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Much-Needed Funding Helps Connect Volunteers with Socially Isolated Seniors in South Florida

Matthew DeBord/Insider

• I tested a roughly $33,000 Polaris Slingshot R, a three-wheeled "autocycle."
• The three-wheeler category includes vehicles from Can-Am and Harley-Davidson, offering a motorcycle experience in a less demanding package.
• My Slingshot R had a new, Polaris-developed, 203-horsepower engine and an automatic transmission.
• In all but three US states, no motorcycle license is required to operate the Slingshot (New York, Massachusetts, and Alaska continue to require the motorcycle certification).
• The Slingshot is insanely fun, with a modest learning curve — it's a great alternative to a two-wheeler, although the price is definitely steep for the Slingshot R.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Motorcycles are cool, but they aren't for everybody. Fortunately, there are some alternatives out there that offer an equally compelling, open-air experience.

One of the most popular is the the Polaris Slingshot, manufactured by the Minnesota-based powersports company. Until recently, Slingshots were available only with manual transmissions and GM-sourced engines, but for 2020, Polaris has updated the autocycle with an in-house motor and an automatic.

The automatic transmission in particular really broadens the Slingshot's potential. So I was excited to sample the machine, which I first saw about five years ago.

Polaris was kind enough to loan me a tester for a few weeks. Here's how it went:

The Polaris Slingshot is a three-wheeled autocycle/motorcycle that Polaris industries has produced since 2014. My 2020 Slingshot R tester cost about $33,000 and was outfitted in a menacing red-and-black paint job.

The cheapest Slingshot is about $20,000.

This wasn't my first crack at a Slingshot. Polaris brought the vehicle to Insider's New York offices when the vehicle first launched.

And I generally have a gander at the Slingshot when I visit the annual New York motorcycle show.

See Also:

• All the coolest features of every Tesla vehicle ever made or unveiled, ranked
• Here are 20 cars you can drive off the lot new for less than $20,000
• How Tesla's cargo capacity stacks up against other iconic front trunks in the car industry: From Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and more

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

Two beloved Spokane-based entertainers are teaming up this weekend for a good cause.…

The present invention relates to a transportation device for transporting sausage-shaped products with suspension elements from a clipping machine to a handling device. The transportation device comprises a conveying unit, a catching unit for catching the suspension element attached to one end of the sausage-shaped product, and a guide unit for guiding the suspension element caught by the catching unit to said handling device comprising a longitudinally extending guide element and supports for supporting the guide element, wherein the supports provide a passage way for the suspension element to be guided along the guide element. The supports include gear wheels arranged rotatably about an at least substantially horizontally aligned axis engaging the guide element. Moreover, there are provided ratchets for engaging the gear wheels adapted to position a gap between two subsequent teeth of said gear wheels in the passage way of said suspension element.

A method of chip-removal machining a tooth gap of a work piece includes executing a first substantially linear plunging movement of the cutting tool along a first plunge vector and machining a region of the work piece near a tooth head of a first tooth flank of the tooth. A substantially transverse movement of the tool along a transverse vector is then executed to machine a region of the work piece near a tooth head of the second tooth flank of the tooth. A second plunging movement of the cutting tool along a vector path is then executed, to an end point of the second plunging movement that lies at a position of the work piece corresponding to the slot depth of the tooth gap to be fabricated. The cutting tool is rotated about an axis of rotation thereof during execution of these steps.

The invention relates to a method for producing a bevel gear wheel, in particular for rudder propellers, the teeth of which have a macro geometry specific to the gear wheels, the teeth of which can be described by flank and profile lines, the flanks of which have a tooth flank micro topography and the bearing surface of which represents the contact region of the inter-meshing teeth. The crown of a tooth flank corresponds to the elevation of the tooth flank center with respect to the tooth flank edge, wherein the course of the height and width crowns of the flank surface is substantially shaped like a circular arc. By means of precise material removal, the micro topography of the tooth flank and thus the bearing surface is optimized firstly in that the material removal is carried out such that the end relief on the tooth flank surface is reduced toward the tooth heel side and the tooth toe side, an area having a greater length and width comes into engagement on the flank and thus an enlarged bearing surface is present, and secondly in that the course of the crown the crown of a tooth flank follows an approximately logarithmic, elliptical and/or an exponential curve shape, which runs through the point of contact, when the ease-off is viewed with no load, in a longitudinal section in the flank sectional surface and/or in a profile section in the profile sectional surface.

