At last!
A Friday came around, I was feeling reasonably well and fit, the weather looked good for Saturday and I made the call. Everything was booked up for the following day, so that Elaine could get the drive/ride. 
We set off, bright and early, heading out to the distributor. No problems with the traffic and arrived in good time. The weather was still fine and it looked like we would be having a good run in the surrounding countryside...
Elaine took the wheel and we both set off. The weather was still fine and we headed off along a small country road, passing the occasional horse and rider, as we went. After a while we met the main road and headed off for more of our ride.
Elaine appeared to be enjoying herself, however commented later that she was a little unnerved, at first, with the steering wheel positioned on the opposite side, of the vehicle, to what she was normally used to. She may have felt unnerved but she very quickly got the correct positioning of the SlingShot sorted out and we had a very good run.
We drove for a while and then turned the SlingShot around, to head back to the dealers. We both were more impressed with the ground clearance than we had expected. This wasn't going to change the fact that we would, still, need to get the incline of our drive sorted out to be able to reach our home in it.
Just a little way before we had reached the distributor's location, we pulled over into a layby (I believe this may be referred to as a "turnout" or "pullout" in the US). The car behind us also came into this area and the occupants were looking out of the car at us, as if we had just landed, from outer space. 
Elaine and I swapped positions for the very last part of the run back to the distributor's. I quickly felt at home again driving/riding it, but I should say Elaine had been positioning it better on the open road than me at this time.
When we got back we sat in it for a while and discussed the pros and cons, then I measured and took pictures of items that I wanted to check later, when we got home, like how low the front was to the ground and how wide it was at various points.
I was also making note of things like the lock nut on the rear axial, as none of the dealers, that I had spoken with, so far, appeared to know if they had been supplied with 15, 16 or 16.5 models (We don't get the 17 model in Europe yet).
The next job was to talk with the distributor...
What comes next proves to be quite interesting.
Elaine and I had not directly discussed weather we would get a SlingShot, during the test drive. We had only discussed the pros and cons, leaving a final decision still open. Elaine knew how I would negotiate, things like this and therefore realised that I would start talking prices, even if we ended up not choosing to buy, so that we would have a firm figure to base our decision on.
This particular dealer and I had spoken over the phone, with regards the price and when I now discussed this with him, face to face, the price had mysteriously increased. (I suspect he had forgotten what he had previously offered to sell at). This didn't impress me very much. Eventually, he reached a price that I would be happy with, I would still give the first dealer a chance to reach the same price (but, perhaps, that was for another day).
A while ago in this thread, you may recall that I mentioned that, I knew someone was supplying the local military, (near my home), with Polaris equipment. If you have been joining all the other pieces of information, in this thread, together, then you will also have probably picked up on other information relating to what branch of the military this was. That's all well and good, but...
When I was about to leave, I dropped a very tenuous and discreet link to the fact that I knew he supplied them. His response was shocking. With a little suggestion from me he quickly revealed the details of the QM, at the camp. (Quarter Master. Not the same thing as an American or Canadian QM - British ones are Captains or Majors, drawn from the ranks of the regiment).
THIS SHOULD JUST "NOT EVER" BE DONE! 
I of knew the man he was telling me about, (he even gave me his name). That same man does not know me; I know his brother, his wife, what motorcycle he rides, where he was born and a shed load more than that. This sort of information should not have ever been mentioned to anyone. Particularly as the SlingShot distributor didn't know me any better than Adam.
That was it... He had just lost himself the sale!!!
We headed home...
Elaine hadn't got to hear the closing conversation with the distributor, but if she had then she would probably been just as disgusted. I recounted the outline of what he had just told me and the response was. "I didn't trust him anyway." Well that was the two of us, not very impressed with him now. 
Our conversation continued and it was possibly about half an hour before Elaine actually said "Well do you want one then?"
My response was: "Yes, you know I do." - - Pause - - "But what about you? - Did you like it?"
Her reply: "YEEAARRR! Of course I do!"
Well that was it. The next Monday morning I picked up the phone to the distributor and asked if he could match the same price. He looked a the figures and after a little discussion about some extra work that I also wanted, we made a deal. 
Great story Paul! Hopefully you will be able to get some of the mods we are doing for a reasonable price. I would imagine that shipping cost to England could be substantial.
Awesome stuff! And good to see you posting in other threads now too... 
Well we are more or less up to date now, so let us start with some of the work already complete on the SlingShot.
We had selected an SL model in red as our vehicle. First up was the body wrap (or perhaps stickers). We had decided that the standard finish of the SlingShot was a little unobtrusive and we would like it to stand out just a little more. My wife loves purple and we considered having a full wrap, but I'd noticed that AMR produced a range of Graphic Kits.
SlingMods sold these and I was producing a long list of items that I wanted to get them to supply me with.
- Polaris Slingshot Aftermarket Parts & Accessories - SlingMods -
I'm sure that most of you, on this site, will have dealt with them before but I really must compliment them on the service and information supplied. At the time of producing my list of wants, for the SlingShot, I was definitely a novice and needed advice, with what would or wouldn't work for me and the guys at SlingMods took their time to offer genuine help.
