Can-Am | Spyder Ryder

Vinnie Morgan, Clayton , NC
“Spyder3Rdr”
Spyder # 90

1. Tell us about what you do for a living?
I work as a sheet metal craftsman/carpenter for a construction company, traveling all over the mid-Atlantic region.

2. Tell us about your motorcycle background?
I have loved motorcycles all my life and rode most of it, I raced ATV’s for 20 years …I was 2 time “MX” track champion and 2 time “TT” track champion and multi-event winner in Quad Wars at Monster Jam truck shows !

3. Do you own any other recreational products?
I have a radio controlled collection of motorcycles, a nitro 250R quad (replica of my quad), a battery CR250R and a Honda CBR 1000

4. When and where did you first hear about the Spyder roadster?
I found the Spyder website a few days after it was started and was anxiously waiting for a chance to own a Premiere Edition! The first thing I thought when I saw it on the Internet was I must have it!!!

5. When did you first ride the Spyder roadster?
I enjoyed my demo ryde in early May 07 in Richmond,  VA. I was excited to finally see the Spyder in person, it was sleek and sexy and I was ecstatic when I got to ride, I was “Bit” and had to be an owner! I made my deposit right after the demo!

6. What is a normal reaction you get from onlookers?
Most people have a bewildered look on their face when I ride by them

7. How did you select the color of your Spyder?
Silver is my favorite color…so the Full Moon was an easy choice!

8. Where do you plan to ride your Spyder roadster this summer?
I plan to ryde Anjyl in many community/charitable events as well as “joy ride”.

9. Tell us about any Owner’s events that you may have attended? Do you plan on attending any future events?
I hope to be able to enjoy local owners events and help with local demo rides

Well, it wouldn’t be a South Central demo tour without a little rain, but thankfully it held off for most of the week, and the Spyder team held two great events in Georgia at Polaris America of Statesboro and Extreme Powersports in Columbus!

Before the event, Statesboro dealer, Mike Wallace, allowed the Spyder team to use his lot to perform maintenance checks on this fleet of Spyders. It takes almost an entire day for Spyder Tech, Steve Schmitt, to check the vitals on every Spyder to ensure that each and every ride is perfect. The dealer was more than excited to pack his showroom with all of the Spyders – he sure got some attention!

After a great time in Statesboro, the South Central team cruised into Columbus, GA for the weekend. Without showing any exhaustion from the travel, crew member Ryan Cole got to show off his Spyder knowledge on the set of ABC 9 News in Columbus during the early 6:00 am news. Ryan reported live from behind the desk about the Spyder Demo event at Extreme Powersports.

In all, it was a very busy weekend. The South Central crew gave over 130 rides in Columbus - all in a state that has had the Spyder available for only 26 days!

Next stop for the South Central crew is Champion Window Field at the Florence Freedom Ball Park in Florence, Kentucky this weekend, May 2nd and 3rd.  Stop by if you’re in the area and check out the Spyder!
      

My name is Rock Potvin and I am the Leader of Assembly Group on the Spyder production line. I’ve been at BRP for almost 14 years now.

About me: On my time off I like to read (mostly fantasy -- J.K Rowlings is a favorite), work on computers, be outdoors and support the Montreal Canadiens! My dream is to one day own a Lamborghini, but I also have a crush on the Spyder. The thing is, I have a passion for motorcycles, but I do not feel confident on two wheels. I think Spyder is ideal for me.

My Job: Just like a Lamborghini Murcielago my day feels like it goes 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds! By the time it takes you to finish this blog entry we might have finished one step of the line process. We have 6 minutes and 15 seconds to perform each task.

As a team leader I oversee a team of 9 workers. Workers within each group rotate jobs about every week so that the job does not become routine. Every employee is required know each job within their group. 

The most challenging part of my job is the responsibility. I am accountable for every aspect of my group. I have to know all nine jobs perfectly. If someone is sick and can’t make it to work it would take an entire day to teach a new person! 