A planter row unit is disclosed having an active downforce control system for the closing wheels. This separate control of the downforce pressure for the closing wheels is provided from the row unit downforce control. A single operator input is used to set a desired downforce for all row units. The control system then operates to produce the desired downforce. Alternatively, the control system may display a downforce load to the operator who then manually makes adjustments as desired.

A tongue pulled spreader and grader system having a pair of spaced apart sidewalls and cross beams to define a frame portion, a plurality of moveable or fixed blades extending between the sidewalls, each blade positionable along the length of each sidewall and fixed in position at a predetermined angle; a tongue for mounting the frame to the rear of a vehicle; a pair of wheels positioned on an axle on either side of the sidewalls; means for manually or hydraulically extending the wheels to a down position to make contact with a surface in order to transport the spreader and grader and for retracting the wheels to an up position so that the spreader and grader can undertake the grading process. The spreader and grader can attach to and be operated by ATVs, SUVs, light trucks, lawn tractors, sub compact tractors, side by side ATVs and fork trucks.

A scraper assembly for removing mud and moist soil from the gauge wheels of an agricultural planter includes a support rod attached to a hub of a gauge wheel arm, a clamp structure attached to an end portion of the support rod, and a scraper blade attached to the clamp structure. An axis of the end portion of the support rod is approximately perpendicular to and intersects with an axis of rotation of the gauge wheel. The scraper blade is mounted approximately perpendicular to the outer surface of the gauge wheel and is angled approximately 45 degrees from the sides of the gauge wheel. The scraper blade has a curved profile along its length that substantially matches an outer profile of the outer surface of the gauge wheel when the scraper blade is properly adjusted.

A mounted assembly of a wheel and a tire. The tire inflation pressure is greater than 9 bar, and a relative deflection of the tire greater than 30%. The rim comprises a drop-center functionality and is of monobloc type. A carcass reinforcement includes a circumferential alignment of carcass reinforcement elements anchored in the beads by a stack of circumferentially oriented reinforcement elements, and by an anchoring rubber mix having an elasticity modulus of less than 30 MPa at 10% deformation.

Apparatus including a wheel balancing device and a tire changing device, comprising a spindle shaft for rotatably supporting a vehicle wheel or rim, unbalance measuring means operatively connected to the spindle shaft and having a spatial unbalance measuring area in which unbalance forces of the wheel or rim are detected, tire changer tools for assembling a tire onto a rim, spindle supporting means supporting the spindle shaft in a force acting range in which forces are created between the tire changer tools and the tire during the assembling or disassembling of the tire, tool supporting means supporting the tire changer tools within the force acting range which is arranged outside of the spatial unbalance measuring area, and drive means driving the spindle shaft with a rotational speed and torque adapted for assembling and disassembling the tire or for measuring unbalance forces of the wheel or rim.

A saw system in one embodiment includes a base, a work support surface member supported by the base and including a work piece support surface defining a horizontal work piece support plane, and a plurality of wheels, each of the plurality of wheels engaged with at least one of the base and the work support surface member, wherein none of the plurality of wheels is attached to either the base or the work support surface member.

The motorized cutter with wheels (10) comprises a motorized cutter (20) and a carriage (30). The motorized cutter (20) is equipped with an engine (24), a blade (22) rotatably driven by the engine (24), and a light-emitting unit (50) that generates laser light (52) in the same plane as the plane of rotation of the blade (22). A roadbed (90) is then cut along a line (X) drawn on the roadbed (90) by operating the motorized cutter with wheels (10) so that the line (X) is irradiated with the laser light (52). It is possible to remove the motorized cutter (20) from the carriage (30) together with the light-emitting unit (50).

