Texas Reportedly Says No Polaris Slingshots

[Cal]

It is a car and it would be fun to drive it. Maybe when I,m old I will buy one instead of a trike or a sidecar rig.


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[mika]

Aside from the regulatory what it got called, I still do not view it as a motorcycle.
Steering wheel, side by side seating...what am I missing?
Y'all looking at the same pictures? It is described as a car several times here.

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/polaris/ke4619.html

Were the imported Isettas in the US a car or a bike?

Don't get me wrong, I would like the opportunity to DRIVE one

I believe the Isetta was imported as a car. But remember Isetta and its licensed builders, like BMW, built and sold it as an entry level car. The cross over for BMW was the use of the Motorrad single to power it.

The Slingshot should be fun what ever you class it as.

 

[easy]

https://www.federalregister.gov/art...ed-vehicles-in-the-guide-to-reporting-highway

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2010-title49-vol6/CFR-2010-title49-vol6-sec571-3

E.

 

[kantuckid]

This is the BMW MOA forum. It's a caring place.

On the other hand as Polaris works to have the Slingshot approved it could result in rules changes that could impact people have passing interest in around here like sidecars and traditional trikes might make us care.

Or it may be just the case we are a bunch of gear heads with unheated garages and too much time on our hands.

This

I don't really care what they call it but if it gets sold it needs an all state definition. It sure isn't gonna make the dummy look good in the crash tests! Like side door crash ratings are....
Can we now talk PU's, thats whats on MY! small mind these "in the teens days" at hand!

 

[mika]

This

I don't really care what they call it but if it gets sold it needs an all state definition. It sure isn't gonna make the dummy look good in the crash tests! Like side door crash ratings are....
Can we now talk PU's, thats whats on MY! small mind these "in the teens days" at hand!:laugh

Uffda, you want to talk about pick ups?!? Would that be full box F150 standard cab staight six(but modified) haul my dirt bike/roadster/cross country skis in the winter and camping gear anytime pickups like my old one, king cab - have junk I need to keep dry while going to the job site PU like my contractor brother-in-law or Crew cab high tech, leather sofa, suround sound, wifi enabled with nicer carpet than my home and a little bed with a roll garage door cover attached to the back pick up one of my son-in-laws has?

 

[wezul]

Three legged X-Bow.
It's a car.

 

[classicvw]

Additionally, the Texas ruling by itself limits interstate commerce. Polaris built a vehicle that meets all federal requirements. Texas' refusal to register these vehicles limits Polaris' ability to conduct a lawful business.

I disagree. It's not as simple as that. A state can regulate cars and motorcycles, and even trucks. Regardless of interstate commerce regulations, many states do ban vehicles such as double or triple trailers, on their roads, but they can't ban them on the interstate highway system in their states. AFAIK, Interstate commerce rules affect trucks and the transport of goods across state lines. A Slingshot would not be transporting goods for sale.

 

[classicvw]

Karl,

Wasn't safety. The articles I read indicated that Texas said they wouldn't license it because under TX law, motorcycle riders must "straddle" the seat. No straddle, like in (on) the Slingshot, and it's a car in Texas' view.

A work-around to that would be to somehow establish an address in a neighboring state to register the Slingshot there and drive it in Texas. You could get in trouble if they can prove you live in Texas most of the time.

Along those lines, many snowbirds from here in the Northeast register their cars in Florida for the cheaper insurance. Just the other day, one guy called the P.D. and told me that Florida now requires licensed drivers to be fingerprinted, how could he get that done in New Jersey? I basically told him he's screwed

Regarding states not allowed to have regs that run afoul of federal law- Dark window tint is allowed under federal statutes and allowed in Florida, but not New Jersey. NJ police officers still write many summonses for window tint. So its not all cut and dried as you would think. We're still 50 individual states in many respects.

.

 

[osbornk]

Additionally, the Texas ruling by itself limits interstate commerce. Polaris built a vehicle that meets all federal requirements. Texas' refusal to register these vehicles limits Polaris' ability to conduct a lawful business.

California and several other liberal states have emission standards that are tougher than the Federal requirements and you can't register a vehicle there that don't meet their requirements. I think the Federal requirements are a baseline and states can make tougher requirements for registration. However, other vehicles are allowed to operate there but not long term.

 

[lkchris]

In the majority of states it's illegal to mail order a car. Don't think it happens much for motorcycles, either.

All this is is requirement vehicles be sold to residents via a dealership.

It was all cussed and discussed when the Internet first appeared.

Nothing prevents an individual from crossing state line to buy a car.

Tesla is having similar problems.

Car dealers have lots of political influence. Traditionally, in smaller towns the car dealer is the richest guy in town. Still lots of representation based on borders rather than population.

 

[kantuckid]

Uffda, you want to talk about pick ups?!? Would that be full box F150 standard cab staight six(but modified) haul my dirt bike/roadster/cross country skis in the winter and camping gear anytime pickups like my old one, king cab - have junk I need to keep dry while going to the job site PU like my contractor brother-in-law or Crew cab high tech, leather sofa, suround sound, wifi enabled with nicer carpet than my home and a little bed with a roll garage door cover attached to the back pick up one of my son-in-laws has?

