When I say "Can-Am", you say "side-by-side". Wrong. OK, when I say "Can-Am", you say "ATV"—Wrong again. Actually, when I say "Can-Am", you say "electric motorcycles" because that's the most exciting news coming out of one of BRP's most innovative companies.
Now, we've already seen a video about the design process of the two new electric motorcycles back in 2022. And, in 2023, we got to peak behind the curtain a bit more, see the two bikes in action, and get an idea of what's on offer.
But now we get to see how Can-Am has been stress-testing its upcoming models, and it's, well, stressful to watch. But not as stressful as if it was from another brand.
Normally, seeing brand-new motorcycles undergo such brutal torture tests makes a little voice in my head say, "No, stop destroying that bike. Give it to me instead." But since this is Can-Am's first foray into the two-wheeled world, I appreciate all the effort that's going into making these bikes as durable and reliable as possible. Especially since one is an adventure model that's sure to see some rough times.
Can-Am's Simulation Engineer for electric vehicles, Philip Maltais, said, "Our goal is always to make sure that the testing is representative of real-life use, but we need to make sure that we test it in a more severe way than the end customer will do. We ask our test riders to be the worst possible riders. So, hit every bump, every pothole. Make sure that the bike gets beaten while we test it."
After watching the video, it's clear Maltais wasn't underselling how much the team is trying to put the new models through the harshest of conditions.
Seeing the new models in action and being put through their paces is interesting, but what stood out to me is how many of Can-Am's bigwigs are motorcyclists at heart. And that fills me with optimism that these bikes are going to be something special. I hope I'm not wrong.
We're still waiting on prices and specs, but these new models are supposed to launch this year, so we shouldn't have to wait much longer. The question is, are these bikes on your radar?
Or would you prefer to stick to tried and tested brands until you get a clearer idea of how durable Can-Am's first motorcycles are? Let us know in the comments.
