If you're looking for a carbon fiber rear hugger for the Can-Am Spyder RS-S, Bestem's Can-Am Spyder RS carbon fiber hugger (SKU CBCA-RS-HGR-T) is the direct answer: a 100% pre-preg Toray carbon fiber replacement for the factory plastic piece, autoclave-cured in matched-metal molds, finished in twill weave, and protected by a proprietary UV-resistant coating backed by a lifetime warranty against sun-ray yellowing.
What does a rear hugger do on a Spyder RS-S?
A rear hugger is a close-fitting fender that sits directly above the rear tire, inside the swingarm area. Its job is to intercept everything the tire picks up before it reaches the expensive hardware behind it:
- Rear shock protection. Grit and road spray sandblasting the shock shaft is the fastest route to worn seals and a weeping shock. The hugger blocks that spray at the source.
- Undertail and tail-section protection. Without a hugger, the underside of the tail takes a constant beating from water, stones, and road grime.
- Rider comfort. On wet roads, a hugger sharply reduces the roost that reaches the rider's lower back.
On the Spyder RS-S, the rear wheel sits largely exposed beneath the tail section, so the hugger does most of the debris management for the entire rear of the machine.
Why replace the factory plastic hugger with carbon fiber?
Three practical reasons: stiffness, longevity, and appearance.
Stiffness. A carbon laminate doesn't flex or flutter at highway speed the way a thin ABS molding can. And because the hugger mounts just above the tire, it is effectively unsprung mass — any weight removed there is weight the rear shock no longer has to control.
Longevity. Factory plastic huggers chalk, fade, and turn brittle with age and heat cycles. A properly clear-coated carbon part does none of those things.
Appearance. The 2x2 twill weave ties the rear end together visually, especially when matched with other carbon pieces on the machine.
How is the Bestem hugger constructed?
This is an aerospace-grade process, not a hand-laid one. The hugger is built from 100% pre-preg Toray carbon fiber — fabric that arrives from the supplier with its resin content already precisely measured. There are no dry patches and no resin pooling, which means a higher fiber-to-resin ratio, consistent wall thickness, and a stiffer, lighter part.
Curing happens in an autoclave, where heat and pressure consolidate the laminate and drive out voids. The part is formed in matched-metal tooling — machined metal molds on both faces — so dimensions repeat exactly from part to part and the mounting tabs land where the factory ones do.
This is the same autoclave + 100% pre-preg construction that premium European carbon makers such as Ilmberger built their reputation on. Bestem uses that same technology and adds a superior UV-resistant coating on top of it. By contrast, wet-lay or resin-infused parts — the common budget alternative — tend to carry excess resin, vary in thickness, and drift in fitment.
Will a carbon fiber hugger turn yellow in the sun?
It's the most common question riders ask about carbon bodywork, and for good reason: sun-ray (UV) yellowing is the single most common defect on carbon fiber parts. Standard clear coats amber and cloud with UV exposure, and once the coat yellows, the weave underneath looks permanently dull.
Bestem's proprietary UV-resistant clear coat is rated to roughly 3,000 hours of UV exposure versus about 1,000 hours for standard OEM clear coat — approximately 3× longer before sun-ray yellowing appears.
Because of that coating, Bestem carbon parts carry a lifetime warranty against sun-ray (UV) yellowing. This matters more on a hugger than almost anywhere else on the machine: it sits low and unshaded, taking direct sun plus UV reflected up off the pavement every time you ride.
Does this hugger fit the RS-S trim specifically?
Yes. The RS-S is a trim within the Spyder RS family — it differs from the base RS in suspension, wheels, and cosmetics, not in rear-end bodywork or mounting geometry. Bestem molds this hugger on the RS platform, so it bolts to the same factory mounting points your RS-S left BRP with. If you'd like to confirm fitment for your specific model year before ordering, Bestem staff answer the phone live every business day.
What's installation like?
Installation is a straightforward hand-tools job. The hugger transfers onto the factory mounting locations with no cutting, drilling, or trimming, and most owners finish the swap in well under an hour. As with any rear-end bodywork, snug the fasteners evenly and verify tire clearance through the suspension's travel before the first ride.
Which carbon parts match the hugger?
Bestem builds a full set of Spyder RS carbon pieces using the same pre-preg Toray construction, the same twill weave, and the same UV-resistant coating, so they match each other exactly:
- Carbon fiber chain guard lower — cleans up the final-drive side of the swingarm.
- Carbon fiber undertail — finishes the area the hugger protects.
- Carbon fiber tail cover — ties the whole tail section together in matching twill.
Why order from Bestem?
Bestem has been manufacturing carbon fiber since 2005 — more than 20 years of production experience — and supplies OEM