Recently, the Can-Am Spyder Team has been asking new RT owners to share their stories with us and the Spyder owners and enthusiasts’ community on the SpyderRyder.com and Spyder Facebook pages.  While perusing the Facebook page, we came across a new owner who couldn’t wait to share her and her husband’s story of taking ownership of their brand new Can-Am Spyder RT-S.  Recently, Vaughn and Cathy Slavin were gracious enough to speak with us about their recent purchase.

How did you hear about the Can-Am Spyder RT? 

While searching the Can-Am Spyder website one day, we happened to read up on the new touring roadster.  After taking in some more information on the product (motorcycle reviews, videos, etc.), we were hooked!

Cathy, do you or your husband have previous riding experience?

I was actually quite the motorcyclist back in the 1970’s, having ridden and owned a variety of dirt and on-road bikes.  I gave up the hobby over the years, and am so excited to be back on the road, even only as a passenger so far!

My husband Vaughn has been riding motorcycles and sidecars for over forty years.  In addition to the Can-Am Spyder RT-S he currently owns a Suzuki VL-1500 Intruder, and for over ten years has kept a Honda 750 sidecar rig in the garage.

Vaughn, what most intrigued you about the Can-Am Spyder RT?

The “Y” formation of two wheels in the front and one in the back initially made us take notice.  We also love the Rotax V-twin engine and SM5 manual gear box, not to mention the amount of actual tire contact with the road at any given time, it is easy for people with some physical challenges to adapt to, and the Spyder truly stands apart from the crowd; no one says, “Why didn't you buy a Harley?” 

Cathy loves the design because so much emphasis was placed on the comfort for the passenger, not to mention to the heated hand grips for those chilly days!

In the short time that you have had the Can-Am Spyder RT, what has impressed you most? 

We couldn’t agree more on this one; the fun factor, the comfort and performance are second to none.  People asking “What is that”, and “Where can I get one?” makes us feel special on the road.

We thank Vaughn and Cathy for their time, and look forward to hearing more about their adventures aboard the Can-Am Spyder RT!

Unfortunately, I won't be riding with Fred Rau as planned but, I'll still be riding. I may take off this weekend or I may wait till Monday and ride with BajaRon seeing he said he would ride as far as Oklahoma with me. From there, he would split off and head to Kansas to see his Dad and brother.

All the stars were aligned and I was able to get BRP to hook me up with a hitch to tow my trailer. They then took it one step further and hooked me up with a new BRP RT-622 trailer too. I'm a happy guy now seeing I've been towing a trailer for all my long trips for quite some time. That sucker is pretty big inside and it looks great behind the Can-Am Spyder RT. To check it out more, click here. Plus click here to see an awesome video of it.

The guys at East Tennessee ATV are the ones that helped make this all possible. Not only did they have a good stock of Can-Am Spyder parts, but they had an RT hitch in stock as well. They even gave me their demo trailer for the trip which BRP will be replacing for them. I thought that was pretty cool of them to do that seeing it will be a week or two before they get their replacement trailer.

I worked with Mike on installing the hitch. You do have to remove quite a bit of plastic to get the wiring harness in place but, it wasn't too bad. It's a pretty tight package and you got to give BRP props for offering a trailer package. They are the only motorcycle manufacturer that has an approved trailer and hitch package.

While I was there I had them make a spare key for the Can-Am Spyder RT since I only have the one. That turned out to be harder than we thought. Some of the steps were not that clear and it sure wasn’t as easy as it was on the Spyder RS. After taking a few shots at it, I now have two good working keys.

When I sent the Can-Am Spyder RT back for upgrades I sent the lock barrel with it. The barrel that goes with that RT didn't make it back so Jason robbed the one out of his RT and gave it to me. They really did go out of their way to help me today. I would highly recommend this dealership for sales or service. It's not a big shop but it's a quality shop for sure.

Here's a little video of East Tennessee ATV in Elizabethton

Please be sure to read the more about my trip to Daytona and the Can-Am Spyder at www.spyderlovers.com.

Lamonster – SpyderLovers.com

Insert Video:

Throughout the year, the Spyder Team will be catching up with some key Can-Am Spyder representatives who have some pretty cool, fun and interesting jobs at BRP. With an awesome Daytona Spyder Owner’s Event in the books, we thought we highlight Try Spyder Tour manager Matt Mondek on his day-to-day tasks, upcoming events and the reactions from the consumers that test ride!

 



For a listing of Try Spyder Tour demo stops at a city near you, click here!

