At the age of 75, I figured my motorcycle and scooter days were beyond me.
After owning a little Honda 55 in high school, which I took to college, I got my motorcycle endorsement in my 40s, owned one for a year or so, then limited myself to cars until I bought a Suzuki Burgman 650 scooter in 2009.
I liked it a lot. Rode it for about three years.
I might still be, except I succumbed to my wife's dislike of the maxi-scooter, since every time I rode it, she was convinced I was going to die riding it. (Actually I had zero accidents in the three years; never even put a scratch on the Burgman.)
Since, I'd had numerous urges to get another scooter. I enjoyed the Burgman's antilock brakes, adjustable windscreen, large underseat storage, and automatic shifting, All I had to do was twist the throttle, steer, and brake.
That left my attention free for enjoying the open air and watching out for what people in their cages, otherwise known as cars, were doing around me.
But the older I got, the less eager I was to ride around on two motorized wheels again. I'm still fit, but painful sciatica in my right leg, likely caused by some degeneration in my spine, now made it more difficult for me to maneuver a scooter lacking reverse gear,
Plus, Suzuki no longer sells the Burgman 650, in the United States at least, so the next best option was a Burgman 400 -- which lacked some of the features that I really liked on the 650.
That led me to think more seriously about a Can-Am Spyder RT. I missed the fun of open-air riding, but wanted something safer and more stable than a two-wheeled scooter. Over the years I'd window shopped Spyders and enjoyed seeing them on the road once in a while (they aren't all that common).
I liked the lockable storage of the RT. I liked the heated seats and grips. I liked the antilock brakes and traction control. I liked the adjustable windscreen. I liked the reverse gear. It struck me as having many of the benefits of a motorcycle or scooter without many of the drawbacks.
So last weekend I took a test drive at our closest Can-Am dealer. My wife wasn't thrilled with this, but I promised her that I wouldn't buy one on the spot.
Well, it turns out that I'm strongly leaning toward not buying a Can-Am Spyder off the spot either. Here's why, based on my test drive and watching numerous You Tube reviews of the 2024 Can-Am Spyder RT Limited, which appealed to me most. In no particular order, my reasons are:
Cost. At about $32,000, the RT Limited is almost as expensive as my 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Limited, which has almost every option. That's a lot to spend on a vehicle that isn't as versatile as my Crosstrek.
Lack of driving fun. I realized that the Spyder wasn't going to handle like my scooter, since it has three wheels and doesn't lean. But I thought it would have a go-cart sort of agile handling. Not so. During my test drive, right away I didn't enjoy how the front wheels seemed jittery, reacting to slight imperfections in the pavement.
Some video reviews made the same observation, so this wasn't just me. Sure, I would have gotten used to how the Spyder handled if I bought one, but I was worried that my first impression would be a lasting one. The Spyder RT may be a good touring machine. However, it didn't strike me as a fun drive in town and on the two lane twisty roads in our rural neighborhood.
Not fully automatic. it's baffling why Can-Am would make the Spyder automatically downshift, but not automatically upshift. That has to be done with a paddle shifter. Yes, there's no clutch, a plus. It just seemed crazy that a $10,000 (or less) scooter is fully automatic, while the $32,000 RT Limited is only semi-automatic.
Rain is an issue. Living as I do in Oregon, rain is common here, aside from the summer months. I avoided riding my scooter in the rain, given the reduced traction on two wheels. But I figured the Spyder would handle rain well with its three wheels. Yes, better than a motorcycle or scooter. However, the single drive wheel in the back makes for some slippery moments in the rain, based on videos I watched about how the Spyder does in wet stuff.
Safety is inconvenient. I recalled how, even though I enjoyed my Burgman 650 a great deal, I didn't like putting on and taking off safety gear every time I rode it. Full face helmet. Gloves. Jacket and pants. Boots. I took the advice of my Team Oregon motorcycle safety course: all the gear, all the time. Good advice, but on a hot summer day, I came to enjoy riding in my car in shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals after I sold my scooter.
So I came to the conclusion that it didn't make a lot of sense to spend $32,000 on a Spyder RT Limited that wasn't nearly as safe or convenient as my Subaru Crosstrek, yet didn't have the fun factor of a scooter or motorcycle. I was getting the worse of both worlds: the high cost of a car, and less safety features than a car, without the riding enjoyment of a two-wheeled scooter or motorcycle.
Understand: a Can-Am Spyder is a good fit for many people. It just isn't for me.
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