When and where was the first time you rode a Can-Am tryke ??

[Peacekeeper6]

Inspired by the 'Where did you start?' thread.

It was about 2 years ago during a trip to Las Vegas, a.k.a. "Lost Wages". My g/f and I were looking for something to do besides lose money at the casinos, LOL.

I happened upon an outfit called "Las Vegas Spyder Tours" (not sure they're in existence anymore). They had a tour of the Red Rock Canyon area on Spyders, so we decided to book one. We've been always intrigued with the machines, and were wondering if one can find its way to our fleet of vehicles. (Our local Reno dealership only offered test rides in their parking lot. You read that right - IN THEIR PARKING LOT, even with a valid motorcycle license).

Anyway, we go and check out the place. The owners briefly went over the controls, gave us the required helmets and told us to practice at their parking lot. We could only do the 1-2 shift, but it gave us an idea of what it was like to shift using the paddleshifters. So after our group had a "crash course" of all of about 10 minutes (bad use of that term, I know), we proceeded to head out of town.

Our ride was a mix of 25 mph in-town riding to 85 mph blasts down the interstate, with a mix of everything else in-between. I told the owner/operator who lead our group that I was considering buying one and needed a thorough test ride, and he replied, "Ride it like you stole it".

That was all I needed to hear.

After our 2-hour tour, we decided then and there that a Spyder WILL find its way to our garage.

Later that summer, we decided to do a road-trip loop (we never take the same route back on a road-trip) to Yosemite from Reno. On the way back, we spontaneously made a stop at Elk Grove Power Sports in Elk Grove, CA. Come to find out that they had an RT Limited that was a leftover STILL IN THE CRATE. They were willing to sell it at a heavily discounted price to make room for the new models.

A week later, we had an RTL in our garage.

So what was your first experience with a Can-Am ??

[Tourer]

My first ride was when I bought a 2015 F3S about 12 days ago. The seller was 170 miles from me in South Carolina. My trailer is a 5 by 10 but needed a 6 foot wide trailer to fit the Spyder. After being unsuccessful trying to rent one, decided to ride it home. Got insurance and the seller was kind enough to lend his license plate which I mailed back to him.
First thing, went to the first gas station and filled the trike up with premium. Couldn’t figure how to get into reverse, so just pushed it backwards which was surprising easy.
Enjoyed the ride, was 96 degrees out so had to keep moving. Was like riding a really fast go kart. Wound it up to 100 and was pretty stable. Some vibration over 65. Will have to check the belt. Also had to endure 30 miles of heavy downpours. It was brutal, but cooled me off.
The Spyder is a much better ride than the 1800 Goldwing trike I once had.
It’s in the 90s here in North Carolina, so not doing any long rides. Just ordered some new handlebars, rear fender extender, oil change kit, belt gauge, and larger brake pedal. Will also be doing coolant and brake fluid. Rear tire in the fall.
Overall happy with the trike.

[Little Blue]

....SIX Years ago. ............... .....A Demo Ryde.

[Motorcycledave]

2006 in Las Vegas at the SEMA Show the proto type GS units were there on display

[cravenfun]

I forgot the year, but it was when local Ski Doo dealer had prototype demos. Followed the parts mgr. on a spirited ride. I was impressed with the handling and knew one would be in the future when 2 wheels got to be too much. Wife is happy with F3S, I'm not too far off for myself depending on the economy.

[bigbadbrucie]

Quit 2 wheelers in 2013 ??? or thereabout and in August of 2015 I moved from Fort St, John down to Chilliwack. Needed something to ride and found the Can-Am dealer. He had a “slightly used” RT-S SE6 for sale. Took it for a test ride, came back to the dealership, and about 1 or 2 hours later took my new to me Spyder home. First time riding a three-wheeler, and that’s all she wrote! Still have and ride my first Spyder and love it.

[BCNewell]

Early March this year (2022). My wife rented a 6x12 UHaul enclosed trailer with double-swing doors, and she traveled to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (~550mi) to pick up and bring back her ‘15 F3-S. {We mutually decided that a Spyder was her best bet at getting back solo on a bike after a low-side incident on her Vulcan 500 in 2017}. She had taken a Can-Am training course a few weeks prior; I had never even sat on one. Anyway, I checked it over, referencing a downloaded operator’s manual and after reading the “Do’s and Don’ts” on this forum, then I took it for a shake-down ride. Felt comfortable on it immediately. Definitely different than a 2-wheeler! That 1st ride included several miles of swapping lanes quickly (to get used to its handling), a 0-100mph WOT blast (to check its acceleration), and a 70-0mph full-panic stop (to check brakes and ABS). Brought it back to the garage with 26 miles on it, and told her that I was pretty sure she was gonna LOVE it! I rode hers a couple more times the next few weeks after a few mods, and decided maybe “I” outta get me one. By mid-April had bought a brand-new, never titled, 73-total-miles ‘17 F3-S Daytona 500 at a dealer clear across the country. And the rest, as they say, is history ...

