Dancing the Polka

In classic Chris Cope style, I’m behind the curve on this one, and writing about a thing that (probably) no one else cares about. Still, I find myself really intrigued by the new Can-Am Canyon ─ if not simply because I’m surprised it’s taken the brand this long to make such a thing.

KEEP THIS GOING
I’m dabbling in the Patreon thing again

The Canyon was unveiled back in August to minimal fanfare. Driven by the same 1330cc inline triple found in the brand’s Spyder F3 and Spyder RT models, it is large, expensive, and niche ─ but with more ground clearance than Can-Am’s other large, expensive, and niche offerings. 

I feel like some readers may need some background information at this point. Can-Am is a Canada-based brand that was created in 1972 as a way for snowmobile makers Bombardier to sell motocross and enduro motorcycles. The bikes were reportedly excellent, winning all kinds of kudos, but within 15 years things had gone south and Bombardier sold much of its motorcycling assets to UK-based CCM.

In the early 2000s, the Can-Am name was resurrected to sell ATVs, side-by-sides, and, eventually, unique on-road three-wheelers, like the Spyder F3-T that I got to ride back in 2018. Unlike trikes, which have one wheel up front and two behind the rider, Can-Am’s three wheelers put two wheels up front and one at the rear, improving stability, rider situational awareness (it’s really easy to bang the rear wheels of a trike into stuff because of the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem), and the overall riding experience. They are large, expensive, and niche, but they are also a lot of fun.

In some sense, Can-Am’s three-wheelers are a genie’s response to a person wishing they could ride their snowmobile in the summer. Which is why I say it’s surprising that Can-Am has taken this long to create a vehicle like the Canyon.

At one point during my time with the Spyder F3-T, I took it down a long dirt road to get to a swimming hole and came away thinking: “If this thing just had a little more ground clearance it would be soooo much fun on dirt roads and fire trails.”

Clearly, I’m not the only person to have made this observation, hence the 2025 Canyon. Can-Am offers the vehicle in three flavors: the Canyon, the Canyon XT, and the Canyon Redrock. The differences in the three come down to accessories. The most expensive, the $40,500 Redrock (£33,499 in the UK) comes with hard luggage capable of swallowing 120 liters of stuff and various other ride-enhancing accouterments. 

At this point, you might be thinking: “Why would anyone choose this over an ATV or side-by-side?”

That’s a good question. I’m able to come up with two possible answers. Firstly, as I mentioned, this three-wheel set-up is a lot of fun on dirt. Give it a good bit of throttle and you can get the back end to squirrel around on loose surfaces. And, hey, who doesn’t like doing donuts?

Secondly, unlike an ATV or side-by-side, you can take this thing on a highway. So, if you don’t live near the kind of place where a Canyon would be the most fun, you don’t need a pickup truck and trailer to get it there.

Still, it’s pretty damned niche. Especially since the additional ground clearance doesn’t appear to be that much. I can’t find any statistics that compare the Canyon and Spyder, but visually the difference seems to be a matter of a few inches. So it’s not something you’re going to use to scramble up mountainsides. Meanwhile, you can already get a Spyder down the kind of farming dirt/gravel roads shown in Can-Am’s promotional video for the Canyon. Is there extra clearance worth the extra money?

I’m probably overthinking it, though. Practicality is only loosely relevant to motorcycles, why should it apply more strongly to three-wheelers? I certainly wouldn’t criticize anyone for owning one of these and if I had one to hand for a cross-continent adventure I’d be pretty happy. 

Meanwhile, Can-Am has started making motorcycles again. Last week, journalists were out testing the brand’s two new electric motorcycles ─ the Origin and Pulse ─ and reviews are already beginning to hit the interwebs. Perhaps I’ll put together a ride review round-up for them at a future date.