“The idea of store-on-wheels is that customers should not feel suffocated that they can’t go out and shop, and feel the same pleasure right at their doorsteps,” said Vishnu Prasad, managing director of Future Lifestyle Fashions that owns Central and Brand Factory.

“The idea of store-on-wheels is that customers should not feel suffocated that they can’t go out and shop, and feel the same pleasure right at their doorsteps,” said Vishnu Prasad, managing director of Future Lifestyle Fashions that owns Central and Brand Factory.

Live performances by The Steel Wheels, Radney Foster, Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert, and Eilen Jewell, recorded in Charleston, WV Sunday Sept. 29, 2019. Support provided by Adventures on the Gorge. https://adventuresonthegorge.com/

It's me! It's jessamyn! It's episode 158 of us podcasting about about the sort of MetaFiltery things we're wont to podcast about! It's about ninety minutes!

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Delicious home-cooked meals hand-delivered to the elderly residents in the remote community of Alpurrurulam are lifting the spirits of not just the recipients but also the workers.

Volunteers for Meals on Wheels say the charity is under threat with branches surviving on bequests as Federal Government funding for the service plateaus.

Transforming a hearse into something resembling a Transylvanian castle on wheels is not something you can Google for instructions, but artist Karl Claydon made it work.

A company that provides frozen food to Meals on Wheels across four states, is recalling thousands of its products due to listeria contamination.

Auntie Fee makes special treats for the guys.

Best known for their aluminum products, Newmen's new carbon fiber wheelset is aimed at enduro riders.
( Photos: 10, Comments: 96 )

A look at the latest gear to cross our desks.
( Photos: 17, Comments: 57 )

• I tested a roughly $33,000 Polaris Slingshot R, a three-wheeled "autocycle."
• The three-wheeler category includes vehicles from Can-Am and Harley-Davidson, offering a motorcycle experience in a less demanding package.
• My Slingshot R had a new, Polaris-developed, 203-horsepower engine and an automatic transmission.
• In all but three US states, no motorcycle license is required to operate the Slingshot (New York, Massachusetts, and Alaska continue to require the motorcycle certification).
• The Slingshot is insanely fun, with a modest learning curve — it's a great alternative to a two-wheeler, although the price is definitely steep for the Slingshot R.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Motorcycles are cool, but they aren't for everybody. Fortunately, there are some alternatives out there that offer an equally compelling, open-air experience.

One of the most popular is the the Polaris Slingshot, manufactured by the Minnesota-based powersports company. Until recently, Slingshots were available only with manual transmissions and GM-sourced engines, but for 2020, Polaris has updated the autocycle with an in-house motor and an automatic.

The automatic transmission in particular really broadens the Slingshot's potential. So I was excited to sample the machine, which I first saw about five years ago.

Polaris was kind enough to loan me a tester for a few weeks. Here's how it went:

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

The Polaris Slingshot is a three-wheeled autocycle/motorcycle that Polaris industries has produced since 2014. My 2020 Slingshot R tester cost about $33,000 and was outfitted in a menacing red-and-black paint job.

The cheapest Slingshot is about $20,000.

This wasn't my first crack at a Slingshot. Polaris brought the vehicle to Insider's New York offices when the vehicle first launched.

And I generally have a gander at the Slingshot when I visit the annual New York motorcycle show.

The Slingshot is classified as either a motorcycle or an autocycle, depending on which state it's being operated in.

Yep, it looks like the Batmobile. Or Batcycle. Hard to avoid feeling like a superhero when you're behind the wheel. In all but three US states, no motorcycle license is required to drive the Slingshot. In New Jersey, you are required to wear a helmet.

Up front, you have 18-inch forged aluminum wheels, with an 20-incher at the back. The brakes have two-piece composite rotors.

