Velocette
was the name given to British motorcycles made by
Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham.
One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham,
Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling
far fewer hand-built motorcycles than the giant BSA,
Norton, or Triumph concerns. Renowned for the quality
of their 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 (1949/50 350cc) and their
legendary and still-unbeaten 24-hours at 100 mph record.
Veloce, while small, was a great technical innovator
and many of their patented designs are commonplace
on motorcycles today, including the positive-stop
footshift and swingarm rear fork with hydraulic shocks.
Foundation
The company was founded by John Taylor (born Johannes
Gütgemann and later known as John Goodman), and
William Gue as "Taylor, Gue Ltd." in 1905.
Their first motorcycle was the Veloce. Later that
year, John Taylor set up Veloce Limited, to produce
cycles and related products and services. Veloce Ltd
initially produced four-stroke motorcycles. The first
two-stroke, built in 1913, was called a Velocette.
This name was used for all of their subsequent models.
Velocette 'K' series
Veloce was known primarily as a manufacturer of expensive,
quality two-strokes in the late 'teens and 1920s,
until they made a bold move to produce an overhead
camshaft (ohc) 350cc engine, which became known as
the Velocette 'K' series, introduced in 1925. After
a year of teething troubles with this new design,
Veloce entered their model K into racing events such
as the Isle of Man TT and Brooklands races, and the
reliability and sweet running qualities of their new
engine led to a long string of racing successes. The
roadster models developed from this initial model
K were the KSS (super sports), KTS (touring sports),
KTP (twin exhaust ports), KN (normal), and a few more
obscure variations. The overhead-cam engine series
continued for roadsters until 1948, when the final
KSS versions were produced, with rigid frames and
Dowty air sprung telescopic forks. Veloce continued
during this period to make quality two-stroke machines
of 250cc, which included the model H and variants
(HSS), model U and variant, culminating in the model
GTP, introduced in 1935 and produced until 1948.
Velocette 'M' series
In 1933, the company decided to introduce a new line
of overhead valve (ohv) machines, in order to cut
production costs and make a more affordable motorcycle.
The K series was expensive to produce, requiring selective
hand assembly of the shaft-and-bevel camshaft drive;
it was determined that a simpler ohv design would
be quicker to build and require less skilled labor
to assemble. The first of these new machines was the
MOV, using a 250cc engine of 'square' dimensions (68mm
bore x 68mm stroke). It was an immediate sales success,
having lively performance for the time (78mph), and
proved a reliable machine with excellent road manners.
From this machine, by lengthening the stroke of the
crankshaft, the MAC 350cc was introduced in 1934.
It proved even more popular than the MOV, and became
a real money spinner for the company, bringing much
needed capital into the firm. In 1935 an entirely
new machine was introduced, based on the two previous
ohv models, the MSS of 500cc. A new, heavier frame
was utilized with the intention that the machine could
serve as a sidecar hauler (a frame developed from
the mkV KTT, and shared with the KSS mkII of 1936-48),
and again the MSS grew very popular.
Post war
After the Second World War, the company sought to
capture what it saw as a developing need for personal
transport, and they created (with the help of Phil
Irving of Vincent fame) the model LE. This was a 192
cc watercooled flat twin with side-valves, a pressed
steel frame, and telescopic forks and swingarm. A
very forward-thinking model, it was sophisticated
and expensive, a consistent trait with all Velocettes.
Unfortunately, it proved less successful than the
firm had anticipated, as although it became Veloce's
best selling model ever, the massive tooling costs
required to create this all-new machine were barely
recouped. The saving grace of this model was its widespread
adoption by British police forces for urban patrol
duties. At the time standing orders for Metropolitan
Police Officers on foot patrol were, should they meet
a Sergeant or Inspector they were required to salute.
With the introduction of the Velocette LE, this became
quite a dangerous pass time, requiring the officer
to take his hand from the handle bars and risking
a wobble or weave, and so the rider was to allowed
to show his respect with a smart inclination of his
head, or to put it another way, he had to give a smart
nod. The riders soon became known as Noddy's, and
the bikes became known as 'the Noddy Bike'. Another,
even less flattering soubriquet, was "Whispering
Willie", referring to the LE's quietness (because
of its low exhaust temperature) allowing a cruising
"Bobby" to creep up behind miscreants.
1950s
In 1950 Velocette were the World 350 cc champions.
The L.E. Mk II of 200 cc appears. The MAC uses a Velocette
designed telescopic front fork. Over 1952-1953 The
MAC gets a redesigned engine, a swinging arm rear
suspension and a dual seat. In 1954 The 500 cc MSS
reappears, like the MAC but with a new engine. Scrambler
and US variants of the MSS started production in 1955.
Two sports models - the 500cc Venom and 350 cc Viper
and a 200cc air cooled flat-twin sports model Valiant
were announced in 1956. The L.E. Mk III appears with
four-speed foot change and kickstarter. Over 1958/59
Fairings appear for all models.
1960s
The late 1960s were the last years of production for
Velocette motorcycles, production for Viper and Vogue
ending in 1968, "Special", Scrambler and
Endurance in 1969, and MSS Venom and Thruxton in 1970.
Veloce Ltd. closed in February 1971,
This article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from
the Wikipedia article "Velocette".
|