Amongst the advice given, was an explanation of what to expect from the AMX product, both good and bad. After listening to them I was convinced that this would match my requirements, (including panel protection) in the UK and also achieve a near custom look, without a custom price.
So, after further discussion with Elaine, the choice had reduced to 2 options:
I liked the look of both the "Meltdown" and "Inline" designs. As I previously said, we were getting a red model. We would have preferred black but the basic (basic) model is not available in Europe and the black/red 16.5 LE was very overpriced (in the UK) for the very few extras included, so red it would to be.
I have a Polaris Victory with a Black and red colour scheme, that I had produced, on it and the "Inline" design came reasonably close to complimenting that.
Certainly, not the same, but complimentary. So when they would appear together they would look cool.
SlingMods got this on order and shipped it out to the distributor, for fitting. This was definitely the best option as the guys selling the SS to me also sold a lot of Jet Skis and had good experience fitting this type of product.
When it arrived I was very, very pleased with the results.
Display MoreWell we are more or less up to date now, so let us start with some of the work already complete on the SlingShot.
We had selected an SL model in red as our vehicle. First up was the body wrap (or perhaps stickers). We had decided that the standard finish of the SlingShot was a little unobtrusive and we would like it to stand out just a little more. My wife loves purple and we considered having a full wrap, but I'd noticed that AMR produced a range of Graphic Kits.
SlingMods sold these and I was producing a long list of items that I wanted to get them to supply me with.
- Polaris Slingshot Aftermarket Parts & Accessories - SlingMods -
I'm sure that most of you, on this site, will have dealt with them before but I really must compliment them on the service and information supplied. At the time of producing my list of wants, for the SlingShot, I was definitely a novice and needed advice, with what would or wouldn't work for me and the guys at SlingMods took their time to offer genuine help.
Amongst the advice given, was an explanation of what to expect from the AMX product, both good and bad. After listening to them I was convinced that this would match my requirements, (including panel protection) in the UK and also achieve a near custom look, without a custom price.
So, after further discussion with Elaine, the choice had reduced to 2 options:
I liked the look of both the "Meltdown" and "Inline" designs. As I previously said, we were getting a red model. We would have preferred black but the basic (basic) model is not available in Europe and the black/red 16.5 LE was very overpriced (in the UK) for the very few extras included, so red it would to be.
I have a Polaris Victory with a Black and red colour scheme, that I had produced, on it and the "Inline" design came reasonably close to complimenting that.
Certainly, not the same, but complimentary. So when they would appear together they would look cool.
SlingMods got this on order and shipped it out to the distributor, for fitting. This was definitely the best option as the guys selling the SS to me also sold a lot of Jet Skis and had good experience fitting this type of product.
When it arrived I was very, very pleased with the results.
Are there no center lights on the UK versions?
Are there no center lights on the UK versions?
No. The European regulations require two lights to be fitted. (The Canadian rules are similar to the European ones).
Front headlamp rules:
Trikes wider than 1700mm must have 2 headlamps.
Minimum height from the ground 500mm.
Maximum height 1200mm.
Maximum 400mm from the outside edge of the vehicle.
Unfortunately, that makes the two centre headlights illegal. (I believe they may be added as additional lights only, but not as the main headlights).
Next job:
Well it was now a few weeks until Christmas and so the first job was to attach some Rally Armor mud flaps.
- 2015 / 2016 Polaris Slingshot Front Mud Flaps by Rally Armor -
A swift and easy job to do and everything was all complete, in just a few minutes.
I had seen the video of the improvement that these make and yes things do look to improve.
-
-However, in practice the improvement was way in advance of what I had expected. With the lovely British weather, these are going to prove invaluable, as time goes by.
The next picture was taken within half an hour of fitting the mud flaps. I'd set off in good weather and sunshine, within a very short time the rain had started and this is the picture, I then took.
Not a great picture, but it sure does the job that it is intended to do.
Another quick job now:
This one was another very quick job to do and only needed 2 screws removing and then 4 bolts putting in. Yes it was to be a new metal hood insert to replace the, plastic, factory one.
- Bullet Speed Vented Hood Insert for the Polaris Slingshot -
The original one looked fine but I wanted a little improvement over the factory finish. I chose black on black as my colour, with the red anodised washers and rivets.
Old insert, removed.
A specialist company producing a wide selection of nuts, bolts, washers etc. is based a few miles away from my home
- Titanium, Stainless Steel, Aluminium Fasteners & Motorcycle Bolts | ProBolt - US Link -
So I thought that I'd also finish things off with a couple of matching red anodised countersunk bolts, to compliment the other anodised items.
All fitted and finished in less than 3 mins.. 
Looking good and now making the SlingShot a little better finished. A comment from one of the people working at the place where the SS is stored was. "It looks so much more professional, for just a small change."
