FC-20 speeder bike

The FC-20 speeder bike was a small, one-being speeder bike produced by Razalon prior to the Battle of Naboo. Darth Maul owned a custom FC-20, dubbed the Sith speeder, though actually named Bloodfin.

Characteristics

The Razalon FC-20 speeder bike consisted of a semi-circular body powered by a repulsorlift and piloted with a simple steering handle. The strange, curved body gave the FC-20 a low center of gravity, affording its rider a dramatically improved cornering ability. The FC-20 was most useful for those who did not wish to be seen, since the compact design presented a small target profile. The FC-20 was not armed, though for assassins like Darth Maul, who wielded a deadly double-bladed lightsaber, this hardly mattered.

As with many other swoopbikes, the FC-20 was a small repulsorlift vehicle with a powerful rear thrust engine. Its engine systems were designed to provide the rider with fast acceleration and allowed it to reach maximum open-ground speed within seconds. Its design gave it an extremely low center of gravity, improved its cornering ability greatly and presented enemies with a very small target.

The FC-20 speeder also lacked shields or sensors, though an auto-brake feature brought the bike to a safe halt if the rider released the steering handles. Though popular, the FC-20 model was considered to be slower than other speeder bikes of the time, with a maximum speed of 180 kilometers per hour. The speeder bike also had a limited range before a recharge was required. It had a small repulsorlift engine with heavy baffling which made it a very quiet vehicle. That and its low riding height made it a popular vehicle for use in scouting.

History

The FC-20 speeder bike compared to Swoop Bike types

In 32 BBY, while seeking out Padmé Amidala on Tatooine, Darth Maul used the Bloodfin to combat Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Having jumped from the speeder, it presumably halted due to the auto-brake feature and was used by Maul to return to his starship Scimitar. Following Maul's presumed death at the Battle of Naboo at the hands of Qui-Gon's Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Bloodfin was confiscated by Galactic Republic authorities along with his starship though they both later mysteriously disappeared forever. In 2 ABY, a cloned Darth Maul once again used such a speeder during Jabba Desilijic Tiure's demolition games. It is unknown as to whether it was the Bloodfin or another of this make.

The Dark Jedi Garth Ezzar owned a speeder bike that resembled to Maul's speeder bike, the Bloodfin, and was kept aboard Ezzar's Sith Infiltrator. He used it during the Destruction of the Almas Academy, where he flew it from his landing point in a ravine on Almas to the Almas Academy.