The first time I saw the Polaris Slingshot on the local news in the fall of 2014, I was smitten with its crazy Batmobile looks and the sheer joy its test riders were experiencing. During the spring of 2015, I took one out for a test drive. When I started writing poetry about it (see below), I had a feeling one would be sitting in my garage sooner rather than later.

After reviewing one of the owner’s forums (www.slingshotforums.com), I was nervous about all the reported maintenance issues. Common sense lost out, and my wild side went for it. I picked up my base model over Memorial weekend 2015.

The best way I can describe my initial experience with the first-year model Slingshot is that it was like a puppy (or a kitten). If it wasn’t so darn cute and fun, I’d have strangled it. I’m a low maintenance person, and I like low maintenance toys. My 1998 Kawasaki 1500 Vulcan Classic has been as reliable as they come. The Slingshot was in the shop three out of the first nine weeks I owned it. Thankfully, most of the initial design and quality kinks were addressed during the first couple years of ownership, and it spent little time in the shop for the following three years.

It’s incredibly fun to drive and certainly gets a lot of attention with its radical styling and because there are so few on the road. Below is the poem that had me in a knot about buying a Slingshot.

Slingshot – Y Knot

Slingshot, Slingshot
A toy, you toy with me

Racecar engine under your hood
Motorcycle, misunderstood
Unisex misfit of the
Vehicle race

Shapely figure from the front
Draws double-takes and looky-loos
Ballsy Batmobile bravado
Butt, no junk in your trunk

Slingshot, Slingshot
A toy, you toy with me

One look, one road test rendezvous
Ah yes, we’ve met, I remember you
Pedal to the metal, not missing a beat
My spirit was born in your driver’s seat

A drone of voices in my head
It’s dangerous, not practical
But, hey, I’m overdosed on practical
My remedy: Fly free, bundle of energy

Slingshot, Slingshot
A toy, you toy with me