looking forward to adding an aftermarket backrest!

And yes, I did opt for just about every Factory tech option.

 

[dsjr70]

I do believe there is a target market that will simply eat up this new model, however, like Victory/Big Dog/Titan/Boss and several others it'll never be much more than a niche brand.

I dont know about them being considered a niche vehicle anymore, I read their sales figures somewhere and they sell a ton of these trikes.
With the issues I have been having trying to buy a bike I would jump on an RT if it was available.

 

[Andy]

I do believe there is a target market that will simply eat up this new model, however, like Victory/Big Dog/Titan/Boss and several others it'll never be much more than a niche brand.

I dont know about them being considered a niche vehicle anymore, I read their sales figures somewhere and they sell a ton of these trikes.
With the issues I have been having trying to buy a bike I would jump on an RT if it was available.

While I don't have the exact numbers, it appears that Can-Am has done a phenomenal job in sales over the short two+ year period the Spyder RS models have been available. While some may consider these models a niche market, it's a segment that is growing. In this day and economic age...that's quite a feat.

While I've stated previously, the Spyder is NOT a motorcycle, it's something completely different.

Just some food for thought, with the initial success of the Spyder, I don't think that it would be an unreasonable "assumption" that Polaris could have something similar up its sleeve for it's recently formed On Road Division.

Time will tell.

With the issues I have been having trying to buy a bike I would jump on an RT if it was available.

And, DSJR70, while this would not be the right thread for this question, I'm curious, did you not get your new bike yet? If you choose, feel free to start a thread about these "issues." (I don't mean to pry...just asking.)

 

[Gossamer]

you can't find them because they're not built in extremely large quantities. Around here you can't find a Camaro because they're new and hot, much like you couldn't find the challenger 2 years ago, or the new retro Mustang when they came out, nor can you find a Cross Country/Cross Roads everywhere.

Don't get me wrong, I like these for what they are and they definitely have a market corner no one else has touched and I can't say i've ever heard anything bad about them either. I have seen a few running around Milwaukee(they're hard to miss)and they do attract attention, but so does the 'great space coaster'(Vision) to this day as does Victory in general. I've been a lot of places where people have walked up to me when I had my Kingpin and said 'so that's a Victory' heard of them, but never seen one.

I still want to know what kind of MPG he got loaded with the wife and trailer in tow.

There's just something cool about a 3 wheeled sled that would be fun, but it sounds like the computer takes away some of the thrill with traction control

 

[Andy]

I still want to know what kind of MPG he got loaded with the wife and trailer in tow.

There's just something cool about a 3 wheeled sled that would be fun, but it sounds like the computer takes away some of the thrill with traction control

For the mileage with the trailer, depending on how heavy-handed you are on the throttle, I think you're looking at the very low 30 MPG range at the best. I haven't read anything that states that BRP is promoting the Spyders as being ultra high MPG vehicles. The Dry Weight is 929 lbs. and the GVWR is 1,188 lbs.

 

[Gossamer]

For the mileage with the trailer, depending on how heavy-handed you are on the throttle, I think you're looking at the very low 30 MPG range at the best. I haven't read anything that states that BRP is promoting the Spyders as being ultra high MPG vehicles. The Dry Weight is 929 lbs. and the GVWR is 1,188 lbs.

that would pretty much kill the deal for me. Since it tones down it's fun factor with it's stability control and getting the same mileage as a small convertible, costing just as much, I guess i'm not seeing the real benefit to this model. The $15k std model fills a gap, this 25k touring model, well I guess I'm just not sold on the 'tour' aspect.

I know I'm sounding like a real downer here, but I just don't get it's allure unless you're really old or have some sort of disability.

 

[Andy]

For the mileage with the trailer, depending on how heavy-handed you are on the throttle, I think you're looking at the very low 30 MPG range at the best. I haven't read anything that states that BRP is promoting the Spyders as being ultra high MPG vehicles. The Dry Weight is 929 lbs. and the GVWR is 1,188 lbs.

that would pretty much kill the deal for me. Since it tones down it's fun factor with it's stability control and getting the same mileage as a small convertible, costing just as much, I guess i'm not seeing the real benefit to this model. The $15k std model fills a gap, this 25k touring model, well I guess I'm just not sold on the 'tour' aspect.

I know I'm sounding like a real downer here, but I just don't get it's allure unless you're really old or have some sort of disability.

Understood!

Personally, I'm viewing the Spyder as a Recreational Vehicle...it's definitely Not a motorcycle. The RT seems to fit the ergonomic factor I enjoy at this stage in my riding life. Yes, not one size fits all.

 

[Gossamer]

For the mileage with the trailer, depending on how heavy-handed you are on the throttle, I think you're looking at the very low 30 MPG range at the best. I haven't read anything that states that BRP is promoting the Spyders as being ultra high MPG vehicles. The Dry Weight is 929 lbs. and the GVWR is 1,188 lbs.

that would pretty much kill the deal for me. Since it tones down it's fun factor with it's stability control and getting the same mileage as a small convertible, costing just as much, I guess i'm not seeing the real benefit to this model. The $15k std model fills a gap, this 25k touring model, well I guess I'm just not sold on the 'tour' aspect.

I know I'm sounding like a real downer here, but I just don't get it's allure unless you're really old or have some sort of disability.

Understood!

Personally, I'm viewing the Spyder as a Recreational Vehicle...it's definitely Not a motorcycle. The RT seems to fit the ergonomic factor I enjoy at this stage in my riding life. Yes, not one size fits all.

well I'll tell you what, I'll come down to Florida sometime in '10 and we'll go for a ride and swap bikes for a while. It'll give us both a chance to get a feel for the 'latest and greatest' and give us more time than a standard test ride.

 

[Andy]

Here's Part 2 of Fred's Summary: