I always wish that sellers would provide photos of VINs or serial numbers or any tags that can help identify the exact year, model, or other attributes of a vehicle, but this seller has provided good photos for this 1975 (’74?) Can-Am 250 T’NT, so I can’t complain for once. It’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Purdy, Missouri, and the seller is asking $1,700. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Terry for the T’NT tip!
A Canadian motorcycle is like a picante sauce from NEW YORK CITY?! (old Pace picante commercial). Having grown up about 2.5 hours from the Canadian border, I should be more tuned into Canadian vehicles, and Can-Am is one that should be toward the top of my list. Bombardier Corporation was founded in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada in 1942 and is now located in Montreal. The company was in almost everything at one point, including motorcycles, beginning in the early 1970s. Can-Am went away in 1987, but came back in 2006, and is still around today, and they’re still making motorcycles. Although if you want one with two wheels, it’ll have to be battery-powered.
The seller says they bought this Can-Am 250 T’NT (Track and Trail) a few years ago but haven’t gotten around to it yet, so it’s been sitting. I know the feeling, I have a 1983 Honda Motra that I bought a decade ago and have never even gotten around to putting gas or oil in it, that’s embarrassing. People get busy and keep hoarding/collecting, and they get lost. If this Can-Am 250 was in the same condition as my oddball Motra, I’d trade in a heartbeat. Can-Ams stick out at vintage motorcycle shows with the fantastic graphics and beautiful engines. You can see the hanging, broken rear turn signal in the photo above. They’re in a weird spot on these bikes, well forward of where they normally are on the back.
This 250 T’NT appears to show 2,300 or so on the odometer, which I’m assuming is kilometers, but I’m not sure. They were sold for the U.S. market, so maybe it’s miles. The seller has this one listed as a 1974, and it could be. A lot of the information I found says that production was from 1974 through 1977, but most of the charts or other pages say that the first model year was 1975. That’s where a VIN or other data tag photo would come in handy. This bike is missing the headlamp assembly and part of the taillight, unfortunately. Add those to the restoration list.
The engine is a Bombardier, as you can see, but they were made by Rotax, a Bombardier subsidiary. This is a 247-cc two-stroke rotary-valve single-cylinder with just under 28 horsepower and 18 lb-ft of torque. Backed by a 5-speed manual transmission, the seller says it turns over, but they haven’t attempted to start it since they’ve owned it. I’m sure most Barn Finds readers could get it running again. Have any of you owned a Can-Am motorcycle?
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