Starting at US$54,899 ($87,310), the Tanom Invader is among the priciest autocycles on the market. Photo / Getty
Sandy Hall's white trike is screaming down a suburban Virginia road.
It can hit 160mph (260kmh). But with no doors, two seats inches above the asphalt and a high-performance engine howling above 10,000 rpm, accelerating to even half that is a neck-whipping catapult ride.
"You wouldn't feel this in your regular family car," Hall said after slowing down enough to be heard over the din of his new fusion motorcycle-car, which looks like the spawn of a Suzuki and a Formula 1 racer.
A new class of vehicle, dubbed the "autocycle" by an increasing number of state legislatures, has driven through a grey area of federal law and onto U.S. roads, with manufacturers hoping to sell tens of thousands of them in the coming years. They are being marketed to gear heads and green-leaners, the well-to-do and discount shoppers.
The vehicles have steering wheels and gas pedals, but only three wheels, so the federal government classifies them as motorcycles, which have fewer regulations. That has allowed a burst of innovation. It has also left drivers and passengers travelling in mash-ups that may feel like cars but which aren't required to meet automobile safety standards.
As America ages, Hall and his partner Dave Young, a former defended contractor who helped build biometric databases for troops in Iraq, have made a $10 million bet that their new Tanom Motors Invader can appeal to a pair of disparate demographics: adrenaline junkies hooked on terrifyingly fast sport bikes, and baby boomers and others hunting for some of the thrills with fewer of the risks.
With a pair of wheels up front and a single fat racing tire in the back, the entrepreneurs' low-slung "high performance reverse trike" was designed to hug curves that might defeat less-experienced (or more arthritic) motorcycle riders. The side-by-side bucket seats liberate spouses from being hangers-on staring at the back of a helmet. Fuel economy is in the "upper 20s," the company says. The vehicle comes with cup holders.
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Starting at $54,899, the Invader is among the priciest autocycles on the market, on par with the T-REX, a model made by long-established Canadian competitor Campagna Motors.
Tanom executives say that a lower-performance model at about half that price is planned. In November, power-sports behemoth Polaris jumped in, selling its open-topped Slingshot in the $20,000s.
And after a series of delays, partially crowdfunded Elio Motors has promised its utilitarian, eco-commuter version will start production in Louisiana next year - and sell for $6,800.
When Doug Grzegorczyk was in his 20s, he fell in love with a sound that almost killed him.
Entranced by the high-pitched wail of his Suzuki GSX-R750 sport bike, he sped off at a stop sign in his central Michigan neighbourhood and smashed into a car at 50 mph, crushing his right leg and breaking the hinges of his jaw. He slurped goulash and tiny pieces of French toast through a syringe during the six weeks he couldn't chew.
Later, his motorcycle slid on a gravelly overpass, throwing him across two lanes of traffic and under a guardrail, leaving him with a snapped leg. Nearby was the backpack that held a rose for his date.
Partly out of self-preservation, but mostly to ease his mother's terror, Grzegorczyk ditched his motorcycle. That was nearly a decade ago. Then last month, the 37-year-old sky diver and telecom repairman tapped his savings to hear that roar again.
The Invader he bought is powered by a 196-horsepower engine harvested from a Suzuki Hayabusa, touted as "the world's fastest production sportbike." As he drove it nearly 400 miles home the first time, he kept the radio off because he didn't want to disturb the noise.
"I liked hearing those rpms," he said. "It really feeds into me."
His mother keeps repeating the same question: "Is this going to be safer than a motorcycle?"
"I just keep telling her, 'Yes,' " Grzegorczyk said.
Hall thought he might design a sharp new body to bolt around the innards of another trike. But then, he started to wonder, why not try to build an even better machine, and a motor-sports company?
"Those wheels started turning in his head, and once they start, you just let him go. You can't stop it," said Hall's brother, Chris, who now oversees the Invader production line.
Sandy Hall, an off-road racing champion and construction company chief, and Young, who was working in real estate after selling his defence firm, initially based Tanom in Detroit to tap into the area's well of experienced auto workers and suppliers. But trying to manage the complex operation remotely proved too costly and was unworkable, they said.
