A feet first (FF) motorcycle is a class of motorcycle design which positions the rider with their feet ahead, like a car, rather than below and astride, as with conventional bikes. As there are other types of motorcycle (e.g. choppers) that have a 'feet forward' position, an alternative term sometimes used is advanced single track vehicle. The name "feet first" (also referred to as "feet forward") was first used by Royce Creasey. [1]
Designers have experimented with the feet forward riding position since the early days of motorcycling.
In 1909 P.G Tacchi designed a four-cylinder machine with a 700 cc 'L' head air-cooled engine, an enclosed shaft drive and a bucket seat. The machine was known as a TAC-Wilkinson, and was manufactured by the Wilkinson Sword Company [2]
Ten years later in America Carl A. Neracher designed the Ner-a-Car [2] It had a feet-forward riding position, a pressed steel frame and hub centre steering [3] but in other respects was somewhat similar to a conventional motorcycle. [4]
Designed by Sir Alliot Verdon Roe in 1926, the Ro-Monocar used a 250 cc Villiers two-stroke engine, and featured a high degree of enclosure for the rider and a bucket seat. This seating position provided a high degree of comfort for the rider [2]
The Fred Wood designed Whitwood monocar used OEC duplex steering, retractable outriggers, and tandem bucket seats, [5] and was offered with engine sizes ranging from 250 to 996 cc between 1933 and 1935.
In the 1950s NSU produced the feet forward fully enclosed monocoque constructions by Gustav Adolf Baumm (1920–1955). The "Flying Hammock" riding position allowed an exceptionally small frontal area. The consequent low wind resistance made it possible for H.P. "Happy" Mueller to achieve 150 mph (241 km/h) from a 125cc engine at the Utah Salt flats in 1956. [3]
The first recognisably modern design was the 1975 Quasar, built by Malcolm Newell and Ken Leaman. The design was not a great commercial success - just 22 examples were sold up until 1982 - but it generated a great deal of interest, and started others thinking about the FF concept. [6] Thomas Engelbach's own design of a feet forward motorcycle came in 1980, with the innovative patent for an automatic stabilizing system that incorporated outrigger wheels. The design was successfully tested but proved that the market was not ready for this model.
Since 1985 Swiss manufacturer Peraves has produced a small series of feet forward cabin motorcycles; 89 Ecomobile were built from 1985 to 2005. The restyled Peraves Monotracer appeared in prototype form in 2006 and went into production in 2007. Following the outstanding successes of the all-electric E-Tracer, X-Tracers and Zerotracer the MonoTracer-E MTE-150 went into production in 2012 and the company ceased making the petrol driven MTI-1200. The company website said they would make a maximum of 36 vehicles per year from 2013 but sadly, production ceased with no more than some ten all-electric machines built. [7]
In 1989 the Royce Creasey designed Voyager [8] achieved a pre-production run of five prototypes made by SCL Ltd in Powys South Wales
In 2002, Dan Gurney's All American Racers produced a limited run of 36 Alligator models.
The early 2000s saw enclosed scooters like the Benelli Adiva and BMW C1.
In 2008, the Buddfab Streamliner set the speed record for a 50cc engine at 145 mph (233 km/h) with 20+ hp, then in 2009 the 125cc speed record at 186 mph (299 km/h). [9] The Honda RS125 engine used produces 44 ps. [10]
In 2010, Dutchman Allert Jacobs, creator of the Quest velomobile, streamlined a Honda Innova underbone motorcycle to more than double the fuel economy from 1 liter per 48 km (113 mpg) to 1 per 101 (237mpg). [11]
In 2013, Suprine Machinery, Inc and designer John Chelen, introduced the EXODUS, a 1200cc BMW flat four with five speeds and reverse, where the rider is safely surrounded by a roll cage and a skid plate. Only weighing 680 pounds, with a full 8 gallon gas tank, the EXODUS exceeds speeds of 155 MPH with over 80 MPG at 55MPH. [12]
In March 2014 Honda unveiled the Honda NM4 model at the Osaka Motorcycle Show and it was on sale worldwide by the end of the year. In the United States it uses the original 700cc engine, whereas in Europe it has a 750cc engine. All versions use Honda's Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) system to provide both automatic and semi-automatic control. [13]
Modern motorcycles are simply well-developed motorized bicycles, and as such have drawbacks. Chief among these are:
Likewise, in dense urban environments, the car has a number of drawbacks:
The FF motorcycle is an attempt to marry the advantages of bikes and cars, while avoiding the drawbacks of either. However any FF STV has no roll stability so actual benefits are overstated by some proponents when comparing a FF motorcycle with a motorcar. In addressing these issues, most FF designs arrive at a low-slung faired body, with the rider in a reclining position.
