Original Article at: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/4231024-181/zipping-around-san-francisco-in?page=1 

Without question, the most famous talking car in history is K.I.T.T., the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that starred with David Hasselhoff in the 1980s television show, “Knight Rider.”

In San Francisco, however, intrepid thrill-seekers can tool around town in vehicles that represent a close second: GoCars.

 
(photo by GoCar Tours)

These tiny yellow road rockets are billed as “storytelling cars,” and they regale drivers with GPS-guided information about more than 200 attractions and points of interest.

They’re also super fun to drive, even for North Bay residents who think they know the city well.

All told, an outfitter called GoCar Tours offers 10 different ways to experience San Francisco by GoCar. Thrill-seekers pick up the vehicles at locations near Fisherman’s Wharf or Union Square and fan out from there. Tour length varies; most run between one and three hours. The longest one follows 49-mile Scenic Drive and lasts all day.

Here’s how GoCars work. Each of the cars has been outfitted with a GPS beacon that enables the vehicle to keep track of where in the city it is. Each GoCar also has been pre-loaded with tour routes, as well as pre-recorded information about more than 200 different spots around the city.

Based upon where you are, the car gives you navigational directions on where to go next. As you pass certain attractions, the car does its best K.I.T.T. impression and tells you more about your surroundings.

As you pass Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, for instance, the car tells you more about the high school’s most famous running back, O.J. Simpson.

As you tool around the parking lot of Fort Point National Historic Site, the car offers up a history lesson about the fort’s role in defending San Francisco between the Gold Rush and the end of World War II.

So long as you stay on the tour route, the car will continue to dish details about what you see. If you veer off the tour route, the car goes into silent mode, and you’ve got to fend for yourself. (GoCar Tours provides maps to help you find your way when the GPS shuts off.)

The vehicles themselves? Let’s just say that it’s easy to mistake GoCars for race cars or, as the name implies, go-karts. They’re tiny. They’re painted taxicab yellow. They can go up to about 25 mph. And they’re so low to the ground, you’re at running board-level when you pull up next to a truck. (Admittedly, this perspective can be a little freaky, especially if you scare easily.)

Another interesting note: GoCars technically aren’t cars at all. Instead, each of the vehicles is a three-wheeled motorbike with a two-seat chassis. The accelerator is located on the right handlebar; the brake takes the form of a pedal down below.

Because the GoCars are so small, both driver and passenger are required to wear helmets. Also, drivers must be at least 21, and kids who can’t fit into extra-small helmets cannot ride at all.

One last word to the wise. If you are remotely prone to motion sickness, be sure to take Dramamine or strap on special pressure-point wristbands before the trip. Because GoCars ride so low to the ground, traveling in one can be harrowing for those who feel queasy on windy roads, even if the car talks you through it all the while.

BY MATT VILLANO FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT on July 22, 2015

Matt Villano is a writer and editor based in Healdsburg. Learn more about him at whalehead.com.