In 2023, the Canadian powersports giant Bombardier Recreational Products will be celebrating the 50th birthday of their brand Can-Am by launching a range of brand new two wheelers. Yep, that’s right, Can-Am are building bikes again. They will all be electric, though.
I know it seems like all we ever talk about these days is electric motorbikes. I suppose that’s just the world we live in. Anyway, last week, Can-Am released a little teaser video (below), giving us a glimpse of what’s to come. And it looks like there’s going to be a range of four new bikes; all electric, with a street naked, a cruiser style bike, an adventure bike and a slightly sportier looking one.
Recent patents filed by Can-Am suggest that the four models will share similar motors and the same main frame, but have slightly different front ends, subframes, etc. to give each bike it’s own character. Fairly standard stuff there, really.
Tease me
What is fairly cool, is the final drive. Rather than a belt drive (commonplace on EV bikes), this new Can-Am range all appear to be chain driven. But the chain is enclosed inside a sealed swingarm. I know what you’re thinking… how are you going to oil it and how are you going to adjust it? Well there shouldn’t be a lot of need to, because there’s a built-in tensioner and the chain runs through an oil bath to keep it lubricated.
Other than scant details gleaned from Can-Am patents, we don’t really know a lot about these new E-motorcycles, though. What we do know is that they’re not likely to be in showrooms until 2024.
Jose Boisjoli, President and CEO of Bombardier Recreational Products, said:
“With the motorcycle industry shifting to electric, we saw an opportunity to reclaim our motorcycle heritage and to re-enter the market. This new product category is extremely important to us, and we are thrilled that Can-Am motorcycles are the first EV models in BRP’s electric line-up to be confirmed to consumers. Many of us have very fond memories of riding the early dirt bike models, and now we look forward to building on the rich history of the Can-Am brand to inspire and impress a new generation of motorcyclists and electric vehicle enthusiasts.”
Watch this space.
2 responses
I was excited for about 2 seconds and then I saw the electric nonsense. Hard, hard pass.
“With the motorcycle industry shifting to electric”? Really? Are they aware that the overwhelming majority of 2 wheel enthusiasts want nothing to do with electric motorcycles?
Get them built and on sale.