Tricycle Can-Am Spyder F3: An unusual vehicle for brave drivers

Comfort, stability and tons of power

Can-Am will continue to produce sport-touring machines, the Spyder F3 and F3-S in 2022, powered by 100-plus horsepower Rotax engines, as always with a minimalistic design to reduce weight and increase power. The suite of active safety systems includes traction control, stability control and ABS. Spyders today are more exotic than mainstream, but BRP continues to promote its line of trikes, in which the Spyder F3/F3-S are considered entry-level devices and at the same time the sportiest of them all.

Can Am Spyder F3 design

If you look at the machine in profile, from the handlebars to the tail, the Can-Am Spyder F3 could pass for a sportbike with an outrageously wide rear tire. The tire is hugged by a large fender that covers the rear of the vehicle from dirt, and above it on the tail of the subframe are the rear lights. The subframe carries a wide seat with a high passenger area, to which handles are attached. The handles are convenient for a passenger to hold on to or secure cargo. The deep driver's seat places the pilot "in" the vehicle rather than "on" it. The height of the seat is 67 centimeters, but it is not very convenient to reach the ground with your feet due to its width (however, you only need to reach the ground by dismounting).

Stability of the Can Am Spyder F3/F3-S trike

Stability is an integral property of such trikes, and for beginners in cutting the wind with their fists, neither the inability to tilt and counter-steer, nor the combined brakes with exclusively foot control, using all three calipers at once, nor the lack of levers on the steering wheel will pose any problem. Unless, of course, you have a Can Am Spyder Spyder F3-S , which comes with a six-speed (plus rear) manual transmission, a good old clutch handle and shift paddle.

The UFit system allows you to customize your riding position with customizable footpegs and interchangeable handlebars, so the unit can be adjusted to suit different rider positions and sizes.

If everything behind the steering wheel is more or less motorcycle-like, then the front part is part of a car that resembles a Volkswagen Beetle with a front trunk. The trunk has a volume of only 24.5 liters - much less than other Spyders, but generally enough for a short trip to buy groceries or run errands, or for a picnic in nature.

The front fairing is minimalistic and serves mainly to redistribute the incoming air flow along the sides of the device. And despite the fact that the front view doesn't look like a motorcycle at all, the device looks pretty decent, combining the best of both worlds.

Button Sabbath

The SKY is covered with clouds to the horizon, the tedious rain has begun to fall, it seems, for a long time. Do you know why the weather in Moscow is so nasty? That's right - because this is the day I chose to ride the new Can-Am Spyder RT. Nature, of course, did not miss the opportunity to make fun of the arrogant driver.

It is not possible to drive away from the BRP Center North salon right away - it takes some time to get acquainted with the new robotic gearbox. The old “mechanics” is not a gift in terms of ease of control, especially when you need to put it in reverse gear. Either way, I think, the sequential “semi-automatic machine”.

“It’s either matter... It’s either matter...” I mutter, trying to use the same back one. A whole ceremony: first you need to get to neutral, then press the “R” button and engage the gear with the lever on which the “+” sign is drawn. Moreover, when performing all these manipulations, beware of touching the signal button, otherwise everyone will hear and understand that the driver of the tricycle is a mediocrity who is not able to immediately find the right button. The only thing I can say in my defense is that there are an unnaturally large number of buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. Including the most important one – “Mode”, which, after turning the key, animates the display screen, where the neutral symbol should appear. And only then, by pressing the brake pedal, can you press the “Start” button, otherwise the engine will not start.

Why such difficulties? Yes, for the safety of the person sitting in the saddle, so that he doesn’t accidentally jerk out of his seat ahead of time.

And that's not all. There, on the steering wheel, there are controls for turn signals, high and low beams, as well as a joystick for controlling the premium audio system and a button for raising the large windshield. This coven of buttons and levers is pompously called an electronic command center.

Do you think the push-button epic is over? You shouldn't think so. How do you open the luggage compartment at the front of the fairing? Of course, with a button. Not only a large sports bag, but also a spare “integral” could easily fit there. This is important - not every motorcycle trunk is the right size for your helmet. Photographer Dima Perepelkin (90 kilos of live weight plus equipment) sat in the back seat, and I pressed another key. The air rear suspension has become noticeably stiffer. A convenient thing is that from seven automatic adjustment positions you can choose the one that suits the weight of the passenger and luggage in the three rear cases.

Can Am Spyder Brake System

The Can Am Spyder's braking system consists of three 270 discs with a pair of four-piston calipers at the front and a single-piston caliper at the rear, all combined with ABS. An electronically actuated parking brake completes the brake package.

All three wheels have rims with a diameter of 15 inches, while they are shod with 165/55 tires at the front and 225/50 tires at the rear. These are not thin motorcycle tires with a small contact patch, but wide car tires with a large grip reserve, reliably holding the vehicle in turns. And active safety systems add confidence - stability control and traction control, which prevent rollovers and skids, as well as dynamic power steering, the force of which depends on the force applied and the speed of the vehicle. This is especially important because there is no counter-steering and you have to turn the steering wheel to turn.

Can Am Spyder engine

Rotax engines have made a name for themselves in the marine and aviation segments, and all Spyders are powered by these units as well. The Rotax 1330 ACE engine powers both F3 models, producing 130 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm, but in the base model the engine produces 105 horsepower at 6000 rpm, while the S model has an increased power output of 115 horsepower at 7250 rpm. min, plus an additional “Sport” mode for maximum performance.

The Can Am Spyder's engine is a three-cylinder water-cooled unit with an 84 mm bore and 80 mm stroke, electronic throttle and injector with an electronic control unit that controls the mixture and ignition, plus the S model has electronic cruise control. The base model has only a six-speed semi-automatic transmission, but the S model has a fully manual transmission in addition to this option. All variants have reverse gear.

MY MOTORCYCLE

When we talk about three-wheeled motorcycles, we almost always think of trikes. Why? Yes, they somehow fit better into biker life. That's why we think about them. But many already experienced bikers who are interested in everything related to motorcycle life are aware of another three-wheeled representatives of motorcycles - bikes with two wheels in the front. Let's talk about one of the representatives of this line - the Can-Am Spyder F3, which appeared this fall.

In general, it’s a little hard to classify this vehicle as a motorcycle. Somehow it doesn’t fit. But we must keep up with the times, and if they are recognized, then so be it. Sorry, I got a little distracted.

The Can-Am Spyder F3 is not the first roadster (as it was described) in the already large spyder model line. In addition to it, previously, such modifications as RS, ST and RT were included. Why trekkers?

The standard F3 is available in Steel Black Metallic and Pearl White, while the more expensive F3-S comes in four color options.

Americans constantly like to check, calculate, analyze something - and while studying the sales market for previous Spyder models, they came to an amazing conclusion - about a quarter of buyers of three-wheeled roadsters have never driven a motorcycle before. This says a lot - it seems that Can-Am designers managed to find a new market niche, which may turn out to be very promising, because people, even the most conservative and not the most daring, like to try something new. And spiders can be considered an unusual form of transport.

The Can-Am Spyder F3 can be considered a vehicle that is fully suitable for both orthodox motorcycle enthusiasts and those who were previously afraid to even look at motorcycles. Kind of a simplified version.

The new product received a very serious distinctive feature from previous models, which immediately attracted the attention of experienced riders and owners of three-wheeled Can-Am. If earlier designers seriously calmed down the tempers of all the first Spyder models, stifling the engine's capabilities with various kinds of electronic limiters, then the Spyder F3 received much more freedom in this regard. If you wish and have certain driving skills, you can even go into a controlled drift or perform a cool burnout. The F3 handles high-bank turns with ease and is always ready for a hot start with smoke coming from under the rear wheel.

The emergence of such opportunities can be explained quite simply - the company is focused on market demands, and buyers, apparently, began to get tired of the phlegmatic nature of the Spyder, they wanted something hotter and the designers quickly responded to these wishes. To be honest, they didn’t have to make any special efforts to make the character of their brainchild more combative and sharp. The developers just changed some settings of the VSS (Vehicle Stability System), which monitors the Spyder's position on the road and constantly monitors the rotation speeds of all three wheels, intervening in the control process as necessary.

Otherwise, the Can-Am Spyder F3 is very similar to its predecessors in many ways - its frame has the same Y-shaped architecture, but at the same time, as company representatives say, it has become 40% stiffer. The front wheel suspension is exactly the same as the RS version, but it uses stiffer Fox Podium shock absorbers with 129 mm of travel. The rear wheel is supported by a spatial swing arm and a SACHS monoshock with 132 mm of travel.

But the driver’s position behind the wheel of the F3 is no longer the same as on its predecessors - the seat has become lower and moved back. The result is a handlebar, seat and footpeg combination very similar to that found on cruisers. But unlike them, the new Spyder is equipped with a U-Fit system, which allows you to adjust the handlebars and footrests to the driver of any height and build.

On the road, the Spyder F3's low center of gravity gives it more grip in corners and greater confidence when cornering. This is also facilitated by suspension settings that are ready to put the front wheels at a sharper angle. But the stabilization system still monitors the driver’s actions, and if in a bend one of the front wheels suddenly comes off the asphalt, the electronics will not only cut off the fuel supply to the engine, but will also gently apply the brakes to bring the three-wheeled unit out of an emergency situation

In addition to excellent handling and a comfortable driving position, the Can-Am Spyder F3 has something else that will not leave the buyer indifferent - its 1330cc three-cylinder engine. It cannot be called the most powerful - 115 horsepower is far from the limit that modern motorcycle technology is capable of, but the engine’s impressive torque of 130 N*m and a large sprocket on the rear wheel can make an impression. The force of the power unit is more than enough for the 400-kilogram unit to drive like a sports car. The engine has excellent traction from the very bottom and works with full dedication until the tachometer needle reaches 8000 rpm. Of course, the Can-Am Spyder F3 cannot boast of the dynamics of the sports bike, but it accelerates to hundreds in less than 5 seconds, that is, breaking away from the traffic flow at a traffic light is not a problem on it.

Like other Can-Am Spyder models, the F3 is sold in two versions: standard and F3-S. For that $1,500, an S model buyer gets cruise control, machined front wheels, a suede seat with red stitching, stylish front fenders with integrated LED headlights, as well as special badging and special colors. Both trims are available with a manual or SE6 semi-automatic transmission.

Finding flaws in a new product is quite difficult - there are practically none, although subjective opinions may vary. For example, some will not like the rather stiff clutch lever, although it is no stiffer than that of a two-wheel cruiser; others will notice a crackling sound in the 6-speed manual transmission, although this is nothing more than a characteristic, but rather loud, click of a gear change. Overall, the Can-Am Spyder F3 is a very interesting and unusual vehicle that is capable of impressing both motorcycle and car drivers.

Can-Am Spyder F3, technical specifications:

Engine

Transmission

Dimensions and weight

Chassis and brakes