All Tests – Can-Am Spyder RT-S Test: 50% Goldwing, 50% MP3 … 100% Exotic! – Tabernacle, another Canadian ?!

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Can-Am Spyder RT-S Test: 50% Goldwing, 50% MP3 … 100% Exotic !

All Tests - Can-Am Spyder RT-S Test: 50% Goldwing, 50% MP3 ... 100% Exotic! - Tabernacle, another Canadian ?!

An engine, a saddle, a handlebar and three wheels … and yet no, this is not the famous MP3 from Piaggio! This time it is the Can-Am Spyder in its RT-S version … or Business Class! Special Christmas essay, in music and under the Provence sun.

Tabernacle, still a Canadian ?!

Like last year, our special holiday test is again about a Canadian three-wheeler … But it’s not our fault that our cousins ​​across the Atlantic like to go exotic! Fortunately, the Can-Am Spyder RT-S has absolutely nothing to do with the Campagna T-Rex that we tested last year (read).

Spyder GT version

Our new holiday mount is intended to be much less sporty and much more comfortable … and that‘s good because we have planned two days of driving on the wonderful roads of Provence. With the key not necessarily many kilometers to cover, but kilometers which count double, even triple on certain roads !

French absurdities…

Even though the authorities of our beautiful country had accustomed us to absurdity, it is clear that this time around, they still did very hard! As of January 1, 2011, a 7-hour driving school training will become compulsory for holders of the B license to drive a motorized three-wheeler (read in particular).

In absolute terms, it is a good measure to give inexperienced MP3 LT buyers a minimum of practice before setting out on the roads on their 400 cc scooters. But where this becomes a problem is that, in fact, it prohibits any trial in concession before purchase to those who do not have this training…

But this borders on the grotesque in the case of the Can-Am since, if only to test it with a dealer, it will take 7 hours of training … on an MP3 LT, since driving schools will not acquire a Can-Am for more than € 20,000 !

However, the Can-Am and the MP3 only have in common their number of wheels … Otherwise, everything separates them! One is automatic, the other is at gears, one takes an angle, the other turns flat, etc. What to discourage motorists attracted by the Spyder…

Unveiled more than four years ago, the Can-Am Spyder RS ​​does not come across on every street corner. However, more than 2,000 copies have been sold since its release in France. The one we’re testing today is the Touring version (dubbed RT) launched earlier this year.

This variation obviously takes the chassis and mechanics of the original Spyder, but everything else is different: design, equipment, driving position, weight and also … the price! The model of our test is precisely the RT-S, that is to say the most upscale and therefore the most equipped with equipment of all kinds.

Since BRP France (BRP for "Bombardier Recreational Products", in other words "toys for older children") has the good taste to be based in Aix-en-Provence, we leave Paris threatened by a snowstorm to savor the 18 ° C under the Provençal sun !

The BRP-Can-Am press manager is accompanying us for the first day: thank you to her for having willingly complied with the exercise of the photoshoots, but above all, for having detailed for us the rather substantial instructions for use of the Spyder RT-S.

Sacred machine !

That’s what to think about in the presence of this Spyder RT-S, which is much larger than the RS. By arming itself for long-distance travel, the RT has more than a quintal more on the scale than its predecessor and exceeds 420 kg dry !

In motorcycle terminology, the RS would hold more of the sporty roadster while the RT would clearly trample the flowerbeds of the Honda Goldwing with its imposing fairing and its many chests. At 1.57m wide, the automotive-style front end is 66mm wider than on the RS. For comparison, this places the Spyder RT-S between the older Smart (1.51m wide) and the older Twingo (1.63m).

There’s no denying that this Spyder RT-S takes a lot of adaptation time and some serious presentation before use. It is first necessary to understand the operation of the machine and then, secondly, to acclimatize to it in a closed parking lot before setting off on the open road.

The tricycle, for example, turns flat, taking only a little body roll, like a car. It has a 5-speed sequential gearbox and handy reverse gear. On the braking side, in addition to the parking brake, there is only a pedal which distributes the braking to the three wheels. The rider will therefore have to get used to having no lever on the handlebars: no more clutch or front brake !

After a more or less long observation round depending on each person, it’s time to hit the road! We manage to fit without any problem in the five lockers of things for three days, photo and video equipment as well as a second helmet.

155 liters of cargo

This load capacity is the great strength of the Can-Am RT compared to the motorcycle. Indeed, like a Goldwing, it offers a large top case, two side cases and a storage compartment. But it can also count in addition on a deep front trunk of 58 liters.

This is enough to travel serenely in duo. Too bad BRP has not managed to approve its trailer in France, which brings the loading volume to 777 liters !

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