velocette
john bryant. 1936 velocette mac. warwick darrow. 1939 gtp velocette. tony vaughan / john meharry. velocette viceroy scooter and l. e. velocette. jim bird 1953. velocette mac. colin bird 1951 velocette mac. roy and lyn harvey 1913 veloce and 1920 d. 2 velocette. lyndsey banks. velocette 500 ohc special dan trafford. velocette venom. nev mickleson. velocette venom clubman. terry bracey 1954 velocette mac .
above: 1969 velocette thruxton, last of a long line of velocette motorcycles .
1937 works velocette 2nd in the junior tt. velocette 600 cc ohc outfit in the isdt winning team .
it is not uncommon for velocette owners to make a cross - continent journey to attend a velocette rally .
velocette owners’ club of australia – welcome to the velocette owners’ club of australia, home of velocette motorcycle enthusiasts throughout australia, preserving, restoring, using and celebrating their motorcycles as the maker intended. .
1922 the first velocette clutch... .. inside the final drive sprocket... . and not unlike the last velocette clutch
above: this 1959 velocette le signaled the direction that velocette thought the industry was headed. while it' s pretty hard to image now, this was actually velocette' s best - selling model ever !
supported by active velocette owners clubs in the uk, australia and north america, velocette owners have easy access to spare parts and technical advice .
1st vintage class r & l harvey 1913 veloce 3rd veteran class. r & l harver. 1920 d. 2 velocette 1st post war class. jim bird 1953 velocette mac. merit award. neville mickleson. velocette venom clubman .
velocette 350 mac, 1938, lovely old girl, very original, unrestored .
bonhams: c. 1930 velocette 349cc k - series engine no. ktt 4
warwick and trish darrow won the post war class on their 1953 mac velocette .
a father - son pair of 1966 velocette thruxtons gets a second lease on life .
read this excerpt from a velocette service manual to learn how to start a thruxton .
1926 the tradename velocette is registered. the factory moves to hall green, birmingham. and a velocette ridden by alec bennett wins the junior tt. by 10 minutes .
welcome to the velocette owners' club of australia, home of velocette motorcycle enthusiasts throughout australia, preserving, restoring, using and celebrating their motorcycles as the maker intended. .
( the velocette owners club is for enthusiasts of the single - cylinder velocette models. there is a separate club for the enthusiasts of the flat - twin models – please visit the
to visit the main velocette owners club website, please go to www. velocetteowners. com
bonhams: 1940 velocette 349cc kss mkii frame no. kdd 6963 engine no. kss 9241
1937: works ohc velocette 2nd in junior tt. 600cc ohc special trials machine wins isdt
velocette 1956 to 1970 instruction manual, models viper venom thruxton. very detailed. willis / 1125
c. 1930 velocette 349cc k - series registration no. sv 5809 engine no. ktt 4
bonhams: 1928 velocette 349cc k - series, frame no. 1936 engine no. kcr 1817
velocette motorcycles are easily recognized by their distinctive fishtail exhaust pipes and by their classic british lines .
velocette is a brand of british motorcycle originally made by veloce ltd at hall green in birmingham .
in san jose ca, march 26, 2011. as it should be, velocette were the featured marque, and the velocette owners club was there in force. nice work, lads .
velocette entered the 1960' s looking for direction. they thought they had it because the compact, utilitarian velocette le had been a good seller. so they followed up with' the old one - two punch', introducing the odd velocette viceroy in 1960 & following it up just one year later in 1961 with the roll - out of the gorgeous, but misguided velocette vogue .
in 1913, the company began producing two - stroke motorcycles with the model designation of velocette. due to the reputation and quality of that model, all subsequent models produced by veloce were named velocette .
the velocette mac is a british motorcycle made by velocette. a reliable single - cylinder, the mac coped well with the low - grade post war petrol and was a popular commuter and touring motorcycle. although they started as innovators, velocette failed to keep pace with developing technology and production ended in 1959 .
thames valley velocette – keeping velocettes alive. in the mind, on the road, on the track .
1940 velocette 349cc kss mkii registration no. 184 uea frame no. kdd 6963 engine no. kss 9241
1928 velocette 349cc k - series registration no. pn 1248 frame no. 1936 engine no. kcr 1817
above: revisiting the lovely 1946 velocette kss from the primary side. part of the k - series .
the velocette owners club has over 2, 500 members worldwide who share an enthusiasm for this classic british motorcycle .
1951 the l. e. mk ii - 200 cc. the mac uses a velocette designed telescopic front fork
1964 velocette vogue. rolling sculpture... beautiful! but unfortunately, chasing a trend that never happened .
december 1913: 206cc two - stroke model - the first velocette announced. ?? footstarter? ? introduced .
1913 the latest innovation - the
footstarter
. and the velocette 206 cc 2 - stroke model is announced. the 1913 velocette brochure covers the machines and many of the innovative features developed in the company' s brief history
velocette thruxton 1965 lots of history, rebuilt magneto, mikuni carb fitted (gp carb to go with bike) single seat and lower fairing, velocette thruxton. built dec 65. first registered 18th nov 66. has original log book and v5. 4th owner was the geoff dodkin. have a confirming letter from the velocette... . .
velocette 1920 to 1926 instruction manual. single cylinder two - strokes models d e g h only. acock / 930
above: 1949 velocette mac. this m - series bike was the follow - on to the k - series .
before frank bought them, these two velocette thruxtons were owned by father and son pat and terry peddicord. photo by nick cedar
the m series velocette motorcycles were considered the' cooking' versions (ie: economy commuters), and in that realm the 350cc velocette mac consistently outsold it' s bigger brother, the 500cc velocette mss. but, the situation was very different within the sporting realm. here, power was king & displacement meant power. the velocette viper was introduced in 1956 as velocette' s 350cc sport model. with a 72mm bore, it had the same 86mm stroke as the 500 & shared the entire bottom end including crank & cases, making it nearly indestructible. it had a bi - metal barrel & light alloy head with hairpin valve springs .
despite its small size, veloce ltd. , makers of velocette motorcycles, was known for its advanced technology. photo by nick cedar
above: velocette engines were' high - tech' for the day. this kss 350 single has a shaft - driven ohc .
in 1939 england plunged into world war ii and civilian motorcycle production stopped. velocette built some military motorcycles based on a 350cc version of the mov, but did not receive large military contracts like bsa and norton did. as the war ended, velocette was weakened financially .
thu 3 mar 1938 - the advertiser (adelaide, sa: 1931 - 1954) page 7 - new velocette m. c. c
velocette 1920 to 1926 instruction manual. single cylinder two - strokes models d e g h only. acock / 930 | national motorcycle museum
the gtp uses
auto - lube
oil injection where the oil pump adjustment is linked to the throttle opening - another velocette innovation .
in the following years, velocette motorcycles launched multiple new models and redesigned older models to become more advanced and equipped with new technologies. although the velocette brand has a rich history, the late 1960’s were the last years of production. veloce ltd. closed in february 1971 .
the 1961 velocette venom motorcycle was from a british bike maker convinced that its large - displacement single - cylinder engines were the equal of the twins favored by most rivals. with a top speed of 100 mph or so, the 1961 velocette venom motorcycle was a good supporting argument .
the advertiser (adelaide, sa: 1931 - 1954), thu 3 mar 1938, page 7 - new velocette m. c. c
postwar, small commuter bikes were supposed to be the coming thing, but velocette’s innovative sidevalve horizontal opposed twin, the le, although very popular with police departments, was not a success with enthusiasts. fortunately, someone at velocette realized that although the market for its docile little twin was soft, the market for sport machines was not. although velocette’s postwar plan had been to focus on the le, production of the 349cc mac was continued .
abstract on monday evening, a well attended foundation meeting of the velocette motor cycle club was held in the clubrooms at the rear of chapman motors .
in 1971 rising development costs and the owners' racing expenses took their toll on the company' s bottom line and velocette went into voluntary liquidation .
register member tony vaughan won the annual auckland vintage c. c. (motorcycle section) rally on his mk 3 l. e. velocette .
' velocette motorcycles, mss to thruxton' by rod burris is published by veloce, rrp £39. 99. isbn 978 1 845843 12 0 .
. the truxton' s performance was roughly on par with the gold star also, but at all times smoother & more refined. a velocette thruxton won the isle of man tt in 1967. it was dropped from the lineup in 1971, as velocette motorcycles, the company, slipped into insolvency .
a family operation, for 65 years the velocette factory built high - quality but quirky motorcycles in hall green, birmingham, england. photo by nick cedar
there is an interesting little video on plasma cutting the velocette logo. click on the “worth a look” button in the menu – thank to steve richter .
grove classic motorcycles ltd (gcm) was established in november 2000 by mike fotherby, when he bought ken gardener' s long - established velocette retail business. mike expanded the business in 2002, acquiring simon goodman' s interest in velocette parts, which also included the stock formerly owned by geoff dodkin .
there' s a new hardback book available, covering the later models of velocette singles in great depth. rowena hoseason enjoys turning the pages ...
the last velocette factory was in york road, hall green, birmingham. although often recognised by the uk man - in - the - street for the le velocette which was familiar to him as the police
noddy
bike, the world knew velocettes for their classic traditional single - cylinder roadsters and racers .
velocette thruxton 1969 500 cc fully restored to a very high standard with correct numbers and highly detailed. comes with a separate single seat included in the sale and velocette owners club gear lever mod to eliminate any slack in the system. this thruxton looks like new and must be one of the... . .
gcm specialises in spare parts for all velocette models from 1930 to 1971, including the early gtp two - strokes, up to the last of the thruxtons .
regardless of all this, the velocette vogue is really a beautiful piece of work. finely crafted fiberglass panels fit nicely together to make a lovely, yet functional shape. engine access is via removable panels with dzus fasteners. unfortunately, velocette misread the market in the late 1950' s as did so many others (
this put british manufacturers in a strong position because norton and velocette both had successful, unsupercharged, machines which were readily available from before hostilities began in 1939 .
1961 velocette venom clubman registration no. 41 tpl frame no. rs 15792 engine no vm 4801 in 1960 velocette introduced clubman versions of the venom and viper, which featured a raised compression ratio, amal tt carburettor, racing magneto, rear set footrests and a close - ratio gearbox and many other... . .
in 1961 a basically standard velocette venom roadster became the first and only 500cc motorcycle to average over 100 mph for 24 hours. the unique machine which set this record is on display in the british national motorcycle museum. throughout their history velocette motorcycles had great racing success as well as setting many records and the production models benefited accordingly .
owner frank recorder enjoys riding both his velocette thruxtons, though he’s decided the silver one is the show bike and the black one is the rider. photo by nick cedar
motorcycles were initially produced under the veloce name, but in 1913 gave the name velocette to there first two - stroke design and this was used for all subsequent models .
1939: ktt mkviii introduced. velocette wins junior tt. veloce builds supercharged ohc twin - cylinder? ? roarer? ?, and prototype twin - cylinder ohv model o
the first version of the velocette mac was launched in 1933 and was developed from the overhead valve velocette mov 250cc, which suffereed from reliability problems. the single - cylinder engine was enlarged 349 cc and could comfortably reach 75 mph (121 km / h). the early mac weighed 280 lb (130 kg) and had girder front forks. [ 3 ] the velocette mac was launched in 1933 and had a 350 cc single - cylinder engine which could reach 75 mph (121 km / h) .
we also have here what may be described as velocette' s swansong; the 500cc venom thruxton production racer introduced at the 1964 earls court show and made until the factory closed .
velocette mss 500cc ohv 1938 price: 14. 500 eur you can find more pictures and information on our website: urltoken transport to the united kingdom, or other countries on request .
the mov was doing so well that a larger version was needed & by lengthening the stroke, they created the 350cc velocette mac in 1934. it became the real bread winner for velocette motorcycles, their best - selling model. the much - needed capital was invested in an entirely new design, a 500cc ohv single to be called the mss in 1935. this utilized an all - new frame, developed from the mkv ktt race machines & shared this frame with the kss mkii, 1936 - 48. the mss was another runaway hit for velocette motorcycles .
lookswise, they took inspiration from the mv agusta and velocette thruxton vintage rides. the rickman was streamlined, polished and refined into a stunner café racer housing a track - ready speedster inside .
the late 1960s were the last years of production for velocette motorcycles. the engine design, based on the 1933 mov, was old fashioned, and in the face of japanese 4 cylinder superbikes and screaming two strokes the velocette had become a victim of progress. production for the viper ending in 1968 and mss venom and thruxton in 1970. veloce ltd. closed in february 1971 .
1914 the velocette is available as belt drive, or two - speed chain drive which was also available as a ladies model. sidecars are added to the range of products produced by veloce ltd
absolutely perfect venom
veeline
500 cc with rare enclosed engine! ! fully restored documented certificate from velocette owners club starts an runs perfect, all electrics work properly. . uk - registration documents
great example of the velocette valiant. completely original, lots of paper work - has only covered 8200 miles, only myself and one other owner from new. engine has been rebuilt and bike runs smoothly .
for sale velocette mov first series 1933. fork. webb, old restoration, runs very well. registered in spain in january 1934 more info, urltoken or us e - mail: [ email protected ]
this is a private sale for my velocette mss (500cc) 1955; a family owned genuine bike (since1987) is now looking to find a new home where it will continue... . .
during the war velocette produced a small number of motorcycles for military use, including the the mdd and maf, both based on the mac, but mainly carried out other engineering work for the war effort .
1926: alec bennett wins isle of man junior tt using the new ohc kss (k super sports). factory moves to hall green, birmingham. ?? velocette? ? registered as a trade name
like so many other british motorcycle manufacturers, despite strong successes in the 1950' s, the 1960' s opened with velocette motorcycles financially weak & finding it increasingly difficult to produce successful new machines. one such failed attempt was the velocette viceroy. released in 1960 as a follow - on to the successful velocette le, the viceroy was a scooter powered by a very unusual horizontally - opposed 250cc 2 - stroke twin, running' north & south' & transmitting power to the gearbox via a driveshaft. despite 12v electrics, electric start & decent performance, it failed to find its place in the dwindling scooter market .
the velocette club of north america gathers every year. most arrive on velocettes, but other classics show up too. some camp during the five - day, 1000 - mile rally, and all have a good time .
in the mid - 1960s the thruxton venom appeared, named after a popular racing circuit. despite an updated appearance and a bit more power, the thurxton couldn' t save velocette, and the company folded in 1968 .
the mac continued in production, with dowty oleomatic forks replacing webb girders in 1948. these were superseded with velocette' s own telescopic forks in 1951, with the engine also receiving a new alloy top barrel and head .
so the two major classes – the 350cc and 500cc – were both won by british riders on british bikes. freddie frith took the 350cc class on his ktt velocette and les graham the 500cc on board the ajs “porcupine” .
