The Velocette Venom was a 499 cc single-cylinder four-stroke British
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
made by
Velocette
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 i ...
at
Hall Green
Hall Green is an area in southeast Birmingham, England, synonymous with the B28 postcode. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Historically it lay within the county of Worcestershire.
Politics
Hall Green is ...
in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. A total of 5,721 machines were produced between 1955 and 1970.
In 1961 a factory-prepared faired Velocette Venom and a team of riders set the 24-hour world record at a speed of at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, a banked oval racetrack in France. It was the first motorcycle to average over 100 mph continuously for 24 hours and no 500cc or single-cylinder motorcycle has broken this record.
In 1965, the Velocette Venom was further developed with a full racing kit to create the range-topping Velocette Thruxton, with a special cylinder head developed by American flat-track racers, and adapted by Velocette to create a new production racer. It was a very popular and successful clubman racer, winning the 1967 Isle of Man Production TT. The Thruxton became the most popular Velocette model, but could not save the Velocette company from bankruptcy in 1971. Poor trading conditions over a number of preceding years forced the company into voluntarily liquidation in 1971, with all the remaining stock and tools sold off to pay creditors.
An interesting use of the Venom power train was the ''Indian Velo 500'', an updated, limited-production run of 250 machines devised by American entrepreneur Floyd Clymer, using a Velocette engine with Italian cycle parts.
Development
Introduced in November 1955 and launched at the same time as the 349 cc Velocette Viper, the single-cylinder ''Venom'' was developed from the
Velocette MSS
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.
Development
It was launched in 1935 as a 500cc ...
and needed to compete against a new range of British twin-cylinder motorcycles. Conceived by Velocette’s Eugene Goodman and designed by Charles Udall, the Venom's 499 cc engine had a bi-metal cylinder with a cast-iron liner, high compression piston and a light alloy cylinder head. The design of the engine's high cam with short push-rods was simpler to produce than an overhead camshaft engine.
The Venom had high quality chrome plating and was finished in black paintwork with gold pinstriping. The ''Sport'' models of the Venom and the Viper were among the first production motorcycles to have
glass fibre
Glass fiber ( or glass fibre) is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.
Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the inventio ...
enclosure panels from 1960. These ''quickly-detachable'' enclosures were produced for Velocette by Avon''
The Classic MotorCycle
''The Classic Motor Cycle'' is a UK motorcycle magazine originally launched in 1981 with six editions a year as a spin-off from UK newspaper-format ''Motor Cycle Weekly'' (previously historically known as ''The Motor Cycle'') as under then Edi ...
'', July 1996, p.27 ''Shaping the Future'' by ''Roy Poynting. "Engine/gearbox fairing for the so-called Sports Velocettes was not a sales success story''". Accessed and added 2014-09-25 and extended from the front of the engine, level with the top of the crankcases, to the rear pillion footrests. Although a practical addition in preventing oil-stained clothing,''Motorcycle Mechanics'', April 1966. pp.60–61 ''Road test. "Another unique point about the Velo are the glass-fibre enclosure panels around both sides of the engine and gearbox. They cover all the lower parts of the engine and gearbox, and make the Velo one of the few bikes one can ride in decent street clothing without danger of oily smuts and splashes. The only tool needed to remove them is a bronze penny, and they come off within seconds"'' Accessed and added 2014-09-25 the panels were unpopular with the traditional buyers of Velocette singles.
An unusual feature of the Venom design is that the clutch was between the gearbox and gearbox sprocket rather than the conventional configuration in the primary chain case on the far left, with the gearbox sprocket between the clutch and the gearbox. This made the clutch less accessible but allowed for easy gearing changes and a range of sprockets with different numbers of teeth could be fitted by removing the sprocket cover. The gearbox was also a novel Velocette design with a constant mesh close ratio unit that could be maintained relatively easily while still in place.
Simply designed with single top and down tubes, the Venom's heavy brazed-lug frame (which had clear origins in bicycle manufacture) was well proven for its handling capability.''Motorcycle Mechanics'', April 1966. pp.60–61 ''Road test. "Built rather on the heavy side, the frame is a solid example of traditional British craftmanship, and coupled with the chunky Velo forks and the finely adjustable rear suspension, is responsible for the absolutely unshakeable steering. With the current rage for special building, one is tempted to wonder why the Velo frame and cycle parts are not more popular with the powerhouse Bonneville boys—..."'' Accessed and added 2014-09-25 At the rear was an unusual
swinging arm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" (UK), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of ...
design with two separate arms clamped to a cross-tube instead of the traditional welded-section rear fork. Although this was effective, it was difficult to set up the horizontal alignment. The rear shock absorbers were originally made by Woodhead Monroe, then replaced by Armstrong units and eventually Girling shocks. These could easily be adjusted to suit the rider's preference by moving them in special curved slots. The front telescopic forks, designed by Velocette and manufactured in-house, had
hydraulic
Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...
damping and an offset wheel spindle.
The Venom used Miller electrics up to 1962, with a belt-driven
dynamo
file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, )
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...
