Do you want a new Velocette Motorcycle?
Saturday, July 31 2010 @ 10:17 PM MDT
Views: 308
I know I do.
No other motorcycle handles like a Velocette. A few weeks ago I discovered a shop selling new Royal Enfield 500 cc. singles and I almost bought one. It looked just about like what I remembered the old Royal Enfields looked with just one obvious difference: the disc brake in front. I quickly decided that it would have been a poor choice for what I would really like to buy, and that is a bike more like the 1965 Venom that I owned so long ago.
I realized almost immediately that if I could find a new Velocette, I would be eager to buy one. It would have to be true to best of the Velocette tradition. Excellent handling tops the list. There are many design details that I would hope would be retained in any new Velocette.
These include
The brazed lug frame
The roller bearings for the engine main bearings and the big end bearing
The unique Velocette adjustable rear shock design
The front forks with little damping on compression and more on recoil
The dry sump engine lubrication system
The unique torque damping system
Fishtail muffler
Other characteristics that I could do without include
Leaking oil
6 volt poor quality electrics
Likely some things would have to change so that it could be sold in today's market, though I might prefer it without these changes, such as
Shifter on the right, brake on the left
Turn signals
Metric threads to replace all the Whitworth threads
There are a few other improvements that I would like to see as well
Modern fuel injection system
Electronic ignition
Stainless steel exhaust system
Stainless steel for other bright metal parts
Modern engine seals and crankcase breather system to eliminate oil leaks
Perhaps a unit construction engine/transmission, provided it could be done without sacrificing other requirements
There have been other attempts to revive classic motorcycles in the past. The most notable of which was the attempt a few years back to revive the Vincent name. If I remember correctly, that one failed when its primary sponsor died. It was also a revival in name only, with completely different design and parts. The Royal Enfield has apparently been continuously produced in India and has recently been upgraded and is now being exported from India and sold in the USA and presumably also in Europe.
The most remarkable success, however, was with Harley Davidson, which nearly went out of business somewhere around 1970 and has had a remarkable revival. Now it seems that the vast majority of motorcycles that I see are Harleys. They have never appealed much to me. What I really want is a new Velocette Thruxton.
Ideally, such a revival would start with the original engineering drawings and tooling used by Veloce, Ltd. I suppose it is unlikely that any of these still exist after 40 years. If anyone knows whether these are available, I'd greatly appreciate it.
What do you think? Please post a comment.
No other motorcycle handles like a Velocette. A few weeks ago I discovered a shop selling new Royal Enfield 500 cc. singles and I almost bought one. It looked just about like what I remembered the old Royal Enfields looked with just one obvious difference: the disc brake in front. I quickly decided that it would have been a poor choice for what I would really like to buy, and that is a bike more like the 1965 Venom that I owned so long ago.
I realized almost immediately that if I could find a new Velocette, I would be eager to buy one. It would have to be true to best of the Velocette tradition. Excellent handling tops the list. There are many design details that I would hope would be retained in any new Velocette.
These include
The brazed lug frame
The roller bearings for the engine main bearings and the big end bearing
The unique Velocette adjustable rear shock design
The front forks with little damping on compression and more on recoil
The dry sump engine lubrication system
The unique torque damping system
Fishtail muffler
Other characteristics that I could do without include
Leaking oil
6 volt poor quality electrics
Likely some things would have to change so that it could be sold in today's market, though I might prefer it without these changes, such as
Shifter on the right, brake on the left
Turn signals
Metric threads to replace all the Whitworth threads
There are a few other improvements that I would like to see as well
Modern fuel injection system
Electronic ignition
Stainless steel exhaust system
Stainless steel for other bright metal parts
Modern engine seals and crankcase breather system to eliminate oil leaks
Perhaps a unit construction engine/transmission, provided it could be done without sacrificing other requirements
There have been other attempts to revive classic motorcycles in the past. The most notable of which was the attempt a few years back to revive the Vincent name. If I remember correctly, that one failed when its primary sponsor died. It was also a revival in name only, with completely different design and parts. The Royal Enfield has apparently been continuously produced in India and has recently been upgraded and is now being exported from India and sold in the USA and presumably also in Europe.
The most remarkable success, however, was with Harley Davidson, which nearly went out of business somewhere around 1970 and has had a remarkable revival. Now it seems that the vast majority of motorcycles that I see are Harleys. They have never appealed much to me. What I really want is a new Velocette Thruxton.
Ideally, such a revival would start with the original engineering drawings and tooling used by Veloce, Ltd. I suppose it is unlikely that any of these still exist after 40 years. If anyone knows whether these are available, I'd greatly appreciate it.
What do you think? Please post a comment.