Description
Author: Mick Walker, ISBN: 9781847970725, 222 pages, Published in 2008, Hardback
In 1961 a production 500cc Velocette Venom Clubman Veeline achieved a world record, twenty-four hours at a speed of 100.05mph. It was the first motorcycle of any size to perform the feat, and to this date no other machine of comparable size has equalled or bettered its record. It was the culmination of almost fifty-five years of technological excellence from the Birmingham factory, a time that had seen the company win the Junior TT numerous times, as well as many other races throughout Europe and the UK.
Velocette is one of the truly great names of the British motorcycle industry. Its story is one of innovation, achievement and decline, but in its sixty-six year history, the company produced many memorable motorcycles including the KTT, Venom, Viper and Thruxton models. It was also responsible for developments that modern-day riders take for granted such as the positive-stop, foot-change gearbox and swinging-arm rear suspension.
The story of its racing successes is one of innovation, but also of daring and endurance. It was the high quality of the engineering that helped the company win so many races and that made Velocette such a force to be
reckoned with. However, when the company entered a Veloce, as it was known then, in the 1913 TT it came twenty-seventh and last. The 1925 team all retired through mechanical breakdown and the first major win was not until Alec Bennett won the 1926 Isle of Man TT, with the same rider repeating this feat in 1928. That year a KSS took the world one-hour, endurance record at over 100mph. In 1929, Velocette repeated its TT win.
Velocette saw various successes throughout the 1930s-1950s, mainly with the KTT models and the various works racers. Finally, in 1951, the KTT racer was discontinued, but not before Velocette was crowned World 350cc champion in 1949-50.
The 500cc Venom and 350cc Viper were introduced in 1955 and soon proved themselves as reliable everyday sporting bikes, equally at home on the race track or the open road. In 1964, came the Thruxton, a beast of a bike, that proved itself in the inaugural 1967 Production TT, coming both first and second. However, the end was nigh and Velocette was to disappear in 1971, liquidated and the assets sold, but the company is remembered today for 'technical excellence exemplified' and for a rich racing heritage that showed the company could hit well above its size.
