Review: The Can-Am Ryker... A Great Ride!

[BajaRon]

Not much chatter about the Ryker on this forum. Not a big surprise as this is primarily a Spyder site.

The Ryker has a number of limitations by design. But Fun, Fast, & Nimble aren't on that list. We purchased a brand new Rally in 2019 when they first came out. We pretty much had to because we wanted to see if we could improve suspension and handling. But the silver lining turned out to be a great ride and a lot of fun.

There isn't an easier vehicle on the planet to drive. Throttle, steering, and single brake are all you need to master. No upshifting or downshifting, you're always in the 'Right Gear'. There are NO GEARS at all with a CVT transmission. Which works flawlessly, other than a possible jerk or hesitation off the line until you get the hang of it.

Smooth! Smooth! Smooth! With smooth power transfer and a drive shaft that will never vibrate like the belt on a Spyder. No 'Red Dust of Death'. No Sprocket Alignment issues or worries about rocks.

We love our Ryker (which at the time is OOS due to stealing parts to get a customer's Ryker up and running quickly). I just thought I'd give this product a plug. It's not a Spyder, by any means. Wasn't meant to be. But it is a worthy ride and, for some, it is the perfect answer.

 

[safecracker]

I test drove a 900 Rally 2 years ago and it was a blast. I would have to learn how to control the throttle better, or I would be replacing rear tires too often.

 

[blacklightning]

Not much chatter about the Ryker on this forum. Not a big surprise as this is primarily a Spyder site.

The Ryker has a number of limitations by design. But Fun, Fast, & Nimble aren't on that list. We purchased a brand new Rally in 2019 when they first came out. We pretty much had to because we wanted to see if we could improve suspension and handling. But the silver lining turned out to be a great ride and a lot of fun.

There isn't an easier vehicle on the planet to drive. Throttle, steering, and single brake are all you need to master. No upshifting or downshifting, you're always in the 'Right Gear'. There are NO GEARS at all with a CVT transmission. Which works flawlessly, other than a possible jerk or hesitation off the line until you get the hang of it.

Smooth! Smooth! Smooth! With smooth power transfer and a drive shaft that will never vibrate like the belt on a Spyder. No 'Red Dust of Death'. No Sprocket Alignment issues or worries about rocks.

We love our Ryker (which at the time is OOS due to stealing parts to get a customer's Ryker up and running quickly). I just thought I'd give this product a plug. It's not a Spyder, by any means. Wasn't meant to be. But it is a worthy ride and, for some, it is the perfect answer.

Thanks for your honest review. As you saw from my post earlier, I am considering replacing my 2 wheeler with one. One of my biggest concerns is the suggested replacement of the belt every 10k miles and possible maintenance cost. Still looking, and have come across a smoking deal on a 900 locally, but it is not a rally. Not sure, but we will see. BTW, it is a 2021, as I wanted to avoid the first year or so until some of the kinks were worked out.

 

[BajaRon]

Thanks for your honest review. As you saw from my post earlier, I am considering replacing my 2 wheeler with one. One of my biggest concerns is the suggested replacement of the belt every 10k miles and possible maintenance cost. Still looking, and have come across a smoking deal on a 900 locally, but it is not a rally. Not sure, but we will see. BTW, it is a 2021, as I wanted to avoid the first year or so until some of the kinks were worked out.

Our Ryker has been pretty much flawless and trouble free. There was the issue of underfilled gear case and a small leak that BRP fixed on warranty. There are some minor improvements in later models but I would not pass up a good deal on a 19.

 

[Fvee3]

I own a 2020 and a 2023 Rally. Purchased them last August. I’ve been riding 2 wheels for 52 years so when I bought the 2020 Rally it was just to see if my girlfriend would be interested in being the rider instead of the passenger. I figured after 2 cross country trips as a passenger it must get quite boring. The 2020 had 400 miles on it when I bought it.

My 1st impression was "Wow! This is a bit weird. Not a motorcycle." It took a bit to get comfortable. My girlfriend on the other hand who had never ridden before took to it quickly. She got her license - NJ has a 3-wheeler license. I bought the 2023 Rally new about 4 weeks later. We’ve put about 8500 miles on them since. We’ve done many miles of dirt which are a hoot to ride. Drifting corners is quite easy.

They do have limits; off road clearance sucks, but the 2023 is better than the 2020. I ride the 2020 and it bottoms quite easily. Placement on dirt roads is very critical. We have very sandy dirt roads here so momentum in some spots is crucial because traction is very limited when the front starts digging in, and the bottom starts touching down. We’ve been to Halifax Nova Scotia from NJ and ride weekly.