So they came home to Culpeper, in the heart of Virginia Civil War country, where Hall and Young had been working on redevelopment projects in the historic downtown. They took over an old raccoon-infested industrial plant and built an assembly line to test the boundaries of what makes a car a car.
Beyond design, engineering and development, they had to persuade state legislators to allow their manufacturing process and then pass federal safety and emissions tests.
"It's exciting," said Young, who became the company's main test driver, but "it's a tough business when you spend six years getting ready before you sell."
Competition is fierce and the market is uncertain.
Minnesota-based Polaris Industries, which sold $4.5 billion in snowmobiles and other recreational vehicles last year, sees an opportunity.
"It's starting out as a niche, but we're looking for it to go more mainstream over time," said Craig Scanlon, vice president for the firm's Slingshot division. "Does that mean it's a 10,000-unit market or a 100,000-vehicle market? We don't know that yet."
The company touts the appeal of its muscular-looking entrant in a series of breathless marketing-video declarations: "It's like surfing asphalt! It's like playing chicken with a hurricane!"
Scanlon said he has seen the Invader, "but I wouldn't view them as a player, so to speak."
Chris Hall, who has "Believer" tattooed on his forearm, isn't cowed. He has tested the competitors. "I'm a little partial 'cause I work here," he said. "I drove them. Hard. And hands down, ours just got them beat."
Tanom recently challenged other owners to show up at a West Virginia speedway to resolve the issue amicably.
The rules for autocycles remain in flux, in part because of the promised rollout of the Elio.
Company founder Paul Elio said this summer that his engineers are nearing their grail: a safe three-wheeler with a front and back seat that gets 84 miles to the gallon and starts at $6,800.
"As we said previously we are currently about $500 over budget and approx. 81 MPG. We will continue to work to hit our targets but as you can imagine it may go the other way," Elio wrote in a July session with questioners on Reddit. He said funding problems caused delays, but they are slated to launch next year. More than 44,000 have been reserved. That prospect spurred US Senator David Vitter, R-La., to introduce legislation this year to create nationwide autocycle standards.
Under laws in many states, would-be autocycle owners must take a motorcycle driving test, even though those skills are irrelevant. Other states require helmets to be worn inside the cabin. A couple of states have taken a hard line. Maryland authorities said riders must sit astride their motorcycle, and vehicles that don't allow that aren't street-legal.
The legislation would help smooth some of those rough spots and replace bare-bones motorcycle standards with more automobile-like safety rules. Elio, which pushed for the changes, touts its "uncompromised safety," including air bags.
But Tanom, Polaris and others are pushing to keep the looser motorcycle standards they say better fit their recreation-oriented vehicles. Vitter's aides said the legislation has been tweaked to make clear that the new rules address "fully enclosed" vehicles, meaning the Elio and not its racier cousins.
Invaders are more stable and visible than motorcycles, Tanom said. They weigh three times as much, but stop just as fast. A tubular steel cage offers protection, executives said, although they did not conduct crash tests.
Polaris cited a safe design but said it puts a disclaimer on its vehicles to satisfy Canadian rules.
"Slingshot is a three-wheeled motorcycle. It is not an automobile," the disclaimer reads.
"It does not have air bags, and it does not meet automotive safety standards. Three wheel vehicles may handle differently than other vehicles, especially in wet conditions. Always wear helmets and fasten seat belts."
Rock musician Sammy Hagar - who owns six Ferraris, including the one he blasted past police in the video for his 1984 hit "I Can't Drive 55" - has a promotional deal with Tanom, which plans to build 55 "Red Rocker" Invaders, branded with Hagar's nickname, to appeal to his fan base. When Sandy Hall showed him his personalized trike, Hagar kept it low-keyed at the track.
"You've got to give it a little respect before just jumping in and going crazy like I normally would do," Hagar said. "It feels like a slot car, it grips so well."
He also has mellowed a bit on the highway.
"When I was at the peak of my rock-star era . . . I didn't consider other people as much. I'd cut people off," said Hagar, 67.
Driving like that was fun. Not anymore. "I hate to admit it," Hagar said. "It's probably one of the good things about growing up."
Watch an Invader High Performance Reverse Trike in action:
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