A Thing of the Past
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Topic: A Thing of the Past
Posted By: britrifles
Subject: A Thing of the Past
Date Posted: August 31 2019 at 3:32pm
British Engineering of days gone by...but still running superbly!! |
Replies:
Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: August 31 2019 at 7:49pm
| Very nice... |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: August 31 2019 at 9:14pm
| norton or BSA ? |
Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 01 2019 at 5:08am
| Velocette Venom? |
Posted By: englishman_ca
Date Posted: September 01 2019 at 5:41am
|
Nice! I hope you wear the appropriate riding gear with a puddin bowl helmet? I remember helping to bump start my buddy's Velocette 350 after rolling out of the pub. We had an audience and cheering section as the bar emptied out onto the sidewalk. He pushed from the handle bars, I pushed from the back. When the thing fired up I guess that the throttle was stuck wide open. He held on for grim death and almost climbed back on board, until they disappeared through a ditch and a hedge back with him still hanging on!!!!! Bike was laying on its side quite some distance into the farmer's field with the engine at perfect idle. He rode it back out through the gate to great applause! After that interlude, it started first kick. The thing had a habit of trying to launch you over the handle bars if you didn't retard the timing with a little lever on the bars and get the kick just right. It was easier just to bump start it. I found myself hopping around the parking lot on one foot many times from kicking starting British motor bikes. Now I have a Harley with electric start. It does have a kick pedal that works and I have won many beers betting that it would start on first kick. Kick it through to prime it right, bring it up and just over compression, it'll fire up every time. ------------- . . Look to your front, mark your target when it comes! |
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 01 2019 at 5:43am
|
HT is correct. 1968 Venom Thruxton. |
Posted By: Stanforth
Date Posted: September 01 2019 at 6:23am
------------- Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal. |
britrifles wrote:
Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 01 2019 at 3:26pm
| God save the Queen! I get called being mental from my friends, and even as 3rd generation Ukrainian in Canada, I fly three flags. The Maple Leaf, the Union Jack (1/4" lower) and the blue and yellow flag of the Ukraine (1/4" lower.) One for the country my people are from, the next for the country that welcomed my ancestors into Canada, and finally, the country I, and my father and his father, would give our lives for. |
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 01 2019 at 5:12pm
|
The Thruxton was wearing the Megaphone when I took that pic, now has the Velocette classic “Fishtail” back on it. A lovely exhaust note, like no other. This machine starts so easily: tickle the carb, half retard on the spark, up on compression, lift the exhaust valve, one slow stroke of the kick start, bring back up to the top of stroke, a healthy kick with follow thru and away she goes. Never had it kick back on me. You can’t rush these things. Lovely machine, the Brits got it right with the Velocette. Just like they did with the Lee Enfield. |
Posted By: Stanforth
Date Posted: September 02 2019 at 2:00am
Hi family ran the business until it went into voluntary liquidation in 1972. ------------- Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal. |
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 02 2019 at 4:44am
|
Yes, quite true. The Venom OHV engine was derived from the 1933 MOV designed by Charles Udall. My Dad imported to Canada in early 1971 the last factory built Thruxton that was part of an order for 12 machines that Veloce were not able to fill. The factory closed in Feb 1971. Some machines were later assembled from parts after the factory closed. 1208C is the highest known VMT engine number and this machine has not been run since it left the factory. |