Wife wants a Slingshot

[cowpuc]

Hey Puc...just got logged in here...on the road again....

 

The Ural isn't a road bike....its just not. Now SOME people ride them long distance but they tend to be in their 20's...just sayin.They dont have a 55 year old prostate!

 

The Ural is more like a garden tractor...a tool for a job but you dont drive it 900 miles to the location.

 

Top speed about 60...happy at 55...power-to-weight ratio equal to a 125cc scooter...but gas mileage is about 28...terrible handling at highway speeds...the seat is hard as a brick and the suspension jolts the rider on every bump and expansion joint. The little 35 hp motor can barely keep it going at 40 mph up a long grade if its loaded down. It would take me 3-4 days each way to cover the distance, and I'd be hurting when I got there.

 

When/if a breakdown occured out there in nowhere Nebraska...where the heck would I find a dealer within 500 miles?

 

 

The Ural is a blast around town...and for rides up to about 75 miles or so...then the fun is gone...its not in its element on the road. You have to travel the right lane all day and watch out for stupid SUV drivers who nearly run up your backside even on 2 lane roads.

 

Nope. The Ural is like an ATV...its a toy that you carry to the fun.

 

I have ridden my touring and cruiser bikes 18 times to Sturgis and I've ridden dang near all the paved roads in the Black Hills...I wanted to do something different...and include the van that I bought for camping...so thats what I did....

 

The muddier the campground got from the rain, the more fun the Ural was...flying the chair down titty alley got me all kinds of looks...

 

Parking the Ural in parking lots that were full of a million dollars worth of Harley's and Goldwings and choppers, and people would wander up to the Ural and ask questions or give me the thumbs up...or mostly...they took pictures.

 

Incredible fun the Ural is...approachable by kids and old geezers alike. During the rally, it was pretty filthy from all the dirt roads and mud that I found....during one encounter with a young lady and her kids, she noticed it was pretty dirty and remarked that a dirt toy is 'supposed' to be dirty....

 

BTW...yeah, the Ural is really a different machine. It's much easier to clean the underside by simply lifting the sidecar up...the bike will rest on its left engine guard. Even that little situation causes people to come up and smile and gawk.

 

The Ural is a fun ride...but is it a road bike?

 

Well... it's a street legal ATV and I treat it as one...thats why I bought it.

 

If I'm taking the Ural more than 100 miles its gonna be on a trailer. Period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man I hear ya about the 55 year old prostate business brother and know how ya feel.. I was hoping that somehow, somebody out there had aged differently than me:rotf:and had a story or two of doing something crazy!! Gotta say though, being "older" does have its benefit in that we KNOW that being in pain really aint that much fun:rotf:

Truthfully, that Ural SCREAMS at me to jump on it, putt along at 35/40 mph and head cross country for a summer of mountain trail views, resetting valves in abandoned gas stations, sleeping under the stars and sipping homemade lemonaid purchased from kids selling it in some old cowboy town out in the middle of nowhere.. The crazy stuff a youngster of 25 would come up with.. I am with ya TX, those days are long gone for me too but its still fun to dream!!

I think its wayyyyy cool that you enjoy the Ural for what it is, I admire you for it my friend!! I also appreciate your comment about the vast amount of people who love the Ural - little kids, young ladies (wink wink) and even old Geezers.. Count me in with the geezers as one who really really likes the idea and the thought of Uralism!

Puc

[sleepy2]

So it is a Jeep Slingshot that you are talking about? That is what shows up on the link posted.

[Freebird]

That was Brian being funny. No, it's the Polaris Slingshot.

 

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

[cowpuc]

I was pickin thru the Michigan Auto Trader at a gas station yesterday and thought I read an ad about a dealership near the Ohio border that has the Slingshot in stock... Tried to find Eileen's handle here on VR so I could pass the info on to her but no luck so I thought I better mention it here..

[Freebird]

WOW...what a FRIEND. I'll make sure that she knows.

