The Rise and Fall of Can-Am Motorcycles: From Dominance to Disappearance | El Camino 2024 S02E01 

In 1975 I had one of the first Can Am 250 Enduro bikes. Loved that bike for my first six weeks of ownership. Took the bike to a large sand quarry to test some new tires and gearing. After an hour of thrashing and adjustments I had the bike behaving the way I wanted so I could race at my first NETRA Enduro Event. As I wrapped up the day I was climbing the walls of the quarry with ease. As I turned around at the top of a wall I was 20 feet from the edge when the entire wall collapsed underneath me and the bike. Following a 70+ foot fall me and the bike landed on the quarry floor. It was the last mili-second I would feel anything below the knees. After 2 plus hours of yelling for help I was finally found and rescued then taken to the ER for what would be a two year process of recovery with a L-1 Spinal Cord Injury and associated body damage. I've now lived 49 years as a paraplegic and I've been fortunate to live an awesome life despite needing a wheelchair for mobility. Loved my Can Am and thank you so much for this video about Can Am. Growing up in the MX and Enduro crazy environment of New England as soon as I saw Jimmy Ellis on a Can Am at Southwick I dumped my Honda 250 Enduro for the Can Am. Never regretted my switch of bikes or my accident. We were all young and stupid at one time. Thanks for listening and all the best with your channel.

This is an absolutely brilliant presentation of our history. The wordsmithing is exceptional, and the delivery is dry, clever and humorous. I stood next to the fences, watching this all happen in real-time, always wondering what was happening in the backroom. Thank you for closing the circle.

Raced enduros on a 1979 250 qalifier... best bike I ever owned!

My friend had a Can Am MX1 and sold it and got a 77 Honda CR125... FULL FMF Factory Replica, Cross up swingarm, Fox air shocks, FMF Red down pipe, Fork air-caps, FMF Porcupine head, FMF graphics, bigger carb. He also had full Marty Smith riding gear, Electro helmet, Carrera goggles, snap-on face guard, High-Point boots and Hondaline gear. He was the COOLEST LOOKING and FASTEST Guy at the track except when one time when Magoo showed up on his MAICO. Remember those days like it was yesterday ✌😎

When I was 17 I bought a brand new 250 CAN AM TNT Enduro, it had the head & tail lights with turn signals. Had it licensed for the street and imbaressed larger bikes on the road. The only upgrade was a set of KONI rear shocks, I loved that exhaust pipe which I called the "stove pipe", the engine had a power band hit that you had better hang on to the handle bars. I sold the bike in 1988 for $400, wished I still had it in the garage!

Really enjoyed the documentary on Can-Am, glad that full episodes will be on RU-vid as I don’t get a television network that carries it.

I had a 1979 MX 250. One of all orange ones .Bike made far more power than I could ever use to full potential. Those Rotax rotary valve induction motors were really good. When racing it at the local moto track , it had a bad habit of breaking the rear brake rod that went from pedal to activate the rear brake. Went thru the fence on some corners a couple of times. Dealer couldn’t fix it. Tried a few times. He called the factory and they were no help. Their service was pretty bad. The rest of the bike was solid. I wound up rigging up a cable to replace the rod and it was good after that. It’s to bad , they really made a decent bike.

Always knew Cam-Am were great bikes but never knew why they still weren't in production. Thanks Neil, for filling the gaps in the story. As always, great script.

I picked up a Can Am 175 from the side of the road for $75 around 1991. Had never heard of them but I finally had a bike! I got it running after a few hours. Kickstarter on other side was stripped out, push start it was! I was 16 who cared and friend had a new KDX200. That old air cooled bike would smoke him! It had a electrical gremlin and liked to stop at the worst times but burned many tanks. A hurricane flooded it that was the end, I never knew anything about them until now. Heard they were first with plastic tank, didn’t have Internet back then so I didn’t even know where to get parts. Wish I still had it!

My first bike ever was a used TNT 250. I loved it. Such a great trail bike, light and nimble with enough power to pretty much climb anything. Peace!

I got a mx6 400 sitting in my basement,,just like new

I rode my cousin’s 250 MX1. He broke his leg on it. That thing had amazing torque! I’d love to have a Can Am enduro now. 👍🏻🏍️💨🏁

I had a 79 mx5 250 that I used in hare scrambles. Still have the racing jersey hanging in my garage.

Great video/Thank you! I bought a brand new 1975 Can-Am 250 MX. It was amazing, except it handled like "shit". I took my Maico 250 GP entire front end (had triple crown machined to fit tubes) Fox shocks, Metzler tires, made an up-pipe, and turned it into a BEAST! Loved that bike, fast, reliable, and a ton of fun to race.. Now to think it was 50 years ago-WOW!

