Velocette is a line of 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 until the 1950s, culminating in two World Championship titles and its legendary and still-unbeaten 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. The business suffered a gradual commercial decline during the late 1960s, eventually closing in February 1971.
A dry-sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in four-stroke and large two-stroke piston driven internal combustion engines. The dry-sump system uses two or more oil pumps and a separate oil reservoir, as opposed to a conventional wet-sump system, which uses only the main sump below the engine and a single pump. A dry-sump engine requires a pressure relief valve to regulate negative pressure inside the engine, so internal seals are not inverted.
The Scott Motorcycle Company was owned by Scott Motors (Saltaire) Limited, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England and was a well-known producer of motorcycles and light engines for industry. Founded by Alfred Angas Scott in 1908 as the Scott Engineering Company in Bradford, Yorkshire, Scott motorcycles were produced until 1978.
Initially started in a rented workshop, Alfred moved the business to Hirstwood Works, Hirstwood Road, Saltaire. This building is still standing and has industrial use.
Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc four-stroke twins. Matchless had a long history of racing success; a Matchless ridden by Charlie Collier won the first single-cylinder race in the first Isle of Man TT in 1907.
The Suzuki RE5 is a motorcycle with a liquid-cooled single-rotor Wankel engine, manufactured by Suzuki from 1974 to 1976. Apart from its unusual engine, the RE5 is mostly a conventional roadster, albeit with some peculiar styling details thanks to Italian industrial designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.
Motorcycle components and systems for a motorcycle are engineered, manufactured, and assembled in order to produce motorcycle models with the desired performance, aesthetics, and cost. The key components of modern motorcycles are presented below.
The Moto Guzzi Le Mans is a sports motorcycle first manufactured in 1976 by Italian company Moto Guzzi. It was named after the 24-hour motorcycle endurance race at Le Mans in France. The Le Mans designation was first used for an 850 prototype, based on the V7, displayed at Premio Varrone in late 1972.
The Hesketh V1000 is a 992 cc (60.5 cu in) OHC V-twin motorcycle with 4 valves per cylinder. It was originally designed and built by Hesketh Motorcycles in Daventry, Northamptonshire. Sales proved disappointing as the motorcycle was expensive and, at 86 bhp, it was somewhat underpowered given its hefty dry weight of 244 kg (538 lb).
The Velocette Thruxton was a sporting motorcycle produced by Velocette between 1965 and 1971. Revealed at the 1964 Earls Court Show, it was the final development of Velocette's antiquated pushrod single, the Venom.
The Panther Model 120 was a British motorcycle made between 1959 and 1966 by Phelon & Moore. An enlarged Panther Model 100, the 120 had a reputation for being less reliable with a tendency for rapid clutch wear, problematical roller bearings and heavy oil consumption. As competitors produced modern designs, Panther ran into trouble obtaining supplies of Burman gearboxes and Lucas Magdynos, so production ceased in 1966 and the company was wound up.
The Velocette Venom was a 499 cc single-cylinder four-stroke British motorcycle made by Velocette at Hall Green in Birmingham. A total of 5,721 machines were produced between 1955 and 1970.
The Velocette KTT is a racing British motorcycle made by Velocette. The most significant variant of the Model K series of overhead camshaft Velocette motorcycles, the TT designation indicated the machine was intended for racing, and was an early example of a 'production racer'. The Velocette KTT was notable for having the first positive-stop foot gear change on a motorcycle, and the first with a swingarm rear suspension using separate shock absorber units. The foot shift innovation significant improvement for racing, and quickly replaced the hand gear change lever, and became the standard for almost all motorcycles to this day. Veloce's swingarm suspension also had profound and lasting effects on the motorcycle industry, and remains the standard for motorcycle rear suspension to this day.
The Velocette KTT Mk VIII is a British racing motorcycle made by Veloce, Ltd. who built motorcycles named the Velocette. The Mk VIII KTT was ultimate development of their K series of overhead-camshaft 350cc machines introduced in 1925, and the TT designation indicated a production racing motorcycle, and a near replica of the factory race team machines. Production continued until 1950.
The Velocette KSS is a British motorcycle made by Velocette, a sports roadster in the “K” series of Velocette motorcycles with overhead camshaft engines. The “K “of the model's name was the next letter in the sequence of letters designating the model, after the Model H two stroke.. “SS” stood for Super Sports. It has been suggested that the “K” stood for “camshaft” because of the founder of the company’s German origin, but since the German for “camshaft is “Nockenwelle”, this is extremely unlikely. The KSS remained in production in various forms until 1948.
The Velocette MSS is a motorcycle made by Velocette. It was fast, reliable and economical but could not compete against a new range of British twin-cylinder motorcycles. Production ended in 1968.
The Velocette LE is a motorcycle made by Veloce Ltd from 1948 to 1971. The designation LE stood for "little engine". Used by over fifty British Police forces, the police riders became known as "Noddies" because they were required to nod to senior officers, and the LE was nicknamed "the Noddy Bike". Production ended in 1970 when the company ran into financial problems and went into voluntary liquidation.
The Scott Flying Squirrel was a motorcycle made by The Scott Motorcycle Company between 1926 and the outbreak of World War II. Production resumed after the War and continued until 1950.
Silk Engineering was a British motorcycle manufacturer established by George Silk and Maurice Patey and based at Darley Abbey, Derbyshire. They produced Silk 700S two-stroke motorcycles until 1979. Problems with spare parts and rising costs led to the company ceasing manufacture.
The Triumph Ricardo was a British single-cylinder motorcycle manufactured by the Triumph Engineering Co Ltd between 1921 and 1928. Named after engine designer Sir Harry Ricardo it featured an innovative four valve head design and was capable of over 70 mph, set three world speed records and won a gold medal in the 1923 International Six Day Trial.
Automatic lubrication refers to a lubrication system on a two-stroke engine, in which the oil is automatically mixed with fuel and manual oil-fuel pre-mixing is not necessary. The oil is contained in a reservoir that connects to a small oil pump in the engine, which needs to be periodically refilled.
