Bad news if you live in Texas and want to grab the hottest trike on the market right now, the Polaris Slingshot, as the Lone Star State has rescinded its approval for Slingshot sales in Texas.
Despite initially approving the Polaris Slingshot for sales on November 4th, the State of Texas reversed its approval, leaving Polaris to notify dealerships on November 10th that they would be unable to sell the Slingshot, for the foreseeable future.
The issue comes down to the application of the definition of what is a motorcycle in the State of Texas, which defines a motorcycle “as a motor vehicle, other than a tractor, that is equipped with a rider’s saddle and designed to have when propelled not more than three wheels on the ground.” (Texas Transportation Code §541.201 (9)).
However when describing vehicles that require a helmet, the Texas Transportation Code says the following: “‘Motorcycle’ means a motor vehicle designed to propel itself with not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, and having a saddle for the use of the rider. The term does not include a tractor or a three-wheeled vehicle equipped with a cab or occupant compartment, seat, and seat belt and designed to contain the operator in the cab or occupant compartment. (Texas Transportation Code §661.001 (1)).
While the second definition clearly limits the definition of a motorcycle to something that would exclude the Slingshot — as the trike has a cab, seats, seat belts — Polaris could make an argument that the definition given was made with different restrictions in mind, namely to exclude the requirement of wearing a helmet when operating a tractor or other farm equipment.
Polaris can also argue that the first definition supersedes the second, which deals only with required helmet usage.
That being said, it’s a straight-forward legal battle for the Minnesota company, though the situation will likely require action from the Texas state legislature for a quick resolution, should the Texan DOT not come to its legalese-reading senses.
We will bring you more on this situation unfolds. Thanks for the tip Dan!
Source: Slingshot Forums
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