revisit the design of the jet-like vehicle pulse autocycle

vehicle Pulse Autocycle draws design from jets and aircraft

Meet the 1985 Pulse Autocycle, a towable and jet-like vehicle with a sliding canopy and a set of tandem seats in the cabin. Produced in the US between 1985 and 1990, there were only around 326 built examples of the model by the Owosso Motor Car Company in Michigan. The car design was conceived by Jim Bede, an aircraft designer known for building small experimental planes, and his influence is clear in the streamlined body and sliding canopy, which make the Pulse resemble an aircraft more than a car or motorcycle.

The first version of the vehicle was called the Litestar, produced by Scranton Manufacturing in Iowa from 1983 to 1984, but in 1985, production shifted to Owosso, and the name was changed to Pulse. The company described the vehicle as a Ground Cruising Recreational Vehicle, or GCRV, to highlight its unusual combination of car-like and motorcycle-like features. The Pulse has a fiberglass body mounted on a steel tube frame to keep the body light and allow it to be molded into aerodynamic shapes. The steel frame also makes the overall structure robust.

all images courtesy of the user Medman8866 via Bring a Trailer

Three-wheeled automobile with sliding canopy

The jet-like vehicle Pulse Autocycle includes an enclosed cockpit with an acrylic sliding canopy and a glass windscreen, giving the driver and their passenger a biplane-like atmosphere rather than a road vehicle. The drivable automobile is configured with four wheels: two are the main wheels placed along the centerline, and two smaller outrigger wheels are mounted at the sides. At any moment, only three wheels touch the ground, and the outriggers stabilize the vehicle when turning or when stopped. These are connected to the main chassis with adjustable tie rods, allowing them to adapt to the movement of the vehicle.

The exterior of jet-like vehicle Pulse Autocycle displays elements that reflect its aircraft-inspired design. It has NACA-style side ducts for airflow, dual side mirrors for visibility, recessed turn signals at the rear, and an integrated taillight. The nose cone on this particular listed model was damaged, repaired, and repainted in 1987 before the vehicle went into long-term storage. In 2023, LED headlights were added during refurbishment to update the lighting system. The suspension system was also upgraded during the 2023 refurbishment, with Progressive Suspension 412-series front shocks and 429-series rear shocks being installed to replace the original units.

the rear has a triangular shape

Tandem seats trimmed in brown vinyl with contrasting stripes

Inside, the jet-like vehicle Pulse Autocycle features a cockpit with two seats arranged in tandem, meaning the passenger sits directly behind the driver. The seats are trimmed in brown vinyl with contrasting stripes, and this trim extends to the side panels. The interior includes lap belts for safety, a rear parcel shelf for storage, a map pocket, and a Pioneer cassette stereo with speakers. The instrument cluster comes from the Yamaha XS400 motorcycle. It includes an 85 mph speedometer, a 12,000 rpm tachometer, fuel and voltage gauges, rocker switches, warning lamps, and a keyed ignition switch. The cluster is placed in front of a three-spoke steering wheel, giving the driver access to all the main controls in a compact arrangement.

Specs-wise, the engine is a Yamaha 399cc four-stroke parallel-twin, the same type used in the XS400 motorcycle. This particular unit was a replacement engine installed in 2023, equipped with Yamaha’s Induction Control System, known as YICS, and two Mikuni 32mm carburetors. Exhaust gases exit through dual chrome megaphone mufflers mounted on the sides, and the refurbishment process also includes cleaning the carburetors and fuel tank, installing a new battery and stator, and replacing the fuel pump, cylinder head gasket, and cam plug seals. The jet-like vehicle Pulse Autocycle can be notable because of how it combines the design features of cars, motorcycles, and aircraft in one. With only about 326 examples produced, it is considered a rare collector’s item today.

when driven, only three wheels touch the road