Velocette Venom
Encyclopedia
The Velocette Venom is a single cylinder four stroke British motorcycle
of 499cc made by Velocette
at Hall Green
in Birmingham
. A total of 5721 Velocette Venoms were produced between 1955 and 1970. In 1961 a production Velocette Venom set the 24-hour world record at a speed of 100.05 mph. It was the first motorcycle of any size to achieve an average speed of over 100 mph for 24 hours and to this date no other motorcycle of the same capacity has been able to equal this world record. In 1965 the Velocette Venom was further developed by Velocette designer Bertie Goodman to create the Velocette Thruxton
with a race specification cylinder head that was gas flowed by hand to accommodate extra-large valves and a downdraught inlet port. It was a very popular and successful clubman racer. However, although it had more power than the Venom, the Thruxton could not save Velocette. Poor sales forced the company into voluntarily liquidation in 1971, with all the remaining stock and tools sold off to pay creditors.
, the single-cylinder Venom was developed from the Velocette MSS
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 499cc 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 OHC engine. The Venom had high quality chrome plating and was finished in black paintwork with gold pinstriping. The Venom was also ahead of its time in being one of the first to have glass fibre enclosure panels from 1960. These panels proved unpopular with the traditional buyers of Velocette singles, as they extended from the front of the engine, level with the top of the crankcase, to the rear pillion footrests.
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. At the rear was an unusual swinging arm
design with two arms in place of the traditional two prong fork. Although this was effective, it was complicated to set up the 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 damping and an offset wheel spindle.
The Velocette Venom used Miller electrics up to 1962, with a belt driven dynamo
. After 1962 this was upgraded to a Lucas 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 is now highly sought after as a definitive example of a British sports four-stroke single.
the Velocette development team built off 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 given the name the 'Endurance'. Fitted with the Venom engine, this 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.
. Also known as the Venom Thruxton, this aimed to fill the gap left by the demise of the BSA Gold Star
and was named after the Thruxton Circuit
race track on a former wartime airfield in Hampshire
. 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 cut away in the bottom of the fuel tank and race cams boosted performance to up to 120 mph. 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 couldn't save Velocette and the company was wound up in 1968, with remaining stock sold until mid 1970. The Thruxton has gone on to become one of the most sought after Velocette motorcycles today, however, and many private owners convert standard Venoms to the more valuable Thruxton specification.
speed bowl, a 2.7 km concrete track just outside Paris
with a very uneven road surface and poor track lighting. A team of six French riders were accompanied by motorcycle 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 104 mph, 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 now on display at the British National Motorcycle Museum
.
The 'Thruxton' version of the Velocette Venom was ridden by Dave Dixon and Joe Dunphy won the Thruxton 500
endurance race. (In 1965 the race was actually held at another disused airfield, the Castle Combe Circuit
). In 1967 two Velocette Venom Thruxtons, ridden by Neil Kelly and Keith Heckles gained first and second places in the Production TT that was first staged at the Isle of Man
that year, with Kelly also recording the fastest lap at 91 mph. Prepared by London Velocette dealer Reg Orpin, the winning motorcycle was far from standard, for as well as being in 'Thruxton' trim, the valve gear included titanium
tips to the pushrods and valve caps. A Norton Manx
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 the poor start Neil Kelly caught up with the other riders within three miles and went on to win the 500cc class, recording 121 mph as he passed the Highlander speed trap.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
of 499cc made by Velocette
Velocette
Velocette is the name given to motorcycles that were made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling far fewer hand-built motorcycles than the giant BSA, Norton or Triumph concerns...
at Hall Green
Hall Green
Not to be confused with Hall Green, Wolverhampton or Hall Green, SandwellHall Green is an area and ward in south Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. A total of 5721 Velocette Venoms were produced between 1955 and 1970. In 1961 a production Velocette Venom set the 24-hour world record at a speed of 100.05 mph. It was the first motorcycle of any size to achieve an average speed of over 100 mph for 24 hours and to this date no other motorcycle of the same capacity has been able to equal this world record. In 1965 the Velocette Venom was further developed by Velocette designer Bertie Goodman to create the Velocette Thruxton
Velocette Thruxton
The Thruxton was a Velocette motorcycle made between 1965 and 1971. The final development of the Velocette antiquated pushrod single, the Velocette Venom and is sometimes referred to as the Venom Thruxton. Many surviving examples are 'upgraded' replicas based on the Venom...
with a race specification cylinder head that was gas flowed by hand to accommodate extra-large valves and a downdraught inlet port. It was a very popular and successful clubman racer. However, although it had more power than the Venom, the Thruxton could not save Velocette. Poor sales forced the company into voluntarily liquidation in 1971, with all the remaining stock and tools sold off to pay creditors.