They were a great investment and have only had minor issues. The 2020 had a whining fuel pump in hot weather. I put the $5 repair kit in, and problem solved. I put the keyless fob kit in the 2023, and that drains the battery quicker than without, so I keep that one on a tender when not in use. Not sure why photos always rotate.

 

[BajaRon]

I own a 2020 and a 2023 Rally. Purchased them last August. I’ve been riding 2 wheels for 52 years so when I bought the 2020 Rally it was just to see if my girlfriend would be interested in being the rider instead of the passenger. I figured after 2 cross country trips as a passenger it must get quite boring. The 2020 had 400 miles on it when I bought it.

My 1st impression was "Wow! This is a bit weird. Not a motorcycle." It took a bit to get comfortable. My girlfriend on the other hand who had never ridden before took to it quickly. She got her license - NJ has a 3-wheeler license. I bought the 2023 Rally new about 4 weeks later. We’ve put about 8500 miles on them since. We’ve done many miles of dirt which are a hoot to ride. Drifting corners is quite easy.

They do have limits; off road clearance sucks, but the 2023 is better than the 2020. I ride the 2020 and it bottoms quite easily. Placement on dirt roads is very critical. We have very sandy dirt roads here so momentum in some spots is crucial because traction is very limited when the front starts digging in, and the bottom starts touching down. We’ve been to Halifax Nova Scotia from NJ and ride weekly.

They were a great investment and have only had minor issues. The 2020 had a whining fuel pump in hot weather. I put the $5 repair kit in, and problem solved. I put the keyless fob kit in the 2023, and that drains the battery quicker than without, so I keep that one on a tender when not in use. Not sure why photos always rotate.

We've got something that will solve your rear end bottoming issue.

 

[Fvee3]

We've got something that will solve your rear end bottoming issue.

If you are referring to the 3” shock spacer for the rear, I have that. The nose end is too short also, but I don’t want to spend big $ on front shocks, and cheap shocks from china aren’t really for me.

 

[BajaRon]

If you are referring to the 3” shock spacer for the rear, I have that. The nose end is too short also, but I don’t want to spend big $ on front shocks, and cheap shocks from china aren’t really for me.

Not sure what you are referring to in a 3" spacer. We have spacers for the non-Rally Rykers, but they are not 3". We use a shock extension for the Rally.

 

[Fvee3]

Not sure what you are referring to in a 3" spacer. We have spacers for the non-Rally Rykers, but they are not 3". We use a shock extension for the Rally.

The shock extension, that’s what I meant.

 

[greer]

blacklightning,

The CVT belt replacement is at 12,000 mile intervals, but there are reports of folks pushing that way out. I changed mine at 17,400 miles and it looked and measured same as the new oem belt I bought to replace it.

Sarah

 

[BajaRon]

The shock extension, that’s what I meant.

And you are still bottoming out?

blacklightning,

The CVT belt replacement is at 12,000 mile intervals, but there are reports of folks pushing that way out. I changed mine at 17,400 miles and it looked and measured same as the new oem belt I bought to replace it.

Sarah

We just change a belt with 20k on it. But this is not average. We've also had a customer get less than 6,000 miles. That's because the paper air filter can get clogged surprisingly fast under some conditions. Once it restricts the air flow, the belt is not long for this life. If you're running the paper filter, check the right side often. We try to get customers to switch to the K&N filter. Better air flow and much harder to clog. Getting a few thousand more miles out of just one belt will more than pay for it.

 

[greer]

Yes, near unbelievable what that CVT intake sucks in within just a few miles. I'd have needed a stack of paper filters on our trip last year if I hadn't swapped to the K&N. Thanks again for offering those at the best price around.

Sarah

 

[BajaRon]

Once you understand how that system works, it's not so surprising. Though I have to admit, when we had that customer with a clogged CVT air filter and short belt life issue we checked ours with only 3,500 miles on it and it was really bad. And we had all street riding, no off road at all.

The whole idea of a CVT is to keep the motor within the power range all the time. That system draws in outside air to cool the CVT belt which can get hot in a hurry if it doesn't get enough cooling air going by. It's not like the engine side where the only time you really get a volume of airflow is at full throttle. Which is a very small percentage of the time. And still nowhere near the volume that the CVT side sucks in. And the CVT side does it all the time. Not just at full throttle.

