The Pulse: A Jet-Age Autocycle Built in Michigan
Something unusual crossed my desk this week—a 1985 Pulse sales folder. It’s items like these that make archival work so fun. Between the brochures and catalogs, we often find bold ideas and forgotten experiments that tell just as much about automotive history as the cars themselves.
With its aircraft-inspired body, sliding canopy, and tandem seating, the Pulse looks like something straight out of a futuristic concept sketch. In reality, it was a motorcycle-powered autocycle built in Owosso, Michigan, by the Owosso Motor Car Company from 1985 through 1990.
Marketed as the Pulse GCRV (Ground Cruising Recreational Vehicle), this unusual machine was designed to blend motorcycle efficiency with enclosed, car-like comfort. The result was a sleek fiberglass-bodied vehicle that placed two occupants in line beneath a clear canopy, creating a cockpit experience more reminiscent of light aircraft than traditional automobiles.
The Pulse rode on motorcycle-based mechanicals and was commonly registered as a motorcycle or autocycle, depending on state regulations. Most examples were powered by Yamaha 400cc engines, with a smaller number fitted with larger Honda flat-four motorcycle engines. Front and rear disc brakes, a manual transmission, and a steel-tube frame gave it performance closer to a sport motorcycle than a conventional car.
Production numbers were limited, with approximately 326 units completed during OMCC’s five-year run. This rarity, combined with its striking appearance, has made the Pulse a favorite among collectors of experimental and alternative vehicles.
Though it never achieved mainstream success, the Pulse stands as a fascinating chapter in American transportation history—a bold attempt to rethink personal mobility using aerodynamics, compact engineering, and unmistakable 1980s optimism.
Today, the Pulse remains a rolling reminder that innovation doesn’t always follow traditional paths—and that sometimes the most memorable vehicles are the ones brave enough to be different.