Interesting story. I dont think we ever got Can Am' s in New Zealand , but I saw them in the magazines as a kid. They got them in Australia though 👍

Nice to see Dave McLean and Bob Fisher. I worked alongside Dave at Sonlc mc in Toronto. Still riding and wrenching Les Montgomery

Hear Can-AM think of one rider. Jimmy Ellis.😊

Some cool history here that I wasn’t aware of.

This is the first time I heard about this bike. ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

I still have my 1974 Can Am 125 and i drive a Saturn Vue.

Very interesting! Thanks

Excellent program. You tell a good story...and what´s more I believe it all!

In the middle of restoring my 79 mx5. Stiff clutch,marginal handling,poor brakes. But fox air shocks,thor aluminum swingarm,simons forks and the 10 plus hp they made than anyone explains why I love this bike. Thanks for the video.

One of my best friends had a 250 in the 70s. We MX raced together. I had a Maico MC 400. He was tough competition! I loved his bike. It had a power band! You had to really hold on! My cousin had a 250 too. He broke his leg on it. He didn’t ride MX, so he had no business on it! I wish I had a Can Am 350 now. ♥️🏍️💨🏁

I had a 87 Can-Am 250 ASE , without a doubt one of the most reliable bikes I've ever had but handling was sketchy at best , I do wish I still had it !

I purchased a 250 MX when my local Yamaha dealer got the product line. The bike was fast and heavy and had a crappy suspension. I later bought a Husky 250 which I raced for quite some time. I always wondered what the Can Am would do with a great light weight frame and good suspension. Always first to the first turn......usually finished in the top five.

Rotax power put this marque on the map. I remember stepping off my '74 suzuki 185 on to the Can Am 175. The power increase throughout the band was unbelieveable!

I love the emphasis on performance vs styling. Something that’s been lost on at least 1/2 of the motorcycle buying public in the US.

My 400 qualifier was a great bike

They had the best motor back then, which was really a Sachs snowmobile motor but they were heavy and not too well suspended. I still love the magic pumpkins of the late 70’s I had a 79’ Qualifier 250 ✌️🇺🇸

Raced an MX4 for an entire season with no bugs at all..great bike.

I started riding dirt bikes in the mid '70s, at age 16. I had a several year old Bultaco. I remember the Can Ams. Seems like most of them were orange. I never rode one, but I remember them looking very rough compared to the Japanese bikes of the time. European bikes like the Bultaco, Husky, and Maico were like that too. The Japanese bikes just had a fit and finish that nobody else had. I really liked the looks of the first Victory, the V92C. I wanted one, but the first ones had issues. I thought I would wait until they got the bugs worked out. Sadly that never happened. They replaced the V92C with the disgusting Vegas, the Ness Mess got involved, and I lost all interest in Victory motorcycles. And you couldn't give me a modern KTM, or any other modern bike for that matter. Everything I love about motorcycles is missing form modern bikes.

have owned an mx4 since new , pig to start but once it's warmed up no problems , never raced it just rode the trails in northern ontario , great dirtbike with lots of power and suspension travel

Had to check out this video since I almost bought a brand new 1986 250ASE. I wound up buying a Kawasaki KDX200. To bad you didn't have John Martin at your Can Am gathering.

Jimmy Ellis -Can Am KING!

I raced against the only Can-am I every saw in New Zealand way back in the 70s..I was wow..But nobody in my Town sold them and the rider was from out oftown..so never saw it again except in Magazines...

I knew the CanAm boys in the UK really well, their headquarters were down the road from my shop and yeah, they died in the late 70's, just no development. The big problem (apart from minimal improvements) was in the enduro/trail world where I was involved is they had no exclusive engines and a flurry of small boutique companies like Moto Gori and Kramer were building up to date machines at a lower price and when Rotax brought out a 500 2-stroke to compete with the big-bore Japanese bikes the engine was basically horrible. The only success CanAm had was supplying the British Army biikes.

Maico ruled quick too

when I started racing Can Am's were just too pricey. My 76 RM 125 was about $750.00. Can Am's were over $1000.00 and were hard to find in N.J.

I raced a MX-5 for a few years. Damn it was fast. Parts started getting hard and expensive to get. Went back to Honda.

10” of mono shock suspension on the Japanese bikes killed Can Am in short order, along with most of the Euro dirt bikes for a couple of decades also.

