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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Ducati will introduce three new models built around an 820cc platform at the 2012 EICMA show, reports French site Moto-Station.

Moto-Station reports the three new models will be a Multistrada 820, a Hypermotard 820 and an as-yet unnamed roadster. Over the last couple of months, spy photos of a new mid-sized Ducati model has been making the rounds, with many people claiming it will be a new liquid-cooled Hypermotard while others, like our own Kevin Duke, believe the new model would be a Multistrada.

If the new report is true then they may both be right. Previous reports believed the new mystery model(s) would use Ducati’s 848 engine but Moto-Station claims it will be an all-new 820cc 90-degree V-Twin powerplant producing 113 hp (115 hp in metric) and 66 ft-lb. Continue Reading »

Bloomingdale‘s has partnered with BMW with a new campaign promoting its motorcycle-inspired autumn fashion line.

A BMW R1200R Classic is prominently featured in Bloomingdale’s fall men’s catalog and in stores including the store windows of the department store’s flagship location on 59th St. in New York City.

Bloomindale’s will also hold a draw on Sept. 17 to give away one of the BMW roadsters.

As for Bloomingdale’s fall collection, the men’s line follows the theme “On The Road” featuring a lot of denim, leather and boots and a heavy emphasis on black and other dark  colors. The women’s line also features a moto-inspired boot and jacket. Continue Reading »

[Ed.: The original spy photos have been taken down by request. Instead, here is a picture of the current R1200R model.]

BMW is preparing to launch the ground-up redesign of its iconic R1200GS in a new 1250cc-or-so liquid-cooled Boxer powerplant, a speculative profile of which you can read about here.

But there’s more Boxer-oriented news to come from BMW for 2013. Pictures have now surfaced of a roadster-styled naked in the same vein as the existing BMW R1200R but with a tidier rear end reminiscent of a café racer or streetfighter. More notably, the bike includes several big updates, including what looks like a new and lighter Telelever front end and possibly a new engine.

The chassis appears to be a complete departure from the current R1200 series, led by what seems to be a much lighter front end. It at first appears to be a traditional (although not for BMW) inverted fork, but there’s more than meets the eye. Continue Reading »

Horex is putting its new VR6 Roadster through its final paces as it prepares for homologation and series production.

As Horex draws closer to its launch target of spring 2012, the revived German brand has begun measuring its VR6 Roadster‘s final parameters. These figures will be part of the final set of data to be submitted for homologation.

According to Horex, the VR6 engine maxes out at 99.6 ft-lb. of torque at 7000 rpm, and is able to deliver about 66.4 ft-lb. at just 2000 rpm and 73.8 ft-lb. at 3500 rpm. The high torque at low engine speeds should provide for easy acceleration for the VR6 Roadster.

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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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Originally scheduled to launch later this year, the Horex VR6 Roadster will now instead launch in spring 2012. Because compressor component supply is particularly backlogged, Horex will initially introduce the non-supercharged VR6 with the supercharged version to come later in 2012. The original plan was for the supercharged version to come first.

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Construction has begun for a new museum for the German motorcycle manufacturer Horex.

Located just a few yards from the site of the original Horex factory in Bad Homburg, Germany, the museum will display exhibits about original Horex motorcycles as well as the newly reborn Horex and its upcoming VR6 Roadster.

The museum will also have a section about the Rex glassware company of the company belonging to the father of Horex’s founder Fritz Kleeman, which helped fund the startup capital for Horex (it also supplied the “REX” in “HOREX”. The “HO” is for Bad Homburg, where the company was founded).

The building itself could be considered an exhibit, as its design (pictured above) was inspired by a classic Horex single-cylinder engine. The ground floor represents the cylinder while the upper section represents a cylinder head. The window on the upper section is designed to represent the cooling fins of an air-cooled engine.

[Source: Horex]

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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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