Y-shaped motorcycle is a different kind of hybrid

Gizmag is gushing over the 2008 Can-Am Spyder roadster that was recently unveiled by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), the Canadian motorcycle, ATV and snowmobile manufacturer.

(Credit: BRP)

Unlike other hybrid vehicles that tout stealth, satellite navigation or energy efficiency, this vehicle claims to be the offspring of a motorcycle and a sports car.

The three-wheel motorcycle has rear wheel drive, with two wheels at the front and one at the back. The trike is powered by a Rotax 990 V-twin liquid-cooled engine with a five-speed manual transmission.

It has antilock breaks, traction control and dynamic power steering as on a car. The Y-shaped chassis has a center steel beam, which BRP says is welded for better structural stability.

The motorcycle sports car hybrid, which will come in "Full Moon" (silver) and "Millennium Yellow," will be available in twelve U.S. states (Ariz., Calif., Colo., Fla., Mass., Md., Mich., Minn., N.J., N.Y., Va., and Wis.) and four Canadian provinces (Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British-Columbia) by the fall of 2007. Specific dealerships will be announced in April. BRP plans to add the rest of the U.S. and Europe over the next four years, according to the company's announcement.