Feet forwards motorcycle

Ner-A-Cars in the Netherlands, 1923

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 250–996 cc between 1933 and 1935.

In the 1950s NSU produced a feet forward fully enclosed monocoque construction "Flying Hammock" record breaker. The feet forward 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 150cc engine at the Utah Salt flats in 1956.[3]

Motorcycle journalist Jane Omorogbe riding a Quasar

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

Modern motorcycles are simply well-developed motorized bicycles, and as such have drawbacks. Chief among these are:

• Safety - riders involved in an accident are at significantly higher risk of injury or death compared with car drivers.
• Weather - motorcycles do not offer the advantages of an enclosed car in poor weather.
• Convenience - conventional motorcycle riders need to wear a helmet and protective clothing.
• Efficiency - motorcycles have a relatively tall profile that reduces aerodynamic performance. "A feet-forward sitting position is easier to streamline" according to inventor Craig Vetter.[14]
• Skill - motorcycles riders need training and practice to become skilled at riding.

Likewise, in dense urban environments, the car has a number of drawbacks:

• Road occupancy - a car takes up much more space than a single person, and most cars transport only one person. Similarly the area occupied when parked consumes considerable space.
• Environment - a car uses more fuel than a motorcycle for the same journey. It is also more expensive in terms of resources to build in the first place.
• Performance - Journey times - a car is generally a lot slower than a motorcycle for city journeys due to congestion. A greater percentage of weight redistribution to counter directional momentum is available.

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.

1924 Ner-A-Car

Newell-designed Gold wing FF

Newell-designed Kawasaki Z1300 FF

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.

• Lit Motors, a two wheel, gyroscopically stabilized, enclosed cabin, electric vehicle with a steering wheel
• Motorized tricycle

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Feet forwards motorcycles.

• Peraves/MonoTracer English language website
• Bikeweb - FF Enthusiasts website