Back to SoWal Lounge

For Singing Chicken.......

Alicia Leonard avatar
SoWal Insider
426 views1
SC and I traded a few pm's about a month ago over these bikes. I love them and having really been eyeballing them. Here's a local story on them.


Spyder bike crawls out of the woodwork

A high-tech mode of transportation is catching the eye of Fort Walton Beach residents. Fort Walton Motorsports on Racetrack Road has been selling the three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder bike for about a year now, and they usually don't keep one in the shop for more than two weeks.
"They're a lot of fun," said Fort Walton Motorsports employee Jesus Blanco. "They're a lot more stable than a motorcycle so more people can ride them."
The Spyder, which is on display outside Fort Walton Motorsports, is unusual because of its backward tricycle design, with two wheels in the front and one in the back.
The bike is safe for street driving with ABS brakes and speeds reaching up to 110 mph. However, most people are buying the $15,000 Spyder as a toy.
"We had one guy come in recently who wanted to buy one as his permanent vehicle," Blanco said.
With gas mileage ranging from 32 to 36 miles per gallon, the Spyder might make a tempting alternative to thirstier four-wheel vehicles. The bike also offers all the on-road capabilities of a motorcycle.
So far, Fort Walton Motorsports is the only place in town selling the Spyder.
"The only other place you can get one around here is Pensacola Motorsports," Blanco said. "And we own that too."
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/bike_8494___article.html/crawls_spyder.html

Replies

8
sunspotbaby avatar
SoWal Insider
#2
Seems like the gas mileage would be better than that. Cool little ride though.
scooterbug44 avatar
SoWal Expert
#3
You can buy a decent car for $15K that gets 32-36 mpg. :idontno:
Alicia Leonard avatar
SoWal InsiderAuthor
#4
You can buy a decent car for $15K that gets 32-36 mpg. :idontno:

That's what my fella and I agreed on this a.m. after seeing the article. But they still look cool:biggrin: I'm getting about 17-20mpg on my old truck right now. Anything would be an improvement.:blink:
DD avatar
SoWal Expert
#5
That's what my fella and I agreed on this a.m. after seeing the article. But they still look cool:biggrin: I'm getting about 17-20mpg on my old truck right now. Anything would be an improvement.:blink:

I feel your pain, Aleo.:eek:
Will B avatar
Moderator
#6
I'm going to find a ride on one of these soon! Think of a cross between a snowmobile and a crotch rocket!



They don't get the greatest mileage because they have a big V-twin engine, and they are a bit on the heavy side. They do have loads of storage space in the front bonnet. I'm guessing there's a learning curve for those who are used to two wheels. There is no clutch. Gears are shifted with a button, and the brakes are controlled by one handle / pedal. Not sure which it has.

The other strange thing to get used to would be steering. To steer a bike you counter steer to push the front wheel opposite of the direction that you want to go. With the Spyder you steer it like a car and turn the handlebars in the direction of the turn.

I bet they are fun!
Matt J avatar
SWGB
#7
I saw a news piece about these as being ADA approved since they don't require you to put two legs down. The piece they did was on a Vet in PC that was getting one due to his disabilities.
Will B avatar
Moderator
#8
I saw a news piece about these as being ADA approved since they don't require you to put two legs down. The piece they did was on a Vet in PC that was getting one due to his disabilities.

It's amazing what they can do with bikes these days to make them more accesible to those who would otherwise find it impossible to ride any longer.
There are the obvious trike conversions that have become very popular...



There are also Insta-trike kits that can be installed and removed with no mods to the bike...



There are other mods that can be done as well. I have a friend who used to race professionally that had a crash which resulted in him being in a wheelchair. He has a Goldwing like mine that has tiny outrigger wheels that drop down below 5mph and retract over 5mph so he doesn't have to put his feet down. Since he can't shift with his foot, he has a linear acutator that shifts for him with a flick of his thumb. If you saw him on the road, you would never know he couldn't walk...
Truffle Anne avatar
Beach Fanatic
#9
That's what my fella and I agreed on this a.m. after seeing the article. But they still look cool:biggrin: I'm getting about 17-20mpg on my old truck right now. Anything would be an improvement.:blink:

Mebbe. But those shiny, fancy contraptions don't have much room to haul road kill, do they?;-)

Checking your forum account

Please wait while we verify your forum account.

New posts