Can Am vs. Goldwing

[bustedwing]

Test rode one and one thing I noticed, when upshifting you roll off the throttle , push a button to change the gear, thej roll back onto the throttle. But the engine does not drop rpm whej you shift so you get a surge in the drive train every time you upshift. To me that is hard on equipment and sooner or later it will cause something to break. Also, there are a lot of moving parts in the steering system and the only place you can find them is the dealerships that dont exist and of course are very expensive. Chazzman is a voice of experience, drop the Can Am, enjoy the Gold Wing.

 

[427dave]

We had 3 in our club buy Can-ams. 2 were spiders and 1 RT. They no longer have them, now they have 2 Triglides and 1 converted Honda. We are only about 25 miles from a Can-am dealer. Their big complaints were service cost, poor gas mileage, dealer always had to order the parts, and the older guys did NOT like the way the spider rode like a croch rocket. One of the guys even made floorboards for his and cut the handlebars and welded on extensions so he could sit upright. Then he sold it and bought a Harley. He could not get much on trade either.

 

[rmrc51]

I'd imagine that after all of these posts regarding the Can-Am, it's quite clear that the GoldWing is a no-brainer as the best choice in this situation.

 

[Stephen]

I'd imagine that after all of these posts regarding the Can-Am, it's quite clear that the GoldWing is a no-brainer as the best choice in this situation.

Yup...

 

[Shimpy]

After reading all these posts, I'm surprised they are still in business. What will they be worth when they aren't?
Just today I was parked next to one and watched a woman get on it and it made a very loud squeal while backing out of her space.

 

[austinbl]

to go on a long haul the wing will win hands down. the goldwing has far less maintenance thou i'm suprised at no warranty. I have a lehman kit on my wing and it has a 5 yrs worth. my mate and I have done a couple of long hauls (for us anyway 2400 miles each) and the wing performed wonderfully.:GL1800:

 

[oldbear]

I rode a couple RT CanAm's before I bought my Wing (and 18 months before i converted it to a Roadsmith!!) I found the RT to be extremely "twitchy" steering wise. Also, build quality seemed pretty poor (seat covers wrinkled, poor fit/finish on bodywork, etc.) I really wanted to "like" 'em, but they just didn't do it for me. After reading about the numerous problems folks have had, primarily with the electronics, and very poor fuel economy, I went with the Wing and have never looked back. I added my Roadsmith kit this summer and am EXTREMELY pleased with it. There is NO comparison between the ride of a Wing trike and a Spyder.

 

[bodymanpainter]

Everyone is giving you good advice as I had a pair of the Can Am Spyders
an RTS and a GS and the maintenance will put you in the poor house and
they are not dependable at all and no dealers that can fix them right.
I had so much trouble with my RTS that after 4 months of owning it and
6 weeks of that it was in the shop for repairs I was fed up and the dealer
said if I would buy a new bike from them they would give me all my money
back for the RTS so I bailed and 2 weeks later got rid of the GS also.
They are a lot of fun to ride when they are running good but they just don't
run that good often and yes the first oil change and service was 300+ for each
bike and the other services were even more upwards toward 500 to 600
dollars. Do yourself a favor and get the Goldwing!

 

[bigbob]

From a guy that "HAD" a spyder RT get the Goldwing

 

[John Luciano]

JMHO ... I never owned one, I am sure there are people that love theirs , I am sure some will argue with all the bad press that we have heard. As I said my HO
Snowmobiles are ment to be driven as recreational vehicles. Around here it would be weekends, 500 to 2,000 miles a year. Just like a small 60 HP 14 foot speed boat. I would not want to take it From NY to Fla. soo since the Spyder is basically a snowmobile with tires in front in place of skis and a tire on back in place of a belt . I feel you are Trying to run a Snowmobile on the highway for many miles more than it should be run. JMHO.

 

[msocko3]

to go on a long haul the wing will win hands down. the goldwing has far less maintenance thou i'm suprised at no warranty. I have a lehman kit on my wing and it has a 5 yrs worth. my mate and I have done a couple of long hauls (for us anyway 2400 miles each) and the wing performed wonderfully.:GL1800:

The dealer you purchased the Wing from may be willing to warranty it with a trike kit installed, Honda will not. There is no manufacturer that I know of who will warranty a motorcycle that has been converted into a trike.

 

[A WINGER]

I went thru the same decision process...Can vs GW last spring. As you can see my choice, the reasoning was as stated above. I was also concerned about cargo/people capacity. Combine that with engine and reliability, my decision was easy to make. There are a lot of GWs out there with hundreds of thousands of miles. Do you think the Can Am can compare?
I love my Hannigan conversion. I considered the Motor Trike and Roadmaster.
Good luck if you go Can Am. Luck isnt a factor with the GW
A

 

[Chazzman]

Everyone is giving you good advice as I had a pair of the Can Am Spyders
an RTS and a GS and the maintenance will put you in the poor house and
they are not dependable at all and no dealers that can fix them right.
I had so much trouble with my RTS that after 4 months of owning it and
6 weeks of that it was in the shop for repairs I was fed up and the dealer
said if I would buy a new bike from them they would give me all my money
back for the RTS so I bailed and 2 weeks later got rid of the GS also.
They are a lot of fun to ride when they are running good but they just don't
run that good often and yes the first oil change and service was 300+ for each
bike and the other services were even more upwards toward 500 to 600
dollars. Do yourself a favor and get the Goldwing!

Well stated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TUSK]

I agree with Rhino2.... After 22 months of gliches and dependabilty problems and dealing with a completely perplexed dealer I decided enough was enough and traded with another dealer for a HD TriGlide

The Can-Am is so loaded with features that you will be hard pressed to find a mechanic that can pin point the problem and if and when they do you will wait and wait and wait on replacement parts

 

[Chazzman]

Congraluations on the Tri-Glide, that is one beautiful bike. I rode a 2013 blue and silver the paint was unbelievable. I have a lower back issue and having my legs too forward is an issue.

