Polaris Slingshot

Have you all seen this one? I say WAY TO GO POLARIS! Thinking outside of the box to bring something fun.

http://www.polaris.com/en-us/slingshot

Not even sure what to think. Very cool, very different. Sold as a motorcycle, belt drive, 5" off the ground, 1700 lbs. Depends a lot on the price on how it does. Michigan's bad weather and bad roads might not be so friendly to it. I signed up for updates. Interesting.

Did the forum exist before the vehicle?

Such a refreshing new idea.. [/sarcasm]

It is kinda neat, but I don't understand the draw for something different than a Solstice if you need an ecotec powered miata. It's not marketed as a track day car. Maybe I just don't understand the demographic.

IMHO it's so incredibly hard to style a three-wheel car so it looks good. They seem to be trying to make it look like some of the recent quirky supercars (eg BAC Mono), the sub 1500-lb ones with 300 hp or so, but without the horsepower, low weight, or (for me) looks. As was posted above, I wonder about the targeted demographic. I just can't see them selling very many; no matter what the technical specs offer, people have proven over and over that they want four wheels.

Cycle cars go back a lot farther than that Morgan you show. I actually like that Morgan a lot, it is 60k though. This is 20k. The demographic is someone looking for a pure fun vehicle that handles well, is fast and is not a fortune. It sits 5" off the ground, if you have a pulse it HAS to be exhilarating to drive.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Such a refreshing new idea.. [/sarcasm] It is kinda neat, but I don't understand the draw for something different than a Solstice if you need an ecotec powered miata. It's not marketed as a track day car. Maybe I just don't understand the demographic.

Well since it's a Polaris, it'll be at all of the motorsports show rooms next to the sport bikes, cruiser bikes, reverse trikes, boats, jet skis, atvs and the side by side UTVs. The people who shop for those things are the exact demographic they are looking for; people who have money for toys.

Front Wheel Drive seems to make a lot more sense, unless you are into burn out contests.

When the hell did this happen?!

I like the idea, but that styling is pretty over the top. I prefer the cleaner lines of earlier trike attempts like the VW GX3 and SUB G1:

I saw in the Minneapolis paper that they were going to announce this thing. I suppose in a way it's competition to the Can-Am Spyder.

Polaris has been doing a lot of interesting things in the last few years - besides their core of snowmobiles and ATVs they have Victory and Indian motorcycles, and they've bought up a couple electric vehicle companies.

I think stuart nailed it. Those Can-Am Spyders seem to be selling ok. I see them a lot more than I would've ever guessed. They have shown that there is a market for things that have no real purpose and solve no real problems. Make your own niche and people will pay if you make the right thing.

This thing is a way more car-like version of the Can-Am Spyder and I like it, where I just don't understand the Can-Am thing at all. Those people should just buy a motorcycle.

This thing looks like a KTM X-Bow with only one rear wheel. I suppose making it a three wheeler classifies it as a motorcycle thus no crash testing, no airbags, etc. Agree with nderwater that the styling would be better if it looked more like the ones he hotlinked, but I am interested in this thing.

Ok, that's cool. Can't wait to see one in the wild (and destroy it with my Midlana. )

I actually was planning to build something like this before I started the Midlana, but un WA you have to straddle the vehicle for it to be considered a motorcycle. I wonder how they will get around that.

If I'm going 3 wheels I'm getting an elio.

Not as exciting but Sub $7K and over 80 mpg, if it gets built

T.J. wrote: This thing is a way more car-like version of the Can-Am Spyder and I like it, where I just don't understand the Can-Am thing at all. Those people should just buy a motorcycle.

Here's a reason - Balance. Some of us don't have it, or don't have it anymore. I have balance issues. I can still ride a motorcycle, but don't feel all that comfortable doing so. I figure some day I'll end up with some kind of 3 wheeler.

I am not sure I agree there. a front drive motor cycle makes little sense to me. Also, you would not get the handling characteristic you want with front wheel drive - not to mention the cost would go up. If you add another wheel it becomes a car and that makes it impossible...

