Can-Am motorcycles

Last updated
Can-Am Motorcycles
Headquarters
Valcourt
,
Canada
Products Motorcycles
Parent Bombardier Corporation
Website can-am.brp.com/us/en/

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.

Contents

History

Early history

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]

Rebirth and rebranding

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.

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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 (BRP). Under the Rotax brand, the company is one of the world's largest producers of light piston engines.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Can-Am®". www.familypowersports.com. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Beginning". Canned Ham. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Can-Am's history". cyclenews.com. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Bike Design". canned-ham.com. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "History of the International Six Days Trial". ultimatemotorcycling.com. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "Jeff Smith at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Gary Jones at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "1974 Motocross Season". racerxonline.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  9. ↑ Assoc, American Motorcyclist (January 1977). Familiar Faces Fill the Forest, American Motorcyclist, January 1977, Vol. 31, No. 1, ISSN 0277-9358 . Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  10. ↑ "BRP Returns To Two-Wheelers With The Can-Am Electric Motorcycle". Woman Motorcycle Enthusiast. 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  11. 1 2 3 "Bombardier: Our history". bombardier.com. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  12. 1 2 "The Demise of Can-Am". canned-ham.com. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
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