US$8,397.15 FN 1930 350 cc side valve M 70 “ Sahara” frame#70004 engine# 1788At the end of 1923 FN marketed a 350 cc single cylinder ohv with unit construction engine.This model, the M60, was the start of a successful new line of models in a period in which the heavy and expensive four cylinder was quickly loosing ground.Two years later a bigger 500cc brother was brought out, the M 67. Shortly after that four cylinder production was stopped altogether with FN.The ohv singles were very successful, but the factory realised they were mainly appealing to the sporty type of rider so it was decided to produce a side valve unit construction model as a utilitarian type of machine .The model M70 had bore/stroke dimensions of 74x80.5 mm , unit construction engine and 3 speed gearbox.The external flywheel of the early models was coloured red, hence the model’s nickname of “ Moulin Rouge”.To prove the model’s reliability two French army officers and a Belgian mechanic crossed the Sahara desert with M 70s in April, May and June 1927.They covered 6300 KM of desert without the machines failing them. A heroic performance, that brought much publicity to the factory and coined the name “ Sahara” for the brave little machine.The Sahara was a very successful machine: it was an easy starter, its reliability was high and it had a remarkable top speed of more than 90 km/ hour.This restored machine comes complete with pillion seat: fun for 2!