Future upgrades?

[AMTJIM]

After demo'ing a few spyders and reading some of the reports on MPG, wondering if there is any rumors Can Am may size up to the 146 H.P. Rotax 1125 used in the new Buell. At 650 lbs and the extra road/wind resistance, fairly high rpms at 75...it seems it could use this engine. If not, what about a taller set of sprockets to lower rpms for the 1up riding freeway/long distance riding peeps...I temporarily installed a smaller front sprocket on my SV for more fun and in town riding, the gas mileage was terrible on the freeway due to the higher rpms even though the bike didn't need to strain to run 75...it just burned up the fuel because of the lower gearing. My car gets 35 mpg...seems the spyder should do at least similar or better. Anyone hear anything?

 

[Danimal]

Removed in protest of censorship. All of my tips will only be availabe elsewhere online.

 

[AMTJIM]

The larger engine wouldn't increase your MPG..... more HP means less MPG. All the Rotax in this line like to rev high... that is how they are.


Can your car do 0-60 in 4 seconds and turn heads all over town?

Ummmm...not true! Obviously my car is heavier, but it also has a larger engine and 150 H.P. They are really having to crank that Rotax V-twin to drive at freeway speed. A stronger engine and taller gearing should improve mpg by cruising at lower rpms...even if it ended up being the same or slightly better mpg, wouldn't you rather have the extra power...or do 0-60 in 2.5~3.0 seconds? Don't really care about the head turning thing.

 

[Napalmseth]

rather have the extra power...or do 0-60 in 2.5~3.0 seconds? Don't really care about the head turning thing.

:agree:

 

[Danimal]

Removed in protest of censorship. All of my tips will only be availabe elsewhere online.

 

[Napalmseth]

Let me clarify.. I certainly DID buy it because it turned my head, BUT I would have been willing to sacrifice the head turning for a bit more power.

That being said, I actually have ZERO complaints so far with my Spyder. I love it. Only wish I had gotten it before rainy season.

 

[AMTJIM]

"A stronger engine and taller gearing should improve mpg by cruising at lower rpms..."

And there you have it.... you MUST have the taller gearing or the extra HP won't do a thing for MPG... Higher HP will just get you up to speed quicker... without a gearing change you won't get better MPG with a 'bigger' rotax.

Yeah....and??? A bigger engine that doesn't have to work so hard can use a smaller rear pulley for better efficiency


"even if it ended up being the same or slightly better mpg, wouldn't you rather have the extra power...or do 0-60 in 2.5~3.0 seconds?"

Spyder has plenty of pep for most. People already complain about 35 mpg..... they would scream bloody murder with the bigger rotax and even lower mpg.

Why would it have t oget lower mpg?

With the weight distribution and easy to spin rear tire..... I don't think the Spyder is going to do much better in the 0-60..... you just can't get enough traction off the line with this bike.


"Don't really care about the head turning thing."

Well... obviously the Spyder turned your head..... c'mon... be honest..... every Spyder owner likes the attention....

Sure, most people like attention...but my motives are very different in this case.

 

[Danimal]

Removed in protest of censorship. All of my tips will only be availabe elsewhere online.

 

[bjt]

*Maybe* an electric reverse and then a 6th gear.... but I've not hear any rumors of that... but it could be done.

You read my mind bro. This is one of the top suggestions I would have for the Spyder design team.

With the weight distribution and easy to spin rear tire..... I don't think the Spyder is going to do much better in the 0-60..... you just can't get enough traction off the line with this bike.

I was thinking the same thing. I believe the only thing that would happen a lot faster is the "nanny" kicking in and rear tire replacements. ;D

 

[retread]

How about the Tuono or RSV power train, with VVT, and a separate forward reverse box between the countershaft and the rear wheel? They could shorten that humungous belt.

 

[AMTJIM]

A 6th gear and electric reverse = larger heavier tranny and heavy electric motor(may require soft start circuits or a clutch of it's own) that may need a larger heavier battery to handle the electric motor...sounds like alot of additional complications.
1)A simple smaller rear pulley and matching belt (call it the "Tour Pulley and Belt Upgrade")would weigh less and still work with the stock engine. You would lose a little take off power, but to much seems to be a problem anyway. A MPG increase because of less rpms needed to spin the rear tire faster at top speed!
2)A larger engine can just utilize the traction control thats there for a reason anyway...if it's too much of a problem, many sportbikes have a simple TR circuit in the first 2 gears to reduce take-off power.

I do want one of these, but I don't think it's ready yet. I believe what the marketing video says..."We knew we had something"...I think the current spyder is a good "city edition"...Spyder City?...Spyder GT...It seems they have the engine working too hard for anything else, still seems a little too in-efficient. Seems like the rpms should be at 4750~4900 max at 75~80 mph. Offer the "Spyder Tour" and/or "Spyder Tour Elite" with matching Corbin luggage with belt and pulley installed or the larger 1125 engine, it doesn't have to be 146 hp. Even detuned to 125~130 hp with the Tour pulley installed would be better.
I think my final opinion is they are asking too much of this little engine and it's having to run in-efficiently to make this thing go. I really hope they refine it soon or offer some other options!
Do that and I will buy!

 

[NancysToy]

Keep the five speed, but space the gears a bit more, and make fifth an overdrive. My Beemer has only five gears, unlike the newer ones, but cruising down the highway I can put it in fifth and get great mileage. Plenty of get-up-and-go in the lower gears, too, with the same size engine. Back in traffic, or down around 60, I drop to fourth, for better throttle response. Can't have everything, we must realize. I like the idea of different versions for different tastes. Low gears for the hotrod crowd, and OD for us touring geezers.

Easiest to achive, and cheapest, is different gears and belt lengths. Then a person could set it up the way it suited him or her. Also, with the delivery problems we have already experienced, this would not require waiting painfully for the specific model, in the specific color, you desire. Just some random thoughts.

-Scotty

 

[bjt]

At The Homecoming, the engine was a very popular topic and stopping point during the factory tour. The rep they had from Rotax explained the history of that particular engine and how well it does against all other engines that it competes against in many performance categories / events worldwide. He went on to say that they had many opinions on the setup and tuning of the engine. Some wanted great fuel economy, some wanted high performance, and everyone else was somewhere in between. They set up the engine to give good performance while offering decent fuel economy too. I believe that the Rotax could have easily been setup and tuned to go quite a bit farther towards either end of the performance / fuel economy scale.