On the FUV, you use what I guess should be called “normal” or maybe “trike” steering, but to me it felt odd at first. On a motorcycle, riders use a technique called “countersteering,” likely called that because at first, it seems very counter-intuitive. It’s just that on a motorcycle, the way you turn the front wheel at speed is “backwards” from what you might think (especially if you don’t ride). This is not to say they were working incorrectly, they were working just fine - in the vehicle at hand. And for a lifelong motorcyclist, the FUV handlebars were working exactly opposite of how they do on a motorcycle. Having driven the Polaris Slingshot and ElectraMechannica SOLO, I felt fairly prepared to set out in the Arcimoto, but it has a key difference that made me do a lot of laps in that parking lot before venturing into traffic: As noted, it has handlebars, while the Slingshot and SOLO have steering wheels. MORE FROM FORBES Review: The 2020 Polaris Slingshot R Is Your Own Personal Thrill Ride By Bill Roberson I’m a life-long motorcycle rider and a fan of three-wheelers because they are an interesting mashup of car and motorcycle, and there is a lot of innovation in the space right now, but new FUV riders should approach with caution and learn the dynamics of their vehicle, no matter what it is. The first day I had the FUV I rode it solo, and initially in a large empty parking lot near my home, just to get a feel for it. Next is a sort of multi-step startup procedure designed to make sure you don’t inadvertently goose the FUV forwards or backwards when you power it up, and once you do it a couple of times, it becomes muscle memory. Both rider and passenger use double sets of seatbelts, one on each side that criss-cross your body. Saddling up the FUV, the first thing you have to do is strap in. Suspension is out in the open air on the FUV, and the rear monoshock has a simple preload adjustment collar for quick changes to rear wheel action.īack when this bridge was built, cars were not much wider than the FUV. Summer was in full swing when I got it, so I didn’t miss having the doors. My machine (Frohnmayer says it’s called “The Hulk” due to the colors) had no doors but doors are an option. However, since it is “full enclosure” (it has a DOT-spec roll bar and transparent roof - and even a windshield wiper), you are not required to wear a helmet to drive it or ride in it in Oregon. It has a motorcycle-style handlebar and twist throttle rather than a steering wheel and gas pedal, and it is classified as a motorcycle in Oregon. It’s 80 inches across and 113 inches long, so while it has a footprint, it’s still fairly small compared to even a compact car. It has two wheels in front and one out back, seats two people front to back rather than side to side like the Polaris Slingshot, and runs on electricity that powers two front motors - one for each front wheel. Roberson PhotographyĪs noted, the FUV I had in for review is the base unit produced by Arcimoto. The glass windscreen rolls right into the roof for an open, airy feeling. My loan period was only for several days, so I immediately put the key in and started piling up the miles. Arcimoto, known as (of course) FUV on the NASDAQ, is set to report quarterly financials on August 16th.Īnd then, finally, we recently agreed on a short loaner period for an FUV, and a truck and trailer arrived at my Portland home, where the driver carefully rolled a grey and green FUV onto the pavement and into my garage. But Frohnmayer shepherded the company through the worst of it and despite the pandemic - or maybe in part because of it - the pre-orders continued to stack up, and the stock kept rising - unexpectedly peaking at over $36/share in February of this year - before settling back into the mid-teens. Seeing how other businesses were being gut-punched by covid, I wondered if it was also going to be the death knell for the nascent Arcimoto. MORE FROM FORBES Oregon EV Maker Arcimoto Reveals New Model, Makes Big Moves As Stock Suddenly Surges By Bill Roberson Then, I started to see a few zipping around town in Portland. Not quite yet, Arcimoto said as they got back into production and scrambled to fill pre-orders. As time passed and the pandemic pressed on, I continued to check in and see if I could wrangle one for a review. But the base FUV is a two-seater that looks like it’s made for having a good time rather than slogging out grocery runs.
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