I enjoy working with the Spyder because I started from the beginning – what you start with becomes your baby. I look at the Spyder as our future and I am fortunate to be a part of it. It’s challenging but at the end of the day when the line assembles our goal we all have a great sense of accomplishment!

I’m finished writing – we just assembled your handlebars! Go Canadiens!!

-Rock Potvin

Hello Spyder enthusiasts! The East Coast Spyder Team has have been having a fantastic time cruising around Florida and now we’re in Alabama. The Spyder grabbed lots of attention at Bike Fest in Plant City, Florida. The roadsters truly stole the show! By the end of the night we were all hoarse after chatting about the Spyder for hours.

After Plant City we headed to St. Augustine and then Panama City, Florida. We saw many bikers during the trip. I’m sure all you enthusiasts can relate to motorcyclists staring at you at a stoplight…some call it competition…we call it Spyder envy.

In Panama City we set a record for the number of Spyder demos on a weekday, finishing with 112 rides. The turnout was outstanding—people were lined up all day to ride the Spyder!

Thursday we had a great event in Semmes, AL where we set up at the Mobile Fairgrounds. Our next stop is Big #1 Powersports in Birmingham on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. If you’re in the area, stop by to see us and try out the Spyder! Check back soon for more photos from the tour.

The latest pictures are from Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Good morning, my name is Martin Gauthier and I am the Special Projects Manager for the Can-Am Spyder production line. I have been with BRP for the past 14 years and worked on Spyder specifically for the last 2 years. Prior to BRP, I worked as a Supervisor in Québec building naval ships.

Like any native of Québec I am a strong supporter of the Montréal Canadiens! I am a big fan of soccer, softball and motorsports. I took up motorcycling about three years ago and have put many miles on my Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak!

I started working on the Spyder project from the beginning and it has been very rewarding to see all of the planning come together and the line now working at full capacity.

A typical work day for me starts at 7 in the morning and ends at 3:30 in the afternoon, with a half hour lunch when the line breaks at noon. As the Project Manager I lead the entire assembly team made up of 3 supervisors, 13 team leaders and 120 line workers. We have an outstanding team of Canada’s best and most experienced workers. In fact, the workers are trained to do every job on the line so that each worker knows the entire process. My job is to do whatever it takes to make sure the line runs smoothly!

Much of your Spyder is actually manufactured on a sub-assembly line. This means that parts of the Spyder are put together in a different area of our state-of-the-art production facility and then added to the frame. In fact, 67% of the Spyder parts are made in sub assembly while 33% of the roadster is actually assembled on the line.

Once the sub-assembly process is complete, the parts integrate into the assembly line. When the line is running at full capacity, it takes about 3 hours to assemble a Spyder from start to finish. I’ll take you through some of the highlights of the process:

• First, the frame is assembled—the skeleton of your Spyder
• Next, the brake system is added to the chassis and the wheels are secured
• We then install the Rotax engine we all love so much—the heart of your roadster; we also add the smooth 5-speed gearbox
• At the end of the assembly line, the vehicle stops at the fit and finish station; this is where all of the aesthetics of your Spyder’s body are checked
• Each Spyder then goes through a testing chamber that performs dyno tests to all systems to ensure optimal performance. In other words, we check the nervous system so each Spyder is ready to hit the open road!
• Finally, each Spyder is put into a crate for shipping to authorized Can-Am Spyder dealers

Back to the line for me, but next week, Rock Potvin, Leader of Assembly Group, will take over and explain the different functions of the assembly line team.

-Martin Gauthier

Trying to keep up with the West Coast Try Spyder Demo Team is quite the challenge. The team has logged serious miles over the past few weeks, 3,236 to be exact! The tour traveled from the Arizona desert for Bike Week to South Texas. Just last weekend the team was in South Padre Island for the Bike-n-Beach Fest sponsored by C&C Powersports out of Harlingen, TX.

While on the road, the demo team really enjoys taking some time checking out the local sites. They always keep a camera handy and as we all know, the Spyder isn’t camera shy!

The West Coast Demo Team is off again to San Antonio, TX where they will stop at Joe Harrison Motorsports for a demo event at the Cowboys Dance hall Friday, April 18th and Saturday, April. Catch the team while you can!

