- Some states legally treat the Polaris Slingshot as a motorcycle.
- New rules could require motorcycles to use handlebar controls.
- The Polaris Slingshot and Vanderhall Carmel are built in the US.
A new bill introduced to the lower house of Congress could spell the end of three-wheeled vehicles like the Polaris Slingshot, Vanderhall Carmel, and Morgan 3-Wheeler, potentially preventing them from being registered as motorcycles.
If passed into law, the measure would narrow the federal definition of a motorcycle in ways that exclude these vehicles. In states relying on that definition, they could lose their registration path and lack a viable regulatory category. Word of the bill has sparked fierce opposition from the motorcycle industry.
Read: This $36,999 Polaris Looks Bright Blue Until It Doesn’t
As it stands, the federal definition of a motorcycle is very lax. A motorcycle is simply defined as a “motor vehicle with motive power having a seat or saddle for the user of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground.” As part of U.S. House Resolution 3385, Rep. Derrick Van Orden wants this changed.
Redefining What Counts As A Motorcycle
As reported by Hagerty, the revised language would require that a motorcycle have a seat or saddle that the rider “sits astride.” It would also mandate “steering controlled by handlebars, acceleration and braking controlled by handlebars, and foot controls.” In other words, if it does not feel like a traditional motorcycle from the saddle forward, it may no longer qualify as one.
In some states, vehicles like the Polaris Slingshot are referred to as ‘autocycles’ and must comply with state regulations. However, 15 states, such as Alabama, Florida, and Illinois, use the federal definition of a motorcycle. If this definition is changed, then these three-wheelers would become illegal to drive.
The End Of An Era?
As the Polaris Slingshot, Vanderhall Carmel, and others are federally considered motorcycles, they don’t need to meet the same safety standards as cars, nor do they have to comply with the same restrictive emissions standards.
Removing these vehicles from the motorcycle classification would leave them in limbo. This comes even though both the Slingshot and Carmel are made in the United States, supporting hundreds of jobs.
The Motorcycle Industry Council sent a letter last month expressing its concern about the proposal, stating that the legislation “threatens to eliminate an entire category of innovative American-made products from commerce and jeopardize thousands of domestic jobs,” adding it will be a “de facto ban on an established and successful motorcycle market segment.”