I ended with with a 2012 GL 1800 with a Hannigan...

 

[BlueTrinity]

Word to the wise...

Ride the Spyder before you decide !

 

[bikerbillone]

I too was facing that very problem. I looked, I touched, inspected, talked with CamAm owners. One friend, a 2008 Wing owner, traded for a new Spyder, hated every minute of it, back and forth to the dealer for fixes only to find another and another. He finally gave up, traded the thing for a 2012 Wing. not flaming the CanAm, just sayin' my experience from research. I'm RoadSmithing with my 2005 WhiteWing.

 

[rmrc51]

I'm RoadSmithing with my 2005 WhiteWing.

Take it from another 05 Wing/Roadsmith owner. You're gonna love it! ThumbUp

 

[FRR]

Answer... the Wing.... hands down....no discussion

 

[rvance]

The original poster hasn't replied to any of this. Maybe he gave up on getting a trike after all?

 

[rjmar55]

I have a friend that has a wing and it is awesome, it peels out on dead pavement get the wing you will like the power

 

[rhino 2]

I looked hard at the can-am , way too odd looking for me but the klinker was the fuel milage 26 is the best they can do at speeds over 55 MPH. The Wing is the way to go for sure or the Tri Glide.

Being the Devils Advocate here, The spider Gs/Rs will get 32/35 mpg at 65/70.
I had one for 3 years, Now if your looking for ''reliability'', go with the Wing or Tri.

 

[carbco]

Have a '10 GL1800 with a CSC CobraXL kit and just love it. Looked carefully at the CanAm's with the SE5 auto before I bought the Honda and didn't like the seating position on the Can Am. Have post Polio and needed an electric shift so I installed a Pingle Electric shifter on my Honda and couldn't be happier. No issues with the CSC kit whatever. Three year warranty on the CSC kit and got the extended warranty on the Honda part of the trike. Called Honda and yes they do warranty a trike but only on the Honda part of the conversion. Can't see much going wrong with the rear differential or axles? Have only modified the driveshaft as some were having troubles with the rubber coupler on the driveshaft. I went with the Mtn. Trike CV coupler to replace the rubber coupler on the driveshaft.

CSC has been very helpful with any concerns that I've had re their kit. It's really a smooth riding trike and I researched all the trike kits and am really pleased with my choice. I've been getting 38-41 mpgs from my Goldwing since I purchased it in Nov. of 2011. Now have 7000 miles on it and couldn't be happier. All a Honda needs is fuel and oil changes and no hassle with getting parts as they rarely need any. If you decide to pull a trailer even the ones CanAm sells it seems the Spyder would be underpowered. GL's have lots of torque which is really important when pulling any weight. Love my trike. Hope this helps and good luck with your decision. :GL1800:

 

[OlManRivh]

One thing to consider about these trikes with the 2 wheels upfront is that they have to be constantly aligned. If not the front tire wear is a problem. This takes a place with the proper equipment and knowledge.

 

[manttila]

For the average rider with good physical upper body strength the Goldwing is probably the best bet. In my case I have had my left wrist partially fused and the right one should be done. Have no problems riding either of my 3, 2 wheel bikes but I love the Silver Wing SC600 automatic. Minimizes what pain I do have.

I did take a very nice well maintained 2002 GL1800 with a 4.5 degree rake for a ride today. Between the pushing and pulling needed in turns plus some vibration in the grips (not sure why), I was not comfortable. My wrists hurt more than normal.

I did take a spyder for a ride when they first came out but did not like the seating position. Hope to take an RT for a test ride in the next week or two.

For me I assume the Spyder would be better for the wrists.

Any comnments on 4.5 versus 6 degree rake differences.

Thanks,

 

[FRR]

When I bought my trike this year, I looked at all of them that I could find! I looked at the Can Ams. They were pretty slick (the ones that were loaded). But really, there's no comparison, in my humble opinion, when comparing a Can Am to a Honda Goldwing! 2 cylinders versus 6. And yes, I kept hearing about people who have problems when they need service. I already went through that with a "foreign made" scooter!! Never again! Hondas are very reliable but when you need a dealership, they are easy to find! The real turnoff for me was reading the Can Am owner's manual online. They kept referring to the possibility of "rollovers".

I love my Goldwing!

MarciaG

I'm with you Marcia. There is just no substitute for the Goldwing. No problems with engine size, heat, RELIABILITY and great features. There are some folks at Milford Steak and Lube on Wednesdays that love there Spiders, but service is very costly, parts are a problem sometimes, and gas mileage is not that great.

 

[cooltech]

All the best on your decision. I jsut bought my Goldwing 2wks ago and love it. I did look at Can Am but only the pics. I also considered a Harley which I almost went with.features and best deal came down to the Goldwing for me. Ride each that your considering and compare features to what you want to have when on a day trip.
cooltech

 

[michbiker1]

I have owned both a Goldwing, 2006 and 2012. I also owned a 2011 Can Am Spyder RT. Loved both of my Goldwings and will be picking up my 2012 Wing tomorrow after having a Hannigan Trike kit added. After my experience with the Spyder, you couldn't give me another one. I had nothing but trouble with the Spyder. It got terrible fuel millage and the book states that you had to use hi test in it. It also was very "darty" and hard to handle on the rode. If you were hit by a side wind you better be ready. It would be in the next lane before you new it. Watch your right foot. The bike has a tendency to burn your right foot.

 

[Lakeman]

BRP sux!

 

[Bill Reber]

Some day they will be better ,just takes time :xszpv: