I mentioned this site on http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/velocette/ and there has been some discussion. It seems that there is some interest, but little optimism. There are others who are far more interested in tinkering with old Velocettes than in buying a new one.
It was pointed out here that the Velocette name is owned by the Holder family and is not likely to be released.
Revival attempts of other classic motorcycle brands was discussed, for example here. It has never been done successfully. I believe that this is different though because it is starting from community interest. Of course, I am not a community. I am just one man with enough interest to start this site as a discussion forum. If there are others who are interested enough to discuss this perhaps it will grow.
If I was an entrepreneur looking to direct the development of a new line of Velocettes, it would surely fail like all other attempts that came before. If, on the other hand, there is enough interest generated from the Velocette enthusiast's community, perhaps a consensus can be reached on a design to be implemented and a new model can be produced.
If I had $100 Million to invest in this, perhaps I'd hire a dozen or so engineers who were Velocette enthusiasts. I'd have acquire perhaps 20 or more existing machines, so that there would be plenty for them all to ride as well as take apart and measure carefully so as to be able to accurately reproduce the existing machines.
Then we'd have to make decisions about how they could be improved upon. I'm not talking about change just for the sake of change, but taking the existing machines and improving upon them in ways that Veloce might have done if they had continued to innovate to this day. Velocette was always an innovator and I have no doubt that if they were still in business, today's top of the line would resemble the Thruxton about the same way the Thruxton resembles the 1935 MSS.
But if I were to invest that kind of money (which I don't have) and direct the rebirth of the classic in that way, I believe that it would be doomed to fail. The number of motorcycles that would have to be sold after that kind of investment would be too large for the venture to be profitable. For one, it would be my vision, albeit aided by several able engineers. It would not necessarily result in a machine that you would want to buy.
Rather, what I propose is that all interested Velocette enthusiasts contribute ideas to this project. We can work toward an agreement as to what a modern Velocette should look like. I have some ideas. For example, should it have disc brakes? To my mind that would be an obvious good choice. Perhaps an improved electrical system, using an alternator to charge a 12 volt battery, perhaps using LED taillights and headlight.
There are things that I would not like to change. I like the unique Velocette adjustable rear suspension. I would prefer to keep the fishtail silencer. I believe that the fishtail design is a superior one, that it works better because of its shape and because of the holes in the side of the fishtail. It seems obvious to me that it behaves differently when the bike is moving than a muffler that simply dumps the exhaust out the back. I like the way it looks too. Making the exhaust system from high grade stainless steel might be a good improvement though.
Government regulations would no doubt require some changes. I suppose it would have to have turn signals. It might have to have the shifter moved to the left and the rear brake to the right. The shift sequence might have to be reversed to the standard one down, three up. I don't know about any of these, but if they have to be done, I would consider them to be acceptable compromises.
What about threads? Would we use Whitworth threads or would the new machines use all metric threads? I can see reasons to go either way.
Of course, my preferences may not be yours. If I simply wanted a Velocette, there are a few available for sale and I could buy one and make it just the way I want it to be. In fact, I do want one, but I would also like to see the legend return. I believe that there is a market for it. Not everyone wants to ride a Harley, Suzuki or a Honda. Some might settle for a Ducati, a Triumph or a Royal Enfield. For me, nothing but a Velocette will do.
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New Velocette
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