Piaggo & Can-Am Spyder

[Hardtime11]

Motorweek TV on Saturday morning (8:00am EST on PBS) will be airing a little bit of info on the Three-Wheelers: 2008 BRP Can Am Spyder, 2008 Piaggio MP3. Here is the web link for it; http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2802b.shtml Should provide some entertainment for those interested in these alternative modes of transportation.

You may have to check your area scheduling for times and channels.

[Miracleman89]

Hardtime- i think that did it! This was my first move. How did I do? lol

[Hardtime11]

You did well and thanks.

I just watched the video off of my DVR. It was a pretty video of both vehicles. The gas mileage is not good at all for the Spyder (31mpg?). I think that with that mileage I would buy a Yaris for a little bit less and a lot more mileage and tint the windows. :-)

[Hardtime11]

However for a run on of conversation the Spyder still looks like a nice open air ride and the ones I saw last weekend were fixed up nicely. The Piaggo might be a good quick answer for fuel mileage at half the price of a Spyder. Hopefully I will not have to wait to 2011 for my Venture as there are a lot of alternatives coming out in 2009 with a huge surge of economy minded vehicles and fuel alternatives in 2010. We shall see and the 2011 might just make the Venture a purely for fun alternative at that point if you have the extra money.

Come on Ian (If you are reading anything of late) let us get the fire going!

[rogwild]

I missed the show; did they mention the Piaggio HybridS that is on the way with 150+ mpg? Put some sort of 'enclosure' on that scooter and 50+mph.......a real commuter.

[AZEqualizer]

...a lot of alternatives coming out in 2009 with a huge surge of economy minded vehicles and fuel alternatives... 2011 might just make the Venture a purely for fun alternative at that point if you have the extra money

I don't think that Ventures survival is only tied to competition with other fuel sippers. For some yes .... but for many others it is more complicated. Yep, fun ride is one. Some see it as a more responsible ride (traveling as a single person not in a 7 passenger vehicle). Some as a way to use the HOV lane. Some for ease of maneuverability or parking. Some to be different. Some for looks. Some because of other vehicles costs or availability. And many others. If it was a simple process there would only one vehicle being bought out there instead of the multitude.

As an example I for one wouldn't buy a Spyder because I don't like driving a vehicle that handles like a snowmobile on the road and that it gets only 31 MPG (my current 4 passenger car does much better than that). (and for me many other reasons) But that sure has not stopped a lot of other people from buying it and they can't keep up with demand.

And lets say both the Dagne Ev and the Venture one make it to market at their projected price points and specs. I am sure that they will have people waiting in the wings to buy them with out worring about the other taking money from their mouths. It's like motorcycles ... there are a Baskin Robbins amount of MC's and they are certainly surviving. So even if there are many more of the inclosed MC's comming to market... there are pleanty of buyers out there.

Heck I wonder how many 100K plus EV vehicles can get into the market and survive but they all seem to think they can compete for a smaller percentage of a high dollar market.

One persons excess money expenditure is another persons ideal ride.

[RAN]

Here in America, I think the Fisker is the one to watch. If the "eco-chic" crowd buys into it, it will do fine.

In the UK, I'm pulling for the Lightning GT, mainly because of the PML hub motors; at the price they're asking, they're firmly in Aston Martin DBS territory where the air is rare. I hope the Lightning can compete.

[Derwin]

I don't care what anybody says, I, along with many others, simply LOVE the CanAm Spyder. No, it's not a fuel effecient vehicle, and it is not meant to be. People that buy it are interested in the JOY OF RIDING alone, and not how many miles per gallon it gets. Talk to people that own them, and you couldn't pry it from them with a crow-bar! They really love it.

But there is nothing fuel efficient about it, and I expect most in this forum would not really care for it. Well, except for me!

Derwin

[Miracleman89]

Don't be so sure big D !!!! I think they look awesome!!!!

BTW did a Raymond Ramerez get a hold of you about a vogue one???
he said he said he was curious but wasn't sure if he would buy one yet or not. I told him to contact you through the FTRN forum.

[Derwin]

mm89..... Glad to see a fellow Syder fan!

As to any inquiry about the VogueOne, no....I have not heard from anyone.

Derwin

[rosesj]

Have you guys actually ridden the Spyder? Can Am completely LOST IT when it went with standard Non-cambering front wheels. It goes like a rocket in a straight line, but it will throw you off in a corner. Flat corners at 40mph are ridiculous. I was extremely disappointed and took my name off the list.

[AZEqualizer]

I was actually a Beta tester for it.... It drives and handles like a snowmobile... if you treat is that way it is very controllable and fun. It was also in my opinion easier for someone with no experience on a motorcycle to learn how to drive it . The biggest complaint I heard from most people was the poor gas mileage, the weight of it and the sound without the upgrade muffler.

But it wasn't suited to how I prefer to drive.

[Hardtime11]

I have driven them also and got the same feeling. It did feel nice going down the road and looked pretty cool. As I commented before it does not dive into corners. In that aspect it pretty much handles like a car as you have to slow down to automobile speeds to handle corners. I was able to get some inside wheel hop when taking corners as well as rear wheel spin. The 2 front, 1 rear wheel setup without tilt equates to a ride associated with other trike setups as far as handling and such.

I do repeat though that it was still a very nice ride and moved very quickly out of turns and on straightaways. The fuel mileage being about the same as a Harley-Davidson is not good though from what I have read. I would not turn one down and would love to own one if I could justify the funds.

I am still eagerly awaiting the Venture Vehicle to come out!2thumb:up

[AZEqualizer]

I've never owned a Harley or other large motorcycle 900CC's or more that only got 31 MPG like the Spyder (998CC) .... as a matter of fact I never got below 45MPG and I currently own a Sportster (1200CC), a DynaGlide (1450CC) and a Kawasaki Concours (1000CC) and I at times do drive aggressively.