If you want to see an interview from a specific BRP representative (designers, engineers, etc.), send us your suggestions!

Ryde Safe,
Spyder Team

For this week’s blog I want to introduce you to a Derrick Evans, who I met at one of the Try Spyder Tour demo rides.  He has no previous riding experience, and his reaction after testing out the Can-Am Spyder RT was priceless!

I watched Derrick from a distance and when he walked up to the tour tent after seeing the roadster his eyes truly lit up!  He was asking BRP representative Kevin a ton of questions about the roadster, and eventually Kevin told him that he could test ride one for himself.

I watched him go through the orientation and then hop onto a RT-S; it was like watching a kid in a candy shop.  I couldn’t help but laugh at his body jester, and when he arrived back from the demo ride he was smiling ear to ear. I realized that this was the perfect time to interview him about his experience.
While watching the interview, keep in mind that Derrick has no previous motorcycle experience and had never seen or heard of the Can-Am Spyder roadster until the demo event.  I believe his life has been forever changed simply by being introduced to the “Y” factor.
Please see below for his post-demo ride interview, and read more about the Can-Am Spyder RT at westcoastspyder.com

Remember “It’s about the Ryde - Not your Destination

It was Saturday morning in beautiful Central Florida, and Black Friday (my RT-S) and I headed for an open house at RideNow Powersports of Ocala; the perfect day to demo a BRP Can-Am Spyder roadster.  I arrived at the dealership around 10:00 a.m. and found they had their two RT-S's, a Timeless Black and an Orbital Blue, ready to be tested out by the eager crowd.  I met Ralph, one of the tour support members who was setting up the demos, and a plan was formed; have fun and enjoy the event!  I love it when a plan comes together, as Ralph took the masses on their dream ride aboard the two new beautiful Spyders while I worked the crowd answering questions. 

There were all kind of activities taking place including best bike awards, best cruiser car, dyno testing, product displays, and an air jumper house for the kids.  While the Can-Am Spyders provided the entertainment for the adults, there were also giveaways, free pizza, and wings from The Wing House of Ocala; served up by the official wing girls.  I figured that since the girls are used to dealing with hot stuff (wings of course), they would fit right in for a photo-op on this "hot ryde;" it was not hard to convince them to climb aboard.  The girls did not need to worry about balancing themselves aboard the RT-S since the Spyder’s thee wheels held up their end of the bargain.  I was also able to jump in for a picture….I know, it’s tough but somebody has to do it!

Throughout the day I must have talked with over one hundred folks about the roadsters, both the RT-S and the RS.  It was great to see a lot of the people that I have met while riding around this part of Central Florida.  Some were from The Villages, whom I met when visiting that area, many came from the evening spent at the car cruiser night, and others from the Christmas Toy Ride.  It was fun to have some people come up and ask if I was the Spyder Guy that was featured in the Ocala Star Banner.  There was a local radio station, WTRS 102.3 and 104.9 FM, with Rob the Man, doing a live remote from the dealership.  I was asked for an interview about my "Ambassador" status, and as always it was easy to flaunt my amazing experiences aboard the new and exciting RT-S.  So I did what I do best, talking about the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of this wonderful way to enjoy the great outdoors.

I talked with many riders that have traveled to New York, my home state, to participate in the Americade bike event that takes place in Lake George.  There were a good dozen that had the opportunity to try the RS last year, both at Americade and Bike Week at Daytona, but have been anxiously awaiting the introduction of the touring model to appear.  Well, their day had come, as they were able to hop on the new RT.  I even met a gentleman that claims to know the famous Fred Rau, one of my fellow RT5 members, who was present at Bike Week in Daytona along with Lamont Bryden from Spyderlovers.com.
 
All in all I believe that it was a great day; minus the sunburn on my face.  Mr. Lyle Kramper, the General Manager at RideNow, did a great job of putting the event together, and the staff did a fantastic job of displaying the fine BRP products that are offered at RideNow Powersports of Ocala.  All the guests seemed to be very excited and happy with all the activities happening throughout the day.  But as with all good things there has to be an end, and at around 4:00 p.m. we wrapped up the day and headed home.

As always, be safe, and think "Y."

After three days of running through bad weather in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, I finally found blue skies and sunshine as I entered the Lone Star State. It’s a bit windy here, but luckily, that’s no problem for the Spyder.