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A number of FF concepts have been tried, but so far a commercially successful design has not appeared. There has been a revival of interest in the motor scooter as a means of personal transportation, and in some respects these vehicles have some features in common with FF motorcycles.
The problems faced by the designer or marketer of an FF motorcycle are many. [15] Some of these are perceptual. Experienced motorcyclists tend to be resistant to the idea, arguing that it's not a "proper" bike, and there is nothing wrong with the standard motorcycle. To car drivers, many of the disadvantages of the car are either not recognised or simply put up with and the overall convenience is hard to give up. Many car drivers would not consider a conventional motorcycle or scooter as an alternative, seeing it as a far less convenient and less safe option. To these people, an FF motorcycle needs to be seen (and hence marketed) as a two-wheeled car rather than an enclosed motorcycle. As the FF design moves the rider from an upright or Head First (HF) posture to a recumbent position (as in the Quasar and Dan Gurney's Alligator), the machine becomes lower and may make it harder to see in traffic. However, most FFs have seat which is no lower than the average car, and much higher than many sports cars. Those who ride them regularly say that the problems of having a seat at this height are largely in the minds of those who have never tried one.
There are some engineering issues too, which some designs can overcome. Designs such as the Quasar require the rider/driver to use one foot to stabilise the machine when stationary, by putting his foot out of the open side onto the road. This approach precludes the use of a fully enclosed body. The fully enclosed Peraves Ecomobiles and MonoTracers use stabiliser wheels deployed by the rider when the machine is travelling very slowly or stopped. Redesigning the motorcycle is necessary as a contributor in the autonomous vehicle arena and the FF design with the power plant moved to the back of the rider better distributes the weight and increases potential to lower the center of gravity.
The Honda Super Cub is a Honda underbone motorcycle with a four-stroke single-cylinder engine ranging in displacement from 49 to 124 cc.
Maicowerk A.G., known by its trading name Maico is the name of a family company in the Swabian town of Pfäffingen near Tübingen. Founded in 1926 by Ulrich Maisch as Maisch & Co, the company originally manufactured 98 and 123 cc Ilo two-stroke engines. After World War II, they began producing their own unit construction two-stroke engines, selling complete motorcycles. Maico made a brief foray into the automobile business with their own line of microcars in the late 1950s. Maico have also made go kart engines.
In the market, there is a wide variety of types of motorcycles, each with unique characteristics and features. Models vary according to the specific needs of each user, such as standard, cruiser, touring, sports, off-road, dual-purpose, scooters, etc. Often, some hybrid types like sport touring are considered as an additional category.
A cabin motorcycle is a fully or semi-enclosed motorcycle. They first appeared in the 1920s In parts of Eastern Europe, they are known as dalniks.
A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, motorized bicycles, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, power tools and garden machinery. Single-cylinder engines are made both as 4-strokes and 2-strokes.
The BMW C1 is an enclosed scooter made by Bertone for BMW. Compared to a conventional scooter, the C1 offered extra safety features and protection from the elements. The rider would sit in a car-type seat and adopt a feet-forward posture. Introduced in 2000, it was available throughout Europe, but sales were disappointing and the C1 was discontinued in 2002. In 2009 the C1-E electric version was presented as a concept.
