Bombardier Recreational Products announced an initial public offering price of CN$21.50 per share when the company goes public.

At that price ($20.83 in U.S. dollars) for 12,200,000 shares, the IPO would generate proceeds of CN$262.4 million (US$254.8 million) for BRP, the company behind Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Evinrude & Johnson outboard engines, and Can-Am‘s ATVs, side-by-sides and Spyder three-wheeled roadsters.

BRP’s stock will be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “DOO”. The IPO closes May 29. As previously announced, the IPO will offer subordinate voting shares, while the company’s current owners, a consortium of the Bombardier and Beaudoin families, Bain Capital and the Québec government’s public pension plan manager Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, will hold on to 90% of the company’s equity. Continue Reading »

Bombardier Recreational Products has filed a preliminary prospectus with the necessary securities regulatory bodies in Canada for a proposed initial public offering of subordinate voting shares. Should things go according to plan, non-controlling shares of the company will be available on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Financial Post reports BRP hopes to raise CN$250 million (US$243 million).

BRP produces many different kinds of vehicles including snowmobiles, watercraft, ATVs, side-by-sides and the Can-Am Spyder Roadster (pictured above in the new ST-S version). The company controls several brands including Can-Am, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, and Rotax.

The proposed IPO will be made through several underwriters including BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, UBS Securities Canada Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets Canada Inc. Continue Reading »

Bombardier Recreational Products has initiated two recalls in Canada on Can-Am Spyder Roadsters for a risk of fire due to a leaky gas cap. One recall covers certain units from model years 2008-2012, which covers all prior model years since the three-wheeler was first introduced in 2008. The second recall applies to model years 2008-2010.

According to the recall report released by Transport Canada, the fuel cap on certain 2008-2012 models may not properly seal on the fuel tank filler neck. As a result, fuel vapors may escape from the fuel tank and, upon contact with an ignition source, may catch fire. Models from years 2008-2010 may also have an incorrect fuel vapor canister vent hose installed which may allow fuel vapors to escape, creating another potential fire risk.

As of publication of this post, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not issued a recall for the U.S. A search of the NHTSA database however reveals several complaints of fuel odors and Spyders catching fire. Continue Reading »

For 2013 the Spyder ST joins Can-Am’s Roadster lineup. Available in three trim levels, ST, ST-S (pictured above) and ST Limited, the new Spyder creates a whole new category for Can-Am (Sport-Touring) while increasing the entire 2013 model lineup to 18 models.

The new ST represents a middle ground between the sporty RS and touring RT models: more relaxed ergonomics and better wind protection than the RS, without the integrated rear luggage and bells and whistles of the RT. The windscreen is manually adjustable with 4.0 inches of movement while the handlebars are 4.0 inches closer to the rider and 3.3 inches higher. The footpegs are moved forward 5.0 inches, reducing knee bend 15˚ (78˚ vs 93˚).

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In July, we reported an incident in Italy involving a Lamborghini crashing into a BMW dealership and damaging several motorcycles. A similar incident happened last weekend in Russia after a runaway bus plowed into a powersports dealerships that sold Yamaha, Can-Am and Honda products.

According to Russian news source 35Media.ru, an off-duty police officer spotted a bus careening down a street in Cherepovets, Russia, on the evening of Aug. 25. The driver of the bus explained from the window the bus the brakes had failed and he was unable to stop the vehicle. The officer called for backup and police soon arrived to escort the bus through traffic.

Eventually, the bus finally came to a stop inside a dealership right. The roof of the dealership collapsed on the bus and the driver was trapped inside while a lone passenger was able to escape through the windshield. Because of the risk of the building collapsing even further, emergency crews took two hours to remove the driver. The unidentified driver reportedly fractured both legs in the accident. Continue Reading »

Bombardier Recreational Products is issuing a recall campaign on 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT roadsters because of a risk of brake failure.

According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a pin used to secure the brake pedal connecting rod may disengage and fall off, resulting in a total loss of brake function. Continue Reading »

It’s been about a year since Bombardier Recreational Products announced it was developing a hybrid version of the Can-Am Spyder Roadster. Developed in partnership with the Advanced Technology Center at Sherbrooke University in Quebec and with funding from the Government of Canada, the hybrid Spyder is an ambitious project for BRP.

We met up with Scott MacWilliam from BRP at the Toronto Motorcycle Show to take a look at a working prototype of the Can-Am’s hybrid three-wheeler. The Can-Am Spyder Hybrid project is still early in its development, just a year into the projected four-year program, but MacWilliam says BRP is on track of its performance goals.

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Bombardier Recreational Products announced its 2012 lineup of Can-Am Spyder Roadsters.

The 2012 Can-Am Spyder Roadster line consists of two RS models and four RT touring models. All 2012 models come with a new amber-colored display, with the RS models receiving an LCD screen while the RT models get a Dot-matrix screen.

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2010 Spyder RT direct from the Can-Am beehive in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada.

With more carrying capacity than ANY motorcycle on the market — even some automobiles —- Can-Am sent touring guru and friend-of-MO, Fred Rau, on a tour of Canada and the United States to promote the new 5-speed luxury touring roadster. For those of you not following Fred’s blog @ SpyderFred.com, here’s a little taste of the scenes and opinions he encountered on his great many miles. Continue Reading »

Two weeks ago, I took a break from my regular duties gathering news for Motorcycle.com to fly to Germany to cover the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show for our sister site AutoGuide.com.

For two hectic days, AutoGuide editor Colum Wood and I scrambled across the massive 6.2 million square foot Messe Frankfurt trade fair compound, running from press conference to press conference to get the latest on exotic sport cars, futuristic concept models and international unveilings from the automotive world.

It was heaven for car lovers, but for me, it meant fighting my way through hordes of photogs, auto-journalists and car show models to get the first photos of four-wheeled goodies from MINI, Ferrari and Lotus. Okay, I didn’t mind the car show models that much.

But I didn’t forget my day job with MO. Through this Cagers’ Paradise, I managed to find some gems for the loyal Motorcycle.com Readers.

Check out the photo gallery after the jump.

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