I had connected with a group of local Spyder riders through Lamont’s Spyderlovers website, and made plans to meet up with them today at Wild West Honda/Can-Am, from where they took me on a nice ride through the local backcountry. Afterwards, I returned to Wild West to interview Beau, the sales manager, but as luck would have it, two of his salespeople hadn’t shown up for work that day, and the dealership was swamped with customers (a very good thing).

However, some of the local riders, and Glynn Knight in particular, who had arranged our get-together, had told me at breakfast that morning that one of the main reasons they liked Wild West was because of their head Spyder Tech, a guy named Mike. So, I decided it might make a nice change of pace to talk to one of the few (so far) RT-certified mechanics. As it turns out, I had a nice long chat with Mike, a technician who very obviously takes his job seriously, and is extremely knowledgeable. He spoke candidly of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the new RT, unlike the rah-rah speeches one tends to hear from sales people.


The local riders also told me about an annual BBQ ride coming up, leaving from another local dealership, so I decided to stay an extra day and check it out.
My wife and I have been involved with the Ride For Kids nearly since its inception over 25 years ago. During that time, I have come to recognize certain names of individuals and dealerships that are “Stars” – those that consistently outperform all others, and form the pinnacle of an organization already made up of incredible people. One of those names that I remember is Bob Lunsford Honda in Texas.

So, when I heard that Lunsford was holding the fund-raising barbecue ride (that all of the Spyder owners were talking about) for the RFK on the day after I was to leave the Houston area, I decided to delay my departure for a day and check it out. Boy, am I glad I did! Around 300 bikes showed up at Lunsford’s this morning, including a half-dozen Spyders, and we all rode to “Washington On The Brazos,” a state park created on the location of the first Texas capital – when it was still an independent country.
It was a great ride through the backcountry of Texas, topped off with a fabulous barbecue like you can only find in Texas, and an auction to raise money for the kids. Kudos to Lunsford Honda for a great event, and to the Texas Ride For Kids, which raised over $300,000 last year, and is looking to top it this year.


I’m now headed for Big Bend National Park, to see my friends Paul and Voni Glaves (from the BMW Owners News), on their ranch “in the middle of nowhere” that I’ve heard so much about.

Fred

Today I decided to sit back in my new home in Ocala and reflect on the experience of my first real Bike Week.  It makes for a good day to recount my experience since it has been raining cats and dogs all morning with tornado warnings; a good day to be inside a new home!  Daytona was a great time, especially since I had the opportunity to meet Fred Rau and Lamont Bryden (aka Lamonster) my RT5 co-riders and writers.  They are both great people with tons of knowledge about general riding, and are of course credible sources of information on the Can-Am Spyder roadster.  We had a breakfast meeting with Mr. Chaz Rice, Can-Am Media and Public Relations Manager, his boss Mr. Louis Levesque, Can-Am Marketing Director, Ms. Maude Desjarlais, Can-Am Marketing Coordinator, and Kurt Otteson, Spyder Technician.  The meeting was very informative for all, we chat about upcoming shows and what media marketing of the Spyder will be in the next weeks ahead.  The food wasn't bad either!  We discussed different strategies from both the factory point-of-view, and from the RT5 Ambassador perspective.  Stay tuned, good stuff is forth coming!

Since my last posting, Black Friday, (my RT-S) and I have had the chance to take two laps around the famous Daytona Race Track.  Although we only went approximately 25 to 30 MPH, I thought about how I was joining all of the famous drivers who have ridden on this historic track.  It was an awesome feeling to say the least.  I must confess, the 31 degree bands were calling out for me and the RT-S to come-on-up and run some hot laps; maybe next time.  BRP had made arrangements for all of the Spyder owners that attended the event to ride the track, enjoy the infield entertainment area with some free drinks, and even go home with a real nice tee-shirt.  There were around seventy Can-Am Spyder owners that came to the event, all of whom had the chance to meet all of the great folks from BRP, three of us RT5 guys, hear about upcoming events in the area, as well as attend a Q&A session with the BRP factory reps.  As the photos show, there were smiles all round and a great time was had by all.

  

Jacki and I went back to Bike Week on Saturday, this time as spectators.  We took in all of the sights and sounds as normal event attendees.   As we walked around I took some photos of Spyder owners, some of which I was able to chat with and take their names down.  There were some crazy looking custom bikes and vehicles on hand, including a V8 powered barstool!  Late in the afternoon we packed up and got ready to leave as the displays closing down indicated an end to 2010’s great event.  I was amazed how many people took the time to speak to me about the revolutionary Can-Am Spyder roadster.  I met people from all over the world that had one thing in common; the enjoyment of the outdoors on a machine that will provide pleasure, comfort, and style for its riders.  The thing that most of the people wanted to comment on was the new option of a three-wheeled ride that looked way cool, was aggressive, and made any rider look good!  This is what you get when you hop on and go with the Spyder.

