Test Ride: Cam Am Spyder

by Phil Floria

All morning long I was in a debate as to whether or not to take up Hank's offer to test ride the new Cam Am Spyder made by Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. . After all it was a three wheeler and how much fun can it be to ride and not get in any lean angle… After convincing myself it could be another one of those experiences that might be fun, I headed over to Casey Cycle City.

Just as I pulled into the parking lot Hank and another test rider where pulling in behind me. I talked to the test pilot and he was grinning like a Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. He was quite impressed and I believe he bought one right after that test ride. Hank was telling me they only have four left of the initial delivery. They are selling like hotcakes.

What is the big deal about three wheelers? Well I was about to find out. After signing some paperwork and handing over my license for the copy machine, Hank and I began a check out of the new Spyder.

Push the key in and turn it opens the front trunk, lots of space to put stuff here; 44 liters (44 liter = 11.623 570 304 gallon) of storage space. Push down and turn the key the other way and the seat lifts up not for storage but it gives you access to the 27 liter (17.3 gallon) fuel tank.

The dash is a mixture of analog and digital instrumentation; a very large tachometer on the right and an analog speedometer on the left. The center has the usual lights for turn signals, high temperature, high beams and of course neutral lights; along with a digital speedometer.

I rode the Spyder around the parking lot adjusting my thinking, no front brake lever all of the ABS brakes are controlled by the foot pedal. Otherwise it rides like a motorcycle with five forward gears plus one reverse. To shift into reverse was a simple move, shift into first, and pull a handle bar lever and then shift down one more time. Easing out the clutch the Spyder rolls backward easily.

The brakes are awesome, they work extremely well. You can mash the brake pedal almost as hard as you can it will stop. The ABS works full time and you can feel it working. The stability under braking is excellent the two front wheels give you a real feeling of comfort under hard braking. You're never concerned about the third wheel.

After playing around in the parking lot for a few minutes, we headed out on the road. This was exciting; one of the things you have to remember is not to countersteer and to lean the opposite way. I have never ridden a four wheeler or ATV, so all of this was a very new experience to me. It took me a few minutes to realize that I could relax on the bars and let the machine follow its front wheels. It tracked where ever you aimed the wheels and quickly at that. You do a lot of over correction at first; but after a few minutes it gets easier as you relax on the bars.

Hank shows me all of the features and briefs me on the safety aspects of the Spyder.

Shifting was smooth and at first hard to determine when to shift. The 990 Rotax engine has tons of bottom end torque and coupled with rather tall gearing it just seems to be comfortable everywhere.

Checking out the brakes and steering in the parking lot This is pretty cool, but now lets take it out on the road and see what it really does.

Acceleration was quick and very brisk for a machine weighing in at 697 dry pounds. This is where it got a little scary. I looked down during one of those catch up acceleration runs and the speedometer was reading 80. It didn't feel like 80, and we weren't passing cars as I would have expected. The speedometer was reading KPH not MPH.

Hank later told me that they tried to get the digital speedometer to read MPH but they couldn't figure out how to get it to change. These are prototype machines, and the actual production machines made to be imported into the states should read in MPH. The Spyder is made in Canada.

OK we finally got some what comfortable with the machine and Hank picked up the pace a tad and headed for the interstate. Now we got to corner the machines on the ramps. With each ramp I got a lot more confident and began to push the machine harder trying to lift one of the wheels off the ground. I don't think it can be done, between the traction control and the electronic stability programs you can't get a wheel to lift. As soon as it does, the computer's programming senses it and applies just enough brake so gently you almost unaware of it. This slows the machine down and keeps all the wheels in contact with the ground.

Trust me I tried several times to get the wheel to lift. Each time the computer worked flawlessly. In fact each time I had to feel for the brake effect, but it never seemed to slow our forward movement. I'm sure in the wrong hands the machine can be flipped but would really have to work hard at it. If you're thinking and riding, the computerized traction and stability programs only make the ride a lot safer.

It's also impossible to get the rear wheel to come around. You won't see anyone drifting a Spyder through a corner either. Accelerate as hard as you like but the traction control system prevents the rear from breaking traction. One look at the massive rear tire and you have no doubt that traction is plentiful.

I was having a ball on this three wheeled machine, I didn't think having a third wheel could be so much fun. Our test ride was over way too soon. I would love to have one of these Spyders for a whole day and turn it loose on some of my favorite back roads.

Am I ready to convert over to a three wheeler? No, but if you're in the market for a trike this is more than a reasonable machine at its 15,000 dollar price. It's about the cost of a new Gold Wing or Harley but with the cost of the conversion the Spyder becomes more than reasonable.

Things I didn't like, the excessive engine noise and the lack of a brake lever on the bars. Both of these are really minor nits. The lever could be integrated into the system and I think it would open it up to more of the physically handicapped riders. The noise is very minor and after a while it would become normal to the riders ear. The machine isn't loud or even discerning. I would just like to hear less of the mechanical clicking.

They aren't equipped with the luxuries of a Gold Wing, no radio or sound system, no GPS or any of the expected touring extras. All of these things can be fitted and I can see the factory adding them later on. This would be a great machine to tour long distances on as well as just getting around town. It does have a real sporting flare which gets you all of the best of motorcycling in one package plus an extra wheel. Want to know more? Visit http://spyder.brp.com/

Back to Stories, News and Entertainment