PULSE AUTOCYCLE NETWORK

[SeeAScot]

I am interested in the Litestar Pulse vehicles.

I am in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and wonder if there would be anyone close enough to me who had a running Pules or Litestar which I mihght get a ride in, or even drive around a parking lot or something. If there is no one close to me,
I am going to be travelling from the Tampa Bay area to Chattanooga around the last part of October and if there were someone with a working Pulse Litestar not too far out of my way (125 miles W to 50 miles E of I-75) this might work as well.

I have thought that if you could put a small turbo diesel in either a three wheel tadpole (2 front 1 rear) designed vehicle or a Pulse-Litestar you might be able to end up with a vehicle which would get 100 mpg plus in both around town and Interstate driving.
The high milage figure for an around town vehicle is relatively easy, but 100 mpg on the interstate would be more difficult.
The main advantage of the Pulse-Lightstar for this purpose would be superior aerodynamics.

However, from what I have read on the Pulse Lightstar site and in this forum, it may not be a practical vehicle to put a turbo diesel into for this purpose. The things I have seen that worry me are articles about dancing at high speed, outrigger tire wear, and being uncomfortable to drive for over an hour.

For either the around town use or the Interstate use, the vehicle must be able to be air conditioned for I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. The ability of the Pulse-Litestar to be driven at lower speeds with the canopy open in reasonably good (not raining) weather is an advantage during certain parts of the year as it will allow cooling without the air conditioner being on.

For interstate use I must be able to install one of my beloved Recaro seats with 10 position adjustment and have cruise control. I ride a vintage BMW motorcycle on occasion, but it is unsuitable for long trips as it has no protection from rain, and on a motorcycle, you must pretty well stay in the same exact position for most of the trip, something my body is unwilling to put up with in my later years.
My driving style for long trips is to travel until I run out of gas, stop and fill up the gas tank, and then travel until I run out of the ability to stay awake, generally about 14 hours. This gives me a range of about 850 miles. With the 3-4 ton van which I do most of my traveling, I can get 450 to 500 miles before I have to stop for gas the first time.
Back in the old days, when I could still use the BMW motorcycle for such trips, I could get around 300 miles before stopping for gas.

[elden simons]

As Mr. Hainey would say, "Mr Douglas, have I got a deal for you".

The situation with comfort in the Pulse is that you are practicly shoulder to shoulder enclosed in the tub of fiberglass and interior fabric. Sure, there is wiggle room. The seat comfort is passible for driving longer periods than an hour. As for a cruise control, I'd guess that a throttle control knob would work like such were installed on military jeeps.

A few Pulses had Ricaro seats installed in them right at the company itself, along with electric canopy operation.

If you are willing to part with your BMW motorcycle as a donor to a Single Seat, custom autocycle... There is a fellow in Florida who may have a vehicle built for you. Understand though, he is a talented tinkerer and vehicle customizer. He isn't a full fledged vehicle builder that whips out miracles in a short amount of time.

Look up the name Bob Hichborn and send off an inquirey. He will consider your interest if you are willing to commit as a Gentleman.

[Starman]

Hay seeAscot The lightstar/pulse is one sweet ride, You feel like a starwars invader with R2D2 as your copilot. It don't get better than that. But the litestar/pulse is a novelty unit Not to be mistaken for a dependable daily driver. You drive you tinker, thangs vibrate loose you tinker,you just look at it you tinker lol. once you catch the fever you could sleep in it, but drive it for 200 to 400 miles with no stops beam me up scotie i hurt already. I hope you buy one for the fun. Ride High Fly Low Good Luck, Texas Starman

[elden simons]

Texas Starman, that's funny...
"Just look at it you tinker."

[SeeAScot]

I am at the "what sort of vehicle should I look at acquiring stage". This is why I am most interested in findiong someone with a running one who would give me a ride either reasonably close to Tampa, or reasonably close to a line from Tampa to Chattanooga where I will be going towards the end of this month.

I already have the design specs: it must be able to carry me in comfort on long trips with few stops and have room for a couple suitcases. (any vehicle which can carry two people probably has sufficient space for one plus luggage)
it must be suitable for round town errands.
It must be very energy efficient in both cases.

