Can-am Sypder

Neighbor has had one for a couple of years. Went all the way---trailer, highway conversion (different seat, adjustable windshield). No complaints, and after about two months of phasing from a two-wheeled motorcycle to the Can Am, claims it is the best motorcycle he ever had. Note: MOTORCYCLE

The Elio and Can Am are two different beasts and both should be appreciated as such.

The Motorcycle is open with no protection. The Elio is enclosed, seatbelts, airbags, rollcage, etc. That should make the difference as to helments and license endorsements, not the 3-wheels.

fred bott said:

I like the looks of the Can-Am three wheel cycle.

My wife would not even consider having one of these BUT she is all for the Elio !

Anybody here have a Can-Am ? What is your opinion ? Is it comfortable for the "back seater" ?
can you give me some arguments to use to convince her to relent...If I get a can-am, I still WILL get my ELIO.
If you have a moment, Tell me everything you know.

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Hi we have a 2013 ST-L Spyder. We are still new at this but so far has been a blast. As long as you have a backrest for the back seat passenger she will love it!

David Wedding said:

Hi we have a 2013 ST-L Spyder. We are still new at this but so far has been a blast. As long as you have a backrest for the back seat passenger she will love it!

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David welcome to the forum. Glad your wife likes the Elio. Use the forum search function to find the posts on Can-Am. I believe member "imageon" is a Cam-am owner as are several others. Hope you find the forum informative and entertaining and helpful in deciding if the Elio is for you. Enjoy the Elio experience.

I went to a BBQ yesterday where there was a woman with a brand new Spyder. She gave me a great long ride and it was fantastic! She had a touring seat which, as her passenger, was far more comfortable for me than the driver's seat in my Hyundai hatchback. I could have ridden to Timbuktu on that thing and have considered it luxurious. She told me that not as many motorcyclists wave to her now on the Spyder as opposed to when she's on her Harley. I think that's just plain snobby.

Spyder ryder since 2008. Looking forward to my Elio!

This afternoon I had the opportunity to ride some Can-Am Spyder's for the first time. The Can-Am national tour visited a dealer in nearby Gainesville, GA and I took advantage to get some free riding time. I was able to take two 30 minute follow the leader rides, through fun local back roads, on two different Spyder models. I rode the Spyder ST-S sport touring model and the newest Spyder F3 cruiser model. I preferred the looks of the ST-S however preferred the laid back seating position of the F3 as it does appear to go well with this non-leaning trike.

The Spyders handle completely differently than two wheel motorcycles and it takes a bit of time to get used to the differences. To ride the Spyder hard in the turns you have to get used to planting your outside leg to resist the lateral g-forces which want to pull you off as the vehicle does not lean. You also must get used to leaving the handlebars alone or the vehicle can feel a bit wobbly and unstable. We were actually warned about this ahead of time as apparently Can-Am has discovered that many motorcycle riders will report the vehicle feeling wobbly however this is actually caused by experienced riders muscle memory automatically reacting to what we feel through the handlebars. It also takes a bit of time to adapt to the right foot pedal being the only brake, as there is no hand lever, as well as the extremely sensitive steer-by-wire throttle and no counter-steering.

I enjoyed the fact that they were not very busy at the time I chose to go as being able to take two rides really helped me understand and enjoy these better. The first ride helped me get over the little bit of learning curve so for the second ride I had already gotten the hang of it and was able to really relax and enjoy the ride. I am not ready to give up my two-wheelers just yet however the Spyder did still provide much of the same great feeling you get on a motorcycle just without the fun in the corners.


Look at all those Sypders lined up and ready for some fun!




The new model, Spyder F3. I enjoyed the laid back riding position however do not like the styling as it look to me like a strange cross between a riding lawn mower and an ATV.o_O


Playing follow the leader out of the parking lot and onto the road heading out for my second ride session.



Nice looking trailer with a good bit of storage volume however it also has a $3,000+ price tag.


I was wondering how the cabling and brake lines were run over to the outrigger wheel on this vehicle. I found that even on the newest F3 model these are essentially just tie-wrapped to the underside of the upper control arm. This is very good for those of us wanting to mount auxiliary lighting on the Elio fenders similar to what is found on many Spyder models.

When the Spider first hit the dealers we when down check book in hand with the intent to bring one home. It was not intend to replace either of the bikes but a new toy.
We left it there. The mileage on them for their size was not good. The first ones had no storage.
It did take a few minutes to adjust to the handling it is not a motorcycle, the closest thing to it was like riding an ATV in AWD was the feel at first.
They have come a long way from the first ones. The ELIO pushed them from my list for now. I can still hold the Touring bike up when I no longer can it will be a side car for me.
CanAm has had some issue with them but they have done ok so far.

I WOULD RATHER HAVE A PORSCHE SPYDER .

fred bott said:

I like the looks of the Can-Am three wheel cycle.

My wife would not even consider having one of these BUT she is all for the Elio !

Anybody here have a Can-Am ? What is your opinion ? Is it comfortable for the "back seater" ?
can you give me some arguments to use to convince her to relent...If I get a can-am, I still WILL get my ELIO.
If you have a moment, Tell me everything you know.

Click to expand...

I had one and I had mixed feelings. Steered like an old truck. Don't go into a turn at speed. Overheated if temp was over 90.
Passenger made it really unsafe. It was also fun, had good power, and looked awesome. Sold it because I value my life.