for sale, velocette mss 500 cc ohv first series with an old restoration. run perfectly uk v5 export documentation is i can send more pictures by mail more info, urltoken or us e - mail: [ email protected ]
in 1961 a velocette venom became the first motorcycle to cover over 2, 400 miles (3, 900 km) in a 24 - hour period, averaging 100. 05 mph (161. 01 km / h) .
the bike you see here is being auctioned on 10 th may 2017 by charterhouse. it’s described as ‘a 1937 velocette works 500 which was in a garage fire when in australia 80 years ago. thankfully it was more recently rebuilt by bob jolly from australia along with rod coleman from new zealand, both well - known and respected velocette racers and restorers, using a few rescued parts with the rest of the bike being completed with new machined parts. ’
in 1961, a velocette venom clubman set the 24 - hour world speed record at an average speed of 100. 05 mph, a record that has not been equalled or beaten by any motorcycle of this capacity to date .
pete and kim young, rally stalwarts and velocette club officers, give their son atticus a low - speed spin through the parking lot. several club members' kids have grown up to ride their own bikes on the annual rally .
mostly unknown in the u. s. prior to wwii, velocettes were discovered by american soldiers stationed overseas during the war years. jack frodsham started importing velos to the united states after the war, before selling his operation to lou branch in 1949. velocette had phased out production of the 495cc mss (and all other models besides the mac and le) after the war, but by the early 1950s both frodsham and branch were pushing velocette to build another 500 .
for the 1960 model year, and from then on. the bathtub triumphs lasted only a couple more years. so, velocette missed the mark & the market. the vogue never became vogue. it went out of production in 1968 .
the ultimate evolution of the velocette motorcycle & the fastest standard velocette ever built, the velocette thruxton was introduced in 1964. with a claimed 45hp, it was even faster than the firm' s ohc racing machines. the 1 - 1 / 4
amal gp carburetor was so big, that the gas tank had to be cut away on the lower - right - rear just to clear it. it had 10: 1 compression, hairpin valve springs, a close - ratio gearbox, humped - back dual seat, lightweight alloy rims & clip - on bars. it' s strong, narrow crankcase helped make the thruxton free - revving & relatively vibration - free, especially when compared to its contemporaries like the
its first motorcycles were powered by four - stroke singles, but when the british company switched to two - strokes in 1913, the name was changed to velocette. though four - strokes reappeared in the 1920s, the company name was retained .
when most rivals added large - displacement twins to their lineups, velocette stuck with vertical singles. one exception was the le, introduced in 1949, a small, scooter - like machine powered by a 200 - cc horizontally opposed flathead twin .
as a consequence of the display we found the following new members, which the n. z. velocette register extends a warm welcome. alister johnston, tony thompson, rick hackett and peter j lennan, and casey lyons who joined earlier .
the first world war interrupted plans and the veloce company was turned over to munitions production for the war effort, after the hostilities the velocette name was used for the company as it had become a recognised brand and motorcycles were fast becoming a popular way of getting around. a breakthrough came for the velocette concern when a new, 348cc overhead camshaft, k series engine was developed. once a few teething troubles were overcome the new engine saw success in the 1925 tt races, returning the following year to win, thus starting a 40 - year dynasty that would see the ktt in its various forms take victories all over the world. velocette dominated 350cc racing between 1938 and 1949, winning all five junior tt races of the period .
velocette motorcycles enjoyed some racing success after the war. in 1947, velocettes took first, second, third & fourth places in the juniors race at the isle of man tt. in 1950, they went on to win the 350cc world championship .
the 500cc velocette venom was released in 1956 alongside its smaller sibling the 350cc velocette viper. the top - of - the - line velocette was a fast machine for its time, capable of hitting 30mph before the clutch is fully engaged, over 70mph in second & top out at over 105mph. not much by today' s standards, but blindingly fast in 1960. it could be optioned from the factory with lots of go - fast goodies like alloy rims, bth racing magneto, amal tt carb, rev counter (tach), low - restriction (read that: loud !) exhaust systems, rear sets & close ratio gearboxes. in 1961, a velocette venom became the first motorcycle in history to cover 2, 400 miles (3, 900 km) in 24 hours (average speed 110. 05mph / 161. 01km / h). it was considered one of the best and fastest sporting 500 singles on the market, at at time when 500 singles were king .
the' missing' wds a myth persists that a large consignment of velocette mac (wd) intended for use in france was lost in the english channel while being delivered. an order for 200 mac (wd)' s was placed in july 1940 for delivery to the central ordnance department at chilwell but the order was never fulfilled, probably due to lack of capacity at the velocette factory. when mac (wd)' s were returned to civilian use after the war they often had the mdd engine and serial numbers ground off and replaced with later numbers, reinforcing the idea that they had been mysteriously lost without trace. maf the velocette maf had the foot gear change mechanism reversed to make it the same as the other military motorcycles in use at the time. an order for 2, 000 was placed in june 1941 but problems with velocette' s supplies and the limited production facilities meant that it was a difficult order to fulfil. by september 1942 they had only delivered 947 motorcycles and the order was cancelled. post war mac production restarted after the war. in 1948 the mac' s girder forks were replaced with innovative air - sprung dowty oleomatic forks. in 1951 these were upgraded to veloce' tele forks' which were devleoped for the velocette le. these had coil springs with damping. in the same year the engine was upgraded to an alloy barrel and head with wider fins to improve cooling. in 1953 the mac was updated with fully adjustable rear suspension, swinging arm and a tube frame. the clutch and gearbox were also greatly improved. from 1954 the mac was sold as a sidecar machine to try to broaden the appeal but production was halted by 1960. the company had invested £50, 000 developing the velocette viceroy scooter and, despite continued sales of the singles, velocette became insolvent .
the information, including advice and suggested modifications, contained in urltoken has not been approved, tested or otherwise checked by the velocette owners' club. before acting on information, advice or suggested modifications published in the website you should always obtain technical advice and, if appropriate, have a professional motorcycle engineer carry out the work for you. the velocette owners' club cannot accept liability for any loss, damage or claims occurring as a result of any modifications or work or other action carried out on the advice or based on the suggestions given in this website and (save for death or personal injury arising from negligence) all such liability is hereby excluded. the original website was developed and donated by club member tony wright in september 1999. this website © 2016 the velocette owners club
velocette offered a high - performance cylinder head for the venom in 1965, and a bike so equipped won the 800 - mile thruxton road race – hence the name of the subsequent model. velocette claimed 41 bhp for the thruxton with a top speed of 110 mph. it was fitted with a close - ratio gearbox and alloy rims, and the high - compression cylinder head was fitted with big valves and polished ports. the amal 5gp carburetor was so big that the gas tank had to be cut out to accommodate it .
eugene goodman responded with the high - camshaft 248cc mov in 1933. it sold well, and a 349cc version, the mac, and a 495cc version, the mss, soon joined it. continuing velocette’s tradition of innovation, the 1935 mss sported automatic ignition advance .
we meet twice every month on the 2nd and 4th tuesdays from 7. 30pm at the cherry tree pub (rg9 5qa) in the middle of stoke row village (urltoken). no need to ring, just turn up at the pub and look or ask for our group – some wearing velocette gear. we try to get as many velocette bikes there as possible, subject to weather and time of year. we welcome members and visitors on any bike (classic or modern) or even by car (especially in winter) !
in order to cut the high production costs associated with overhead - cam engines, velocette introduced the overhead valve m series, beginning with the 350occ mov and culminating with the 500cc mss model that was popular with riders who needed a machine with enough power to pull sidecar .
from the beginning of the 20th century until the factory closed in 1971, velocette remained under the control of one family, the goodmans. even more remarkable is that the family responsible for what many would consider to be the most english of motorcycles was of german origin .
we are a friendly informal group and have more than 100 members from across the thames valley. you don’t need to have a velocette to come along. if you are interested in velocettes or classic bikes or just thinking about owning and running a classic bike we can help .
ever since it was founded in 1904 velocette motorcycles sporting reputation, technical innovation and engineering excellence established the company as a force to reckoned with culminating in two gp world championship titles for 350cc in 1949 and 1950. introduced in 1925 the k series became the... . .
the classic velocette 500cc single, well worn in. belt on engine drive side spins 6 - volt electric generator for the lighting system. the bright - yellow wire leads to a modern joe hunt magneto to light the sparkplug, but most velocettes run a classic lucas or bth magneto .
fast - forward to about 10 years ago when british motorcycle enthusiast frank recoder started looking for a thruxton. about 1, 058 thruxtons were built in the five years of production (an estimated 60 more were assembled from original bits after velocette went out of business in 1971), and these are now scattered around the world. surviving thruxtons are, not surprisingly, rare, and often get passed from one “velocettista” to another, so frank started working his way into local velocette circles. eventually, he got a lead on a silver / blue thruxton, pat peddicord’s bike .
our feature bike has a somewhat unusual background. pat peddicord was in the business of selling velocettes in southern california when he bought our silver / blue 1966 velocette thruxton feature bike from a customer in 1968. at the same time his son, terry, was riding a black 1966 thruxton .
back in 1961, a production velocette venom clubman set the 24 - hour world record, and the record still stands. bearing this in mind, the texas - based shop knew that with only a few upgrades, the rickman could become both a fierce bike and a beauty to behold .
in 2014, a modified velocette venom reached a speed of 183. 37 mph on the lake gairdner salt flats in south australia. built and ridden by stuart hooper, this bike holds the world speed record for a sit - on single cylinder motorcycle and is the world’s fastest british single .
in october 1939 a velocette mac was purchased by the british war office army mechanisation experimental establishment (mee) at cove in hampshire for testing its suitability for military use. as well as british observers there were also representatives of the french army present. the tests were successful but a number of modifications were suggested and in 1940 the velocette mac was modified into a military specification. velocette' s first order for the military version was from the french government but the contract for 1, 200 motorcycles was cancelled and only a few were delivered before the french were overrun by the advancing german army. the british war department asked for some further modifications and took over the french order in june 1940. the velocette was designated the mac (wd), the wd coming from
war department
, although it was often referred to as the mdd as this was the prefix for the serial numbers. the mac (wd) had an upgraded clutch and the pressed - steel front brake drum was replaced by cast iron fittings which became standard for the later mac models, due to the shortage of aluminium which was needed for aircraft manufacture. other modifications included a protective shield bolted to the frame over the crankcase. a strong carrying rack replaced the rear pillion seat and the headlamp was masked to comply with blackout regulations. the mdd could cope well with battlefield conditions, but velocette' s limited production facilities meant it was a difficult to keep up production and by september 1942 the mdd order was cancelled and the factory turned over to other war work. as there were a fairly small number in service both the velocette mac (wd) and the improved maf were largely used by british - based forces, including the fire service and civil defence organisations, as well as the royal air force .
{ { cite news urltoken | title = new velocette m. c. c | newspaper = [ [ the advertiser (adelaide) ] ] | location = south australia | date = 3 march 1938 | accessdate = 10 july 2018 | page = 7 | via = national library of australia } }
for sale, my velo venom which was restored 5 years ago to concourse condition. has covered around 2800 miles since. restoration cost of over £11500, with receipts to prove and photographic evidence. also comes with age dating certification from the velocette owners club. for any more information... . .
1948 the dowty oleomatic (air - sprung) telescopic front fork is used on the m models. k production ceases. the l. e. velocette is announced. the ktt mk viii is again available as an over - the - counter racer. velocettes take the first two places in the junior tt
introduced in 1954, the new mss was quickly discovered by california desert racers. jim johnson won that year’s catalina island gp on an mss, and velocette started producing a scrambler and an enduro version of its big single for the american market. tex luce successfully flat tracked a reworked enduro mss built by ernie pico .
for some, the historical documents in this book will be worth its purchase price. every chapter contains a treasure, like the original lap charts from the 1957 24 hour race in barcelona (24 horas motociclistas de montjuich, 1957) which show a single velocette battling all kinds of continental competitors to come in 13th .
in 1956 velocette brought out two sporty versions of the mss; the 349cc viper and the 499cc venom. evaluating the viper in 1958, the motor cycle, one of the two english motorcycling weeklies, proclaimed it “a remarkably fine motorcycle, all round performance well above the average, ” and capable of 90mph - plus .
called the moa, the ‘a’ was soon taken to stand for ‘austerity, ’ but the type sold well on both the velocette name and its own merits. the fine handling was particularly appreciated even though the engine was unimpressive. the moa was followed by the 350cc maa, which retained the same frame and general specification .
luckily many people continue to appreciate the big singles from hall green. over 100 years since the factory produced it' s first machine, their charm, style and quality still make velocettes the prized possession of many owners and the velocette owners club is there to help ensure the bikes continue to be used and appreciated in the future .
meanwhile, the 349 cc mac won the 350 cc world championship in 1950, and evolved into the 350 cc viper and 500 cc venom in 1956. velocette still flirted with horizontal twins, with the 200 cc valiant and bizarre viceroy fiberglass scooter, but the excellent viper and venom saw the company through to its demise in 1971 .
in 1953, velocette introduced an updated swingarm frame for the mac. front suspension was by hydraulically damped telescopic shocks, and the rear suspension was easily adjustable for load by moving the top end of the shocks along an ingeniously designed slot. velocette did not have the capital to redesign the new mac frame to accept the taller mss engine, so factory engineer and designer charles udall reconfigured the mss to fit. the result was a square 86mm x 86mm bore and stroke 499cc engine, unusual at the time. not only did it fit in the existing frame, but it turned out to have better breathing and the capacity to rev higher than previous long - stroke engines .
, this became dangerous, requiring the officer to take his hand off the handle bars, and so the rider was to allowed to show his respect with a smart inclination of his head, or to put it another way, to give a smart nod. it has been suggested that velocette les became known as
noddy bikes
.
the first of these was the velocette mov, a 250cc single with square bore & stroke (68mm x 68mm). it was an immediate hit & proved to be an able performer, capable of 78mph / 126 km / h, a stunning speed at the time. they were also known for their reliablity & their excellent handling .
1933: m - series introduced; mov (250cc ohv) and later mac (349cc ohv). ktt mkivproduced (ktt with extra frame supports, new cylinder head and cambox, stronger cylinder barrel and conrod). gtp uses? ? auto - lubrication? ? oil injection system for two - stroke engine (another velocette innovation )
velocette mss 1955 500cc. this is a lovely upgraded example that' s been cherished for the last 31 years by an elderly enthusiast. it has a genuine thruxton tank; seat & guards & chrome headlamp shell, to give it a more modern racey look, which we think looks more thruxtonesk & much better than... . .
shipping world wide check out this very rare ariel framed velocette 350 pre unit trials this bike running and riding ace... this bike has been built by one of the best and last true engineering legends in our lifetime... you will not find a better bike anywhere. . normally you would expect a bearded... . .
i lucked (?) into 1954 mss ownership more than 10 years ago and joined the velocette owner’s club of north america to find some help untying the gordian knot of these unusually satisfying and quirky british singles. it helps both to know you are not alone and to have a depth of experience and expertise available to lead you from the darkness .
to a quite remarkable top speed. the firm started as
veloce
in 1905, with a factory in gisholt passage, spring hill, birmingham and after producing a successful little machine called
the velocette
the name stuck for the whole firm. there is no
french connection
, other than an extremely enthusiastic section of the club in france .
so it seems reasonable that the velocette which rod coleman took to new zealand and which caught fire many years ago, was rebuilt after 1990 and subsequently returned to its homeland. the prospective purchaser should definitely check the paperwork and all the relevant dates – and if you end up buying it then do get in touch, because we’d love to know the full story…
six years later the company released the first two stroke motorcycle, nicknamed velocette, a name which was kept and used for the next series of bikes, including the k series, officially introduced in 1925. the k series of velocettes have been used as platforms for the kss, kts, ktp, and knn roadsters, motorcycles which were in production until 1948 .
despite its small size, veloce ltd. , makers of velocette motorcycles, was known for its advanced technology. the first positive - stop, foot - actuated gearchange on a production motorcycle appeared on the 1929 ktt. but the ktt and other overhead cam velos were expensive to build. after the depression hit in the 1930s, a cost - effective alternative was needed .
until the end of the 1929 season, all velocette two - strokes shared one common feature – an engine of the overhung crank type. although veloce ltd were not unique in this respect there were few others, with the notable exception of scott, who persisted with his layout for so long. it has the advantage of simplicity, always a major consideration when working to a tight budget. furthermore, it makes possible ease of assembly without having to align a set of flywheels or bob - weights, thereby effecting further economies. and because the velocette design was of particularly robust construction, with a long, plain - bush main bearing, the usual disadvantage of placing a heavy load on the area close to the crankpin could be disregarded .
with veloce making money hand over fist, the late 30’s bought some unpleasant changes on the world scene, a rule change made supercharging engines legal for international motor sport, certain fascist countries started to heavily subsidise their motor sport teams and then wwii came along. by this time velocette had developed an enviable record in the 350cc classes, winning a number of junior tt’s, but had set their cap at glory in the 500cc senior class, and the big worry there was the bmw’s. these german bikes were light and fast, but handled poorly despite the great advantage of shaft drive which kept the rear tyre free of oil. velocette’s racing factory team thought (rightly) that this problem was due to the way bmw’s flat twin vibrated .
velocette motorcycles, the company, was originally called veloce ltd. founded by john goodman (born johannes gutgemann, then changed to john taylor, and then finally to john goodman) and william gue in 1905 as
taylor, gue ltd .
, it' s first motorcycle was called the
veloce
. within a year, they had renamed the company veloce ltd. they began producing 4 - stroke motorcycles under that name. then in 1913, they built their first 2 - stroke machine & named it the
velocette
. they liked the name so much, for a second time, they again named the entire company after one of their products. in 1916, goodman' s sons percy & eugene joined the firm .
velocette (nicknamed
velo ,
and pronounced
velo - set
) began as
taylor gue ltd. ,
founded by johannes gÿtgemann (born 1857) and william gue in 1905. johannes gÿtgemann was a german citizen who, after moving to england in 1876, anglicized his name to john taylor, but was also known as john goodman later in life .
in the britain of 1948 a car was simply out of the question for the vast majority of the population, and two wheels was the hight of realistic ambition. if those two wheels were to be powered by anything more than pedals, government decree limited new motorcycles to a maximum capacity of 200cc and a price of £100. for the new year of 1949 this price limit was eased to £125 and that was the news velocette had been waiting for to unleash their latest creation. it took a year to tool up so it was into the dull new world of 1950 the le was launched. the idea behind the velocette le was to build what amounted to a car on 2 wheels, for all those to whom a motorcycle just didn’t appeal .
immediately following world war 2, there was a pressing need in the uk for simple, inexpensive, utilitarian personal transport to get to & from work. velocette motorcycles attempted to tap into this market with their radical new
le
( stands for little engine). the 149cc water - cooled, side valve, flat - twin was mounted in an unsightly pressed - steel frame with swingarm & telescopic front forks. designed by charles udall, it was supposed to be cheap & easy to produce, so that it could be delivered to the market at a very low price. but the radical new design (including one of the earlier examples of unitized engine / transmission / gearbox construction) proved to be complicated & expensive to produce, the exact opposite of what was called for. strangely, despite all this, it proved to be a runaway best - seller for velocette motorcycles, in fact their best - selling model ever! still, the high cost of tooling & manufacture made it almost impossible for velocette to make a profit. one nice feather in their cap was the wholesale adoption of the le by british police .