RossD wrote: Well since it's a Polaris, it'll be at all of the motorsports show rooms next to the sport bikes, cruiser bikes, reverse trikes, boats, jet skis, atvs and the side by side UTVs. The people who shop for those things are the exact demographic they are looking for; people who have money for toys.

T.J. wrote: I think stuart nailed it. Those Can-Am Spyders seem to be selling ok. I see them a lot more than I would've ever guessed.

I see quite a few Can-Ams here in Minnesota, and since this is home turf for Polaris I assume they'd love to have a piece of that action.

As for the practicality of the Can-Am, like bravenrace said there are a lot of people who still want to ride but for various reasons aren't comfortable with just two wheels. I think they make a lot more sense and are probably a lot more stable than those Gold Wings or Harleys that have been converted to trikes. There are also people riding them who do so simply because they like them, I see regularly see a couple of them in my neighborhood ridden by younger guys. I think there's a crossover with snowmobile riders since the platform is somewhat similar, and we certainly have a ton of them here.

I get the use case of balance issues and a CAN-AM spyder or trike of some sort. Seems to be another version of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campagna_T-Rex

I mean the big tymers and Ja-Rule were all over the T-rex back in the day, maybe their demographic is rappers who have jumped the shark?

Errr buddddy get your roll on..

bravenrace wrote:

T.J. wrote: This thing is a way more car-like version of the Can-Am Spyder and I like it, where I just don't understand the Can-Am thing at all. Those people should just buy a motorcycle.

Here's a reason - Balance. Some of us don't have it, or don't have it anymore. I have balance issues. I can still ride a motorcycle, but don't feel all that comfortable doing so. I figure some day I'll end up with some kind of 3 wheeler.

Yeah, I would have to agree. I met a guy who never learned to ride a bike and couldn't learn to ride a motorcycle (don't know how hard he tried, but that was his claim), he paid 50K for someone to turn a brand-new harley into a traditional custom trike for him.

I am surprised at how many can-ams I see, but there must be some demand.

As to the solstice comment, do you guys think the trans is the same one once found in the solstice/sky?

News article about this vehicle in today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/business/268970361.html

They developed this thing at their R&D facility in Wyoming, MN which is about 30 miles north of here.

bigfoot21075 wrote: I am not sure I agree there. a front drive motor cycle makes little sense to me. Also, you would not get the handling characteristic you want with front wheel drive - not to mention the cost would go up. If you add another wheel it becomes a car and that makes it impossible...

RossD wrote: Well since it's a Polaris, it'll be at all of the motorsports show rooms next to the sport bikes, cruiser bikes, reverse trikes, boats, jet skis, atvs and the side by side UTVs. The people who shop for those things are the exact demographic they are looking for; people who have money for toys.

It's rear wheel drive. with a GM Ecotec.

I was just up in Quebec and was surprised - outside of the cities, the Can-Am- 3-wheelers are very popular.

I understand the popularity of them, as you get the same wind-in-the-hair experience without the possibility of sliding out and grinding through your leathers. It's not my cup of tea, but also figure that much of the country has a dearth of windy roads. Who needs the handling ability of a two-wheeler when 98% of your driving is in a straight line?

This thing I don't get. no more side impact protection than a Locost. Takes up practically the same footprint as a car, but lacks the storage room or all-weather capability. Most track days don't want them, and they look like something out of a Japanese comic book.

I do understand the layout however. Having the center of mass between the front wheels is much more stable while cornering than setting the motor in back of the driver.

I keep reading the thread title as Polish Slingshot and then dissolving into fits of non-PC laughter as I imagine the visuals.

T.J. wrote: I just don't understand the Can-Am thing at all. Those people should just buy a motorcycle.

"Those people" are mostly older guys who want to tool around on something that feels motorcycle-ish, but that doesn't require nearly as much balance to ride and will never fall over if you don't get your foot down properly at a stoplight. Which is precisely why they buy it instead of a motorcycle.

Duke wrote: I keep reading the thread title as **Polish Slingshot** and then dissolving into fits of non-PC laughter as I imagine the visuals.

sounds like something borat would wear at the beach.