| What is a Feet Forward? | Ner-a-car |
| A Little History | Quasar |
| Characteristics of an FF | Voyager |
| Examples | FF Links |
The phrase 'Feet Forward' (FF) makes many people think of choppers - and an FF could not be more different in concept from one of these.
An FF motorcycle (or Single Track Vehicle, as one proponent prefers to call them) is really a concept and stems from the idea that almost all modern motorcycles are really just well-developed motorised bicycles.
The phrase 'Feet Forward' comes from the riding position, which puts the rider's feet in front of his/her body, rather than underneath it. But there is more to an FF than just that. To see what the 'more' is, we need first to look backwards...
After the motorcycle pioneers stopped bolting an auxiliary engine to the tubes of a normal pedal bicycle frame and slightly changed the frame so that the motor could fit between the front and rear downtubes, the basic layout of the motorcycle hasn't really changed. From the 1920s to the 1950s, it was more important that the motorcycle should work reliably (because many didn't), than that it should be designed as an effective means of transport.
By the 1950s, motorcycle design had largely stagnated because:
·
if you wanted comfort or weather protection, you bought a car;·
if you wanted very basic get-to-work transport, you bought a basic motorcycle;·
if you wanted to scare girls' mothers and imitate Marlon Brando, you bought a sports motorcycle.The bravest step forward was probably the scooter (Vespa, Lambretta, etc), which sought to make a reasonably efficient means of transport as cheaply as possible. Basic transport didn't need to perform or handle like a sports bike (and probably wouldn't have been as cheap if it did), so 'real' bikers scorned these developments.
As the average working man became more affluent through the 1950s and 1960s, he could afford a small used car and by the 1980s the market for the basic motorcycle, at least in Britain, was dead. In Mediterranean countries however, the market for basic motorcycles (particularly scooters) lives on, probably because parents still see it as an acceptable means of transport for their children.
So that only left a market for sports motorcycles - and what could be more 'sporty' than a near (or not-so-near) replica of a racing bike? It might be a near-useless form of transport, but that only proves what a 'hard man' you are. The motorcycle has become first and foremost an 'image statement' or a 'lifestyle choice', not a means of transport.
So we arrive at one definition of an FF - it is meant to be a better means of transport.
Two characteristics which are found in most FFs are:
·
A reclined seating position, lower than a conventional motorcycle, with the riders' feet forwards.·
Extensive bodywork.The reclined seating position has several effects:
·
The overall height of the rider and bike is reduced. This reduces frontal area and hence aerodynamic drag.·
The lower rider can be more easily 'faired-in', reducing the drag factor and hence aerodynamic drag.·
The lower riding position offers the possibility (not always realised) of greater comfort.·
The height of the centre of gravity is reduced, with various effects on the bike's dynamics.·
There is a tendency (though not a necessity) for FFs to have longer wheelbases than other bikes.The extensive bodywork is obviously intended to both provide some weather protection to the rider and, to a certain extent, to reduce the drag factor and hence aerodynamic drag.
The extent of bodywork varies from a large front mudguard/fender and running boards on the Ner-a-car of the 1920/30s to the total enclosure with gull-wing door and retractable outrigger wheels on the Ecomobile of the 1980/90s.
The following list is restricted to production or near-production FFs. There have been quite a few one-offs and I can't do justice to them all. The links shown here are within my own site.
| Ner-a-car |
In my view, this is the grand-daddy of them all. The Ner-a-car (geddit?) was built in the 1920s and 1930s in Britain by Sheffield-Simplex and designed by an American, called Neracher. It was very, very low, relatively long for a light-ish bike and the rider's feet were positioned well forwards. The absence of a front brake could perhaps be explained by the hub-centre steering or by the 285cc 2-stroke engine, later replaced by a 4-stroke. It has always been credited with superb stability and steering. The British motoring writer LJK Setright says a friend used to read a newspaper while riding one! |
| Quasar |
I think this bike started the 'modern' FF age, though others will doubtless disagree. Within certain limits, such as conventional suspension and a standard car engine, it was a no-holds-barred FF, which owed little or nothing to conventional bikes: certainly not in its size or weight, which greatly exceeded anything at the time. I owned one of these for several years and there are text, photos and drawings at the link on the left. |
| Voyager |
The Voyager was, indirectly, a successor to the Quasar, but with the critical difference of being smaller and lighter (and not having a roof). It is included in the near-production category as five prototypes were built, although it never reached production. The link to the left gives some illustrations from the original publicity material. Some more details, and occasional pictures of one of the five prototypes, can be found at Julian Bond's site (see below). |
|
Ecomobile |
The Ecomobile was and is being built in Switzerland by Arnold Wagner of Peraves. It is a quite independent strand of FF thinking from the Quasar/Voyager, being much larger still, more powerful and perhaps most importantly, fully enclosed. As this bike is in current production, no details are provided here, as they can be obtained from the Peraves web site (see below). |
|
'SuperScooters' |
It would be tempting to also describe the Honda CN250/Helix/Spazio (it does have quite a few names!) as another different strand of FF thinking, as it appears to be a variation on a conventional scooter. However this would need to ignore that Honda purchased a Quasar in the 1980s and so it is perhaps fair to describe it as a variation on the theme. After a long time either alone in the marketplace, there are now several similar superscooters (eg, Piaggio Hexagon, Yamaha Majesty, Suzuki Burgman/Sky Wave). These bikes are covered in Julian Bond's web site (see below). |
| The Feet Forwards Motorcycle - Julian Bond |
Julian has the definitive web site on FFs and you really should visit it. Amongst the things it contains are: · Details of many of the one-off FFs, as well as the production bikes.· Contact with the Best Feet Forwards club for FF owners and aficionados.· Access to the FF mailing list which Julian runs. |
| The Drawing Board - Andi McBurnie |
Andi is in the process of building his own FF and his ideas on FFs can be found at his site - if he hasn't stopped maintaining it! |
| The Official Ecomobile Site - Peraves |
The site run by Peraves with details of the Ecomobile. |
| Royce Creasey web site |
Royce Creasey, who developed the Voyager, at last has a web site. It provides some of his ideas, details of some of the FF material available from him and details of the services he can provide. |
| The Quasar Project - Mark Crowson |
Mark is acting as a 'hub' for Quasar owners. His site also contains some details of the development to his own Quasar which he is doing. |
| John Brennan's home page |
John has some details of other interesting feet forward bikes, including several historical ones. |
Julian Bond's site contains details of various publications, including the only book that I am aware of that has been published about FFs:
"What Ever Happened - a Review of Feet-First Two-Wheeler Developments" written and published by Royce Creasey: not a substantial book at 28 pages, but it contains a wealth of information from someone who made part of the history.