I should have done this years ago. Would have been better with lighting, camera - and someone who talks proper. Comment if you'd like more (Better than this). It might be useful to builders?

https://vimeo.com/661593045

Happy new year.

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, even when the imitators may be unaware, or in denial, about their imitation. So this one is for Charles Neracher, Jack Difazio, and Bob Tait, none regrettably any longer with us, and I am happy to accept this sincere flattery on their behalf.

A date for your 2022 diary (Covid permitting) is the weekend of 16/17 July at Mallory Park. This is the return of the FOTB run by the VMCC. It is not perfect, but it does allow us to answer the whatever happened? questions of a few interested potential converts; and it gives us a social weekend / checking our latest harware / remembering who we are. I will apply for the club stand. there will be 10 (person and bike) tickets available - preference given to those with a bike. Let me know if/how you are coming: grahamrobb@aol.com

How a welcoming museum was found for the retired FF racer, "Thoughts" of FB, next racer progress:

https://rohorn.blogspot.com/2021/12/day-at-museum.html

Frank Williams, F.1 Race Team founder, World manaufacturer champion. In a wheelchair since 1979, has died.

What's this got to do with FFs? Not much, but he taught me to make F.1 cars (for a start) out of lengths of tube, sheets of metal and buckets of plastic. Best boss I ever had. Voyagers exist because of Frank.

Vintagent article on some of the motorcycle related work of Louis Lucien Lepoix. No, his FF ("Moto-Horizontale") never got past the sketch and model stage, but all of the familiar features are there.

The pictures are from the book "50 Jahre technische Ästhetik" - 540 pages! https://www.lepoix-design.com/bestellformular.html

Douglas Self's site is worth visiting - a few familiar FFs - and a few that I don't think I've seen here before. The rest of his site is a wonderful time sink...

Two-Wheeled Cars

FJRushhour2021.mp4 from Ingrid Oesten on Vimeo.

I confidently nominate BMW for Bullshit of the Year award for this entry on EMN.

https://thepack.news/bmw-motorrad-concept-ce-02/

Worth reading for a number of interesting comments, such as bigging up Low CG and using the term 'Feet First riding position'. Anyone launching an electric FF could use much of this blurb verbatim. If I was an optimist (rather than an old cynic) I could almost suspect that whoever writes this rubbish is a closet FF proponent - unlike whoever designed the C/-Evo/04/02

Hi I bought all these pre Covid, all brand new, straight out of the warehouse, as I couldn’t afford a Tesla pack. Work issues aside, I quickly established building my own pack was a very time consuming undertaking on such a large scale, (over 800 packs) and so those of you who know me, I have now invested in Jaguar i Pace modules, as my best option.

Hi a couple of links on youtube FF 1st ride out and FF 1st ride back with 15 kwh pack, battery's from Jaguar i Pace

Astonishingly, BMW have revealed their CE04 electric 'scooter' without having resolved what to do with the tail section. So there isn't one.

Siezing this opportunitiy I will be happy to offer to design, build and fit an FF tail section, complete with seatback, passenger facility and lockable luggage space. For money.

https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/models/urban_mobility/ce04.html

Hi I don't know if anybody is interested, but their is a Vetrix VX1 Bergman type electric scooter for sale on speakEV the guy is asking £800, (battery's are shot) usually replaced by Leaf cells, and it may just be of some use, to somebody just dipping their toes into converting a basic electric scooter, into an FF. I know nothing about these vehicles, but Winkle Brown Blez has very probably ridden one, and can hopefully give us a full SP on the viability of such a project being a good proposition, or one to miss. All the best Dave

As most FFs in this country were built by 'millenialls' or 'war babies' like me, it follows that many of them qualify as 'historic vehicles' - more than 30 years old. Like FJ, and all the Voyagers and Quasars, Phasars, slugs and other forma of similar life. So this comprehensive report may be of some interest, not least in outlining the significant industry such vehicles generate. It's directly related to the 'car builder' community, 'custom' bikes and motor racing.

Hi Everybody

Pic attached is last memento of the TRX850FF - top wishbone assembly...

See comments elsewhere,

All the best

Jon Hall

I may be the last person here to have seen this, if not Youtube has this piece from something called bigcar and an unamed narrator that's worth a look for two reasons

One, it's an example of journalism at it's worse, it's English but it completely ignores any English contributions to the genesis of the C.1 except for;-

Here's a link to some BMW vapourware, of almost zero significance. It looks like some student has stumbled across the C.1 project.

https://www.cycleworld.com/story/motorcycle-news/bmw-safety-bike/

Maybe they'll also find the CE04/link project in the fullness of time. I wish I could afford to waste time like this!

Dear FF community,

As we approach the first anniversary of the passing of Ken Leaman, on behalf of Malcolm Newell’s family, I wanted to say a few words of appreciation and recognition. Ken, a former aircraft engineer, through much hard work and hassle, helped develop, define, and produce Dad’s vision of the Quasar. Although coming from “totally different worlds”, both men were on the same creative wavelength. While their formal Quasar relationship finished in 1981, their friendship continued. When Dad died suddenly in 1994, Ken had been “waiting to get back” to the project.

January's Vintage Motorcycle (VMMC) Magazine features a piece on a Mr. John Harding, a builder of multiple 'Specials'. one of which is actually an FF, a basic cut'n shut of an RD400. Bodyless and similar to the several simple cut'n shuts built in the late seventies - John Bruce's BSA being probably the best known. Mr. Hardings example is chiefly notable for the extreme increase in wheelbase and he unsurprisingly complains about low speed handling. More interesting is that it was built in the nineties, after "Wide discussion" in the motorcycle press.