. After 1962 this was changed to a
Lucas
Lucas or LUCAS may refer to:
People
* Lucas (surname)
* Lucas (given name)
Arts and entertainment
* Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk"
* ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities
* ''L ...
system. The speedometer, ammeter and light switch on the original Venoms were fitted into a steel headlamp nacelle; the optional rev counter had to go on a bracket. Later models with Thruxton forks had conventional headlamp brackets and separate instruments.
Eventually becoming the best selling 'flagship' of the Velocette motorcycle range, the Venom has become highly sought after as a definitive example of a British sports four-stroke single.
Venom Scrambler
In December 1958,
the Velocette development team built Venom off-road motorcycles, which were sent to the United States for evaluation in enduro events. Built to the Viper Clubman standard and advertised with the slogan "A winner in every respect", the Scrambler had a specially lightened frame, light alloy mudguards and high-level enduro-style exhaust pipes. A special off-road Venom was named the Endurance. Fitted with the Venom engine, it had a 21-inch front wheel, high handlebars and a small fuel tank, as well as full lighting so that it could be legally used on the roads.
Venom Clubman
From 1960, Velocette produced the Venom (and the Viper) in a Clubman racing version, fitted with
Amal TT
AMAL was a British engineering company servicing the motorcycle and other light-engineering motor industries between 1927 and 1993 The Venom Clubman dispensed with the glass fibre enclosure and instead made a feature of highly polished crankcase and gearbox castings. Supplied with "rearset" controls, lowered handlebars and a steering damper, the Clubman also had a range of optional accessories including a "megaphone" exhaust silencer, a rev counter and light alloy wheel rims. Although they could be difficult to start – an entire section in the owners handbook was dedicated to starting technique – experienced Clubman riders found them easy to maintain and fast, as the Venom Clubman could achieve over 100 mph. In 1966 the Venom was upgraded to the Mk II, which had the Thruxton front forks fitted with rubber gaiters, a twin leading shoe front brake and narrowed mudguards, combined with a new exhaust design giving it a more modern sports motorcycle look.
Velocette Venom Thruxton
In 1965, the well-proven Venom was improved by Velocette designer Bertie Goodman with a special race kit complete with radically revised cylinder head, an Amal Grand Prix carburetor and reworked cam followers. A prototype for this new cylinder head was sent to the factory by
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
Velocette dealer and race sponsor Lou Branch. The new cylinder head had a 1 3/8" inlet tract, a 2" inlet valve, an 8" finned carburetor manifold, and used a 1 3/8" Amal GP2 racing carburetor, to produce 41 hp. The following year this went into production as the Velocette Thruxton. Also known as the Venom Thruxton, this aimed to fill the gap left by the demise of the
BSA Gold Star
The BSA Gold Star is a motorcycle made by BSA from 1938 to 1963. They were 350 cc and 500 cc single-cylinder four-stroke production motorcycles known for being among the fastest bikes of the 1950s. Being hand built and with many opt ...
and was named after the
Thruxton Circuit
The Thruxton Circuit is a motor-racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, about 30 miles north of Southampton.
It has hosted motorsport events including the British Touring Car Championship, B ...
race track on a former wartime airfield in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
where race-prepared Venoms had performed particularly well in production racing events. The Velocette Thruxton was a true racer, with a full race specification cylinder head that was gas flowed by hand to accommodate extra-large valves and a downdraught inlet port. The Amal carburetor was so large it required a distinctive cutaway in the bottom of the fuel tank, and race cams boosted performance to up to . As well as the traditional black-with-gold-lining finish, the Velocette Thruxton was also produced with an unusual blue frame, forks and seat and silver petrol tank with gold lining. In 1968 the Lucas magneto was phased out, and Velocette replaced it with coil ignition. A total of 1108 Thruxtons were built, but although it had more power than the Venom the Thruxton could not save Velocette. The company went into liquidation in February 1971. The Thruxton has gone on to become one of the most sought-after of all classic British motorcycles, with many private owners having converted standard Venom models to the more valuable Thruxton specification. Velocette Owners Club Thruxton Registrar Ray Thurston has comprehensive records of all Thruxton machines and any prospective purchaser should check with him that any intended purchase is in fact genuine.
24-hour world record
On 18 March 1961 a factory-prepared Velocette Venom Clubman with fairing set the 24-hour world record at an average speed of . It was the first motorcycle of any size to top the 100 mph in 24 hours and, as at 2008, no motorcycle of the same capacity has been able to equal or improve on this record. The record attempt took place at the
Montlhéry
Montlhéry () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris.
History
Montlhéry lay on the strategically important road from Paris to Orléans. U ...
oval track, a concrete track just outside Paris with a very uneven road surface and poor track lighting. A team of six French riders were accompanied by ''Motor Cycling'' journalist Bruce Main-Smith, who achieved the best lap time of 107 mph despite the poor lighting conditions. After securing the 12-hour record at more than , the team went on to complete the 24-hour endurance record attempt. Stopping only to change riders and refuel (from a bucket using a funnel), the Venom secured the world record. The publicity was very important for Velocette, as the success revived sales of the Venom, which went on to become one of Velocette's best-selling motorcycles. The Venom which set the 24-hour world record is on display at the British National Motorcycle Museum.