[Pirate]

Took the can Am 1 day course in 2020 and bought my 1st Spyder in 2021.

[GrandpaPete]

Went to the Progressive Moto Show in Mpls. met a bunch of folks who rode out of Caswell's Cycle. Bought my 2012 RTS 2 weeks later. Then was the 2014 RTL and then the 2020 RTL.

[Bfromla]

May 23 2014 after 2012 TBI injury & subsequent recovery/rehab (literally learning to walk, talk, eat, function again) {order of events gets lil fuzzy} passing motorcycle training course {February 2014} attempted put deposit down on 2013 demo model still in house at dealer, only to have credit union pre-approval-issued, failed & re-granted months later, after discovered expired license - so got that renewed. In mean time demo price thankfully knocked down even further. Bank calls with cheque ready, bud gives me ride to dealer, Test ride in parking lot. Sign some paperwork & Happily on my way - & now 9 states visited, 1 furthest point S in Key West & at 72,097m

**note had only seen online pictures of them before then, & still dumbfounding Dr’s with progress **

[blacklightning]

2013 I took a RT Limited for a test ride while out of town on a jobsite visit. I passed the dealership and saw it and just had to try. I had intentions of purchasing one in about 5-10 years. That was speeded up after having an accident on my 2 wheeler in September of 2014. Wife didn't want me to ride anymore, so 2 weeks later I ordered a 2014 RT.

[Deanna777]

My first spyder was a 2012 RTS-SE5, I had been a passenger on a 2 wheel motorcycle for 16 years.

So I got my motorcycle endorsement in 2012, on my drivers license, took the test with the 2012 RTS-SE5. I had the 2012 RTS-SE5 for 2 years, traded -up to my current 2014 RTS-SE6( took a demo ride on the 2014 RTS-SE6 at Spyderfest in Springfield, MO) and never looked back.


Deanna

[safecracker]

Wife and I test rode in 2012 in Ft. Kent Maine. Took a test ride for about an 1.5 hours. I was a 2012 RTS SE5, blue in color. We did not want a blue one. They had a magnisium demo that was a 2011 RTS SM5. We got a good deal and bought it. Still riding the 2011. Just hit 90.000 mile. Bruce

[rjinaz86323]

Last year. A friend had one and let me take it for a ride to determine if it would work ok for me. It did, and I found a VERY LIGHTLY used one locally and bought it a couple of weeks later.

[ARtraveler]

In October of 2007, I put down a $500 deposit on a 2008 GS SM5. I wanted either red or yellow. When they finally came in to the dealer in Alaska, June 2008, I had one choice...half moon silver. I took it. My first ride was to bring it home and then ride the 8 mile Eagle River Road that ran by my home. I got the first one delivered to a customer in Alaska. The dealer took two more, one for him and one for his wife.

Since they were a new thing, I spent the first year answering all kinds of questions almost everywhere I went.

[pauly1]

Sep, 2007, Dulano's Pizza, Mpls, MN: saw the part of the demo model fleet and talked to a loud-mouth salesman whom stated they were going to sell better than Harley and he would hold extreme pricing, blah, blah, blah. But it did catch my eye and I really liked the concept. First ride was a year later @ Tousley Motorsports, White Bear Lake, MN, again on the demo fleet, less the loudmouth. As it was at the end of the 2008 model year, Tousley didn't have a machine and wouldn't work with us to find one, SpyderDeb started calling dealers. She lucked into an outstanding sales guy, Kurt, at Caswell Cycles, Mora, MN: he made the deal happen! That began a long-term relationship with the fine people (owners and employees) at Caswell Cycles.

[Ex-Rocket]

I rode my first Spyder in 2013 a 2012 RTS. I rode it home from the dealer which was about 35 miles from home. Never had any problems on the ride home.

[Pooch]

2018. Midland, Texas. I owned a 2008 GL1800 Gold Wing with a Motor Trike Adventure kit since 2012. Loved it. However I became agonizingly aware that Honda dealers near me did not want to even touch a trike. I had to take it 125 miles to San Angelo to a friend for service. I began to look at the Spyders my Honda dealer was selling… all too expensive. Then he got a used 2014 Cognac RTL in.. 2500 miles on the odo. Lady traded it in on a brand knew 2018 Spyder RTL.. kept complaining it wouldn’t start most of the time. Dealer said they could not replicate the problem. I rode it, liked it, traded my Gold Wing trike for it.
Stopped on the way home to fill it up.. no problems starting. Got it home. Spent most of the day cleaning and polishing it up. Decided I needed to re-position it in the garage. No start. Called dealer.. tried to help me get it started over the phone.. no dice. They came to pick it up. I told the dealer the deal was off and he better not have sold my trike. Got my trike back. Was told later they replaced the DESS unit, sold it, and never heard of any more problems with it.
Then rode a slightly used 2018 white Spyder RTL for a couple of hours. Liked it.. could not get dealer to give me decent deal on my trike. Passed on it.
2019 I moved from Midland to the Texas Hill Country. Spyder dealer only 42 miles from me.. looked at the 2020 Spyder RTL.. liked it.. but waited another year thinking they could iron out the bugs of a new model.
I was still taking my trike to San Angelo for service…now 150 miles away.
2021 February I took possession of my 2021 Spyder RTL and have really liked it. Put the trike on consignment and it sold immediately.
Would have kept the trike but the friend in San Angelo told me he was retiring and would not be doing anymore service on the trike.

