Can-Am Origin - Specifications & Review

Company History

Can-Am began in the early 1970s as the motorcycle arm of Bombardier, leveraging Canadian engineering to create fiercely competitive two-stroke motocross and enduro machines. Tuned with European expertise and raced hard in North America and overseas, those early Can-Ams collected championships and cult status, proving that a snowmobile maker could out-hustle traditional bike brands in the dirt. As corporate priorities shifted, motorcycle production waned, but the Can-Am name later returned under BRP with a new mission: redefine powersports with three-wheeled roadsters. The Spyder and Ryker platforms offered stability, ABS/traction safety nets, and car-like ease that brought non-motorcyclists into open-air motoring. Parallel growth in ATVs and side-by-sides put Can-Am back into the off-road conversation at scale, competing directly with American and Japanese rivals. The throughline is confidence and accessibility—machines that extend the season, the terrain, or the rider base. Historically, Can-Am’s arc demonstrates corporate agility: pivot from two-stroke race weapons to sophisticated, electronically managed trikes without losing the brand’s appetite for fun. In the 1970s it asked dirt riders to imagine a Canadian upstart on the podium; today it invites highway travelers and trail workers to experience wind and utility with three contact patches. The brand’s enduring contribution is expanding who counts as a ‘rider,’ using engineering to lower barriers rather than raise them.