CanAm Spyder: A walk on the mild side

The CanAm has a quirky cornering technique but comfy cruising is assured. Photo / Jacqui Madelin

Forget about a low profile if you're riding CanAm's Spyder RT. For it turns heads and prompts conversation wherever you stop - not least because onlookers can't quite place it. It clearly isn't a car. Or, strictly speaking, a bike or ATV.

Which is good news for those seeking wind-in-the-face motoring with a stable stance, and frustrated bikers reluctant to take the 250cc learner route.

For the CanAm is rideable on a car licence and rides more like an ATV than a motorbike. There are no clutch or handlebar levers - simply sit on it, open the throttle and change gear using a thumb-operated lever.
At its heart there's a liquid-cooled V-twin Rotax engine with a disappointingly sanitised soundtrack and enough poke to punt the loaded RT along.

Although it doesn't lean like a motorbike, rapid cornering means weighting the outside peg as you steer into the bend and power away.
Slump into the seat like a sack of spuds and you'll find the RT drifting nervously wide. Get it right and you'll feel like a legend as the mammoth beast swivels around the bend. Power steering is a boon if your arms, like mine, are less than impressively muscled.

The RT is at its best when cruising, the fairing and height-adjustable screen blocking the wind, the 4000 to 5000rpm cruising revs delivering plenty of pull uncorrupted by the vibes that arrive nearer the 7500rpm at which power peaks.

The deeply dished seats are sufficiently comfy for longer trips. CanAm advises passengers to lean with the rider on corners, but side bolsters prevent this unless the passenger also leans forward, which means the rider must pay extra attention to cornering. Get it wrong and you'll discover a suite of electronic stability and traction control aids that are far from subtle in action but at least keep you tarmac-bound when grip goes awol.

There's even electronically adjustable suspension, reverse gear to ease parking, and cruise control - which takes a bit of getting used to.
The CanAm boasts cavernous front, side and rear storage that will swallow 155 litres - that's more than Suzuki's Alto or Mazda's MX-5 convertible can manage. It's not all good news of course. That oh-so-efficient screen blocks view when it's misty or raining. Around town you can drop it by using a handlebar-mounted button. Seek the 7500rpm power peak and you'll find vibration - the labels were wearing off controls quite early - and the multi-function trip's control buttons seemed temperamental.

But those are minor quibbles when compared to the open-air excitement of a big bike without leaping licence hurdles or testing your balance.

CanAm Spyder RT

We like
Stability, weather protection, luggage space, adjustable suspenders

We don't like
Price, losing both car convenience and nimble bike appeal
Powertrain 998cc liquid-cooled dohc V-twin, five-speed clutchless auto, electric start

Performance
71kW at 7500rpm, 104Nm at 5000rpm

Price
$41,085 ($38,241 for the manual)

Vital stats
2667mm long, 772mm seat height, 421kg dry weight, 25-litre fuel tank