I first heard of the Spyder on the Iron Butt Forum. Another member mentioned it and I looked it up on the web.  When I saw the Spyder I knew I had to have one so I placed an order the next day with a dealer in Pensacola, Florida.

I couldn’t wait any longer, so I purchased one off the internet in September 2007 from a dealer in Tampa, Florida - someone on the forum said one had hit ebay with a Buy It Now figure of $17,900. I immediately paid the price and took delivery the next day.  I picked it up in Tampa, rode it to Key West and returned to Tampa for service then rode it home to Alabama.  I put 1,400 miles on it in the first four days!

I have three other two wheel bikes - a Yamaha R6, an FJR and a Harley V-rod – and now with the Spyder I think my family is glad to see me ride something I can't drop!

Details of the ride
In 2006 I rode the V-rod to Pikes Peak and did my first Iron Butt ride on that trip.  That was 1,000 miles in 24 hours.  I also did the 1,500 miles in 36 hours but have not certified it.  That trip was 3,600 miles including a trip to Sturgis during Bike Week there.  That was when I decided that I wanted to do the 50cc (Coast to Coast in under 50 hours).  The V-Rod is not great for that kind of riding, so I ordered an FJR.  I truly love the FJR, but it is a little too high for me as I have to stand on my tip toes when stopped.  I rode it on a 1,500 mile rally and was dead tired at the end and guess the stress of not dropping it got to me.

The Iron Butt Association had its annual meeting in Jacksonville, Florida on March 7, 2008.  I knew that Mr. Kneebone, the president of the association, would be there and I wanted him to sign my witness form for the start of the ride. I rode my Spyder Interstate 10 all the way except for a short stretch of Interstate 8 when I got to California. I was the only person on the ride. I saw one other Spyder during the ride and that was another Iron Butt member who was in attendance at the Jacksonville meeting.
I could have paid for my trip if I had charged gawkers for taking photos of the bike!

One of the many things I remember about the trip is when I was in West Texas during the dark of the night, and along the side of the road I could see deer grazing.  It was a real source of worry but they seemed perfectly content to keep off the pavement.  But suddenly there was one in the highway that had been struck by an auto and I hit it with my right front wheel.  While it gave me a bit of a jolt, but the Spyder suspension handled it in a very well!

The bike has a tendency to want to move. In West Texas the speed limit is 80 - I think - during the day but 65 at night. I caught up with a State Trooper about 3AM because I had been doing the daylight limit. I slowed to 65 to pass him and he blue lighted me.  I said hey I was only doing 65 when I passed you and he said I have seen you in my rear view mirror for the last 30 minutes.  I had no defense, but he liked the cycle so much he only gave me a warning!  I think he was a bit taken aback when he check my driver’s license and realized that I was 75 years old.

I really like the Spyder and am very glad that it will extend my motorcycle riding several years when I get older!

-Ray Brannum

Last weekend, the South Central Demo Team stopped in Rock Hill, SC, and got soaked!

The Spyder team pulled up to Alpha Motorsports, where people were anxious for the team to get the Spyders off the truck so they could take them for a ride! The group left the shop with a steady drizzle, but once on the open road, the skies just opened up!

Luckily, the group arrived back at the dealership just in time to avoid the monsoon that eventually hit that night.

And the rain continued! It rained all night Friday….AND all day Saturday when the group was setting up the demo site. Thankfully the guys looked sharp in their rain gear!

Many riders eager to demo ride the Spyder came out on Saturday in the rain and then returned Sunday for a ride on dry pavement.

Sunday was an incredible day as riders from as far as two hours away came to try the Spyder. Many smiles and many "That's so cool!" were heard around the site.

In South Carolina, the law requires only a motor vehicle license to ride the Spyder. That allowed many first time riders to experience the Spyder!

The South Central Demo Team is hopeful for dry weather when they head to their next stop in Cornelius, NC, April 11 through Sunday, April, 13 from 10am to 5pm at Lake Norman Powersports – 19335 H M Junker Dr!