[dacheedah]

I'm hoping that Yamaha comes out with a thong thing

[Brenda H]

Can someone tell me just how you could/would pull a trailer with that thing? From the video on You Tube, no storage on it to speak of and for that money, I'd stay with a Spyder RT. IMHO, Polaris just turned a dune buggy into a street "bike".

[Freebird]

Somebody will come up with a hitch for it. They have one for the Spyder. I still think there will soon be a "touring" model and it will likely have a hitch.

[Carbon_One]

Somebody will come up with a hitch for it. They have one for the Spyder. I still think there will soon be a "touring" model and it will likely have a hitch.

Yep that's what I've been hearing from the Polaris people and dealers. Pretty much like what CanAm did when they first brought out the Spyder series. After a time they provided what people were asking for including a bigger engine. As to current storage there's a very generously sized lockable glove box and behind each seat a storage compartment big enough to hold a helmet and back pack sized bag.

Bottom line is there will be further improvements made in due time along with accessories being offered.

Seeing as I have one on order I guess you all will know just what there is to know about them once I get it and put a few miles on the odometer.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Somebody will come up with a hitch for it. They have one for the Spyder. I still think there will soon be a "touring" model and it will likely have a hitch.

 

Going against the grain, I would think a 'touring' model would dilute the pure sporting intent for the Slingshot. (they may do it anyway!)

 

In other words, making the Slingshot docile, comfy, heavy, and loaded with creature comforts and tuned for less HP...sorry...I would pass on that model.

 

Well, that is unless I find myself in the market for a Detroit made convertible car.

 

Which I wont.

 

[cowpuc]

Seeing as I have one on order I guess you all will know just what there is to know about them once I get it and put a few miles on the odometer.

 

Never, no not ever, have truer words been spoken!!!! Cant wait to read allllll about it!!! :clap2:

 

If Polaris knew what I know (and many others know) they would start right off by hiring our friend Carbon One to design add on equipment for this new model... Aint no stopping him,, may as well put his brain to work for em!!

[cowpuc]

I'm hoping that Yamaha comes out with a thong thing

:Laugh:

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Just dig a bit deeper in that wallet and you might get the female one of these:

 

http://www.motorcycle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/082014-Travertson-Striker-2-three-wheeler-f.jpg

 

Its called Striker and its gonna be about 35 grand. This one comes with a storage area, a radio and seatbelts.

 

Things are heating up in the 3 wheel world.

 

 

 

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/travertson-manufacturer/2015-travertson-striker-2-0-preview.html

[Dano]

Along with the $$ needed.....

[Barrycuda]

Just dig a bit deeper in that wallet and you might get the female one of these:

 

http://www.motorcycle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/082014-Travertson-Striker-2-three-wheeler-f.jpg

 

Its called Striker and its gonna be about 35 grand. This one comes with a storage area, a radio and seatbelts.

 

Things are heating up in the 3 wheel world.

 

 

 

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/travertson-manufacturer/2015-travertson-striker-2-0-preview.html

 

 

Might as well just buy a car for that matter. Why are we getting away from MOTORCYCLES????

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Might as well just buy a car for that matter. Why are we getting away from MOTORCYCLES????

 

I agree....as I said in an earlier post...if a car is what you need, I think you should just buy a little reliable mass-produced econobox and be done with it.

 

But....some people want something that nobody on the block has...and I can relate to that.

 

I ride the Ural and enjoy the heck out of it....its SO different and the only one in this little town of about 25,000....During the Sturgis rally, I only saw 2 others....in a rally with probably more than 300,000 bikes attending. Now THAT was cool.

 

I dont need a 3 wheel (or 4 wheel for that matter) car...especially one that costs 20 grand and has no heater, AC, or radio. But I will admit that if money was no object I'd own one of everything....including a few sporty 3 wheelers...

 

[syscrusher]

"If Travertson’s specs are to be believed, the Striker will be pulling 9.25 pounds per each max horsepower, while the Polaris is charged with 9.97 pounds for each peak pony. Torque per pound is nearly identical, with the Striker’s 10.14:1 figure marginally better than the Slingshot’s 10.39."

