Are you building a full-on FF racer? Why not? everybody else seems to be!

No sooner has the excitememt caused by the relaxation of the FIMs streamlining rules - and their confirmation that this permits FFs - died way, than Azhar Hussein announces that it's all changed again. According to Azhar, only the World Championship Series, consisting of a few rounds scattered across the world with none in England, will allow what he calls 'prototypes'.

Charles Hennekam, technical co-ordinator and Motorcycle Homologations Officer for the FIM, confirms in an email that it "Is possible to enter FF designs" in the new FIM formula that replaces E-GP.

He goes on to note the "Daunting" challenge of incorporating E-power into race motorcycles without factory support, something that all entrants will have to deal with.

Proving that time changes everything, the FIM have issued rules for their new E-power bike race series that don't actually ban FFs!

I have a problem i need to fix. My workshop "Nest of Dragons" is 150 km from my home. The road is notorious for its trafficjams. I hate paying all that fuel. So ...i need a electric motorbike that can do about 200 km at topspeed, because the roads are all mostly highways.

New problem: no electric motorbikes do that at this time.

My solution: buying a electric motorbike, adding more batteries (in exchange for loosing the passenger), adding fairings to have it more streamlined.

Here's some news to warm your heart!

TTXGP (AKA E-GP) is joining up with the FIM to form a 'unified' series. Other people just call it 'selling out' although I doubt the FIM paid anyone.

Question is, Will the FIM continue to apply the E-GP rules that permit FFs? Really, you only have to ask the question!

Although the FIM lifted the E-GP rules more or less complete (breaching my copyright)when they started 'TT zero', apparantly allowing FFs, they also left in their old rule about max. seat hump height (seat backs in English) of 150mm, outlawing FFs as defined.

With the t-max project slowing down and the prospect of another summer coming and going without an FF to ride – and that summer being in the south of France, I decided it was time to build something – anything (with a low COG and seat-back) – to get me on the road.

When we left Ireland and the truck came to take our stuff to France, I had been planning to sell the GPZ that I had been riding while the T-Max was off the road being FFed, but at the last minute there was room for it, so to France it came.

Hi All,

My name is Roger Dunkley, I live in Wellington, New Zealend and I have been building my enclosed motorcycle for about 3 years now. I have recently tested it at the closest racetrack, this was the first time I have been able to really test it out and I was very happy with the results, rewaching 174 km/h about half way down the main straight with no instability and getting to about 45 degrees of lean round the corners.

February 1987 article in Motorcycle Sport about the Steaming Mango, Gold Wing based, Phasar.

Strictly speaking, it's three FFs and a maxiscooter since the BMW C600Sport is only a potential FF.....
From Left to Right, Arthur Middleton and his VF500FF, PNB and the C600Sport, Peter Fouché and his newly-built GPZ500FF and Graham Robb in his Voyager.
The BMW clearly needs to have its seat lowered by a considerable amount.....PNB

Paul Blezard (left) and Monty Billington in the X-prize winning all-electric 215bhp Monotracer known as MTE 79 at the Peraves training day in Tuggen, near Zurich, August 2012. Twist and go to 200mph! PNB

Graham Robb leaves the remains of the FF stand in his Voyager at the end of the Festival of 1,000 bikes at Mallory Park.
Strange to think that both the Eco and the Voyager are now well over 20 years old! Definitely classics, then! PNB
Photo: Paul Blezard 8/7/12

Andy Tribble's 1987 Peraves Ecomobile, driven by PNB, meets Colin Russell's red Voyager and Graham Robb's blue one with an incongruous pre-war AJS V-twin bringing up the rear. One thing the Eco and the AJS do have in common is a hand gear change! Messrs Russell (left) & Robb (with hat) are also in the pic.
Photo: Paul Blezard

On the last Saturday before the Festival of 1000 Bikes at Mallory Park, this is what the bike looked like. Naked and lying in the sun - a good way to enjoy summer in Provence.

What you can't see is the closed fuel tap. I found that on the main highway.

A Voyager owner takes his HF BMW 650GS parallel twin to the Alps and back in company with a Honda Varadero
Size and quality

Paul Blezard riding a Gurney Alligator on the cover of The Rider's Digest magazine No.165, April 2012 issue. The photo was taken by Alex Gurney with PNB's Canon EOS at Ortega Canyon highway, Southern California in December 2011.
The article about the Gurneys, All American Racers and the Alligator, 'Adventures in LaLa Land' (Part 2) and indeed the whole magazine, can be downloaded for free from www.theridersdigest.co.uk
PNB

Here's a picture of the relevent bits of the basic (single clutch) Honad Linto(ish) layout. Double sided steel swing-arm, easy enough to modify to twin shocks and top wishbone, junking complex single shock under the seat. Radiator in wrong place, but small and there's enough room to put it under the heads, Yamaha style, once the catalyser has joined the rear suspension in the bin. Doesn't seem to be anything actually in the way of FF layout except clutch housing.

Paul Blezard testing the C600Sport on the launch in and around Madrid, Spain. March 2012. This photo, along with a 19 page report on the launch, can be seen in the August 2012 issue of The Rider's Digest, No.169, available to read on line, or download for free from: www.theridersdigest.co.uk. PNB

This is my new motorcycle! I will be sculpting a radical body for it over the next year that looks like the Akira motorcycle (Manga animation).

http://youtu.be/jytYbSLdDio

I thank http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeffs-Projects-By-Monroe-County-Customs-MCC/160837117318428 for producing the motorcycle (Jeff England).