Aptera = 3 Wheel Car. Now, 4 Wheel Motorcycles!

[Rokeby]

I think it is only right that Uncle Sam found a way to qualify the
Aptera for Federal high mileage vehicle funds by legaly defining it as a
"enclosed three-wheeled cars that can average at least 75 mpg (or
equivalent, for plug-in models) and are designed to carry at least two
adults."

All well and good. But did you you know that there are now four-wheel
motorcycles being developed in Europe?

There's the $65K, 167 HP BMW k1200 powered GG Quadster (Michael
Jordan owns two.):



However, it doesn't even hold a candle to the $285K, 500HP, BMW V-
12 powered Wazuma Bio V-12:

YouTube - Wazuma Bio V12

YouTube - Wazuma Bio V12

OK, Uncle Sam concedes a 3-wheel car. I wonder how likely it is that
there will ever be a legally/regulatory recognized 4-wheel motorcycle.
Especially since the Ariel Atom allegedly is street legal in the USofA:

YouTube - Top Gear - Ariel Atom - BBC

YouTube - Top Gear - Ariel Atom - BBC

Links:
Three-Wheelers Will be Eligible for DOE Funds
The GG Quadster - a four-wheeled, 167-horsepower quad bike for the road
Faster and Faster: Lazareth Wazuma: 500bhp BMW V12-powered quad
Welcome to Ariel Atom

[PriusLewis]

Not without major revisions to DOT, EPA and NHTSA regulations. 3 wheels has always been considered a motorcycle, thus avoiding all the safety and emissions requirements of cars. If they try to define vehicles by other than wheel count, I can't imagine our government being able to handle such a complex concept ("OK, it has one, two...two wheels. The book says that's a motorcycle...").

[hyo silver]

Originally Posted by Rokeby

...However, it doesn't even hold a candle to the $285K, 500HP, BMW V-12 powered Wazuma Bio V-12...

The Aptera makes perfect sense, and it's great news that the government has found a way to help its production along. But that Wazuma aberration only proves there are no limits to man's automotive insanity.

[Rokeby]

Oops! In the 4-wheeled motor cycle offerings, I failed to include the
American made, $555K, 500 HP, V-10 Viper powered Tomahawk:



Fully operational, but not street legal.

"Donald Poindexter, Jr., noted that the Tomahawk isn’t really a
motorcycle, at least not by American standards: the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration proclaims that a motorcycle can have no
more that 3 wheels on the ground during normal operation. 'For the
Tomahawk to have been sold in the U.S. for road use, it would have
had to pass all of the automobile safety standards. Had the engineers
replaced one of the tire pairs (either front or back) with a single tire
(for a total of three), it would have been a motorcycle, although I
think the lights might have been in violation of the regulations.' "

And some interesting historical precedent for the Tomahawk, the 1935
Plymouth 6 cylinder flathead powered world record attempt bike:

Plymouth motorcycle

And as a 2-wheled wonderment, the 2009 motorcycle world land speed
record setter at 367 MPH (two-way average), the BUB Seven
Streamliner:

YouTube - BUB Seven Streamliner 350mph Run

YouTube - BUB Seven Streamliner 350mph Run

Links:

Allpar.com : Dodge Tomahawk motorcycle introduction
BUB 7 Streamliner - Two-Wheels, No Wings - Flyin' To A New Record

[a_gray_prius]

Originally Posted by Rokeby

...
Especially since the Ariel Atom allegedly is street legal in the USofA:
...

It is very legal and it is very AWESOME (especially if you get to drive the one with the Integra Type-R engine). You just have to drive it to understand (assuming you are able to drive a car for fun, many people do not).