Litestars/Pulses Visit The Bell Helicopter Museum
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Staff Report-
They had organized the visit in advance, so museum board members greeted them with a video about Bell and a guided tour of the museum. Royce Ann and Phil Martin, two of the organizers of the annual car rally, became members of the museum 27 years ago and had not see the museum since theN, so they added the stop and were elated they did, according to a release.
The Litestar/Pulse is also called a “GCRV” or ground cruising recreational vehicle. This term described the vehicle which has the performance and acceleration of a motorcycle engineered into a comfortable weatherproof vehicle with many of the attributes of an automobile. Its body resembles a high-performance jet, yet it drives like a sports car, according to the release.
They were first manufactured in Scranton, Iowa, as Litestars and then the factory moved to Owosso, Mich., where they were manufactured as Pulses. They are motorcycles that ride on two main wheels, but have two outrigger wheels, one of each side, that provide balance for the vehicle when it is at rest or in a turn. With no more than three wheels in contact with the ground at any one time, the Litestar/Pulse is considered a three-wheeled vehicle and as such is classified as a motorcycle by a federal law.
Its sleek aerodynamic design was created by Ohio native Jim Bede and resembles the Bede 5 jet designed in such a way to increase stability and directional control as speed increases. According to the group, the drag is .193, giving amazing mpg. Acceleration is brisk: 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds.
These cars have a 123-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 192 inches, a width of 76 inches and are 54 inches in height. They weigh about 1,000 pounds.
Potential speed is in excess of 130 mph depending upon engine installation. It seats two in tandem and has almost six cubic feet of storage space. The exceptionally long wheel base provides unmatched stability, and its light weight and sleek design offer good fuel economy, according to the release. The basic factory list price ranged from $7,000 in the early years to $19,000 for fully equipped models in the final years of production.
In certain states, a special category of license has been created, such as in Michigan, where it is referred to as an “autocycle.” in most states, a motorcycle endorsement is required to operate it.
The Litestar/Pulse Owners group gets together for their National Rally annually in Marion from Friday to Monday of Labor Day weekend. The rally occurs in conjunction with the annual Fly-In/Cruise-In at the marion Municipal Airport which features antique, classic, homebuilt, ultralight, rotorcraft and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars, trucks, motorcycles, autocycles and tractors – any vehicle with wings and/or wheels.
For more information on the Litestar/Pulse or the annual labor Day weekend rally, go to their website at www.autocycles.org
[[In-content Ad]]
They had organized the visit in advance, so museum board members greeted them with a video about Bell and a guided tour of the museum. Royce Ann and Phil Martin, two of the organizers of the annual car rally, became members of the museum 27 years ago and had not see the museum since theN, so they added the stop and were elated they did, according to a release.
The Litestar/Pulse is also called a “GCRV” or ground cruising recreational vehicle. This term described the vehicle which has the performance and acceleration of a motorcycle engineered into a comfortable weatherproof vehicle with many of the attributes of an automobile. Its body resembles a high-performance jet, yet it drives like a sports car, according to the release.
They were first manufactured in Scranton, Iowa, as Litestars and then the factory moved to Owosso, Mich., where they were manufactured as Pulses. They are motorcycles that ride on two main wheels, but have two outrigger wheels, one of each side, that provide balance for the vehicle when it is at rest or in a turn. With no more than three wheels in contact with the ground at any one time, the Litestar/Pulse is considered a three-wheeled vehicle and as such is classified as a motorcycle by a federal law.
Its sleek aerodynamic design was created by Ohio native Jim Bede and resembles the Bede 5 jet designed in such a way to increase stability and directional control as speed increases. According to the group, the drag is .193, giving amazing mpg. Acceleration is brisk: 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds.
These cars have a 123-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 192 inches, a width of 76 inches and are 54 inches in height. They weigh about 1,000 pounds.
Potential speed is in excess of 130 mph depending upon engine installation. It seats two in tandem and has almost six cubic feet of storage space. The exceptionally long wheel base provides unmatched stability, and its light weight and sleek design offer good fuel economy, according to the release. The basic factory list price ranged from $7,000 in the early years to $19,000 for fully equipped models in the final years of production.
In certain states, a special category of license has been created, such as in Michigan, where it is referred to as an “autocycle.” in most states, a motorcycle endorsement is required to operate it.
The Litestar/Pulse Owners group gets together for their National Rally annually in Marion from Friday to Monday of Labor Day weekend. The rally occurs in conjunction with the annual Fly-In/Cruise-In at the marion Municipal Airport which features antique, classic, homebuilt, ultralight, rotorcraft and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars, trucks, motorcycles, autocycles and tractors – any vehicle with wings and/or wheels.
For more information on the Litestar/Pulse or the annual labor Day weekend rally, go to their website at www.autocycles.org
[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092