An underbone is a type of motorcycle that uses structural tube framing with an overlay of plastic or non-structural body panels and contrasts with monocoque or unibody designs where pressed steel serves both as the vehicle's structure and bodywork. Outside Asia, the term underbone is commonly misunderstood to refer to any lightweight motorcycle that uses the construction type, known colloquially as step-throughs, mopeds or scooters.
Electric motorcycles and scooters are plug-in electric vehicles with two or three wheels. Power is supplied by a rechargeable battery that drives one or more electric motors. Electric scooters are distinguished from motorcycles by having a step-through frame, instead of being straddled. Electric bicycles are similar vehicles, distinguished by retaining the ability to be propelled by the rider pedaling in addition to battery propulsion.
The Quasar is a semi-enclosed feet forward motorcycle, created by Malcolm Newell and Ken Leaman, who made a number of similar vehicles. It repurposed an 850 cc four-cylinder inline engine used in the Reliant Robin three-wheeled light car and is capable of cruising at 90–100 mph (145–160 km/h) and exceeding 100 mph in favourable conditions.
The Alligator is a feet forwards motorcycle built by Dan Gurney Alligator Motorcycle Company which is the motorcycle division of the former driver/racing team owner's All American Racers workshop in Santa Ana, California. Although not the first of such design, it is unique for its unconventional low-slung seating position which allows for its low center of gravity.
A motorcycle fairing is a shell placed over the frame of a motorcycle, especially racing motorcycles and sport bikes, to deflect wind and reduce air drag. The secondary functions are the protection of the rider from airborne hazards and wind-induced hypothermia and of the engine components in the case of an accident. A motorcycle windshield will usually be integrated into the design of the fairing.
A scooter is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, a transmission that shifts without the operator having to operate a clutch lever, a platform for their feet, and with a method of operation that emphasizes comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motor scooters have been made since at least 1914. More recently, scooters have evolved to include scooters exceeding 250cc classified as Maxi-scooters.
The legal definition of a motorcycle for the purposes of registration, taxation and rider licensing in most countries is a powered two-wheel motor vehicle. Most countries distinguish between mopeds up to 49 cc and the more powerful, larger, vehicles known as motorcycles, including scooter type motorcycles. Many jurisdictions include some forms of three-wheelers as motorcycles.
Motorcycle testing and measurement includes a range of more than two dozen statistics giving the specifications of the motorcycle, and the actual performance, expressed by such things as the output of the engine, and the top speed or acceleration of the motorcycle. Most parameters are uncontroversial and claims made by manufacturers are generally accepted without verification. These might include simple measurements like rake, trail, or wheelbase, or basic features, such as the type of brakes or ignition system.
A motorcycle transmission is a transmission created specifically for motorcycle applications. They may also be found in use on other light vehicles such as motor tricycles and quadbikes, go-karts, offroad buggies, auto rickshaws, mowers, and other utility vehicles, microcars, and even some superlight racing cars.
The Honda NC700 series is a family of motorcycles produced by Honda since 2012. NC700 series was a 'new concept', being unlike conventional motorcycles, a bike designed for commuters, new or veteran riders. The series also includes the motorcycle/scooter hybrid NC700D Integra. The NC700 series is classed as a commuter model bike which has incorporated design and mechanical elements from various motorcycle types. The riding position is similar to standard bike styles. There is a helmet-sized internal storage in place of the traditional fuel tank, which in turn is located under the seat. The series is often marketed as fun to ride, easy to handle and very fuel efficient.
The Honda NM4 is a feet forwards motorcycle introduced by Honda for sale in June 2014. Internal documents, such as the service manual, refer to it as NC700J or NC700JD. The motorcycle is sold in Japan, Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America.
Forced induction in motorcycles is the application of forced induction to a motorcycle engine. Special automotive engineering and human factor considerations exist for the application of forced induction with motorcycles compared to other forms of motorized transportation.
The Ecomobile is a cabin motorcycle produced by Peraves AG, manufactured in Winterthur, Switzerland since 1984.
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