First Can-Am produced in 1980, featured in the Works broshure
1980 Can-Am 406cc MX6
Frame no. 8084000001
Engine no. 123535
While the Bombardier company was famous in any land with a carpet of snow during the year, for ‘Ski-doo’ snowmobiles and snow removal equipment, it was only in 1972 that motorcycles figured into their lineup. Two-wheelers were chosen to occupy the ‘other’ season in their already vast production line, and off-roaders became the focus of their efforts, utilizing the company’s established network for selling recreational vehicles, which was larger than Honda’s sales outlets, with 2500 dealers in the US alone!
The new range was called Can-Am (Canadian-American), and off-road success with Enduro and Scambler models was almost assured, as English motocross legend Jeff Smith (twice World Champion, 9-time British Champion, etc) was hired to oversee design of the new machines. The engine was designed by Rotax of Austria, a subsidiary of Bombardier, and was extremely narrow at 10 inches, and consequently very light. With an excellent chassis and engine, Can-Ams were suddenly everywhere by the mid-70s, doing very well at premier level competition and winning plenty of motocross and ISDT events. A few forays into road-racing and salt-flat records were successful as well, with a streamlined 125cc model hitting 136.5mph at Bonneville.
The ‘MX6’ of 1980 was a venture into large-capacity territory, with a 406cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine, developing a whopping 43hp at 6500rpm. The chassis was, as usual, state of the art, with Marzocchi air forks up front, and S&W twin shocks at the rear offering a huge amount of suspension travel. The carburetor cleverly breathes through the frame spine, allowing a lower seat height to compensate for the tall shocks. But the MX6 is really all about the Power – with a broad spread of torque and a top end like a giant shove in the back, one hardly needed to change gears!
