Since the rider sits straight and high up, the vehicle’s center of gravity is fairly high, too. The Spyder doesn’t carve into corners nearly as well as, say, a Campagna T-Rex or any conventional motorcycle. Enter a curve too fast, and the thing understeers like hell and tries to toss you off all the while; like a snowmobile, or a watercraft for that matter, you must lean into the turn. Ditto for the passenger, if you can find one that’s willing to ride with you.

But the Spyder is equipped with so many electronic safety nets that it’s nearly impossible to unsettle it. Antilock braking, traction control, stability control, roll mitigation control and vehicle stability are all present and accounted for, making sure that a wheel doesn’t spin faster than another, and that you’re not lifting a wheel in the air. You’re likely to fall off before succeeding in rolling this thing.

So a track beast the Spyder is not. It’s more of a road warrior that has enough guts to get you out of trouble when you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the highway, the riding position easily gets you caught in the wind, and at speeds above the posted limit of 100, I’m starting to get aggravated.

The Spyder doesn’t carve into corners nearly as well as, say, a Campagna T-Rex or any conventional motorcycle. (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com)

The Spyder’s handling shortcoming also gets me thinking about how the machine and I will react when a car changes lanes and doesn’t see me, for example. Keeping it in a straight line can seem like a workout, and something experienced motorcycle riders have criticized heavily. On the other hand, I definitely feel less vulnerable on it than on a supersport crotch rocket with a gas tank grazing my chest and virtually no handlebar travel.

The Spyder includes a lockable storage compartment that’s located up front and that offers a volume de 44 litres, which is big enough for a jacket and your average helmet. It looks easy to pry open with a screwdriver, though, so I wouldn’t leave anything really valuable in there.

The Spyder RS Roadster we’re riding has a base price of $19,299, which is the least expensive within a five-model line-up. A fully-loaded RT-S with a rear passenger backrest, a windscreen, a sound system, cruise control and a bunch of other features goes for $28,499. It’s not as fast as the RS because it weighs about 230 pounds more, but it’s a better long-distance traveller.

In the Province of Quebec, you can now ride a Spyder with a car driver’s license, provided you pass a 7-hour training course. This should help the vehicle attract a wider customer base, since only a small percentage of the population holds a motorcycle license, and many of those who do might not be interested in this type of vehicle.

And for you motorcycle fans that dismiss the Spyder as not being one, you’re right: it isn’t. It’s a machine that provides wind-in-your-face riding pleasure, and that’s it. It may not be as exciting as a real motorbike, and you two-wheeled aficionados might find it as repulsive as a smart fortwo to a Mercedes-Benz S-Class owner, but for those who are stepping out of a car for some fun under the sun will have a lot to like about the Can-Am Spyder.