Can-Am Spyder F3-S

We know, we know, it’s not a motorcycle. And we also know that some bike riders just don’t 'get' the Can-Am Spyder range. But guess what: you aren’t who it’s built for! 

It’s designed to fill its own segment, people who want to be different, want to sit on something rather than drive in it and who don’t expect motorcycle-like performance or handling.

If it’s not a motorcycle, then why are we testing it here at Bikesales? Because you need a motorcycle licence to ride one, and it’s pretty clear why within a few minutes of steering one around. The handover takes a few minutes in the Can-Am carpark, but really, if you are the sort of person who doesn’t take long to get used to a car with the indicator stalk on the other side of the wheel, it doesn’t take long to become accustomed to the actual mechanics of riding it.

I found it actually takes longer to get used to some of the electronic requirements the Spyder makes of you. To start it, for instance, it asks you to acknowledge you have read the manual. I admit this gets tiresome by the 50th time you have started it: “I have read the bloody manual!” You also need to disengage the electronic Park Brake, and engage first via the electronic paddle gearshift. This didn’t always happen cleanly for me.

Anything electronic has some lag to it, and that’s the case with all these actions, however you soon get used to it. It’s just that if you were being pursued, Hollywood-style, you’d be hard pressed making a quick getaway.

Once all that is done, however, and you push out in traffic, you soon learn two things: it’s hard to concentrate when you are laughing so hard and; people just stare at you, long and bare-faced, like a two-year-old spotting a lion for the first time.

HERE NOW
None of the above is news to regular Can-Am riders. In fact, the F3 and F3-S were launched to the world last year, but only arrived in Australia mid-June – perhaps a reflection of the size of our market here?

The F3 series is cruiser-based, according to Can-Am, but from where I am looking, it appears pretty sporty to me. Low slung and sans screen, the F3-S is an eye-grabber with its “S” trim signature, machined high gloss front wheels, a black seat with red stitching, premium front fenders with LED running lights, and electronic cruise control.

Otherwise it’s the same as the standard F3. Punch is via the 1330cc, 115hp/130Nm (claimed figures) Rotax-built triple. BRP claims 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds, and between 4000-6000rpm torque never dips below 122Nm. Look here for more info – we are concentrating more on how the thing rides on Aussie roads in this test.

The first thing I tested properly, before delving into cornering and straight-line stick, was brake performance – something I make a habit of on any new test machine, for obvious reasons.

While I expected the Spyder to fall behind a motorcycle’s performance, when it comes to braking, it’s the opposite. The Spyder’s meaty Brembo package bites all three wheels into the tarmac harder than you thought possible and, even though its one-foot pedal operates all, the electronic modulation for front to rear brake bias and the Bosch ABS control is astounding.

“If it all goes wrong, just get on the brakes hard,” I was told on Spyder pick-up, and Can-Am is right. Standing on the brakes just means you had better be holding on pretty tight – it squats and stops in a straight line harder than any bike can, thanks to more grip, not having to deal with the forward weight shift and the inherent stability of it.
It’s incredible stopping power, though in corners it behaves a little differently. I happen to work at a racetrack, and lunchtime laps on the Spyder, while carried out judiciously, gave me the opportunity to try something I wasn’t game to on the road – stomping on the brakes mid-corner.

The nature of the three-wheeled platform means a locked rear wheel mid-corner would have you heading off the track backwards – but not on the Spyder.

Steaming into Turn Two at a decent clip, I just jumped on the brake pedal (remember, no front brake lever or separate braking inputs). The rear started to go immediately, but just as immediately, the electronics cut in. Power was trimmed, the rear wheel unlocked (a stopped wheel won’t turn) and the Spyder continued on its merry way around the corner.

I tried braking hard from bitumen to dirt, braking hard on a dirt road, braking everywhere I could, and failed to catch out the electronics. So while the start-up procedure had become annoying by mid-test period, I was thankful for the little wizard living in the braking system. If in doubt – brake. Good advice.

ARM DAY
Another feature of the Spyder F3-S coming to light on that happy morning at Sydney Motorsport Park was how the Spyder gets around a corner. On the track’s smooth surface, the bike steers nicely, but you get little respite around a corner.

The steering is power assisted, but unlike a bike or car, with which you can relax once initial turn-in is set, the Spyder needs steering input the entire way around the corner. When you add in the road-zits and potholes of a typical Aussie road, the bike is busy mid-corner.

If you like being busy at the bars, this bike will keep your attention the whole ride. That two-wheeled front end does tramline over road irregularities, and dodging potholes is more difficult with three wheels than on two. It does corner flat, though, and a little rider input – leaning into the corner a touch – helps you manage the weight shift as centrifugal force pulls at you.

Want to go quick? Push your outside foot into the footpeg, shift your inside shoulder level with the inside wing mirror, and steer that Spyder into the apex on the brakes, then drive out again. You can get a reasonable pace going!

It’s involving, busy and lovely-sounding and this is where the fun is. Yes, most bikes will comfortably out-corner it, but speed isn’t everything, it’s how you feel while riding it.

Once you start really getting into it, the electronics step in, trimming throttle response, preventing that inside front wheel from lifting and otherwise keeping you on the road via a range of sensors, traction control and ABS. These rider aids are noticeable and the Spyder will calm itself down before you give yourself a fright, but for the riders these Spyders are made for, the level at which this all happens is high enough for some smiles and fun.

THE END BIT
The Spyder F3-S is brilliantly-built, looks superb, offers some important basics such as a quality seat, for rider and pillion alike, and really feels safe.

I tried repeatedly to trick the electronics and failed. It is an involving ride that demands concentration most of the time and in a straight line, it does go well relative to most other traffic on the road – motorcycles aside – and, as mentioned above, you will be the centre of attention as long as you’re in the saddle.

I have never had so many people come up and proceed to tell me they used to own a Triumph, comment on how space-age it looks or even just climb on it (my pet hate – ‘do you go around sitting in people’s cars, fella?’ always on the tip of my tongue).

It isn’t a motorcycle and doesn’t pretend to be, but it does require a motorcyclist’s road experience to navigate bitumen competently. It is also registered as a motorcycle, so bus lanes, taxi lanes and lane filtering – depending on which state you live in and how wide your lanes are – are all legal.

If you are expecting motorcycle-level performance, you will be disappointed, but if you need some adventure in your life and want to try something different, then you don’t get much more different than a three-wheeler that looks like a miniature Ferrari. It is its own form of entertainment, and at that, it does a great job. 

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 115hp (86 kW) at 7250rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 130Nm at 5000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed manual with reverse (SM6) Six-speed semi-automatic with reverse (SE6)
Clutch: Wet slipper clutch
Final drive: Shaft

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Aluminium
Front suspension: Double A-arm with anti-roll bar Fox Podium aluminum shocks 128.9 mm
Rear suspension: Swing-arm with Sachs monoshock 132.4mm
Front brakes: 2 x 270mm rigid discs, radially mounted Brembo
Rear brake: 270mm disc, single-piston floating caliper with integrated parking brake
Tyres: KR31 165 / 55R15 front, KR21 225 / 50R15 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 386kg
Rake: N/A
Trail: N/A
Seat height: 675mm
Fuel capacity: 27 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $28,990
Colours: Steel Black Metallic, Pearl White
Bike supplied by: BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) Australia
Warranty: Two-year BRP Limited Warranty with two-year roadside assistance. Extended B.E.S.T. available from 12 to 36 months