Can-Am is making a comeback! Or maybe, more correctly: The motorcycle lineup is making a comeback!
Although Can-Am is best-known these days for its lineup of street-legal three-wheelers, as well as ATVs and side-by-sides, there was a time when this Bombardier subsidiary was a serious motorcycle manufacturer. Using Rotax-built engines, Can-Am came out of nowhere to win a pile of offroad hardware through the 1970s, but in the early 1980s, Bombardier shunted the brand off to CCM-Armstrong, which shut down in 1987. You can get an excellent overview of the company’s two-wheeled history at Canned-Ham.com.
Now, Can-Am is getting ready to build two-wheelers again, and they’re going to be all-electric. This is no shocker; Can-Am bought battery bike manufacturer Alta back in 2019, and showed off some concept bikes that fall. Then, COVID happened. Now, it seems the industry is ready to gear up again after two years of mayhem.
Note that the video above seems to show a wide range of electric motorcycles, including a cruiser, a muscle bike, a naked bike and an adventure bike. Can-Am’s previous motorcycle lineup was basically all trail bikes or MX machines. Now, expect bikes that are “developed with many different riders in mind, more specifically for those who crave adventure, seek the thrill of the open road, long for a quiet ride in the country or want to liven up the city streets. Riders can expect these new state-of-the-art electric Can-Am motorcycles to be perfect for everyday commuting and, to stay true to the track & trail heritage of the brand, recreational on- and off-road riding.”
Can-Am says the new machines should be out by sometime in 2024. Here’s what president/CEO José Boisjoli had to say about the move:
“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 lineup 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.”
Sounds like there’s lots of fun ahead. Stay tuned!
Can’t wait to get a look at one….. I wonder will the government step up and offer a rebate like they do with the electric vehicles ? Especially since this is a Canadian company.
Hopefully they are a step above the rest and are viable for the average motorcyclist.
Sadly CMG is a little late on this. Cycle World did an article a couple of days ago. There are some great patent drawings and diagrams there as well. It is exciting and the graphics really help tell the story.
Take a look at the publishing date on the YT video. It would have been very hard for us to run that video before it was actually on YouTube and very hard for us to quote the company’s officials before they actually made the announcement.