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HARTFORD – A bill introduced Friday in the Connecticut General Assembly to create an “autocycle” category of motor vehicles would not, contrary to what RIDE-CT / RIDE-NewEngland reported five days ago, make sales of the Polaris Slingshot roadster legal in the state if passed.
The bill was introduced by state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-Westport). While it would “allow registration of three-wheeled enclosed vehicles that have been certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as motorcycles,” the Slingshot would not fall under Steinberg’s definition of an “autocycle” as it has an open cockpit.
This website tried to reach Steinberg for specifics on the bill prior to the publication of the story on Friday, but was unable to speak with him. Reached today, he said, “I was not aware of the Slingshot when I wrote the legislation.” He explained that the bill was designed solely to accommodate the Elio, another three-wheeled vehicle.
The more car-like Elio (pictured above) features an enclosed passenger cabin for driver and passenger, while the Slingshot (pictured at top) features an open cockpit with roll bar. Both reverse trikes feature two wheels in front and one in the rear. The Elio has two seats, one in front of the other. The Slingshot has side-by-side bucket seats with a console and stick shift in-between.
Polaris is selling the Slingshot as a motorcycle in most of the country but the company hit a wall in Connecticut last fall because the model fails to meet the state’s definition of a motorcycle.
Steinberg did say that he is “open-minded” going forward regarding the definition of an “autocycle,” and was unaware that several parts for the Slingshot are made in Connecticut by Alinabal Inc. of New Milford. Polaris builds the Slingshot in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
Steinberg’s bill has been referred to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation for study.
The narrower definition of “autocycle” means either the existing bill must be modified or another bill introduced that takes in the Slingshot. The need for the bill arose last month when the state Department of Motor Vehicles, after being given an opportunity to test drive a Slingshot, reaffirmed its earlier decision that the reverse trike could not be “classified or registered as a motorcycle.”
The company maintains that the Slingshot is a motorcycle because “it does not have airbags, it does not meet automotive safety standards.”
Polaris dealers in the state are anxious to sell the Slingshot and have already reported lost sales to dealers in adjoining states. George Libby of Libby’s MotoWorld in New Haven said that “Connecticut is going to be losing out on a lot of tax money” if the bill fails to pass.
– By Bud Wilkinson
Leigh (above) commented, “Guess they haven’t read the recall .The DMV got this one right” Not really.. As I understand things, the Polaris Slingshot was recalled due to steering-rack bearings and roll-bar hardness issues, while the DMV’s objection to registering the Slingshot in CT is based on the fact that it does not fit Connecticut’s definition of what is a motorcycle…or a motorcycle-like three wheeler. I’m sure the Slingshot’s sub-par steering-rack bearings, and roll bar steel weren’t a part of the DMV’s decision to ban the Slingshot
. What the DMV should do is update their regulations to include the modern three wheeler. If the additional requirement that airbags, and roll bars (for open three-three wheeled vehicles) are needed, I suspect some manufacturers would upgrade their products to meet these requirements. The Polaris Slingshot already has a roll bar, and it looks like airbags could be fitted . I would guess that air bags could be installed for around $1,000.. Polaris and the DMV should get together, and “work things out!!”
Getting back to the recall, Polaris did things the right way. When they found out about the problems, the immediately recalled the units involved, and will fix them. That’s a lot better than GM’s handling of their defective ignition switches. GM knew they had a problem, but kept quiet about it and about the in-house fix they implemented. As a result, GM owners were unaware of the potential dangers, and, to date, over 50 people may have died.
In short, a product recall is a *good* thing.
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Guess they haven’t read the recall .The DMV got this one right. Let’s see how well the joint committee on transportation does with this cause you know, tax dollars are at stake here….