KR TEST CAN-AM SPYDER
Two wheels good, three wheels better? That, in a nut shell, is the theory behind Can-Am’s new Spyder. Big Dave puts it to the test on Auckland’s rain-lashed spring roads.
WORDS: Big Dave PICS: Geoff Osborne & BD
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KR TEST CAN-AM SPYDER
Climb on and Spyder ergos are similar to that of a large capacity motorcycle or big scooter
‘What’s it like?’ That’s the question most asked about the Can-Am Spyder. And fair enough. The only problem is that it’s not a question easily answered by a typical Big Dave-style analogy because the Spyder is a lot like…well, nothing else on the planet. In a word, it is unique. One of the lads pointed out that the two up front, one aft, configuration has been done before on a Goggomobile and a Morgan, but this is the first true high performance incarnation we’ve encountered. And the best I can do analogy-wise is take a Snowmobile and replace the belt and skis with wheels. Or A Ski-doo and add wheels. Not surprisingly the manufacturer (BRP) has a history of making exactly these products. Add some pretty impressive traction and stability functions - plus fabulous suspension and you are almost there – because the Spyder has real utility value as a bona fide road going vehicle. You’re right, it’s not a motorcycle, but you can use it like one. It’s not a car either, but….you guessed it, you can use it like one. THE HEART OF THE BEAST At the heart of the Spyder’s ‘web’ if 42 KIWI RIDER
you like is a liquid-cooled fuel-injected V-twin engine displacing 998cc and made by parent company affiliate Rotax. The engine puts out a respectable if not exactly spectacular 106hp @ 8,500rpm and 77ft lbs of torque at 6250rpm. When you consider these numbers against a dry weight of 316kg you appreciate the machine has some real chutzpah. The demo unit was also fitted with an optional aftermarket muffler and turned out to be one of the sweetest sounding ‘bikes’ I’ve ridden of late. Power is delivered to the rear wheel via a slick five-speed gearbox which – handily –incorporates a ‘genuine’ reverse gear. Pull a lever on the lefthand handlebar, kick down twice and the warning lights flash and it all goes backwards smoother than a Maxwell Smart comedy clip. Oh. And in case you’re wondering, final drive is by a lean and tidy belt. The motor itself is slung low in a steel spine frame that utilises race car-style double A-arm (wishbone) suspension up front and a more conventionally ‘motorcycle’ single shock rear end with the shock adjustable for both pre-load and damping. It’s worth stressing too, that I thought the suspension was simply brilliant. It soaked up everything I hit and
SPECIFICATIONS CAN-AM SPYDER ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled DOHC 8-valve V-twin 4-stroke Displacement: 998cc Compression Ratio: 10.8:1 Bore x stroke: 97 x 68mm Starting system: Electric Engine Management: Electronic ignition w/dual output coil Fuel system: Multi-point EFI w/ 57mm throttle bodies Clutch: Wet multi-plate Transmission: 5-speed w/ transmissionbased reverse Final drive: Belt FRAME Type: Tubular steel Swingarm: Steel Front suspension: Double A-arm with anti-roll bar Rear suspension: Swingarm with coilover monoshock Brakes: Foot-actuated fully-integrated hydraulic 3-wheel braking system w/ twin 260mm rotor discs & 4 piston calipers front and single 260mm rotor and singlepiston caliper rear Wheels: Aluminium 14 x 5 front & 17 x 7 rear Tyres: 2 x 165/65-14 front & 1 x 225/25 rear
GIZMO CITY To keep the power and torque under control in this stumpy triangulation, the Spyder uses four ECUs or as their promo materials call them, ‘Brains’. One Brain controls The Vehicle Stability System - VSS. The VSS is comprised of a Stability Control System, Traction Control System and the ABS. Stability Control, to quote the blurb that came with the Spyder, ‘constantly analyses motion and forces as they relate to the vehicle and will intervene to help maintain control in an emergency situation’. The same goes with the ABS. The Traction Control System also helps keep the vehicle on its intended trajectory. I didn’t find any of the systems obtrusive or notice any impact on the ride other than the traction control making the engine stutter once or twice – and I rode it through some diabolical ‘weather bomb’ conditions. No doubt it was keeping me on line, and it was reassuring to know it was all working on my behalf as I ploughed through the storm debris over Woodcocks Hill. The second Brain controls the Dynamic Power Steering (that’s right, handlebar action is power-assisted) with a variable boost function optimised for current speed, torque and load. And do you know what? The steering is precise and direct. Amazingly, grin enticingly, direct which helps turn every corner into an adventure. Finally, Brain Three controls the EFI while Brain Four is on security duty.
MARVELLOUS The whole thing works marvellously. Though in retrospectt the guys at BRP were right to warn me that, as a motorcyclist, I shouldn’t judge it on a quick ride round the block.
KR TEST CAN-AM SPYDER
‘It’s a roller coaster, merry-go-round and the dodgem cars (with 106 ponies) all at once. Hey! There’s the analogy I was looking for!’
didn’t deviate at all. Watching it all work from the rider’s perch is a treat too.