Victory fans will always gather there top bikes

Great job on video

Hey!very happy to see my face at 1:58 for a second!...LOL!...Enjoy this video as well!✌

I had 2 250 , 1 125 , mx2 I believe, extended swingarm ohlins suspension Simon’s fork kits . They were polished and ported by mongoose machine in British Columbia Canada . Super fast , handled great but had the worst breaks , the counter shaft would break on a big jump , dnf more than I finished, bought 1981 Yamahas

Rotary Valve ROTARY Valve ROTARY VALVE

THEY WERE NOT PLASTIC! SATURN'S WERE "SPACE AGE POLYMER! 😂

CanAm, dominance? Wow I guess there is an alternate world somewhere

Ryker spyder sells alot. Its diff .the sell alot motors i gota Atk 605

What a Blabbermouth !

What a out atk? They still produce parts here in slc.

Skip Olsen and Kevin Snapp

Was in a meeting at a vintage awards dinner with Jeff Smith and buck Murphy factory rider great bs

NEIL!

In the 70s, the Can-Am were competitive. By the early 80s, not so much. The Japanese had motocross wrapped up with far better technology. Europeans, i.e. Husky and KTM, had the Eastern United States, off-road wrapped up. In the west and more open, the Huskies had some stiff competition from the Japanese motocross bikes. The can ams were not in the fight at all. Look at results for the ISDT even in the late 70s, but also the early 80s, barely a Can-Am in the field.

Raced my 79 Yamaha yz80. Beat all the can am riders in my races. 175, 250, etc. no can am in sight. ❤

Atk made bikes instead now maico ccm others

didnt need to watch this to know the reason why they failed.......i thought he was going to tell us something i didnt know......i liked my 1976 honda cr125......Japanese are a visual breed of people and know how things should look......

Cranks were way too small on the 250's, too much wheel spin, and rotary valve power not snappy enough compared to reed valve engines..

I loved my canam 175 qualifier but it was JUNK really - even worse the my Ford trucks lol

Can-Am's never dominated any kind of motorcycle racing or sales. They were cool bikes but...........just another bike.

my first bike was a verey used Can An 175 tnt that i baught for $ 400.00 long story short I blew away the Canadian moto cross champion on his own track with that old Can Am he was riding a brand new rm 250 race bike he was not a happy person that day !!!!

9:48 "The man knocking on Jeff Smith's door, Gary Rougerson, who is actually American, but there is no reason to ruin a good story." Then it goes on to say he was the man at the top who got the bike company started. So take that "American story destroyer" out of the picture---and there would be no story son. I don't blame him for not going to the 50th year celebration. No appreciation from people who never built a thing.

No one raced MX These.. Terrible suspension and motor was like a trail bike. Only in pre 1978 were they ok . My friend had a 1978 250 orange MX . I had RM250 far far better bike .

They were ok but chassis cost alot they make alot other stuff gas crunch and sales went less n they make literaly everyrhin. Else trains jets. Atk did continue makin bikes w best frame sold thru can am. Ccm owms can am now they make bikes still. Also buell

Ill-handling beast that spat Jimmy (Man Of Steel) Ellis off at every opportunity and destroyed my knee, hindering my career. But that's just me. (The motors were great in a Champion/Redline short track frame, tho*)

The only reason CanAm had any success was because of Gary Jones.

To expensive so so fast the can-am

Over tired

Decent storyline, but I hate these damn commercials inserted and the host is boring and just lame. His delivery is old and dry.

Bought a 250 gp, worst dirt bike I ever owned

i lived in new england and grew up riding in the 70's and beyond. i used to frequent local motorcycle shops. When i saw the Can-Ams i laughed. Ugliest bikes i ever saw. wasnt even on my radar after seeing them. sorry

I must have missed they Greatest part ? Rotax was okay , the rest was pretty marginal . By the time things started to evolve they were toast . Now BRP totally sucks ass .

Yeah, H-D still makes motorcycles, over in Thailand...I just read they're shuttin down the facilities in Wisconsin, layin every employee before the move...🤷🏻‍♂️ #IndianOverHarley

In 1979 I bought a MX-5 250 at a dealership in Long Beach California when I walked into this motorcycle shop 40 Can-Am 250 and 400 370 in the front window of the shop the reason I bought one at the time it had 10 more horsepower than any other bike made okay that was cool at about 7 months of race in this bike in Southern California it started having engine failure after engine failure after engine I had to 2250 and a 400 they were MX-6 is if I were to buy a mako would have been better off even though they didn't have the horsepower they handled better and were more reliable have a nice day they were a pile of s***

Live in nc, drove to atla, to cycle south an bought a new 1986 can am 350ase. It wasn t till then I started to learn to go fast. Love that bike

Are the sponsors jokes?? How do you have so many high quality sponsors?? Haha