BACKROADS • MAY 2022
INDUSTRY INFOBITES CAN-AM MOTORCYCLES RETURN Historic Canadian company Can-Am has announced it is returning to the two-wheel motorcycle market with a fresh range of electric on and offroad motorcycles. A bold change of direction for the firm owned by Bombardier Recreational Products - ahead of its 50th anniversary, Can-Am is best known for its ultrasuccessful dirt bike offerings of the 1970s and 80s that won numerous Motocross titles across North America. Founded in 1971 by Bombardier - bestknown in a wider sense THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD with another guy I worked with. I’ll never forget the day I crossed the Hudson River to get coffee in Woodstock. During those early years I also joined Women on Wheels. I valued reading how women riders got started and about their adventures. My first long distance trip was to an event at WoW member’s house in Vermont. I am not a camper and arranged to stay in her house. I wouldn’t have done that with a guy I never met. I felt safe showing up to the event and staying there.
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News from the Inside for its aviation and commercial jet business - Can-Am was wound down again by 1987 as the company focused on ATVs, snowmobiles and vehicles for military use, though it kept its hand in the motorcycle industry of sorts with the launch of the three-wheeled Spyder and Ryker roadster. Now Can-Am is making a surprise comeback as a fully-fledged motorcycle manufacturer specializing in electric power, confirming its intentions with a short clip that shows four new models, one dirt bike and three smaller models.
MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION ELECTS BOARD OFFICERS AND WELCOMES TWO NEW TRUSTEES The Motorcycle Safety Foundation elected board officers. Croft Long of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. was re-elected chairman; Jason Tolleson of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc. was elected vice-chairman; and Chase Rastegar of Suzuki Motor USA, LLC was elected secretary/ treasurer. “As riding increases in popularity, our work with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has never been more important,” Long said. “The MSF strives to help every motorcycle rider realize their full potential and ride Continue on Next Page I also read about Benka Pulko from Women on Wheels, the Slovenian Guinness World Record holder for longest solo motorcycle ride. I was a newbie and contacted her. We’ve ridden together and stayed in touch since. It mattered to me that she was the first woman to ride a motorcycle through Saudi Arabia. She was pushing the boundaries. When I started riding less than 10% of motorcyclists were women. A 2018 survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council reveals 20% of motorcycle riders are women. It still is a male dominated sport. I’m curious, why does it bother you that women want to be with, learn from, and ride with other women? ~ Kristin Von Donop ,
