Crashing The Party At Can-Am’s F3 Launch
Can-Am recognizes that a significant number of its buyers are not motorcyclists adding a wheel, but outdoor-adventure people subtracting a wheel, and looking for an open-air experience. The F3 can be a sedate, stable touring platform that just plain won’t fall over, or it can be ridden in a sporting manner that results in much fun. We’re not lying. ~ Cycle World
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]an-Am has quietly carved out a new market niche for itself and the motorcycle media is finally admitting it after seven years and more than 100,000 Spyders sold to an ever growing legion of fans. Last fall MPN crashed the party when the mainstream moto-press were introduced to the F3-T (touring) and F3 Limited Edition 2016 Spyders were launched.
Believing the best way to get editors to understand what the Spyder is means butts in seats and a long ride through Southern California foothills. Our demo units came straight from the Can-Am dealer meeting in Nashville where 2,300 dealers from around the globe had just seen the new models for the very first time.
The butts in seats approach worked! Count us in among the folks who have experienced the Spyder difference. After a full day in the saddle traveling from Pasadena out to Wrightwood and the desert beyond for the press ride and photo sessions, we then rode the unit home for a 300-mile day.
We will leave the road-testing comments to the consumer media types and focus on the niche marketing message instead, but we can endorse the positive comments made by the experts in publications ranging from Cycle World to Ultimate Motorcycling.
It isn’t just magazine hacks who are getting caught in the Spyder’s web. The F3 roadster won four major across three different continents, including a red dot, Good Design, Good Design Australia and Good Design Japan honors. Of particular note, the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards competition based in Germany receives more than 17,000 entries each year from all over the world.
While not every rider will be attracted to anything with more than two wheels, the Can-Am has found its place in motorcycling and its buyers, for many reasons, are committed to and enthusiastic with the brand. ~ Ultimate Motorcycling
So who buys a Spyder? “Motorcyclists are still the greatest percentage of buyers,” notes Brian Manning, BRP/Can-Am Spyder public relations go-to guy. However more than 25% of Spyder riders are classified as “new entrants” to the market. “They are not powersports enthusiasts, per se, but they like to play outside,” Manning explains. “They don’t compare the Spyder experience to either a motorcycle or car.” RT buyers especially make up this new market… interestingly it is older empty nesters as much as millennials who make up the new rider mix Can-Am is bringing into the market.
Percentage of sales for the F3 is currently 20% of the total (bulk of the sales are still for the RT), but Can-Am expects F3 sales to shift to 30%-40% after this year.
The short of it: You don’t have to wait until a certain age to get grinning on a Can-Am. Really. It’s an outdoor, interactive riding experience that’s fun – a road-legal snowmobile on tires, if you will.
~ Cycle World