 

So for each of the Can Am models RS-S, RT-S, and ST-S the horsepower specs are more in the 8 to 8.8 pounds per HP area and the torque is 9.9, 10.5, and 10.8 pounds per pound feet respectively. Why not go for the higher performing proven leader in the segment and enjoy the advantages inherent in a lighter weight, sportier vehicle as well? Is it because the Can Am isn't as car-like as the others? Then get a car. For the price you can surely get one with even more power and luggage capacity.

[Marcarl]

At first I thought that maybe we changed too early, but then a thought occurred to me,,, Safety!!! The Spyder still sits about the same height as a bike where the other two are quite a bit lower,,,, depending on how you measure it could be about a foot. That fact would cause you to be less seen and noticed, as well as putting your line of vision lower so you have less visual on the traffic around you. Seeing as we already have problems with cagers and other identifying us, I don't think buying one of these would be a move I would want to make...... Looks like fun though, but not on the freeway or city traffic,,,, no sir, no way.

[cowpuc]

I personally dont care what you guys or girls buy and ride, drive, fly, push or pull.. As long as you are willing to write about it and post some pics to include us in your excellent adventures,,, ol Puc is a happy camper!!:cool10::stirthepot:

[Guest tx2sturgis]

At first I thought that maybe we changed too early, but then a thought occurred to me,,, Safety!!! The Spyder still sits about the same height as a bike where the other two are quite a bit lower,,,, depending on how you measure it could be about a foot. That fact would cause you to be less seen and noticed, as well as putting your line of vision lower so you have less visual on the traffic around you. Seeing as we already have problems with cagers and other identifying us, I don't think buying one of these would be a move I would want to make...... Looks like fun though, but not on the freeway or city traffic,,,, no sir, no way.

 

 

Well this is all subjective and no way to really prove one way or another, but I dont think height is what the average cager sees when they look for vehicles...they look for width...road presence... and the Slingshot is very wide...wider than a Corvette...and people can see those type vehicles pretty easily. Wider vehicles are easier to see day and night, assuming the lighting is good, and they arent hidden as easily by the A and B pillars in a car-drivers line of sight.

A skinny little Honda 250 is pretty tall with its rider, certainly taller than a Vette or Dodge Challenger but commands no road presence...at all.

 

I have noticed riding my Ural (with sidecar) I get very few incursions on my right of way...yeah its different, and it gets noticed...but some of that has to be the fact that it is wider than a normal 2 wheel motorcycle.

 

Riding my Venture, I literally fade into the background. Cagers pay no attention to me and I have to be very alert to stay out of trouble.

 

I think the Slingshot, the Spyders, the Stikers, will always be more noticeable to cagers. Add to that that fact that in some states, they all require the rider to be wearing a helmet and I think the visual recognition will be pretty good.

 

 

 

[Carbon_One]

While this Slingshot or any other 3 wheeler won't replace 2 wheeled bikes there is a place for them. Sure some are simply add ones for conventional motorcycles and some are fresh off the drawing boards whether its a major company making them or someone's home built using car type drivetrains with a mc front on it.

I do agree with Brian about width opposed to height of a bike being more noticeable by the average cager. I know in my case going from 2 wheels to 3 on a trike has made a huge difference in being seen. So IMHO bigger is better.

Checking specs on the Slingshot its 4" wider & 6" longer than our Miata. Also seat height is about the same, so I don't think there'll be much of a visibility problem of people seeing it. I do agree it sitting as low as it does will create problems at times for the driver to see sometimes. Same thing again in the Miata. I try to avoid potential blind spots, especially around large vehicles. Even some other sports cars have a lower set height like Vette's. Sitting inside a framed trike like the Slingshot or Motor Tries Stallion seems safer to me than one.

Cost of a Slingshot is comparable and actually cheaper than some trikes, even 2 wheeled bikes.

I'm buying our Slingshot for mostly comfort for both wife & I and the extra safety over conventional tikes. Being older now we don't heal so fast anymore. Doesn't hurt to have the wow factor either.

I'll give a report on it once I get it ( October?) and put a few miles on the clock.

Larry