2015 Can-Am Spyder Roadster Spied!

When Content Editor Tom Roderick tested Polaris’ new three-wheeled Slingshot, he noted how it would surely offer the Can-Am Spyder some competition. The two brands are, after all, big competitors in the off-road utility vehicle business, and the Slingshot takes their rivalry to a three-wheeled street battleground. Can-Am, and its parent company, Bombardier Recreational Products, aren’t just going to stand pat with its seven-year-old Spyder platform however, as new spy photos reveal a brand new model is on the way.

The photos reveal a new sleeker second-generation Can-Am Spyder out testing near the home of a supplier company in Germany (which would explain why the rider is carrying an open laptop in front of him; don’t try this at home kids!) Despite the camouflage, we can make out the brand new bodywork. The front end is also significantly different from the current model, with a lower profile and a large air intake.

The headlights have a new, sleeker shape, while two auxiliary lights are mounted higher and further back than on the current model. The tail section is also new, with updated seats and passenger grab rails. Below the seat we can see a new swingarm design and beside it, a stubbier exhaust.

The latest edition of the Spyder is more elemental than the fully faired previous versions, allowing us a look at the Rotax 1330 ACE three-cylinder engine that debuted last year in the 2014 Spyder RT. As Scott Rousseau noted in his review of the 2014 models, the new Triple is a significant improvement over the 998cc Rotax V-Twin powering previous models, boasting significant gains in both torque and horsepower. We’ll assume the motor in this new model will crank out numbers similar to the RT’s 115 hp and 96 ft.-lb. of peak torque.