[gkamer]

April 2, 2016 when I took my motorcycle safety course for my three wheeled endorsement.

[Lew L]

Inspired by the 'Where did you start?' thread.

It was about 2 years ago during a trip to Las Vegas, a.k.a. "Lost Wages". My g/f and I were looking for something to do besides lose money at the casinos, LOL.

I happen upon an outfit called "Las Vegas Spyder Tours" (not sure they're in existence anymore). They had a tour of the Red Rock Canyon area on Spyders, so we decided to book one. We've been always intrigued with the machines, and were wondering if one can find its way to our fleet of vehicles. (The local dealership only offered test rides in their parking lot. You read that right - IN THEIR PARKING LOT, even with a valid motorcycle license).

Anyway, we go and check out the place. The owners briefly went over the controls, gave us the required helmets and told us to practice at their parking lot. We could only do the 1-2 shift, but it gave us an idea of what it was like to shift using the paddleshifters. So after our group had a "crash course" of all of about 10 minutes (bad use of that term, I know), we proceeded to head out of town.

Our ride was a mix of 25 mph in-town riding to 85 mph blasts down the interstate, with a mix of everything else in-between. I told the owner/operator who lead our group that I was considering buying one and needed a thorough test ride, and he replied, "Ride it like you stole it".

That was all I needed to hear.

After our 2-hour tour, we decided then and there that a Spyder WILL find its way to our garage.

Later that summer, we decided to do a road-trip loop (we never take the same route back on a road-trip) to Yosemite from Reno. On the way back, we spontaneously made a stop that Elk Grove Power Sports in Elk Grove, CA. Come to find out that they had an RT Limited that was a leftover STILL IN THE CRATE. They were willing to sell it at a heavily discounted price to make room for the new models.

A week later, we had an RTL in our garage.

So what was your first experience with a Can-Am ??

That's funny Lou,
Same dealer, but they let me go on a much longer test ryde. Maybe because I was 20 years older and bought the poor, old, slow V-Max from them?

Lew L

[troop]

November 21, 2007. It was the day before Thanksgiving. My buddy and I visited Engelhart Powersports in Madison, WI and test road them. He bought one. It took me 12 more years

[Fatcycledaddy]

In 2015 I rented an RTL for a day just to try it out.
I had hit oil on an exit ramp in the rain a couple of years before on the 1991 Yamaha Venture Royal towing a camper trailer and ended up hitting the bumper of the car in front of me just hard enough to lay it down. Broke of the anti dive on the right side of the fork and drained the oil out. I did some temp. repairs on the bike and rode it from Lake George back to MI. Getting older I thought that the SPyder was Intriguing.

I found a dealer who rented them and after a couple of rounds in the parking lot I was off to the races for the 60 mile ride home. The first 50 miles I was all over the road, I was thinking that nobody in their right mind would want one of these things. Then I started to relax a little and it got MUCH better. By the end of the day I was sold on it.

Purchased a 2015 RTL just a few months later. I took my son to O'Hare airport to fly out on a mission trip, stopped at ImotorSports to look at a yellow RTL and rode it home 3 days later.

Hit a deer with that one at about 55 to 60 mph, it had about 45,000 miles on it. Repairs were going to take months, so I purchased a 2020 RTL and sold the 2015 after it was repaired. 2020 now has about 17,000 miles on it and we love it.

Still have a 1989 Yamaha Venture Royal, one of the three that I have owned, but I never ride it. The Spyder is the bike of choice for me.

[K80Shooter]

Early December 2020. I knew that I wanted a RT Ltd. and took the BRP sponsored course so that I could easily get my endorsement, I had nothing better to do so what the heck.

For me the course was a blast as I have been riding 4 wheelers for many years.

I had my license endorsement and purchased my RT Ltd on Dec. 30th 2020

[cptjam]

2010. First ride, WI to MI. Ann took it from there!

[OldAge]

Like several others here, I never drove one until I bought it. Drove around the dealers lot 3-4 times to get a feeling for the handling and headed out. After 4-5 miles on city streets got on the Interstate and headed home. No problems. I think riding snowmobiles in another life helped. I find the steering much easier on my old shoulders than the Hannigan trike was.