Photo: Can-Am
Can-Am motorcycles haven’t been produced since 1987, but Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), the parent company to Can-Am, is considering a re-entry in the two-wheeled vehicle market soon.
As reported by the Canadian Press, BRP plans to launch back into the motorcycle market with a new plan. Company spokesperson Sylvain Morissette confirmed the company is evaluating the market, the possibilities and trends, right after an analyst suggested it could be a good opportunity.
"We are in an ongoing process of evaluating the market, looking at different possibilities, trends," BRP spokesman Sylvain Morissette said. "Motorcycles could be an option as we've done in the past."
The company offered no details on when the possible Can-Am motorcycles will come, or even start getting drawn, saying the current Maverick X3 and Spyder F3 Limited are getting all the attention for further development.
However, given the struggles faced by other small bike manufactures to enter the market, some experts, like Andy Galliher of Freedom Cycle in Concord, New Hampshire, says BRP would have hard times in succeeding.
Under the direction and leadership of American Gary Robison, working with a team of Canadian and Californian development technicians, Can-Am began development of motocross and enduro bikes in 1971, using engines developed by the Austrian Rotax company, another Bombardier subsidiary.
The company registered great success and was the first brand to sweep the AMA 250 cc motocross national championship with Can-Am riders Gary Jones, Marty Tripes and Jimmy Ellis finishing first, second and third.
Later on, the Bombardier corporation shifted its priority from recreational products to diversification into the transit equipment industry as well as aircraft manufacturing. This led to a decrease in Can-Am investment and in 1983 the parent company licensed the brand and outsourced development and production of motorcycles to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles in Lancashire, England.
The last Can-Am motorcycles were produced 29 years ago, in 1987. The Can-Am brand got reintroduced in 2006 through a series of all-terrain vehicles (ATV), while the next year it released the Spyder reverse trike.
"We are in an ongoing process of evaluating the market, looking at different possibilities, trends," BRP spokesman Sylvain Morissette said. "Motorcycles could be an option as we've done in the past."
The company offered no details on when the possible Can-Am motorcycles will come, or even start getting drawn, saying the current Maverick X3 and Spyder F3 Limited are getting all the attention for further development.
However, given the struggles faced by other small bike manufactures to enter the market, some experts, like Andy Galliher of Freedom Cycle in Concord, New Hampshire, says BRP would have hard times in succeeding.
Under the direction and leadership of American Gary Robison, working with a team of Canadian and Californian development technicians, Can-Am began development of motocross and enduro bikes in 1971, using engines developed by the Austrian Rotax company, another Bombardier subsidiary.
The company registered great success and was the first brand to sweep the AMA 250 cc motocross national championship with Can-Am riders Gary Jones, Marty Tripes and Jimmy Ellis finishing first, second and third.
Later on, the Bombardier corporation shifted its priority from recreational products to diversification into the transit equipment industry as well as aircraft manufacturing. This led to a decrease in Can-Am investment and in 1983 the parent company licensed the brand and outsourced development and production of motorcycles to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles in Lancashire, England.
The last Can-Am motorcycles were produced 29 years ago, in 1987. The Can-Am brand got reintroduced in 2006 through a series of all-terrain vehicles (ATV), while the next year it released the Spyder reverse trike.
Google News