Another fine piece of British engineering |
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Online Points: 6539 |
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Posted: July 04 2018 at 6:15pm |
My other love (besides Enfields, not the motorcycle, the Lee Enfield), is keeping this fine piece of British engineering running.
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Pukka Bundook
Senior Member Joined: February 02 2015 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1369 |
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Tank reminds me of a Manx Norton, Brit.
I might be Miles off though!
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Online Points: 6539 |
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I’m curious if anyone knows what it is. It’s of that era, a bit later, this is a 1968.
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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I was going to say "Triton", (Norton feather-bed frame & a '68 Triumph Bonneville engine) but it isn't with that fishtail silencer & gear train cover. I'll bet dollahs to donuts it's Its not a NorVin? (Norton Vincent) those were V not parallel twins? *bink*light comes on Ok, Alex this is may final answer of $64,000 Velocette Venom (Thruxton)? |
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Stanforth
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2017 Location: Oxford England Status: Offline Points: 773 |
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It's a Velocette Thruxton. Single cylinder, high cam. It was made as an alternative to the BSA Gold Star Clubman.
Below is an earlier Velocette that I used to race and still own.
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Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal.
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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Oohh a "Thumper" I love the inverse cone meggy too.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Online Points: 6539 |
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Correct. The Thruxton was a modified version of the Venom 500 cc OHV single. About 1100 were made at the factory before closing in 1971. Some made from spares after the factory closed. I wonder how many are still out there. It has respectable power, even for today's standards of 500 cc displacement.
Sanfourth, yours looks like a KTT (overhead cam), but with telescopic forks. Fuel tank looks like a Thruxton tank. |
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Stanforth
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2017 Location: Oxford England Status: Offline Points: 773 |
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Of the 1100 made, 20,000 still exist.. Bit like the BSA Gold Star and the Porsche 911 2.7RS.
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Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal.
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Stanforth
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2017 Location: Oxford England Status: Offline Points: 773 |
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While we are at it, here is one of my Italian Mistresses.
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Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal.
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Online Points: 6539 |
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Many Venoms have been "Thruxtonized" over the years, so you may be right! Converting a standard Venom to a Thruxton these days is a bit tough, not easy to find the cylinder head. The rest of the bits are fairly available if your willing to pay. I think the price of a new fuel tank is about what my Dad paid for the entire machine in 1968. He had several Velocettes, most were Thruxtons, but sold them all off except this one. This machine is mostly in original condition; I rebuilt the clutch, magneto and top end (piston, rings and valve guides) and put in an electronic voltage regulator. I've never been able to get mine to go past 100 mph. I found the engine was running way too lean at WOT, although the carb had a standard #320 main jet, and couldn't get past 90 mph. I had to go up to a #380 before it would run too rich; I settled on a #360. Once I hit 100 mph, I decided this was a foolish thing to be doing with a 50 year old motorcycle and an even older rider. |
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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I was a Bonnie guy.
Had a '68 Thruxton Pretty much like
this except for the high level Siamese pipes. Like
everything I owned at the time It was sold when I emigrated. |
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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'73, or '74? With the disc front brake. |
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Stanforth
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2017 Location: Oxford England Status: Offline Points: 773 |
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Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal.
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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Love those Velocette's Gent's; very nice indeed!
To fund my passion for Enfield rifles I sold this Moto Martin Z1 (front left of photo) The Ducati and Speed Triple were also mine at the time; seen here at Forza Automobiles in Paris, were I used to work. I still have the Triumph Speed Triple, an XT500 and a 73 Z1 that needs renovation. |
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Online Points: 6539 |
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I did notice that. It's impressive how much power the 350 OHC Velo engine produces. Wished Velo had further developed the 500 cc DOHC rather than the pushrod 500 cc; too costly for that small company; they just would have went out of business sooner.
I'm probably not laying flat enough on the bike to get up past 100 mph. And I'm not going to go back and try it again! The Thruxton was rock solid and smooth at 100, but getting past cars and trucks on the highway made it tough to not have to come off WOT. |
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