Passes & Canyons Blog

I showed up for my first day on the new job Tuesday and right there, in the primo spot in the parking lot, like the guy must have been the first person to come to work that day, sat a brand new Can-Am Spyder.

I’ve read about these things in the motomags but this was the first one I’ve ever seen. And I still don’t know what to think of it. It a three-wheeler with two in front and one in back. This particular one was bright red and still had the temporary tag on it.

The thing about these is that while it is really cool looking, very sleek and shiny, and looks like a lot of fun, what it looks like most is a snowmobile on wheels. I’ve never ridden a snowmobile but they’ve always looked like a lot of fun, too, but the question that seems to be asked the most is this: Is it a motorcycle? I’ve read a bunch of articles and the bottom line is, it’s up to you to decide.

If you want to learn more about it, here’s an article on Edmunds.com where they talk about putting it through the paces. They liked it.

The full name for the Spyder is BRP Can-Am Spyder Grand Sport Roadster. It is manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products, which is the BRP in the name. Bombardier makes small aircraft, including those really little commercial jets you may have flown in on Northwest Airlines. They own Cessna, too, I believe.

So that was an interesting way to start the first day on the new job. I’ll probably never find out who owns it, though. Too many thousands of people working there. And with the change in the weather he probably won’t be riding it to work again any time soon. But I’m glad I got to see it.

Biker Quote for Today

Would I buy one of everything? Oh, hell yes, if I could. But that’s a little out of my reach so you have to be selective.

I find it amazing the way so many exotic and unique motorcycles are created and even produced. Take a look at this. It’s the Travertson Rex and it is for sale now.

The engine is a 1250cc Harley-Davidson Revolution V-Twin VRSC. And that’s about the only thing on this bike that you’ve ever seen before.

The front fork is more like a swing arm and the gas tank is a stressed member that forms the backbone connecting the fork to the rear swing arm.

The bike sells for about 40 thou and is available in red or black. It has a claimed 120 horse power and 74 foot-pounds of torque.

If you want to read more, check out this article from motorcyclecruiser.com.

Biker Quote for Today

My bike is beyond sexual… It is viagra for the soul.

Today I just want to point you to an interesting article I ran across on the MotorcycleUSA.com website. It discusses the many variations on the motorcycle theme that have been tried over the last 140 years and then turns to what future bikes may look like. Now, I’m not saying visually, I’m talking about their power plant and methods of motivation.

Bart Madson, the writer, starts out describing what is believed to be the first motorcycle ever invented, which ran on a twin-cylinder steam engine. A charcoal-fired stove sat under the seat to create the steam.

Then he continues saying:

Due to environmental concerns and the fact that $4/gallon gas is now a reality, the desire for alternatives to the internal combustion engine are more in demand than ever before. So, like automobiles, future motorcycles figure to be greener, more efficient machines.

He then goes on to talk about electric bikes, fuel-cell powered bikes, and even bikes that run on compressed air. All of these are under development somewhere, and some are available now.

Madson focused specifically on bikes such as the Suzuki Crosscage, the Piaggio HyS Hybrid, the Killacycle, the electrobike Pi, the Zero X, the Brammo Enertia, the Vectrix ZEV, and the Yamaha BOBBY. Never heard of any of those? Neither had I. Interesting stuff.

Go check them out. You could be riding one of these some day.

Biker Quote for Today

The best modifications cannot be seen from the outside.

I saw a Piaggio MP3, three-wheeled scooter the other day here in Denver for the first time. We saw a lot of them in Europe when were there this summer but this is the first one I’ve seen here at home. This photo is one I shot in Paris.

This little baby is a scooter that comes in three sizes, 250cc, 400cc, and 500cc. The marketing materials describe it saying “The Piaggio MP3 provides safety, road grip, and stability levels that no two-wheeler can match. Its power, performance, and ease of use make for a very entertaining ride.”

Let’s face it, one thing that puts off some potential motorcycle and/or scooter riders is the inherent instability of the things. If you hit ice or gravel or a patch of oil when you’re leaned over on a curve those two wheels can go right out from under you. And unlike other three-wheelers you may have seen, with one wheel up front and two in the back, this scooter leans like a normal motorcycle, up to 40 degrees, according to the company.

Priced at $7,200, the MP3 250 has a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke, four-valve engine with electronic fuel injection. It has a top speed of 77 MPH. As with most scooters, the transmission is “twist and go” automatic. Front and rear brakes are disk. The tires are 12-inch tubeless. The bike weighs 450 pounds and holds 3.2 gallons of fuel. Under-seat storage is large enough for a full-face helmet plus one open-face helmet.

The MP3 400 sells for $8,700 and the MP3 500 is $8,900. The 250 reportedly gets about 65 MPG, while the 400 and 500 only get around 50. Top speeds on the 400 and 500 are 89 and 92 MPH respectively.