 

[blacklightning]

Thanks guys for all the input. I am really thinking about picking up one. I have my eyes on a great deal for a 2020 900 Rally edition. It hasn't been off roaded and only has a little over 2000 miles. After hearing the comments about the air filter and possible heating up of the belt, how hot do these things run? I ask because one Spyder that I owned was a 2012 RSS. I loved the bike, but it was a real burner when riding in the summer heat. Nothing like my F3T, or my RT's.

 

[PDXRTL]

Not a Ryker owner, but I'll chime in here with some praise for the machine. I went for a Spyder RTL because it is better (IMO) for touring. But I want to say that I was very impressed with a member of the group I recently went to CO with who was on a Ryker. He never skipped a beat riding along with two Spyders, three Harleys, a Gold Wing, and a BMW! That included some 400 mile days and some cruising across UT at 80 MPH (and a bit more when passing). I must say it helped that he knows how to pack light since the Ryker has far less luggage capacity than the other machines. I'll stick with my Spyder but touring on a Ryker is doable.

 

[blacklightning]

Well, the Ryker Rally that I was looking at fell through. Found out his asking price was less than the payoff, so he was forced to increase his price, or make up the difference (which he wasn't able to do).
But I have come across a deal on a 900 Ryker. The milage is higher, so I must ask, how do these things operate with higher milage? What is considered high milage? This one is a 2021 and has 19k miles. Now, I know that is only just over 6k miles a year, but I just wonder what they are good for before major repairs are needed?

 

[BajaRon]

Well, the ryker rally that I was looking at fell through. Found out his asking price was less than the payoff, so he was forced to increase his price, or make up the difference (which he wasn't able to do).
But I have come across a deal on a 900 ace. The milage is higher, so I must ask, how do these things operate with higher milage? What is considered high milage? This one is a 2021 and has 19k miles. Now, I know that is only just over 6k miles a year, but I just wonder what they are good for before major repairs are needed?

The drive belt is really the only big maintenance issue you'll have with the Ryker.

 

[Fvee3]

..... And you are still bottoming out? .....

I do bottom the front on these sandy dirt roads.

 

[BajaRon]

Maybe I need to clarify my terms. There are 2 uses or meanings of 'Bottoming Out'. One is when the body or frame of the vehicle hits the ground. I think that's what you are talking about. The other is when a suspension component goes to its maximum travel limit and can go no further. This is what I am talking about.

You can convert ACE front shocks to adjustable preload units to get more ground clearance and less droop, dive, and compression in the front.

 

[Peter Aawen]

.... Not sure why photos always rotate.

That's most likely because you took those photos on your phone, with the phone/camera in 'Portrait' mode. Most people do that without thinking, only that creates these issues here on the Forum. There's an easy fix. Here's what I've posted previously:

The simplest solution to all the 'sideways' &/or 'upside down' pics on the Forum is to just take any pic you think you might ever want to load up here with your camera/phone oriented to take a Landscape image!! :lecturef_smilie:

The image you upload to the Forum needs to be wider than it is tall, and to do that, for most phones, you just need to look at the phone - if it's a tall & narrow block looking back at you with the selfie camera up the top somewhere, it's in 'Portrait' mode, simply drop the top of the phone to the Left!! ie. Rotate the phone 90° Counter-Clockwise. That'll put your image's Anchor Point in the Top Left Corner, where the Forum Software will ALWAYS put it; and it'll ensure the image is wider than it is tall, so it'll show the right way when loaded here!! hyea:

Simples really! :thumbup:

That ^ came from this thread:

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?116645-Photo-orientation-issue

where there's a whole lot more discussion on the subject!


Ps: And while I'm here, your failed 'Quote' below (I've fixed the original tho ) is because you deleted the ending 'command delimiter'

And you are still bottoming out?]

I do bottom the front on these sandy dirt roads.

You can & may even be encouraged to edit out any extraneous/unnecessary text when you're quoting, especially if it's not necessary to your reply making sense; but you MUST leave both sets of the word QUOTE contained within the square bracket [ - ] command delimiters at each end entirely intact - see the ] after the ? in the quote of yours that I've copied above?? You deleted the [/QUOTE bit that is the beginning/remainder of that command, so it screwed up your intended quote display!! You need to see the entirety of each command AND both the beginning and ending [ - ]'s for EACH of the start & finish commands - there's gotta be one full set of square brackets surrounding the command at each end of your quote, or it won't work & can be very confusing!! So if you see anything/any word with those square brackets [ - ] around it, leave it alone! :lecturef_smilie:

And please, NEVER use the square brackets for anything else - not on this Forum or on any other Forum using the same software. :thumbup: Doing otherwise may have unintended consequences... And now that you've been told about it, doing it repeatedly is likely to have 'unintended consequences' to your ability to post here at all!