Company:Can-Am motorcycles

From HandWiki
Can-Am Motorcycles
Headquarters
Valcourt
,
Canada
ProductsMotorcycles
ParentBombardier Corporation
Websitecan-am.brp.com/us/en/
Can-Am Spyder ST, model 2013

Can-Am is a Canadian subsidiary of Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) founded in 1972 and based in Valcourt, Quebec.[1][2] The company produced off-road motorcycles from 1972 to 1987. In 1997, the company was reformed and began production of ATV vehicles as well as the Can-Am Spyder three-wheeled motorcycle. In 2024 Can-Am released two new electric motorcycle models.[3]

History

Brand history

Can-Am was created as a subsidiary of the Bombardier Corporation in 1972.[4] The barn that housed the original Can-Am headquarters still exists at the Bombardier test facility within the Circuit Yvon Duhamel and is located a few miles south of Valcourt, Quebec.[1] The right side of the barn housed the offices for design and engineering, and the left side was used for fabrication.[2] Can-Am's name was the result of a Bombardier employee competition based on the anticipated Canadian vs. American market, though the existence of the Can-Am racing series necessitated the purchase of rights to the name.[2]

Based on the Bultaco design principle of a standard-size frame that could accommodate a range of differently sized engines, engineers Gary Robison, Bob Fisher, and Camille Picard, and former 500cc Motocross World Champion Jeff Smith designed a competition motorcycle from scratch using engines supplied by the Austrian firm, Rotax, another Bombardier subsidiary.[1][5] Their design featured steering head bearing cups that allowed for the adjustment of the steering head angle; these were mainly driven by simplified production on the assembly line.[2]

The machines made an immediate impact, with riders winning Gold, Silver and bronze medals at the International Six Days Trial.[1] The International Six Days Trial, now known as the International Six Days Enduro, is a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics which is the oldest annual competition sanctioned by the FIM dating back to 1913.[6]

In 1974, the Can-Am factory racing team swept the AMA 250cc motocross national championship with Can-Am riders Gary Jones, Marty Tripes and Jimmy Ellis, finishing first, second and third in the championship although, Tripes had raced for most of the season on a Husqvarna motorcycle before being hired by Can-Am for the last race of the season.[4][7][8][9]

Can-Am enduro rider Skip Olson finished second to Dick Burleson in the 1976 AMA Enduro national championship.[10] Can-Am's motorcycle racing success enhanced the brand's image and they gained a reputation for their high horsepower outputs.[4][11] In 1983, Can-Am released a 250 cc road racing motorcycle. Using two 125 cc Rotax motors with a conjoined crankshaft, the motorcycle featured a bespoke frame with an aluminum swingarm.[2]

When the 1973 oil crisis precipitated a decrease in sales of recreational vehicles, Bombardier was forced to reduce their snowmobile and motorcycle production.[12] Bombardier then shifted its priority from recreational products towards the transit equipment industry and then, several years later, into aircraft manufacturing.[12] As a result, investments in product development were reduced substantially and, Can-Am was unable to keep pace with Japanese manufacturers as rapid advancements in motocross technology progressed during the 1970s and 1980s.[12][13] In 1983, Bombardier licensed the brand and outsourced development and production of the Can-Am motorcycles to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles of Lancashire, England.[4][13] 1987 was the final year of Can-Am motorcycle production.[1][4]

Rebirth and rebranding

In 2006, Bombardier reintroduced the Can-Am brand with its Can-Am Off-Road range of all-terrain vehicles (ATV). In 2007, the Can-Am brand was also used for the Can-Am Spyder, a new three-wheeled roadster.

After 35 years of no two-wheeled vehicles in production, Can-Am announced in March of 2022 that two new models of electric motorcycles would be released. The two motorcycles being the Can-Am Pulse, an electric, naked-styled commuter, and the Origin, an electric adventure bike.[3] They began production in 2024 and were released for the 2025 model year with two trim levels each.[14] 2026 saw a continued production of the two motorcycles with a reduced price, with the high price being the most consistent complaint for the previous model year.[15]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "History of Can-Am®" (in en). 2019-02-21. https://www.familypowersports.com/blog/history-of-can-am--20907. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "The Beginning" (in en-GB). https://www.canned-ham.com/the-beginning/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Canada’s BRP Adds Two Electric Motorcycles To Can-Am’s Offerings" (in en-US). https://www.forbes.com/sites/billroberson/2024/08/31/canadas-brp-adds-two-electric-motorcycles-to-can-ams-offerings/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Can-Am's history". cyclenews.com. https://www.cyclenews.com/2020/04/article/archives-can-ams-history/. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  5. ↑ "Bike Design". canned-ham.com. https://www.canned-ham.com/bike-design/. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  6. ↑ "History of the International Six Days Trial". ultimatemotorcycling.com. 25 October 2010. https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2010/10/25/international-six-days-enduro-an-fim-history/. Retrieved 22 February 2019. 
  7. ↑ "Jeff Smith at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. http://hof.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=272. Retrieved 2 April 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Gary Jones at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. http://hof.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=204. Retrieved 2 April 2012. 
  9. ↑ "1974 Motocross Season". racerxonline.com. https://vault.racerxonline.com/1974/mx/intro. Retrieved 23 November 2018. 
  10. ↑ Assoc, American Motorcyclist (January 1977). Familiar Faces Fill the Forest, American Motorcyclist, January 1977, Vol. 31, No. 1, ISSN 0277-9358. https://books.google.com/books?id=z_gDAAAAMBAJ&dq=carl+cranke+penton&pg=PA26. Retrieved 2013-03-05. 
  11. ↑ "BRP Returns To Two-Wheelers With The Can-Am Electric Motorcycle" (in en-US). 2022-03-25. https://motoress.com/news/brp-returns-to-two-wheelers-with-the-can-am-electric-motorcycle/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Bombardier: Our history". bombardier.com. https://bombardier.com/en/who-we-are/our-history. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "The Demise of Can-Am". canned-ham.com. https://www.canned-ham.com/the-demise-of-can-am/. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  14. ↑ "Can-Am Announces The Launch Of Its Pulse And Origin Electric Motorcycles - Canadian Manufacturing" (in en-US). 2024-08-21. https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/manufacturing/can-am-announces-the-launch-of-its-pulse-and-origin-electric-motorcycles-302227/. 
  15. ↑ Staff, The (2025-08-19). "Major Price Drop on 2026 Can-Am Electric Motorcycles, Plus Spyder Updates" (in en-US). https://ridermagazine.com/2025/08/19/major-price-drop-on-2026-can-am-electric-motorcycles-plus-spyder-updates/. 



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Company:Can-Am_motorcycles&oldid=4282307"