Other features include the following:

• An electro-hydraulic suspension locking system that makes it unnecessary to set it on its center stand, even on sloping ground, and making it possible to park the two front wheels where there is a height difference of up to 8 inches.
• Two dual effect hydraulic shock absorbers, a helicoidal spring, and four-position preload.
• Linked braking.
• Splashguards on either side of the front shield protect the rider and the vehicle.
• A remote control button on the ignition key opens the seat lock and the rear boot lid.
• Ergonomical seating.
• A dashboard including a speedometer, fuel gauge, coolant temperature indicator, clock, trip and mileage odometer, fuel reserve indicator, oil pressure, turn signals, low and high beam, seat or boot lid open warning, and an Immobilizer LED.

So. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but another example of motorcycle designers who are looking beyond the basic two-wheeled concept. I’d like to ride one just to see what it’s like.

Biker Quote for Today

I’d trade all my motorcycles for one flying dragon.

Just when you thought you’d seen it all, trust some 19-year-old kid to come up with the most revolutionary two-wheeler yet.

Ben Gulak, from Toronto, has developed an electric-powered vehicle with two wheels side by side. It has gyroscopic stabilizers that allow it to stand upright, and you lean forward on it to move forward, much like Dean Kamen’s Segway. The further forward you lean, the faster it goes. To turn you lean in the desired direction.

Called the Uno, the starting point is a Yamaha R1 frame, but the commonality ends right about there.

Gulak is clearly a whiz kid, and he was inspired when he went to Beijing for an international science fair. He saw the smog created by all the two-stroke scooters and motorcycles and decided an electric vehicle was what was needed. Gulak worked out the basic design on his own but turned to Trevor Blackwell, the inventor of the Eunicycle, a single-wheeled gyro-stabilized vehicle, for further development assistance.

So far, the top speed is 15 MPH, but Gulak thinks it can get up to 40 MPH with further development.

Keep your eyes open. I’m thinking we’ll be seeing more of this soon.

Biker Quote for Today

Just ride the damned thing.

The OFMC went on our summer trip last week and it was a great week of riding. We stayed primarily in Colorado and many people (not me) were surprised that we could see so much of interest and make so many nice rides without going far. I knew this. That’s what this website is all about. I know that people come from all over the world to ride in Colorado. So we live and learn.

Anyway, this isn’t about our trip except for a couple things that happened along the way.

One of our guys, Jason, was riding his very new Harley-Davidson Road King. It’s less than two months old. So guess whose bike was the only one that had problems. We were close to Durango when Jason decided he needed to visit a dealer so he checked and found that Durango Harley-Davidson opened at 9 a.m. He planned to be there at 9 a.m. so they could work on it right away and he could get back on the road.

Well, it turned out that they opened at 8 a.m., and when Jason got there at 9 a.m. he was told they couldn’t get to his bike until about 1 p.m. because six other traveling Harley riders had gotten there before him and they also needed priority service in order to get back on the road.

Now, in our group this year we had five Hondas and three Harleys, and as I said, Jason’s Harley was the only one to have problems. And six other traveling Harley riders also had problems that day? I’m sorry but we couldn’t help but conclude that does not reflect very favorably on the Milwaukee folks.

And then there was Dennis’s issue. Dennis has owned a lot of bikes in his day, including Harleys, but recently he has been riding Hondas. Part of the reason for that has to do with Harley salesmen. It would appear that with their product in such high demand, many of them have never had to learn to actually sell. They do a great job of handing you the papers to sign when you’ve made up your own mind, and they’re happy to sell you the extras, but working to close a deal is apparently a different matter.

Let’s back up a few years. Dennis was riding a Big Dog but decided to replace it with a Harley. He went to a dealership knowing they wouldn’t take the Big Dog as a trade-in but figuring he could arrange some consignment deal. The salesman was brief: “Get rid of your clone and come back and I’ll sell you a real motorcycle.”

More than a little annoyed, Dennis headed straight for a Honda shop and bought a Honda.

Dennis was equally put out in Durango. He and several others went with Jason to the dealership and, as he puts it, the four of them were a captive audience for half a day. Bill, Brett, and Jason all ended up spending money there but the thing that really caught Dennis’s eye was one particular bike. A salesman noticed this and approached him. Dennis explained that he rode in on a Gold Wing and would need to get the right amount out of it in order for a deal to work. And the salesman dropped the ball. All he could offer was that Dennis could buy this Harley now and fly back to pick it up, and what he did with the Honda was his issue.

For hours afterward Dennis went over again and again how it could have been handled. “All he had to do was say ‘toss me your key and I’ll go over to the local Honda dealer and see what they think you can get on consignment.’ Or he could have just picked up the phone and called the Honda dealer and asked what they thought they could get for the bike. But he didn’t do a thing! I’m not going to buy it and fly back here to pick it up!”

Dennis had been extremely close to spending quite a few thousands of dollars but once again the Harley salesman blew it. So what if your dealership doesn’t take trade-ins. If you want to make a sale, and the sale is contingent on unloading the current bike, doesn’t it make sense for you to go an extra mile to try to grease those wheels?

Biker Quote for Today

When you look down the road, it seems to never end – but you better believe it does.