I was at the dunes all weekend with Jed, Nate, Chuck and others and Nate brought us news about the Can Am name. Ok, I admit it, I was like ....... hmmmmm ....... Can-Am?????? Sounds like PanAm, the defunct airline that crashed over Lockerbie Scotland. Ok, nevermind first impressions, I'll go to the website and give the new name a chance. I learned all about why they changed the name. I actually like the idea of moving away from Bombardier. I liked BRP, but for some reason I simply cant get used to Can Am. Maybe its no big deal. I will admit, I would have been on board FULLY if they had come out with a new 450. Instead, they come out with a quad that sort of on the same concept at the Polaris Scramber. Now, Im all for a good fight in competition, but is there really any there? The renegade will own this segment for sure! But is that even a segment worth having? Meanwhile Yami, Honda and now Suzuki have the 450 market like no other.

So, what segment is untapped that the new Can Am can really sink its teeth into? It's something thats been talked about for years. I know, I know ..... Nobody wants a two stroke quad. Are you really sure? How many Banshee's are there out there? Make a two stroke 450 sport quad that has less emissions than a 4 stroke and you've got a winner.

Dont get me wrong, I'll get used to Can Am. And I think a new quad like the Renegade is a good thing. But, like the man said .... "Wheres the beef?"

 

Interesting Mark. . .

Maybe Can-Am's business model is exactly that. . . go where the competition isn't! An interesting thought for sure. Let's face it, Bomb is going to have an extremely difficult time taking customers away from the Jap bikes in the 450 class. . . expect a Kawi 450 on the lines of their dirt-bike 450 and now you have a market flooded with 450's and Bomb is just another in the market and honestly, one that won't have nearly the aftermarket parts of the Jap bikes.

Maybe the 2-smoke IS just what the Dr. ordered.

There really is no question to me that they need to step-up on their DS. A 102mm bore with EFI is a minimum to compete with the Raptor. But, why not go with something on the lines of a 103-105mm bore with EFI to make it a Raptor Killer. The DS is still a winner, just needs a little refinement to keep it on par with te Jap offering.

It seems like a no brainer to put that 800 in a Rhino like set-up but, again, the market may already be saturated.

Wish I was at the dunes with you guys. . . must have been an awesome trip. Did Jed bring his new trailer out?

 

Mark,

I agree - I was also hoping to see a side by side 800EFI twin. I didnt really think about it before, but you are also correct on the DS - A larger bore would be a good improvement. But, then HPR wouldnt get all the business for Big Bore kits and On-Dunes would get the business with the lightweight parts!

We had a great time in Jeds weekend warrior. Chuck did most of the cooking and I was the clean up guy. I know when I had my trailer, it was important for everyone to respect my stuff. Everyone did that I think - at least I hope jed thinks so as well or Im never gonna be able to stay in that again!

Its first class for sure - I just hope everyone that is lucky enough to enter that rolling mansion will make sure they do thier part to keep it nice.

 

IM not sure if I would have brought the CAN_AM name back or not.. Most of us old schooler bike types remember the can-ams from the 70's and 80's. And while Bombardier chooses to say motocross domination of that period, I can hardly think of it in that term. The bikes would not jet to save their life, You either pinged, or ran rich, powerband was like a light switch (as most bikes of that era) quality was severly lacking, handeling could be compared to a bicycle with no shocks and the dreaded headshake was common place and no amount of work on the front end seemed to get rid of it.

 

I have a can am 250, 1977 year model. Huge pile of crap, but all bikes from that vintage were.
In my opinion, they are trying to get a but of the USA thing in their name, that French Canadian thing does not go over so well with some.
They need to make a 450 2 stroke, EFI direct injection like Etec, I will buy it!

 

Since they are assembling the bikes in Mexico and they are Canadian shouldn't they name their bikes. . .




Mexi-Can???

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

 

LMAO [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Kinda Like Chevy.. The Heartbeat of america... From Mexico [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] LMFAO.... Mexi-Can...Now that is good [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Maybe the NATO DS800 Will be next???? They are hitting all three countries in NATO ..??? but in todays BS PC world it would have to me Mexi-Ameri-Fren-Can-Can Now type that in all your posts and explain it to your friends when they ask what you ride[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

I guess Can-Am will work....I was just getting my friends and family to pronounce Bombardier correctly and now I will have to tell them it is...Can-Am..."Oh you bought a new bike???" Me:"No they go by Can-Am now" Them:"Why??" ohhh this is going to be lovely..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]


Tom

 

But just think.. Its such a positive name.. "I Can whoop you, and I Am Going to right about now" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

It was unusual for Bombardier to put the corporate name on the ATV line to begin with. It shows favoritism towards that industry. By changing the name, CamAm becomes another brand under the Bombardier umbrella, like SeaDoo and SkiDoo. I'm surprised they didn't change the name to SpeeDoo or DirtDoo, etc.