ROHORN Ninja 500 FF

Taken at a race training day in Colorado, USA in April 2014. Rob Horn is competing with his unique FF in the MRA series starting in May 2014. He is running with similarly powered and capacity motorcycles from the 1980s and '90s; eg GPZ 500s RD Yamahas etc. Rob aims to use the FF layout to its full advantage. I look forward to receiving his race reports. Most importantly, Rob says he is having great fun. see his blog at http://rohorn.blogspot.co.uk/

ROHORN Ninja 500 FF

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Real Progress

At last some really exciting FF news! Rob's been working on this project for a couple of years and it's great to finally see an FF racer on-track. Like Monoliner, which I'll definitely finish one day, this is a Mk1 'mule' to learn and develop before he springs his Mk11 on us.

Anyone racing, or thinking of racing, in the new E-bike race series, Arthur Kowitz in America, or the FIM E-bike world championships that allow FFs, should be looking at this photo and thinking hard about frontal area. A tiny profile like this is worth about 20BHP at 100mph, over a motorised bicycle. That's a race-winning difference.

Like it or not, like Bi-planes and front-engined racing cars, the end of motorised bicycles is now in sight. You got that Honad? I'm obviously a bit cross that we English, so good at racing cars, can't get our heads round "Not very innovative" FF two-wheelers!

Talking of innovation (as if!) it's worth studying Robs front end. It's a probably unique take on Duplex steering where the upper pair of arms have been replaced by a top wishbone, providing the key torsional stiffness that's missing in traditional Duplex designs. Light and simple, allowing a stock front wheel, I think we may see more of this system..