CanAm Spyder Roadster: A Motorcycle for the Masses?
Best known for its Sea-Doo watercrafts and ATVs, Canadian company BRP is trying to create and conquer a new segment: the three-wheeled roadster. In three states — California, North Carolina and Delaware — you don’t even need a motorcycle license to drive one, despite the roadster’s open-air setup.
The CanAm Spyder Roadster is a three-wheeled, two-passenger motorcycle that weighs in at just under 700 pounds and uses a 106-hp, fuel-injected, 998-cc Rotax V-twin engine to provide 77 pounds of low-end torque. Its power-to-weight ratio propels the roadster to a company-claimed zero-to-60 time of 4.5 seconds. That makes it faster than most muscle cars sold today, and quite a few super sport bikes as well.
Unlike traditional motorcycles, the Spyder rides on two wheels up front for added stability. There are also some car-like features, including antilock brakes via a single foot pedal, and a Bosch stability control system.
BRP has a thumb-shift five-speed sequential-electronic automatic transmission (with Reverse) available, as well as a five-speed manual. The friendly controls and upright “snowmobile-like” seating position, along with its safety features, makes the Spyder’s learning curve much easier for non-motorcycle riders to negotiate, and it may attract a wider audience that otherwise might not have considered a motorcycle at all.
It’s because the Spyder is so easy to operate that those states don’t require a special license to drive one. The other 47 states require a Class M license (any motorcycle with 150 cc or greater displacement). Pricing for the CanAm Spyder Roadster starts at $16,199 for the manual-transmission model, and the automatic transmission adds another $1,500.
Cars.com spent a week evaluating the Spyder, and we’ll have a full report tomorrow on whether this three-wheeled speedster deserves to fall into the motorcycle or car camp.