Permanent open-air motoring isn't for everybody. Polaris does sell and older model, the Grand Touring, which has a cockpit canopy. The Polaris R has a waterproof interior and drain holes in the floorboards, should you get caught in bad weather.

My tester was the top-level "R" trim, complete with dual roll bars for drier and passenger.

Let's talk fender fairings! The Slingshot's are dramatic and large — I was reminded of Chevy Corvettes while driving this thing. Like a motorcycle, there's no rear-view mirror, so you have to adjust slightly to using the sideviews.

There's a new engine under the hood. Previously, Polaris used a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder GM-sourced Ecotech motor, making up to 175 horsepower. But my R had a ProStar four, also at 2.4-liters, cranking out 203 horsepower with a five-speed automatic transmission (a manual remains available). It's an in-house engine that was impressive in action.

The top speed is limited at 125 mph, and the 0-60mph run, according to Polaris and confirmed by yours truly, is about five seconds.

The four-banger redlines at 8,500 rpm and even with the automatic transmission does a pretty fair imitation of proper motorcycle acceleration. The auto is a tad crunchy, but in this context, that's a plus. It keeps you aware of what the engine is doing.

The rear wheel — fat and wide — is yoked to the motor and transmission with a belt drive. The suspension is surprisingly compliant, but you do have to be mindful of bumps, potholes, and manhole covers if you want to preserve you lower spine.

Polaris says the interior has been upgraded for 2020. No one would call it premium, but for a vehicle like this, it's rather comfortable.

The steering wheel is leather-wrapped, multifunctioned, and flat-bottomed to make getting into and out of the driver's seat easier.

The instrument cluster is a basic analog affair with a central digital display. The red button to on the right steering-wheel spoke allows you to switch between Comfort and Slingshot modes (the latter being the high-performance option).

The bucket seats are waterproof and extremely well-bolstered, with three-point seat belts.

The Slingshot's tubular frame is apparent in the doorless frame.

Not really much cargo capacity here, although I did use the Slingshot for a grocery-store run and quick jaunt to Target to buy a basketball.

There is a place to stow a smartphone, located just above the push-button gear selector.

The Slingshot also has push-button start-stop.

The glove compartment is the only other storage available ...

... And it's actually pretty roomy. One could stash a rain jacket in there, for example.

The RideCommand infotainment system is basic — but good! On a vehicle such as this, I wasn't expecting much, but the audio setup sounded decent, the screen was responsive, and Bluetooth and USB connectivity was on-par with what you'd find in any modern automobile.

There's even GPS navigation, which can display a map and provide turn-by-turn guidance.

The ride-mode selector is doubled in the infotainment system.

So what's the verdict?

I love three-wheelers. They aren't as cool as two-wheeled motorbikes, but they provide easy access to open-air motoring, and the driving/riding experience is much more engaging than what you find in convertible automobiles.

For anybody who dislikes the impracticality of motorcycles but wants to partake of the open-road lifestyle, machines like the Slingshot (the Can-Am Spyder and the Harley-Davidson Freewheeler, to name two) are ideal.

Not for nothing, they also offer aging riders a chance to yank their helmets and biker jackets out of storage to pursue moderately safer riding. With the Slingshot, gearing-up isn't necessary.

The trade-off, of course, is price. The Slingshot R that I tested costs more than an entry-level car or SUV. So, an expensive plaything. But there's nothing wrong with that. Everybody needs a hobby.

No doubt about it, the Slingshot captures attention. I lost count of how many little kids a stopped in their tracks as I tooled around the Jersey suburbs. The last vehicle that provoked such astonishment was the Lamborghini Huracán Performante. If you become a Slingshotter, prepare to be pointed at and asked for photo-ops.

