Listen, RideApart is a powersports website. We used to be motorcycle or two-wheeler specific, but we've since expanded to cover three-, four-, and no-wheeled (PWCs, mainly) powersports vehicles in the past couple of years as well. And as a result, we're out here trying a whole host of things and sharing our impressions with you, our readers.
Everyone on our staff rides motorcycles, period. But at the same time, we're also out here riding and trying other things. Sometimes even new things (well, new to us). And we're telling you about it, because we think (or hope, at least) that you'll want to know, and maybe consider trying something for yourself, too.
We want you to have a good time, and we want you to know why we did or didn't enjoy something. And we're always up-front about what we enjoy and what we don't about any particular vehicle or gear that we review. Reviews are just that: Our individual impressions, given based on our personal experiences with a machine or piece of gear. That's it and that's all.
This preamble is to lead into the fact that Rider Magazine just published its 2025 Motorcycle of the Year Awards list, and seems to have kicked a veritable r/motorcycles hornet's nest as a result. Why? Because the pub literally goes through a list of 10 other motorcycles that staff members have ridden this year, and then caps it off by naming the Can-Am Canyon as its Motorcycle of the Year instead.
Now, Reddit is Reddit, but there's also been discussion in this thread about whether the award was purchased. RideApart can't speak to whether that's the case or not, but I can say that it's not difficult to understand why someone might ask that question.
If you view the actual piece on Rider's website, there's a Can-Am Canyon ad right up at the top for the 2025 Canyon Redrock, complete with a "2025 Rider Motorcycle of the Year" seal on the image included in the ad.
To be clear, we're not saying or speculating what it is or isn't, only pointing out that it doesn't seem like you need to be a hardcore conspiracy theorist to wonder if that's the case.
RideApart Has Plenty of Ads, But We'll Always Tell You About It
Now, first and foremost, chances are if you're reading this piece, you're probably well aware that RideApart has ads. I mean, you're reading this for free, and we do have to make money somehow. It's the nature of the modern Internet, and we're far from being the only ones.
One thing I want to make abundantly clear, though, is that while we do occasionally post sponsored content, it will always be clearly labeled. You will know whether what you're reading is sponsored. In such instances, our advertising partners have zero say in our editorial content, but we'll still mark it out that it's sponsored all the same.
Trust in information is important, and more so now than ever. We do take ads, but we'll always be upfront about it with you, and that's our RideApart promise. If we tell you we love, hate, or feel any type of way about a powersports vehicle or a piece of gear (usually, honestly, it's some mix of the above), please know that each of us always means it.
Our ad placements can be bought, but our opinions can't. And again, we're not claiming that Rider's award was bought. Only that the magazine made an interesting choice for Motorcycle of the Year, and has interesting ad placements, and we'll let Reddit fight about that one.
That said, the Can-Am Canyon does deserve your attention.
I Rode the Can-Am Canyon Earlier This Year, So I Can Definitely Talk About It
In case you missed it, I also rode the Can-Am Canyon earlier this year. And to my honest surprise, I really enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. I've been riding motorcycles (actual motorcycles) for close to 20 years, but have only experienced Can-Am's reverse trikes in earnest in the past couple of years. As I mentioned in my review of the Canyon, it's by far my favorite.
Why did I personally feel that way? Because of my own personal experiences with riding, and anyone else's may of course differ. I didn't grow up riding dirt, and I've been a street rider for most of my career. While I'm actively working to improve my off-road skills, I've also had minimal trail riding experience on a motorcycle as well.
Yet, in part because RideApart has expanded its focus, I've spent more time riding trails and off-road tracks in the past couple of years than I ever have. Just not on motorcycles.
I believe the Can-Am Canyon absolutely has a place, and it's hands-down my favorite Can-Am three-wheeler, because it helped me legit tackle some fire road and muddy mountain pass riding that I seriously question whether I'd ever feel comfortable trying on a motorcycle, even if my dirt and off-road skills considerably improve.
To put it another way, I was watching the latest video in Amanda Zito's Nepal video series, where she spent a couple of weeks riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. My partner rode there a few years ago, and she visited several places he rode on a much less appropriate bike (he had a great time in spite of this, though), so I've been getting some of his commentary as well.
And there was one point, where she was delicately picking her way down a gravel and boulder-strewn road with some deep ruts, and doing just fine on the Himmy. I was tackling a similar surface a couple of weeks ago—but driving a side-by-side, not on a motorcycle. As I watched Zito calmly ride through, I was genuinely glad it was her and not me, because riding that kind of terrain on a motorcycle is well outside my comfort zone. She's riding in an undeniably gorgeous place, but it takes a whole lot of very specific skills to do what she's doing.
The roads are also super narrow, so a motorcycle is a perfect companion there. A big Can-Am-style three-wheeler or a side-by-side (even a narrower, trail-focused one) probably wouldn't be. There are different environments that are best suited to different vehicles, and that's fine. You can like, and can ride more than one thing! It's more fun, too, if you expand your horizons.