Unfortunately, whatever type vehicle I decide to go with, the Beemer won't make an acceptable doner vehicle. It's a '63, the high performance model with high compression. It only has a kick starter, and sometimes starts approaching overheating in summertime city traffic in the south, I shudder to think how hot it would get enclosed.

However, a vehicle which needed as little maintenance would be very nice. I have had it for 40 years this year, have 200,000 miles on it and most of the time, I have had to do little more than check the oil, and the plug and points gaps once in a while, as it has magneto ignition ( I ran it with no battery for a couple years) and of course there is no water pump or fuel pump to malfunction. If it would keep the rain off me and keep me cool while doing so, I probably wouldn't be looking for something else. Since I get 45-50 mpg from it, it probably wouldn't be economic to merely double the mileage.

My background is a design draftsman in the aerospace industry, mostly electronics packaging and PC Board design, but I took auto shop in high school, and worked as a mechanic for a couple years. I also worked as a welder and could probably weld non-critical items, although I have not had enough recent practice to weld something which was critical.

I don't mind, although I am not wildly enthusiastic about tinkering to get something dialed in, but constant maintenance is NOT something I am particularly fond of. Something which requires a lot of maintenance generally gets modified until it does not.
For instance, my usual way of dealing with possible charging/starting problems in a vehicle is to replace the standard battery cables with 00 size cable and then add gold plated connectors, eliminating any problem due to voltage drop in the cables to the starter or corrosion of the battery connectors.
I was reading somewhere on the site that some (or all) of the Pulse/Litestars did not have rear swing arm bushings and I shuddered, for it is obvious that you wouldn't be getting any reliability out of that sort of arrangement! 'Course this problem can be easily cured by modifying the swing arm so as to add bearings.

While you can get fantastic gas mileage by making an electric something, the pollution merely gets moved to a power plant x number of miles away. I am not real convinced, as how much weight you have to haul around has an effect on how much energy must be used, that loading something down with several hundred pounds of batteries will make it more energy efficient.
The best current option seems to be a turbo diesel, if you have something light enough so that a relatively small one will power it. As the anti-pollution regulations seem to be the main factor in keeping them out of this country, you need something titled early enough so it doesn't have to meet such.
Unfortunately, with the new pollution regulations coming in 2010, it looks like it will have to be something made before then, the way the pollution regulations are written make it more difficult to get high mileage from something, especially something which does NOT use computer chips.
Using computer chips in something is insane! Once they become unavailable, whatever you put them in will be unrepairable, and chips are usually only made for a year or two, and then you're limited to whatever is in the supply chain.

[Starman]

SeeAscot, this is your lucky day.. for just $9,000 you could own a 1985 owosso litestar. the starter clutch is out right now but being repaired as we chat. I should have used them big o gold cables just dident thank of it. Im with you Turbo diesel it is. I'm just a Texas oilfield hand. but with your background YOU CAN DO IT. Is there a nasa junk yard ? just thinking. Rocket Power OH OH OH.Well back to your design specs. The litestar meets all of them well 1 of them it will carry suitcases. But being a litester/pulse we can over look the rest. Do to the fact no one you know has one. the litestar/pulse is very very hard to get if you can get one at all. so 6-4321 Blastoff in a litestar/puls. (just have fun). note. MaMa Says Litestars Like A Box Of Chocolates---you never know what your going to get.. or somthing like that Thanks Texas Starman Ride High Fly Low.

[Bob Hichborn]

You can swing by my place in Clermont, Fl if you're interested, but from the sounds of things you'd be better off spending your $12,000 for a Yaris, Smart Car, Avio, etc....

IMO, the Pulse is for the Tinker and Novelty collector folks. There's probably only a handful (maybe 2 handfuls) of us the drive our vehicles on a weekly basis and it's mainly for a quick cruise, but not as a daily commuter. It's not that the Pulse can't be a reliable piece of transportation, (after all it is just a motorcycle welded into the back of an extended frame and covered with fiberglass), it's just that it's more like owning a Model T. A Model T is a car , but most people wouldn't use it for commuting back and forth to work or making a trip to the local mall.

