Back to the future
Feet-forwards Monoliner to make debut at Devitt MCN Festival
Aone-of-a-kind feetforwards streamliner dubbed the ‘Monoliner’ will make its debut at this weekend’s Devitt MCN Festival of Motorcycling.
Powered by the 898cc circa 100bhp parallel-twin engine from the short-lived Husqvarna Nuda 900 supermoto, it’s been a labour of love for Lincolnshire rider Colin Russell – having started life as an electric project designed to compete at the first-ever Isle of Man TTXGP (the forerunner to the TT Zero) in 2009.
“It was going to be streamlined and it was going to race on the Isle of Man,” Russell told MCN. “I like things that are different and I like things that are challenging.”
“It’s probably the answer to a question nobody’s asked,” he joked, “but what would we be riding now if the FIM hadn’t introduced a ban on streamlining?
“If you look at the coefficient of drag, you’ve got Hayabusas that need stupid BHP to get to 200mph and we’d probably only need a little bit more than what we have.”
Although weighing 260kg dry and sitting at around three metres in length, Russell insists the bike isn’t just about straight-line speed – pointing out that it was originally known as the Trackday Special, or TDS for short.
Sitting the rider inside a handmade aerodynamic tub, it features a steel chassis and hub steering – with provisions in place to make it road legal.
Although Russell has been the custodian of the project, the bike was originally designed by Royce Creasey, who has been involved with feet-forwards machines since the late 1970s and was responsible for the 1989 Voyager FF.
Helping Russell finish the project over the past four years has been freelance motorsport engineer Peter Rosenberg, who turned his hand to the build for its potential environmental benefits.
“I got interested in feet-forwards motorcycles because of the theoretical improvements in efficiency. I came here from a climate change perspective,” he told MCN – having taken delivery of the bike at his Malden workshop before the pandemic.
“After 30 years in motorsport I decided rather than waste my efforts making people go round in circles quicker and quicker, I would help create a vehicle that’s kinder to the planet.”
The Monoliner will appear at the festival in the club stand section and will be joined by rare feet-forwards machines from throughout history, including a Quasar, Honda NM4 Vultus, and many more.