My 3rd PU was a 1966 Chevy Apache 10 with wood bed floor. Great truck that drove & rode like one. 3 on the column, 6 under the hood. The two before that were a newer & my intro to PS & AC in a PU. They still drove & rode like a truck. The Apache hauled our ironing board, and most of the rest of our newly wed stuff to KY as I embarked on a new career.

Private joke: KY folks would ask me all the time(based on fact that no one not from here comes here to the land of "zero jobs & money")-"How'd ya get here"? Standard answer was-"In an Apache 10 Chevy truck", which usually got a laugh. FWIW, my wife was driving our 1969/2002 loaded to the gills with stuff.
I've owned almost every POS USA PU truck thats' been invented & can attest that if the Europeans had our gas prices and our good sense they would want one of these beauties too! It's no secret that they drive & ride like limos now days. Check out the new MC GM PU's. Not yer buddies ole S-10!
No, I just don't get the appeal of these slingshot MC wanna be's. If I can't throw a leg I'll get me a bonofied sports car of some type & ride scoots!

P.S. Sears & Roebuck did mail order MC's? But this isn't a MC, HUH? FWIW, they also did mail order houses-there's one on US460 a few miles from me.

 

[mika]

They did ship what passed as a two wheeled MC. As you point out, Sears mailordered many things. There are several Sears houses in the area I live in.

EVs seem to be the lattest driving force behind the anti vehicle mailorder rules. Tesla is grabbing the headlines now at both the state and federal level. Motocycles played a part in the debate. Brammo has small dealer network now but started by talking about using a mailorder system.

You would order your bike online and it would be drop shipped to an authorized assembler. They would put the thing together for you while you sorted out the paperwork. The Pit Crew looked into becoming an authorized assembler but we decided the legal risks for the volume of business was too great.

 

[REDC650GT]

Poorly written article on clarification from TX DMV

Saw this thought it may be of interest to the thread.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/11/20/texas-explains-why-polaris-slingshot-missed-mark/

 

[mika]

Morgan and Campagnamotors three wheelers have gone through Fifty State certification and have been sold, registered and licensed in Texas. TexMog is the Morgan club for the state and lists three wheelers in its membership.

Motorcycle.com contacted both and said in their piece on the subject:

To verify that both the Morgan and the T-Rex were legal in Texas, we contacted representatives from both companies to get their statements. The Los Angeles rep for Morgan said that the Morgan is 50-state legal and she would hear through her personal customers if they had difficulty licensing a Morgan in Texas. A T-Rex sales representative said the company was in the final stages of penning a contract for their first official dealership in Texas. So, apparently, it?s full speed ahead for T-Rex and its more roadsterish sibling, the V13R, too.

Elio Motors three wheeler may has a roof and has complied with safety standards so far; thus it may avoid this problem in the long run.

I have to wonder what Minnesotan's did to P-O Texans this time.

 

[REDC650GT]

WSJ review of Slingshot

Not the typical First ride report.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/polaris-slingshot-an-odd-way-to-blow-24-000-1417805910?tesla=y

 

[henzilla]

brutal!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[gfspencer]

Well the conflict hinges on the wording used to define a motorcycle in Texas. The Texas Department of Public Safety Motorcycle Operator?s Manual says three-wheelers are defined by certain characteristics, one of them being ?saddle seating,? meaning ?seating in which the rider/passenger straddles the vehicle? or ?If designed for a passenger, the passenger must be seated behind the operator (or in a separate passenger compartment in the case of a motorcycle with sidecar).? ....the full story can be read here ---> http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/3/19531/Motorcycle-Article/Texas-Reportedly-Says-No-Polaris-Slingshots.aspx

AB

That's pretty funny. The great state of Texas - which frowns on any kind of regulation - is banning a Slingshot. And here is something even more ironic. I saw one in Palo Alto, California a few weeks ago.

 

[mika]

Playing on YouTube and at the MC Bijou

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zuXWHGEBPT0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[lmo1131]

And here is something even more ironic. I saw one in Palo Alto, California a few weeks ago.

Nothing ironic there. If it has three wheels, it's a motorcycle. Period. Either way, the State gets it's vehicle reg money.


There is a vehicle rental shop here in Pismo Beach, California that has one; Pismo Beach is the only "drive-on" beach on the west coast, dune buggie rentals are big (small) business in the county. He claims it is the first "privately owned" Slingshot in the state of California (vs. "demo" machines). $400 per day gets you in it, so I"m out...

I will say one thing, in person, it is a BIG machine; with side-by-side seating, it had to be. I'll see if I can get some pics this afternoon.

 

[kantuckid]

That's pretty funny. The great state of Texas - which frowns on any kind of regulation - is banning a Slingshot. And here is something even more ironic. I saw one in Palo Alto, California a few weeks ago.

I wouldn't say Texas doesn't regulate much unless they have done away with the "blue laws" they had when I was in the Army there in 1960's? At that time I was addicted to nicotine via Key/Copenhagen and you couldn't buy it (tobacco) on Sunday, at least then.
WSJ writing about Slingshot is sorta like me doing a lingerie review?

They look from the front like the old Formula Vee cars? Just something to "talk about" here, I sure don't want one!