Driving-wise, the Slingshot scratches an itch: on the road, the experience is unexpurgated — you don't have to be constantly vigilant, as you would on a bike, but you do need to remain aware. Highway trips are demanding. And noisy. And exhilarating. The Slingshot R is also fast and torque-y and the power goes to the single back wheel, so the while the two-wheeled front is stable, the back end can get pretty wiggly, especially in Slingshot mode, if you stomp the throttle.

I had iffy springtime Northeast weather to contend with, so I took the Slingshot out only on warm and sunny days; the rest of the time, I parked it in my garage. But the vehicle can handle being rained on, and one could also buy a cover to protect it from the elements. To be honest, however, I think it's a better choice in warm, dry climates. 

The performance is aggressively go-kart-y. This thing will make you a better drive, thanks to its point-and-shoot steering, crisp suspension, and easy access to power. It's insanely fun on curves and into corners. But it's also worthy of short road trips. In fact, the relative comfort was a shocker: I took the Slingshot out for a few hours one day and suffered no ill-effects to my lower back.

Drawback? The design is thoroughly sporty, so if you don't go in for that, the Slingshot might not be your bag. It isn't a throwback, nor is it at all steam-punky. 

It also isn't a motorcycle, in that there aren't any handlebars, you don't throw a leg, and the single wheel takes up the rear. 

But the Slingshot is a absolute blast, and if you're a weekend warrior who wants to carve up a canyon or a country road without having the grapple with a motorcycle's demands — and you don't mind dropping some dollars — the Slingshot is perfect.

Front-line nurses from the West 5th campus use a special van to meet patients with mental health problems — primarily those living with schizophrenia— and treat them by doing their blood work.

OM uses a team car to transport teenagers with autism to Montenegro's only special needs school. But a better car is needed to continue.

OM Finland’s Bus4Life partners with Table 22 to reach out to young people trapped in lives of crime, prostitution and drugs in Siófok, Hungary.

The 55-vehicle Volkswagen fleet which will transport players and officials at UEFA Futsal EURO 2018 has been handed over to the tournament organisers.

Palace on Wheels is the brainchild of Indian Railways and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. Functioning since 1982, this train has so far introduced the pristine locales of Rajasthan to millions of international guests in the country. Besides Agra and New Delhi, the train also traverses...

The luxury train Palace on Wheels is ready to welcome guests to embark on a spectacular sojourn across Rajasthan. The new season for the train that begins on 4th August 2010, Wednesday promises guests even more fun and excitement. A new feature in terms of a Spa coach has been added to the train...

For those who want to tour Rajasthan like maharaja on board Palace on Wheels train but at a lower price, the months of September and April offers perfect window of opportunity. Palace on Wheels, an Indian luxury train offer extravagant ride to the guests across some of the most fascinating...

The news that Palace on Wheels is sold out for November and taking the guest booking on waiting list comes as no surprise. Voted 4th Best Luxury Train in The World, Palace on Wheels is India’s most loved and popular tourist train. A joint venture of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation...

The peak season of the Palace on Wheels is going great guns this year. The booking of Palace on Wheels for the month of November is already sold out and only a few occupancy remains for the month of December and January. According to the sources, this is not surprising as Palace on Wheels is the...

Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) has announced changes in the running of the luxury train Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. The changes include alteration in scheduled departures of the rail journeys undertaken by this cruise train and the booking and cancellation policies for this rail...

New schedule and policies related to booking and cancellation for Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, the brainchild of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) and Indian Railways, has been announced by the RTDC. These revisions will be implemented for the journeys of this luxury train beginning...

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels train will embark on its second journey of the month on the 23rd of October. The last departure for this month will be on 30th. Modeled on famous Palace on Wheels, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels is a joint venture of RTDC and Indian railways. The week long itinerary on board...

Trump's decision to air the selectively edited video clips led major US television networks to quickly cut away from his daily coronavirus briefing. 

Shoppers tired of waiting in line outside a supermarket, or trying to secure a slot with one of the overbooked grocery delivery apps, have new options to bring groceries home. Startups and established companies alike are eager to offer Canadians fresh alternatives during the COVID-19 lockdown and beyond.