Racing success
At the 1964
Thruxton 500 The Thruxton 500 was a motorcycle endurance race for production based road machines, covering 500 miles and ridden by a team of two riders per machine. The first event was a 9-hour race which took place in 1955, organized by the Southampton and Dist ...
endurance race, Velocette Venoms took the first three places in the 500 cc category, with winners Alan Harris and Howard German on a Stevens-entered machine finishing third overall in with the larger-capacity machines.
A specially styled, high-performance 'Thruxton' version of the Venom with high-quality equipment was announced in late 1964, and subsequently a ''Thruxton'' ridden by ''Motor Cycle'' journalist David Dixon and Joe Dunphy won the 1965 Thruxton 500 race, held at another disused airfield, the
Castle Combe Circuit
Castle Combe Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Wiltshire, England, approximately from Bristol. The circuit is based on the perimeter track of a former World War II airfield, and was opened for racing in 1950.
History
The Castle Combe a ...
.
In 1967 two Venom Thruxton motorcycles, ridden by Neil Kelly and Keith Heckles gained first and second places in the ''Production TT'', a category for road-based machines with limited controlled-modifications first staged at the
Isle of Man
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, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
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, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
in that year; Kelly also recorded the fastest lap at 91 mph. Prepared by Reg Orpin, workshop manager at London Velocette dealer L.Stevens,Motorcycle Mechanics, October 1966, pp.30,31 ''Thrilling Thruxton'' Road test "''When Reg Orpin, of L. Stevens, built up this superb piece of machinery from an old hack 500 that was bought-in, he did it not just as a showpiece but as an example of what his firm can do for any of their customers' Velos''". Accessed 2014-05-09 the winning motorcycle was far from standard, for as well as being in Thruxton trim, the valve gear included
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
tips to the pushrods and valve caps. A
Norton Manx
The Norton Manx or Manx Norton is a British racing motorcycle that was made from 1947 to 1962 by Norton Motors Ltd. Norton had contested every Isle of Man TT race from the inaugural 1907 event through into the 1970s, a feat unrivalled by any ...
piston had been specially engineered at Velocette's Hall Green Workshops, and it had cam followers on needle rollers as well as light alloy timing wheels. It was nearly all for nothing, however, as Kelly failed to start and the rest of the field left him struggling to kick start the Venom. Orpin managed to start it just in time, and despite his poor start, Neil Kelly caught up with the other riders within three miles and went on to win the 500 cc class, recording 121 mph as he passed the Highlander speed trap.
Further development
The ''Indian Velo 500'' was a limited-production run of updated machines conceived by American entrepreneur
Floyd Clymer
Floyd Clymer (26 October 1895 in Indianapolis – 22 January 1970 in Los Angeles), a pioneer in the sport of motorcycling, was a racer, a motorcycle dealer and distributor, a magazine publisher, a racing promoter, an author, and a motorcycle ma ...
in 1968, using a Velocette engine and gearbox with mainly Italian cycle parts, including a lightweight frame from the
Italjet
Italjet Moto SpA (Italjet) is an Italian manufacturer of motorcycles, headquartered in Castel San Pietro Terme, Bologna, Italy. The company was founded in 1959 in San Lazzaro, Bologna by Leopoldo Tartarini (1932–2015).
Products
See also
...
company,
Marzocchi
Marzocchi is an Italian manufacturer founded in 1949 by brothers Stefano and Guglielmo Marzocchi. The company profile doesn't include hydraulic industrial pumps anymore but only suspension components for motorcycles and bicycles. The Marzocchi Pom ...
front forks with Grimeca front hub having a twin-leading shoe brake,
Borrani Ruote Borrani S.p.A. (established 1922 in Milan) is an Italian manufacturer of automobile and motorcycle wheels. They are known for supplying Rudge-Whitworth design centerlocking wire wheels to many Italian racing cars, sports cars and luxury cars. ...
aluminium rims and quickly-detachable tank and seat, resulting in a weight-saving of compared to the traditional Venom.
The project ended abruptly due to Clymer's death and the failure of Velocette, with 200 machines shipped to US and a further 50 remaining in Italy, which were bought by
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Velocette dealer Geoff Dodkin. When roadtesting, UK monthly magazine ''Motorcycle Sport'' described it as "''British engineering and Italian styling in a package originally intended for the American market''", reporting that Dodkin would supply his bikes with either a standard Venom engine specification, or, at higher cost, a Thruxton version.Motorcycle Sport, July 1971 pp.253-255, 262-263, 271-272. ''Road Test - Indian Velo 500'' Accessed 2014-05-14
The Classic Motor Cycle
''The Classic Motor Cycle'' is a UK motorcycle magazine originally launched in 1981 with six editions a year as a spin-off from UK newspaper-format ''Motor Cycle Weekly'' (previously historically known as ''The Motor Cycle'') as under then Edi ...
July 1996, p.39 ''Register that Thruxton''. "In July 1968, Floyd Clymer bought a Thruxton engine...records show that 26 more engines were sold to Clymer in November 1968, with a final 18 the following January". Accessed and added 2014-06-27
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...