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I spent today at a Motorsports of Ft. Lauderdale (mega Dealer) for the Can-Am Demo Day and finally got to not only see one up close and personal...I took my first test ride.
Yes, videos are coming...a few of them and yes, lots of photos will be posted later.
Since I'm a bit short on time, I'll give you the highlights:
Overall, I'm very impressed. The fit and finish was excellent. However I say that with a grain of salt as due to the location of this Dealership, no highway or higher speed rides were allowed. So, my initial thoughts are based on only going through three gears (and reverse) at less than 45 mph. Yes, that was disappointing as after all, it IS a Touring Bike and it's difficult to form an opinion of it riding city streets. With that said, I'm still impressed.
In terms of the riding position, since I'm only 5' 6" tall, it fit very well. I'm not sure how taller riders will like the riding position, but for me, it could not have been better. It's an upright riding position and is far from the aggressive stance of the RS models.
The seat was cushy, but firm. Like the Vision, it's a sculpted seat, but the top of the seat has a type of backrest cushion that was very comfortable. It has me thinking if a backrest will be necessary.
Since it's a 5-speed transmission, the first gear was very long and I didn't have the opportunity to get it near the 9,000 RPM red line. The clutch has a four position settings and has an easy pull...although it didn't fully engage until later in the release. In a way, it's similar to the 09 Vision I rode in Canada.
The Rotax engine is smooth as silk and didn't make any unusual noises. If I had to make a comparison, the feel and sound of the engine/exhaust is somewhere between a Goldwing and a BMW Sport Tourer.
The transmission was also very smooth and finding Neutral was a no-brainer. Again, I never saw 4th gear and think that whoever setup the test route should have realized that Tour Riders would not be able to get a feel of its capabilities on city streets.
The windshield (at city speeds) provided a perfect envelope with zero buffeting. While the Rep stated the electric powered shield has a 4" range, I'm not too sure about that. The stock shield was fantastic and crystal clear with no distortion or Polarized spots whatsoever. While I added a 2" taller than stock shield on the Vision, there's no need for me to make any alterations or mods on the stock shield.
In city traffic in 80+ degree temperatures, I felt no engine heat.
It will take some time getting used to the methods of actually turning the handlebar and leaning in a snowmobile-style to make a turn and it felt stable when taking turns. It also stayed on center with little if any effort. Yes, it's strange having to actually turn the handlebars and while I'm not sure I'd want to take it on the Tail of the Dragon during the first week of ownership, I'm sure once I get used to its characteristics, I'll learn how to handle it properly.
Like the Spyder RS, it's very strange not having a hand brake and even stranger is not having to put your feet on the ground when stopping...very weird in a good way.
For the 15 minute test ride, while this is far from a review, I can honestly state that I'm looking forward to receiving my RT-S.
The gauges were fantastic and I'll have more on that later.
When the ride ended, we went over a sandy area...the type that most riders avoid. There was no issues riding and turning at slower speeds over sand.
More later.
Yes, videos are coming...a few of them and yes, lots of photos will be posted later.
Since I'm a bit short on time, I'll give you the highlights:
Overall, I'm very impressed. The fit and finish was excellent. However I say that with a grain of salt as due to the location of this Dealership, no highway or higher speed rides were allowed. So, my initial thoughts are based on only going through three gears (and reverse) at less than 45 mph. Yes, that was disappointing as after all, it IS a Touring Bike and it's difficult to form an opinion of it riding city streets. With that said, I'm still impressed.
In terms of the riding position, since I'm only 5' 6" tall, it fit very well. I'm not sure how taller riders will like the riding position, but for me, it could not have been better. It's an upright riding position and is far from the aggressive stance of the RS models.
The seat was cushy, but firm. Like the Vision, it's a sculpted seat, but the top of the seat has a type of backrest cushion that was very comfortable. It has me thinking if a backrest will be necessary.
Since it's a 5-speed transmission, the first gear was very long and I didn't have the opportunity to get it near the 9,000 RPM red line. The clutch has a four position settings and has an easy pull...although it didn't fully engage until later in the release. In a way, it's similar to the 09 Vision I rode in Canada.
The Rotax engine is smooth as silk and didn't make any unusual noises. If I had to make a comparison, the feel and sound of the engine/exhaust is somewhere between a Goldwing and a BMW Sport Tourer.
The transmission was also very smooth and finding Neutral was a no-brainer. Again, I never saw 4th gear and think that whoever setup the test route should have realized that Tour Riders would not be able to get a feel of its capabilities on city streets.
The windshield (at city speeds) provided a perfect envelope with zero buffeting. While the Rep stated the electric powered shield has a 4" range, I'm not too sure about that. The stock shield was fantastic and crystal clear with no distortion or Polarized spots whatsoever. While I added a 2" taller than stock shield on the Vision, there's no need for me to make any alterations or mods on the stock shield.
In city traffic in 80+ degree temperatures, I felt no engine heat.
It will take some time getting used to the methods of actually turning the handlebar and leaning in a snowmobile-style to make a turn and it felt stable when taking turns. It also stayed on center with little if any effort. Yes, it's strange having to actually turn the handlebars and while I'm not sure I'd want to take it on the Tail of the Dragon during the first week of ownership, I'm sure once I get used to its characteristics, I'll learn how to handle it properly.
Like the Spyder RS, it's very strange not having a hand brake and even stranger is not having to put your feet on the ground when stopping...very weird in a good way.
For the 15 minute test ride, while this is far from a review, I can honestly state that I'm looking forward to receiving my RT-S.
The gauges were fantastic and I'll have more on that later.
When the ride ended, we went over a sandy area...the type that most riders avoid. There was no issues riding and turning at slower speeds over sand.
More later.
