Killeen FF (1970)

The Killeen FF Info
Submitted by bobwreford on 30 May, 2005 - 11:34am
KILLEEN TIME BY A PAUL SHINTON

Reprinted from British Bike Mechanics magazine (circa 1988).

I first caught sight of this strange vehicle at a veteran car and motorcycle display in Shropshire, where it looked very out of place alongside the Triumphs, Nortons and Ajays. My curiosity was further aroused by the cryptic card propped up against the seat, requesting further information, along with a telephone number.
About a week later I phoned the owner, Terry McDermott, and made arrangements to take some photographs. From Tom I learned that it is in fact the Killeen K17, designed and built by Sutton Coldfield inventor Tom Killeen in about 1970.
Little is known about its early life, but it came to the attention of the general public in December 1971, when Bob Currie tested it for Motor Cycle.
Tom Killeen, a former racing car designer, created the K17 largely in answer to a Ministry of Transport document, published in 1967 and called Cars For Cities, outlining a possible city vehicle of the future. The basic parameters of this vehicle were that it should be no more than 29in wide, 85in long and 5lin high; K17 is 29in wide, with a wheelbase of 66in, overall length of l04in and an all-up weight of 300 lbs. The seat is about l2in off the ground, and the drag coefficient was claimed to be 0.2. Killeen's vehicle, he said, should not be regarded as the final thing, but rather as a starting point. With total enclosure, he suggested, an entry door and luggage space, it could be very different.
Viewers of a recent Top Gear programme featuring the Swiss Oekomobil will know just how different! In fact, the similarities between the K17 and the Oekomobil are quite uncanny.
The power unit is a Velocette Viceroy two-stroke engine, but rather than the scooter model, this was the 18bhp version intended for use in hovercraft. Gearbox and shaft drive (with the shaft extended by 6in) are also from the Viceroy, as are the front and rear forks, wheels and exhaust system.
The body is constructed in aluminium, with fibreglass nose and tail sections. The central portion is a monocoque tub, and the whole design echoes racing car practice.
The main difference between this and most other Feet First machines lies in the two outrigger wheels, which are meant to be retracted once the rider is under way. Retraction was achieved by operating a twist-grip switch on the left handlebar, which tripped a solenoid which brought a pneumatic mechanism into action. This mechanism was not written about in any great detail in the 1971 article, being described as 'secret', and presumably unpatented then. Unfortunately, it is now the only part of the whole machine which is missing, and the wheels have to be raised manually. The parallel with the Oekomobil is obvious.

One other unusual feature was the headlamp. The actual lamp unit is mounted in the nose cone, facing upwards, covered by a flush-fitting shield; a switch in the cockpit releases the shield, which pops up to reveal an angled mirror on its underside. The lamp shines up, onto the mirror and is projected forwards.

Terry McDermott, who already owns a 1957 Golden Flash and a Francis Barnett in bits, saw an advert in the small ads column of his local paper at the end of last year and went along to see what a K17 was. The seller had acquired it 17 years previously when he purchased Tom Killeen's factory complete with its contents.

K17 was them stored in his garage, and later the garden, until he got fed up with falling over it and decided to sell. There was no log book or other documentation available, although it had at one time been registered as the number plates show.
Terry is currently negotiating with the DVLC to get some new papers issued.

Glyn Jenkins, Terry's brother in law, has done the restoration work which started with the unseizing of the engine. Apart from the outrigger retraction mechanism the machine appears to be complete. I say 'appear' as, apart from a copy of Bob Currie's article there is no literature, and everything has had to be done with a combination of common sense and guesswork.

Another Killeen prototype, the K11 (a monocoque motorcycle with Killeen's own hub-centre steering) is believed to be in a museum somewhere, and since that Shropshire show several people have been able to give a very few very vague clues.

Terry is desperate to get as much information as possible about his unique machine – all efforts to trace the pioneering Tom Killeen or his family have met with failure.

If readers have any scraps of information about the inventor or K17 itself, Terry would be very pleased to hear from you. He can be reached on 0121.429.6784.

Killeen FF (1970)