The ultimate in road trips - I left Southern California at 4:00 AM on Friday morning, met with a fellow Atom club member in Redding, and arrived at Brammo Motorsports in Ashland, Oregon at 2:00 PM.

We went through a tour of the facility, and drove out a few miles to an area (a canyon, of all places :banana: )for our test drives. I drove a 205 supercharged build, and omg, :bow: :bow: :bow: I couldn't imagine the power on an Atom 300.

I posted some of my photos on my blog here: http://www.iwsti.com/blogs/kym, but teaser pics are below.





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Here I am, ready as can be.

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The word traction doesn't even come close to describing the Atom's handling. The Atom literally feels like it's being SUCKED into the ground around a corner, and the faster you go, the stronger the suction. :tup:

I was able to catch some footage on video for HSPN (including some "in car" footage), but whether or not our editor will be able to use it has yet to be determined.

Our originally itinerary planned for us to drive from Oregon to the bay area to visit and stay with Seri, but we decided to drive straight home. 24 hours later - I'm home. We arrived safely this morning at 4:00 AM.

What a trip!

 

Here are some pictures of NW OBS:

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how much is this thing?

 

It depends on your build and the options. The base Atom 140 with no options is $33,500. A supercharged Atom 300 with no options is under $45,000, and the Honda Atom 300 with no options is closer to $50,000.

The options can add up fast though. The race brake package, upgraded suspension, etc. can all add up pretty quickly.

 

damn thats sick!

 

Sweet... all my money goes to hiking now.

 

I may be 53, but in those pictures... that is a smile of someone 20 years younger ~ It's sooooooooo fast it could just be a time machine.

Forget the mid-life crisis red 911 and the trophy girlfriend! I'll take an Atom and six pack ANYDAY!!!

Again, thanks Kym. I owe you BIG!

 

Are they street legal? I asked because I saw a license plate on one of the pictures. Nice pictures.

 

if they are street legal, how much would it cost to insure one?

 

It is licensed in Oregon ~ the official word is any state that you can register a kit Cobra or other kit car in, you can do the same with the Atom.

Cali is a bit of a nightmare, as I understand it, there are only 500 smog exemtions a year available for specialty vehicles... and you have to scramble first thing in January to get them. Unless you are Jay Leno (surely his was a cake walk).

I live 10 minutes from the factory and it appears it's a no brainer to register in Ashland where they want the $$$ brought in by a new industry! Makes it 'leagal to drive anywhere in Oregon :-)

 

Isn't the famous reply: "If you need to ask, you can't afford it!"

 

For the few of you who have not seen this. Sit down with a cold beer and imagine what our 'test drive' was like on a public canyon road!

We found out that a grasshopper hitting your head at triple digit speeds HURTS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdkEV-t9jg0

 

There are two routes for registration in California, neither of which are near easy.

The first requires that the car pass smog - something Brammo will have to figure out in terms of re-working the ECU to read correctly. Beyond that, it would need to pass visual.

The second way to register is actually to take advantage of California's SB100 exemption, of which only 500 were issued in 2006 (the main reason for placing my order early in the year - everyone sends out their exemptions January 2 of the new year). There's a rumor going around the mill that as many as 2,000 exemptions will be allowed for 07, but I can't verify the validity of that, nor would I operate on the assumption that it will be true. Going in this direction requires filling out a lot of paperwork, visits to CHP Stations, Smog referee and multiple visits back and forth inbetween to the DMV.

Either way, it's quite possible in California, and I'll likely be going through the registration process with a few other Atoms in Southern California next year. :banana:

Progressive is the only large carrier so far that insures the Atom. If you're wealthy enough, there's always self-insuring it (see: Jay Leno). I've been quoted by Progressive, and I prefer to keep the numbers private for now.