Verdant Velo
Classic Bike Guide|June 2017

Sporting sophistication for clubmen and commuters

Marion Thirsk
Verdant Velo

THE VELOCETTE VIPER and Venom sports singles were introduced in 1955. Charles Udall designed both bikes to share the ohv singles’ exceptionally sturdy bottom end. The 499cc Venom used a 86mm bore and stroke, while a smaller 72mm bore gave the Viper 349cc. Renowned for being largely vibration-free, the Viper was seriously speedy for a 1950s 350 pushrod single. It offered smooth, swift acceleration which was aided by a close ratio gearbox, and a top speed of over 90mph was easily reached.

Velocettes were run and tested by managers and staff so any issues were quickly identified and sorted out, which obviously benefitted the buying public. In 1961 a Velocette Venom set the record for the first motorcycle to average over 100mph for 24 hours. A team of riders including Bertie Goodman, Veloce sales director, and Motor Cycling’s journalist Bruce Main-Smith averaged 100.05mph for over 24 hours at the notoriously bumpy Circuit De Vitesse, Montlhéry, France. No mean feat when you consider the Venom had no headlamp and the unlit track was illuminated by a series of car headlamps connected to batteries   which created a hypnotic strobe effect on the riders! A similar attempt on a Viper in 1963 was sadly thwarted due to the failure of a specially made sandcast piston. Leaving that aside, the Viper definitely has its own charms. As with many smaller capacity machines, it can be easier to live with than its bigger sibling.

The early Vipers had an Alfin alloy barrel with a bonded cast iron liner (this was replaced by a cast iron barrel in later years), a split skirt piston giving a higher compression ratio and a light alloy cylinder head with hairpin valve springs. In typical Velocette fashion the timing gears are really efficient. Fine pitch gearwheels drive the high camshaft and magneto while the dynamo is belt driven from the end of the crankshaft.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2017 من Classic Bike Guide.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2017 من Classic Bike Guide.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE مشاهدة الكل
An A65 As We Wanted It
Classic Bike Guide

An A65 As We Wanted It

Jim and Liz knew just how they wanted their A65 Lightning to be

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2019
Norton Atlas 750
Classic Bike Guide

Norton Atlas 750

Hutch’s Norton Atlas 750 has been a good, solid workhorse – until some journalist had a little go on it and the clutch broke…

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2019
National Motorcycle Museum Live 2019
Classic Bike Guide

National Motorcycle Museum Live 2019

Getting more people to come to a museum must sometimes seem like a tricky affair, but the National Motorcycle Museum does it brilliantly. They let you in, for one day only, for free!

time-read
1 min  |
December 2019
Coventry Eagle Flying 8
Classic Bike Guide

Coventry Eagle Flying 8

The little-known range topper of everyman bikes manufacturer, Coventry Eagle, has been a larger influence on biking than you may have thought. Rachel Clegg investigates...

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2019
Behind The Scenes Heroes The CRMC Scrutineers
Classic Bike Guide

Behind The Scenes Heroes The CRMC Scrutineers

With a variety of machinery to check, can we learn from the CRMC scrutineers?

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2019
Aermacchi Harley-Davidson
Classic Bike Guide

Aermacchi Harley-Davidson

These Italian/American bikes have a lot to offer, and they don’t cost a fortune

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2019
The Old Black and Gold
Classic Bike Guide

The Old Black and Gold

It’s an icon, sure. But it’s also a great bike.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2017
Funky five hundred
Classic Bike Guide

Funky five hundred

A 40-year-old high-tech twin enjoys a new wave lease of life.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2017
Slim, Sexy, Sporty
Classic Bike Guide

Slim, Sexy, Sporty

Long, low and lean: an enduring influence on Guzzi’s subsequent sportsters

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2017
Classic & Custom
Classic Bike Guide

Classic & Custom

MINDFUL THAT MARCH in Scotland can mean ice, blizzards, floods or brilliant sunshine, the Scottish Motorcycle Show is now mainly contained in three large, heated halls.

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2017