 Irving Oil station downtown Hanover NH | |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
|---|---|
| Products | Motorcycles |
| Parent | Bombardier Corporation |
| Website | can-am |
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.
Can-Am was created as a subsidiary of the Bombardier Corporation in 1972. [3] 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 seasoned motorcycle racer Jeff Smith designed a competition motorcycle from scratch using engines supplied by the Austrian firm, Rotax, another Bombardier subsidiary. [1] [4] 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. [5]
In 1974, Can-Am was the first brand to sweep the American Motorcyclist Association (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. [3] [6] [7] [8]
Can-Am enduro rider Skip Olson finished second to Dick Burleson in the 1976 AMA Enduro national championship. [9] Can-Am's motorcycle racing success enhanced the brand’s image and they gained a reputation for their high horsepower outputs. [3] [10] 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 drop in sales of recreational vehicles, Bombardier was forced to cut back on their snowmobile and motorcycle production. [11] Bombardier then shifted its priority from recreational products towards the transit equipment industry and then, several years later, into aircraft manufacturing. [11]
As a result, investments in the young Can-Am division were reduced substantially and as a result, they were unable to keep up with Japanese manufacturers' pursuit of technology. [11] [12] In 1983, Bombardier licensed the brand and outsourced development and production of the Can-Am motorcycles to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles of Lancashire, England. [3] [12] 1987 was the final year of Can-Am motorcycle production. [1] [3]
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.
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Products. Under the Rotax brand, the company is one of the world's largest producers of light piston engines.
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to promote the motorcycling lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling." The organization was founded in 1924 and as of October 2016 had more than 1,100 chartered clubs.
BRP Inc. is the holding company for Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., operating as BRP, a Canadian manufacturer of snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, side by sides, motorcycles, and personal watercraft. It was founded in 2003, when the Recreational Products Division of Bombardier Inc. was spun off and sold to a group of investors consisting of Bain Capital, the Bombardier-Beaudoin family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Bombardier Inc., was founded in 1942 as L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée by Joseph-Armand Bombardier at Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.
The six main types of motorcycles are generally recognized as standard, cruiser, touring, sports, off-road, and dual-purpose. Sport touring is sometimes recognized as a seventh category or integrated with the touring category.
Penton was a rebadged American brand of off-road enduro motorcycles designed by John Penton and manufactured by KTM in Austria for distribution in the United States between 1968 and 1978.
ATK is an American motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle company founded in 1985 and located in Centerville, Utah, USA. As of 2016, it has been operating primarily to support previously sold models through parts and service manual distribution. While ATK was initially founded on in-house chassis designs and modified sourced engines, the brand has primarily focused on acquisition and badge-engineered models from multiple companies worldwide since 2004.
Marty Tripes is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1980. He was one of the leading American motocross and supercross racers during the 1970s. Tripes rose to national prominence in 1972 as a teenage prodigy when, he defeated some of the best riders in the world to win the first-ever stadium supercross race in the United States.
Michael Andrew “Mike” Kiedrowski is an American former professional motocross and enduro racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1987 to 1997. He is a four-time AMA motocross national champion. He is only the second competitor in AMA history after Jeff Ward to win national championships in the 125, 250 and 500 classes. Kiedrowski was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007.
Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH is an Austrian company which designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes motocross, enduro, supermoto and street motorcycles.
Gary Jones is an American former professional motocross and desert racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1971 to 1976. Jones is notable for winning the inaugural AMA 250cc motocross national championship in 1972. Jones then successfully defended his national championship in 1973 and 1974, winning three consecutive 250cc motocross national championships while competing on three different brands of motorcycles, a feat which has never been repeated in AMA motocross history. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.
Richard Burleson is an American former motorcycle enduro racer. He is considered one of the top competitors in AMA history, winning a record eight consecutive Enduro National Championships. His domination of the national enduro series earned him the nickname King Richard. Burleson was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and was named an AMA Legend in 2016.
The Can-Am Spyder ("Spyder") is a three-wheeled motorcycle manufactured by Can-Am motorcycles, a division of Bombardier Recreational Products. The vehicle has a single rear drive wheel and two wheels in front for steering, similar in layout to a modern snowmobile. The Spyder uses an ATV-like chassis. The manufacturer refers to it as a "roadster," but in technical terms, it is more of what has been traditionally called a trike.
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:
American Flat Track is an American motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitions including mile dirt track races, half-mile, short-track, TT steeplechase and road races. The championship was the premier motorcycle racing series in the United States from the 1950s up until the late 1970s.
The "Pure Enduro" series of off-road racing motorcycles ran from 1977 through to 1984 in engine displacements from 175cc through 400cc. All engines were case-reed valve, air-cooled, two-stroke and single-cylinder with plain steel bores. Lubrication was provided via 20:1 pre-mix. These were directly related to the Suzuki RM series range of motocross racers.
Can-Am is a Canadian subsidiary of Bombardier Recreational Products, once part of Bombardier Inc. Its products include ATVs and side-by-side vehicles. It was founded in 1942 as L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée by Joseph-Armand Bombardier in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada.
John Penton is an American professional motorcycle racer and entrepreneur who developed an enduro motorcycle brand that bore his name. A national champion enduro rider, he was an influential figure in the development of off-road motorcycle racing in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. He also founded a successful off-road motorcycle boot and apparel company. Penton was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
The 1974 AMA Motocross Championship season was the 3rd AMA Motocross National Championship season.