Fault time:
I had been concerned before purchasing the Slingshot that many people had problems with the radio. It looked like it was possibly a problem with the 16 model's reversing camera, so my first call was to the technical guy at Polaris Britain, to check this out. He mentioned that they had previously come across one SlingShot, in Britain that they had a slight problem with and had managed a simple fix for it. I asked if I was likely to have any problems, as it appeared most UK models were 16's (with some 16.5's) the conclusion was... Probably not.
Yes you all guessed it...
I couldn't tune the radio to anything other than, just the, one local station. My first thought was. OK maybe I'm just in a poor reception area. So I tried again in a number of different places. All with the same result. Then I thought. Let's go to an area, high up (and within site of the region's TV & Radio transition/repeater station).
You have a similar view in all directions from this point. So if it's going to work then it will be from this point.
Location on map: - Google Maps - The range of hills/mountains, in this shot, is about 35-40 miles away, from this point. (The transmitter was just 10-12 miles the other way).
-
-
Looks like I'll be asking for a fix soon. I'm sure the guys at Polaris Britain will do a good job at getting things working well. They certainly have proved great with any problems that the Victory ever had.
The Wheel. (The one you use for pointing the SlingShot, in the right direction):
The Polaris steering wheel is a little too plastic and lets the cockpit down a little, so that was another item, high on the list, to change. After checking out all the options, it looked like the NRG replacement would do the job well and also compliment the colour scheme of the SlingShot.
SlingMods sorted out one of these and added it to my order along with a steering wheel puller and hub adaptor.
- Polaris Slingshot Pilota Series Steering Wheels by NRG -
- Polaris Slingshot Steering Wheel Puller -
- Polaris Slingshot Aftermarket Steering Wheel Short Hub Adapter by NRG -
The finishing item. A wheel; quick release, came from China and it was a good quality one. (Be careful, you can get some really bad ones on-line). It does a great job.
So everything went on fine. One problem that I had expected was a lack of space for the wires, for the horn. I got over this problem by locating the small adaptor ring between the wheel and the horn push (rather than behind the wheel). This allowed plenty of space for everything to fit.
The results were good and here are some pictures.
The quick release is handy to give more room getting in & out of the cockpit, the wheel then fits in the locker, behind the seats and also makes people less inclined to want to jump in behind the wheel, pretending to be an F1 driver.
The quick release is handy to give more room getting in & out of the cockpit, the wheel then fits in the locker, behind the seats and also makes people less inclined to want to jump in behind the wheel, pretending to be an F1 driver.
I forgot to attach the link to the wheel, quick release, (I used a black one). The following link will take you to the same unit (red) for under $20 USD
- Car Red Steering Wheel Quick Release Hub Adapter Snap Off Boss Kit with screws -
Very well made. All with no slap. (That's what engineers refer to for wobbling about). I'd happily recommend it to anyone
Great story Paul! Hopefully you will be able to get some of the mods we are doing for a reasonable price. I would imagine that shipping cost to England could be substantial.
Shipping costs and the £ UKP devaluation, following Brexit both have an effect getting US products into the UK now. It is safe to assume that long term Brexit will represent a 15-20 weakening in the Pound/Dollar exchange rate (approx 5% on Euro). On top of that we then have an import levy added, by our customs officials, then a further 20% VAT (Value Added Tax) put on all of that. So putting it all together (you obviously don't add all the percentages) It normally represents that the product cost, in the UK, are now over 140% of what you would pay in the US.
This is obviously also going to affect Polaris product sales prices in (both Europe and) the UK. I believe Polaris ATV's have recently gone up approximately 5% in Britain, I would expect a much bigger hike in SlingShot prices, as they would appear to be aiming the product at a hi-end customer. So we should expect a good 15% hike in price (perhaps more) when new stock starts coming in. This would take a starting price for the SlingShot from £23,000 UKP ($28,650 USD) up to, and possibly beyond £27,000 UKP ($33,650 USD). So even at today's prices, we already have to pay the price of the "17" SLR for our base "16 or 16.5" model in the form of an SL.
More minor additions.
Some nice red speaker grill rings.
- Polaris Slingshot Speaker Accent Rings - Red / Orange -
Then I added the Alpha Power sports gear shift adaptor.
- Polaris Slingshot Threaded Shift Knob Adapter by Alpha PowerSport -
That way, I could swap out the plastic Polaris gear knob, for a nice aluminium (Chinese) one.
-http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-S…NUM-MT-GEAR-/310699297245 -
I also added a leather gator (from China) and it all now looks so much more like it should be sitting between the seats than the standard equipment ever did. With something more substantial and the additional weight added by the aluminium knob, also now makes for a smoother gear change.
All that's left to do with it now, is to finish off the edge where the gator meets the bodywork.
I had another accessory arrive today, special delivery. It will have to remain "Top Secret" untill later in the year, when all the additional parts will have been obtained too and I fit it all in place.
Lots of similar items fitted to various SlingShots on this forum, but I think (and hope) that I'll be taking things just a little further.
Hee hee hee.....
One of the SlingShot's classic stablemates, hiding behind it, in the storage location.
It's a CITROËN HY hiding behind the SlingShot
The PORSCHE 356 Speedster, is still hidden under wraps.