My thoughts are with Fred and Lamont, as they are beginning their cross country tour aboard their RT-S’s.  What a great ride they have ahead of them, and I wish them a safe and enjoyable trip. I want to thank Lamonster for making stickers for each of the RT5 riders so when people see the units they will know its one of us.  It should also make for a great topic of conversation among Spyder enthusiasts and those who are experiencing the roadster for the first time.
 
Old Black Friday worked hard during the past week, as we drove back and forth each day from Ocala to Daytona, a 140 mile round trip.  I would also venture to say that at least 600 people got on and off the unit throughout the week; many sitting and just wanting to enjoy the feel of the machine.  From the electric windshield, large storage areas, and great stereo, the RT-S demonstrated it all like the champion that it is. 

I just received an e-mail from a buddy of mine, Mr. Scott LaValley   He informed me that his new Orbit Blue Spyder RT-S has arrived at Roberts Sport Center in cold northern New York.  They were putting it together and installing the GPS, and he is now waiting for warmer weather to enjoy the new ride.  I told him to bring his RT-S to Florida and we will do some riding together since the normal Florida warmth should be returning soon!
 
Well another week has passed and is now in the rear view mirror.  Each turn of the road brings new friends, new experiences, and new adventures. 

Be safe, and think "Y."

I left Daytona and detoured a couple of hundred miles south to visit an old friend, Andy Pargh.  Andy was formerly with Texas Instruments and Panasonic, among other electronics companies, but is probably best-known for his stint on NBC TV as "The Gadget Guru." We met about 15 years ago during a Kawasaki press intro. Also, I was a guest on his segment of the Today Show that was about new motorcycles. We've kept in touch over the years, as Andy is another motorcycle nut like me, but we hadn't met in person for over 10 years.

Andy is retired now, but as a "hobby," he runs two popular internet motorcycling sites, "The VOG" (WWW.theVOG.net) for Victory owners, and "IRyde" (www.IRYDE.net), a new site featuring the Can-Am Spyder RT.

When Andy first heard of my involvement with the Spyder RT, he contacted me with tons of questions. To make a long story short, he ended up purchasing one of the very first, Premiere Edition 326 for himself. Since then, he has become a devoted Can-Am Spyder fan, and following is my interview with him about how all that came about, at his home in southern Florida.

Fred

Last weekend I rode up to the Los Angeles Boat Show to meet up with some fellow West Coast Spyder Ryders and help support the east coast Try Spyder Tour Team.  They happened to be on the west coast, and were getting ready to move east for the start of the 2010 tour.

I got to speak with Matt Mondek, who is the east coast team leader, as well as the Southern California BRP representative, Kevin McPherson.  Matt and Kevin were a pleasure to chat with; as are all the team members who share the same passion for the Can-Am Spyder roadster.

When I arrived at the show with my buddy Art we were greeted by some WCS members that had come all the way from Santa Barbra just to support the demo team.  Art had invited Bill, a new Premiere Edition RT-S owner that had his Can-Am Spyder RT for only one week but had already tacked on over 300 miles to the roadster. Bill has not had the chance to read the owner’s manual, but he has the integrated iPod hookup and I was dying to see what it looked like!

He said it was still in the box and was unsure how to set it up.  Well, being the helpful group that we are, we took over his bike (with his permission of course!) and began to unpack the iPod.  We grabbed the connection wires and hooked it up, turned on the Can-Am Spyder RT, and walked Bill through the screen and functions from the command center.

Since Bill did not have any songs on his iPod, we plugged in Kathy’s and cranked up the volume to see what it sounded like before giving him a tutorial on the controls.

We had lunch at the ESPN Bar and Grill about two blocks away; good food but Los Angeles prices! On my return I did an interview with Bill who could not get the ear-to-ear smile off his face!

Be on the lookout next week when I introduce a man named Derrick who I met at one of the demo rides.  He has no previous riding experience, and his reaction after testing out the Can-Am Spyder RT was priceless!

Read more about the Can Am Spyder Roadster RT at westcoastspyder.com
Remember “It’s about the Ryde - Not your Destination.”

 

Greetings Spyder Ryders!  The RT5 ambassadors are back for 2010. They’ve completed their first month of riding and we received some great content and videos. Check out February’s highlights from our RT5 ambassadors!