the 27th running of the vintage mail run which is open to girder fork machines, with either a sprung seat or plunger suspension attracted 51 bikes. the ride started at the taupo marina and went all the way to napier over a distance of 142km. the ride celebrates the fact that mail was often delivered by motorcycle in the early days, as the road became impassable to four wheels. the winner was peter hargroves on his very neat and restored 1936 two stroke gtp velocette. peter received the tin man trophy, a memorial to the late allan wakefield, who made replica tinware for many classic bikes in new zealand. also new zealand velocette racer and guru, phil price rode his pre war mss and received the award for the longest ridden bike .
famous for the quality of its products, technical innovation, and their fishtail silencers, the company was always successful in racing, culminating in 350cc world championship titles in 1949 with freddie frith and 1950 with bob foster. in 1961 velocette proved the reliability of it motorcycles by its still - unbeaten record feat of an average of over 100mph for 24 hours by a 500cc venom at the
velocette’s production capacity was taken up in the rapid mobilisation of british industry, the company, as befitted its reputation for quality workmanship was engaged with sub - contracts for the aircraft sector principally for bristol engines. a few motorcycles were made during this period, some for export orders for neutral countries and a small contract for the war office for dispatch riders was partially completed before the coupe .
velocette knew it needed to expand it' s product line to survive & so expanded into the 4 - stroke market in the early 1920' s. the new machine was to be very advanced for the times, with an overhead camshaft (ohc), 350cc displacement & a single cylinder. it was introduced in 1925 as the' k' series. it took a year of sorting - out before the new model, now known as the ktt, was ready for the racing circuit. they started at the isle of man tt & brooklands. the smooth - running, reliable machines scored very well in competition & went a long way to cementing velocette' s reputation as a builder of high - quality motorcycles. street versions were soon to follow including the velocette kss (super sports), ktp (twin exhaust ports), kn (normal) & others. the ohc engine continued on the roadsters until 1948, still with rigid frames & dowty front forks. they continued to develope the k series, becoming ever more competitive at places like the isle of man tt & continuing to pioneer new innovations such as using strobe lights for accurate ignition timing .
that' s not an entirely accurate observation, because the junior models are indeed covered in the first chapter of the book. however' velocette motorcycles' is weighted far more heavily towards the post - war and 1950s - on variations of the breed so the 500cc mss steps forward to take centre stage, along with the viper, venom, scrambler, clubman, special and thruxton offshoots .
from the mid 1920’s velocette bikes had always been ‘in the running’ on the track, producing their share of innovation and performance, if not quite all the success the goodman’s would have liked in the 500cc classes. while more commonalty found among the place getters than on the top podium post - war, velocette went on to pick up three world championship titles (1949, 1950, 1958) in the 350cc class, not to mention their famous and still unbroken record of 24 hours at 100mph. still it was in producing machines for the road that veloce made its greatest mark, and many of their patents and pioneering ideas have become common place toady; from positive stop foot - shifts, swing arm rear forks with hydraulic shocks, overhead cam - shafts and liquid cooling in motorcycles.
velocette is the name given to motorcycles made by veloce ltd , in hall green , birmingham , england . one of several motorcycle manufacturers in birmingham , velocette was a small , family-owned firm , selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during its lifetime , as the mass-produced machines of the giant bsa and norton concerns . renowned for the quality of its products , the company was " always in the picture " in international motorcycle racing , from the mid-1920s through the 1950s , culminating in two world championship titles ( 1949 – 1950 350 cc ) and its legendary and still-unbeaten ( for single-cylinder , 500 cc machines ) 24 hours at over 100 mph ( 161 km/h ) record . veloce , while small , was a great technical innovator and many of its patented designs are commonplace on motorcycles today , including the positive-stop foot shift and swinging arm rear suspension with hydraulic dampers . 
velocette is the name given to motorcycles made by veloce ltd, in hall green, birmingham, england. one of several motorcycle manufacturers in birmingham, velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during its lifetime, as the mass-produced machines of the giant bsa and norton concerns. renowned for the quality of its products, the company was " always in the picture " in international motorcycle racing, from the mid-1920s through the 1950s, culminating in two world championship titles (1949 – 1950 350 cc) and its legendary and still-unbeaten (for single-cylinder, 500 cc machines) 24 hours at over 100 mph (161 km/h) record. veloce, while small, was a great technical innovator and many of its patented designs are commonplace on motorcycles today, including the positive-stop foot shift and swinging arm rear suspension with hydraulic dampers.
velocette is the name given to motorcycles made by veloce ltd, in hall green, birmingham, england. one of several motorcycle manufacturers in birmingham, velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during its lifetime, as the mass-produced machines of the giant bsa and norton concerns. renowned for the quality of its products, the company was " always in the picture " in international motorcycle racing, from the mid-1920s through the 1950s, culminating in two world championship titles (1949 – 1950 350 cc) and its legendary and still-unbeaten (for single-cylinder, 500 cc machines) 24 hours at over 100 mph (161 km/h) record. veloce, while small, was a great technical innovator and many of its patented designs are commonplace on motorcycles today, including the positive-stop foot shift and swinging arm rear suspension with hydraulic dampers.