Good advice it was too because truth be told I spent the er. first tank of gas fighting the Spyder. And it took me a good 180km to find the mojo. (Speaking of which 180km turned out to be a fairly typical tank range, though it did vary a bit either side depending on how hard I pushed it). Once I was attuned to the riding style I covered my local ‘scratchers’ loop round south-east Auckland’s Woodcocks, Twilight Road and Monument Hill more comfortably and at the same (if not better) speeds than I would have done on my motorcycle.
Not that I was reckless with a vehicle that costs $29,990+ at all, but with twice the tyre footprint up front, one that can’t fall over, or slip out from under you, or tuck – these are wonderful confidence boosters. In fact it turned miserable conditions into a real blast and when I did get it out in good conditions it was even better. The traction control doesn’t stop you rarking up the back wheel up on exits in the wet either. It only comes into play when there is a risk of ‘tippage.’ I also found the comforts and ergonomics very Big Man friendly. Copilot also rated comfort as outstanding. The instruments are excellent, the lights are numerous and very bright, the mirrors good etc. KR
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 1727mm LxWxH: 2667 x 1506 x 1145mm Seat height: 737mm Dry Weight: 316kg Fuel tank capacity: 27l RRP: $29,990 Test bike: BRP Australia Pty Ltd GEAR Helmet: Arai Jacket: Arlen Ness Pants: Triumph Jeans Boots: Johnny Rebs
Dynamics are totally different to a two-wheeler but reminded the Ed of a 4x4 farm ATV!
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KR TEST CAN-AM SPYDER
SIGN ON…..THE BOTTOM LINE S Kiwi Rider’s a great read…. and you don’t have to own and rregularly ride a motorcycle to enjoy the mag - as I’m constantly being th told by people who are between to bikes/been meaning to buy a bike or bik used to have a bike and remember the time with some fondness. So this sidebar is for them. According to the guys at CanAm people who are exclusively car drivers won’t have the same sort of adjustment issues to the Spyder as a full time motorcycle rider like my good self, or the Ed. This is important for a couple of reasons, arguably the main one the fact that though the obvious place to start promoting an alternative transport device like the Spyder is in a motorbike magazine (sure it’s got three wheels but you still ‘ride it’ like a two-wheeler) the big news for BRP here in New Zealand is that the Spyder can be ridden on a car licence. That’s right. No having to ride a 250 until you get your full ‘motorcycle’ licence. As long as you’ve got a helmet to put on your head before you ride away you can waltz into a Spyder dealer and ride out of his shop on one with just a car licence. However I’m a life-time motorcyclist and as such Can-Am’s research tagged me if not as a troublemaker exactly, at least someone who might find the whole experience a little counter-intuitive. Hence the paperwork complete with indemnities and acknowledgements that had to be signed before I could ride. ‘This is not a motorcycle’ – two boxes to tick. ‘This vehicle is wider than a motorcycle’ – two more, and so it went on. And fair enough because the Spyder is not an easy vehicle to get the hang of if you’re more used to two wheels. I know because even
after all that tick boxing I had a few ‘Oooh – hang on here’ moments. And that’s just using the throttle There are more surprises – particularly for a motorcyclist – when the time comes to use the brakes. Because? Because stopping the Spyder is taken care of by a footactuated, three-wheel braking system... with no hand lever. That’s right, no hand-lever. The system itself is pukka with twin discs and four-pot calipers up front and a single disc/ single caliper at the rear all controlled by an Electronic Distribution System. There’s also a handy foot-operated parking brake. But yes, for the first few kilometres when the time came to slow the plot down I reached for the handlebar lever which wasn’t there… The good news is you quickly get used to braking exclusively with your right foot and I have to say once you’re dialled in, you can stop on a dime. Particularly when the sort of angles and body positions that spirited riding produces make it a better option than a hand lever. But again, you can understand why Can-Am is so cautious about letting a first-timer loose on a Spyder. Repeat after me. This is not a motorcycle! MORE LIKE A SPORTS CAR That’s right, if anything, it is more like a sports car. And when you get your head around it and start hanging the opposite knee out and pushing down on the ‘wrong’ peg, my goodness, open road motoring becomes intoxicatingly exhilarating. OK, I enjoyed the challenge from the start, but seriously – when the penny drops this is a huge, huge, buzz. It’s a roller coaster, merry-goround and the dodgem cars (with 106 ponies) all at once. Hey! There’s the analogy I was looking for! KR
If you ignore the three-wheel footprint the Spyder is pure sportsbike with a beautifully-mannered fuel-injected V-twin engine and impressive ergos. Engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox and yes there is an electrconically-controlled (flick a switch) reverse for when you have to back in or out of your garage or a parking space. Look and feel is low-slung but with an eye to practicality meaning that Spyder has a lot in common with more dynamic touring two-wheelers like Honda’s Pan-European or BMW’s recent K 1200 S. Use of electronics also links (pardon the pun) the Spyder to the Beemer. Before you ride it you wonder why the Spyder would need traction control but it certainly does, particularly on slippery surfaces. Push the handling envelope along a streaming wet road and you also find yourself whispering a quiet thanks to the Vehicle Stability System which analyses and makes automatic changes to the amount of throttle you’re sending to the rear wheel and the amount of brakes you may or may not be applying, particularly up front.
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