Can-Am Motorcycles

Welcome to Mike Rydman's

Having raced amateur motocross and other off-road events from the late 60's through the early 80's, I've owned a variety of great motorcycles over the years. In 1975 I watched Jimmy Ellis blast through the pack at the LA Coliseum on a bike that virtually no one else was riding. I was so impressed with his performance that I bought my first Can-Am shortly afterward. I eventually purchased a Can-Am dealership (1980-82) and started working with a factory support rider. To the dismay of many, Bombardier stopped making Can-Am motorcycles in the mid 80's. After I searched the Internet for information about Can-Am motorcycles and found nothing, I decided to create this page for those of you who might share an interest in these machines. The theme is primarily MX and off road vehicles, but thanks to the help of viewers and other pagebuilders I've been able to expand it to include a little road racing, military, and trials. I hope you enjoy my tribute to these fine motorcycles.

WHO HAS THE MOST AWESOME RESTORED CAN-AM IN THE WORLD?

CLASSIC CANAM'S BEST CANAM OF 2006

1ST GENERATION (73-77)
First Place - 1976 MX-2 175

2ND GENERATION (78 & up)
First Place - 1979 MX-5 250

Builder's Notes: Respectfully submitted by Bob Cole of Salvisa Ky USA

This 1976 175 MX2 was acquired from a motorcycle salvage yard in late summer 2002. The bike was in running condition when purchased but needed quite a bit of TLC. I would first like to give a great deal of credit for this restoration to CanAm expert Al Roberts of Lumberton Tx. Al was invaluable in supplying the parts and technical assistance needed to bring this classic racer back to life. I was committed to restoring the bike back to as close to original condition as possible. With few exceptions, original used and NOS parts were installed where needed. Most parts came from Al's large used and NOS inventory. Here's a partial list of what was done to the bike :
- Frame and handlebars stripped and powdercoat finished.
- Engine gone through and rebuilt by Al Roberts.
- All hardware replaced with new except for specialty fasteners which were wirebrushed and cleaned.
- Fuel tank refinished with new graphics applied.
- Seat professionally recovered with NOS seat cover.
- Front number plate and side panels replaced with original CanAm plastic units.
- Front and rear fenders replaced with accurate reproduction units supplied by Al Roberts.
- Control levers, perches and throttle replaced with new Magura units.
- New Terry cables replaced where needed.
- Exhaust replaced with like new condition original MX2 downpipe.
A few final thoughts to add is that the total restoration was completed in about six months. This MX2 remains today in pristine-mint condition. The bike is even carrying it's original Yokohama "Super Digger" tires, still in good condition. It also still sports the original upside-down mounted Girling shocks. I start the bike up and exercise it every now and then. It is still a very fast machine, but mostly babied and pampered these days. It is part of a growing collection of CanAms I have including three TNTs and another MX2, all in varying states of restoration

This 1979 MX-5 250 CanAm is the work of Daniel Way from Modesto California USA. Daniel was nice enough to personally show us a small part of his vast CanAm collection. This restoration is an excellent example of how a quality resto should look when it's done. Most people ignore little details like the grey handlebars and the "off black" engine color. The only flaw is my photography, and the fact that it looks better than a brand new MX-5 looked in 1979. And I know . . . I uncrated and assembled a ton of these things back when I had a C-A dealership. We have two of Daniel's bikes posted on the site right now and hope to feature more in the near future.

Builder's Note: Daniel makes it clear that his projects are generally a "team" effort and thanks his father, Bond Way, and Ed Pinzel for their part in creating these wonderful machines. Bond is well known in the CanAm community for his technical expertise and Ed works magic with paint and cosmetics.

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UPDATED JULY 7, 2006

Notes & Features

The 1975 GP 250: Was it really as good as we remember it to be?

Early Model Fuel Tank Restoration

CanAm Value Survey

1974 MX-1 125 Project

Where Did CanAm Go?

A Note From the Pagebuilder

Viewers Write

Photos

My Personal Pics

Viewers Bikes and Misc. Pics

Old CanAm Ad's and Brochures

Factory Pilots

The Original Factory MX Team

Jeff Smith (Team C-A 1973-87)

Buck Murphy (Team C-A 1975-77)

Jimmy Ellis (Team C-A 1974-77)

The Motorcycles

The Best CanAms of 2006

Factory Works Bikes

MX, Qualifier, & ASE Series

Can-Am Street Bike

Can-Am Road Racer

Can-Am Trials

Can-Am Military

Other Rotax Powered Motorcycles

Technical Information

Tech Tips and Fixes

1974 - 1987 Model Specifications

Identification by Frame Number

Different Stuff About Can-Am's

Owners Registry