Flat 4?

[GTM®]

Anyone have info on this bike for a friend of mine;

 

[RJVB]

Sorry, can't for that particular bike (where's it come from??), but here's some information on another Guzzi with another flat-4 heart:

http://guzzi.webemoi.com/viewtopic.php?t=6299

This one was actually intended for serial production, but that never came to be. The prototype from '77 was (or still is...) for sale (link in the post above).

 

[chris a]

French design from the early eighties I think.It looks like a BFG.
http://www.moto-histo.com/france/fr4/fr4.htm
They used a citroen car engine and a guzzi transmission- must have been quite a heavy old yoke !
The company was hopeing to get police sales but that never happened and they went bust pretty fast.
Must be pretty rare.
If you need a translation ask !!!!
Chris
PS: by the way Voxan have finally thrown the towel in.It's really surprising the bad luck/screw up story of the french motorcycle manufacturers since the last war.There are plenty of capable engineers , a large ( and protected) domestic market and yet no one can make it !!??
PPS they've got an active owners club!!!!!The bikes for sale are reasonably cheap considered their rarety...
http://www.bfg.asso.fr/?page_id=119

 

[RJVB]

I think you're right. And that means I've seen this kind of bike, mostly on photos, but at least one for real, see my pic below:

 

[chris a]

That's the one Rene...
I bet the're the dogs bollocks with a light sidecar !

 

[RJVB]

Capable engineers, but thinking up creative AND practical solutions isn't their strongest point, nor is listening to what the market really wants (look at Archos!). Anyway, I can't find this a handsome product... but it's probably great as a tourer.

This looks like another one?

(from http://picasaweb.google.com/rjvbertin/M ... tainebleau)

 

[chris a]

Clever adaptation of virtually standard car engines though.
Agreed on the styling rene...but then again it was nearly all a bit iffy back then Remember the Hesketh , that wasn't exactly light weight or good looking either !!!Also turned out to have lots of engineering problems too ....

 

[RJVB]

Nearly all. A Guzzi or probably most any Italian bike from the time looks dated but good

(heck, even the Beemers looked good those days :silly

 

[Holt]

Capable engineers, but thinking up creative AND practical solutions isn't their strongest point, nor is listening to what the market really wants

Which reminds me; 35 yrs ago I worked as a production assistant at the national broadcasting corp. I learned that the film-scanner technicians used the famous "French Engineers Sidekick" ( - and not in the present sense of sidekick! :mrgreen: ) to get errant scanners back to work.

Googled for the bike and found this: http://www.citroenet.org.uk/miscellaneous/bfg/bfg.htm
Seems like its a Citroën-motor, so parts might be available.

Ooh well. Never even seen that BFG-bike before. Cannot been produced in large numbers. But the Voxan is a pity, they produced som remarkable and good looking bikes! Especially the "Charade", IMO.

Tho' I don't think I could ever fold me up to suit it. Nevertheless...

 

[baloches]

I know looks are in the eye of the beerholder, but that is absolutely hideous. I can't even think of anyone even considering putting one of these in their driveway, no matter how different or innovative. What's so worthy of sticking a car engine in a motorcycle, if it adds nothing to the package?? (ditch pump engines are ok though :whistle: :whistle: )

They're rare for a reason, and thank bloody god...