If you're looking for a descently price unmatched eye catching NOVELTY vehicle, then the Pulse is right for you.

- Bob
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[hatfield]

I commute to work every day in mine. But then, I only live 2 miles from work. But seriously, I pretty much drive wherever I want to go now that I have replaced virtually everything on it. After returning home from the Pulse Rally, my throttle cable broke for the 3rd time a day after I got home. Just had a new, custom, super duper throttle cable made and a vernier choke cable made and we're rolling again. No mor bare wire end cable, nice ball and socket sleeve connector end.
_________________
Pete Hatfield
Muscatine, IA
www.petehatfield.com

[elden simons]

I had taken time at work to use a real computor and enjoyed the Youtube videos on the autocycle. One can't help but see oneself actually cruising anywhere with one of these. Having driven mine my limit of 6 hours one way back in the early 1990's, I can only remember the hard response of the front air shocks. Then there are the sidewinds and finally, the bored travelers that can't help but drive worse around a Pulse when gawking.
I love this machine for what it represents and its ultimate potential if ever reborn.

Bob H. You're funny...Model T. I understand your meaning. The Pulse is not quite refined dispite the cushioned seating and enclosed driving environment.
People have bought it for what it represents to each person that sees it. Either, no bugs in the teeth riding, no rain drenching at monsoon speeds (until you open the canopy to get in or out), or the attractiveness of the design itself. It is a collectors item that can fit usage as originally designed. It just has bugs in the design.
_________________
Tammy and Elden have Pulse #308 from 1988.Built in Butcher's Barn and presently sets inoperative in their garage. We are still keeping it!

[Steve Schmidt]

Many owners have reported driving their Pulses on a daily basis. Steve Shafer has for several years off and on. I recall him saying 100 miles round trip.
Ron Palmer and Judy Johnson drive their Pulses every day.

CJ drove his Pulse from Washington State to the 2008 Rally at Marion, Indiana. Yes he had breakdowns, but was able to resolve them all. Pete & Cindy Hetfield drove their Pulse to the rally from Iowa. Chuck & Linda Furgason drive their Pulses to the rally every year from Jackson, MI. I drove my Pulse from Owosso, Michigan to Marion one year and Ray Johnson has driven his Pulse from Marion to Owosso.

I know there are alot more of these stories. I guess the point being that these vehicles are usable every day. The two inch foam seat could be alot better for long rides, but then you could update that.

Are 20 yr. old Pulses perfect....no. They need tweeking once in a while, but so does my 10 yr. old Chevy S-10. Does the Pulse ride like a Cadillac.....NO.

I will say, it is hard to find a mechanic to work on them, so you better be ready to get your hands dirty. But are they a blast to drive!

[SeeAScot]

Steve - Thanks for the expansion. I know know that using a pulse in the manner I would like to is dooable. I think I would usually use it for one or two long trips a year - to destinations outside Florida (>250 or 500 miles depending whether I leave the State via Jacksonville or Pensacola), and perhaps two or three medium length trips a year - trips within Florida but outside my local area, and the rest within my local area, with the majority of use being 5-10 mile trips. While I do other trips of the various above mentioned distances, on those trips I have to carry 1500 plus of equipment and tools and DON'T have to pay for the gas, so they don't figure into the equation outside of ensuring that I cannot have a 4 wheel daily driver which is fuel efficient.


Bob - Thanks very much for the offer. As Clermont is not all that far from here (>100 miles) I will probably wait to take you up on it until I get back from Chattanooga and make a special trip out of it, as I will then also be able to bring my sister who lives with me and might on occasion, have reason to drive whatever I end up getting.

Don't really need something to attract attention while going down the highway. I have found that riding a 45 year old BMW motorcycle will do the job - and riding a 45 year old BMW motorcycle while wearing a kilt will DEFINATELY attract lots of attention!

SeeAScot

[Starman]

Lets See BMW Cool, But SeeAscot Wearing A Kilt on a BMW going down the interstast 75mph. Kilt Flaping in the wind Exabition. Litestar/pulse going 75mph down the interstate Attraction LOL Texas Starman.