Development
Introduced in November 1955 and launched at the same time as the 349cc Velocette ViperVelocette Viper
The Velocette Viper is a British motorcycle made by Velocette between 1955 and 1968. Built using traditional methods and materials, it struggled to compete against more modern machines, so from 1960 the designers added new glass fibre enclosure panels, making the Viper one of the first enclosed...
, the single-cylinder Venom was developed from the Velocette MSS
Velocette MSS
The MSS was 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:...
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 499cc engine had a bi-metal cylinder with a cast iron liner, high compression
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
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 OHC engine. The Venom had high quality chrome plating and was finished in black paintwork with gold pinstriping. The Venom was also ahead of its time in being one of the first to have glass fibre enclosure panels from 1960. These panels proved unpopular with the traditional buyers of Velocette singles, as they extended from the front of the engine, level with the top of the crankcase, to the rear pillion footrests.
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
Close-ratio transmission
A close-ratio transmission is a transmission in which there is little difference between the gear ratios of the gears. Consequently, note that the word close implies "near", not "shut." The gear ratio numbers are in a smaller numeric range, hence closer together.In the context of 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
Lugged steel frame construction
Lugged steel frame construction is a method of building bicycle frames using steel tubing and sockets, called lugs. For most of bicycle's history steel has been the primary material for bicycle frames, with lugged construction the primary assembling method...
(which had clear origins in bicycle manufacture) was well proven for its handling capability. At the rear was an unusual swinging arm
Swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" is the main component of the rear suspension of most modern motorcycles and ATVs...
design with two arms in place of the traditional two prong fork. Although this was effective, it was complicated to set up the 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 damping and an offset wheel spindle.
The Velocette Venom used Miller electrics up to 1962, with a belt driven dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
. After 1962 this was upgraded to a Lucas 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 is now highly sought after as a definitive example of a British sports four-stroke single.
Venom Scrambler
In December 1958the Velocette development team built off 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 given the name the 'Endurance'. Fitted with the Venom engine, this 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 TT Amal carburettors, a manually controlled BTH racing magneto (in place of the Lucas unit) and a close ratio gearbox, with the compression ratio raised to 9.3 to 1. The Venom Clubman dispensed with the unpopular 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 hard to start (with a whole section in the owners handbook on 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 which combined with s new exhaust design gave 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. The following year this went into production as the Velocette ThruxtonVelocette Thruxton
The Thruxton was a Velocette motorcycle made between 1965 and 1971. The final development of the Velocette antiquated pushrod single, the Velocette Venom and is sometimes referred to as the Venom Thruxton. Many surviving examples are 'upgraded' replicas based on the Venom...
. Also known as the Venom Thruxton, this aimed to fill the gap left by the demise of the BSA Gold Star
BSA Gold Star
The Gold Star is a motorcycle made by BSA from 1938–1963. They were 350 cc and 500 cc single-cylinder four-stroke production motorcycle known for being among the fastest bikes of the 1950s...
and was named after the Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
race track on a former wartime airfield in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. 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 cut away in the bottom of the fuel tank and race cams boosted performance to up to 120 mph. 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 couldn't save Velocette and the company was wound up in 1968, with remaining stock sold until mid 1970. The Thruxton has gone on to become one of the most sought after Velocette motorcycles today, however, and many private owners convert standard Venoms to the more valuable Thruxton specification.
24-hour world record
On the 18th March 1961 a production Velocette Venom Clubman set the 24-hour world record at an average speed of 100.05 mph. It was the first motorcycle of any size to top the 100 mph in 24 hours, and to this date no other machine of the same capacity has been able to equal or improve on this record. The record attempt took place at the MontlheryMontlhéry
Montlhéry is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris.Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.-History:...
speed bowl, a 2.7 km concrete track just outside Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with a very uneven road surface and poor track lighting. A team of six French riders were accompanied by motorcycle 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 104 mph, 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 now on display at the British National Motorcycle Museum
National Motorcycle Museum (UK)
The National Motorcycle Museum occupies an site in Bickenhill, Solihull, England and holds the world's largest collection of British motorcycles. In addition to over 850 motorcycles which cover a century of motorcycle manufacture the site has conference facilities...
.
Racing success
Thruxton 500
The Thruxton 500 is a 500 mile motorcycle endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit, near Andover in Hampshire, United Kingdom, which is the fastest racetrack in the country...
endurance race. (In 1965 the race was actually held at another disused airfield, the Castle Combe Circuit
Castle Combe Circuit
Castle Combe Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Wiltshire, England, approximately from Bristol. The circuit used to be the perimeter track of a World War II airfield, and opened to racing in 1950.- History :...
). In 1967 two Velocette Venom Thruxtons, ridden by Neil Kelly and Keith Heckles gained first and second places in the Production TT that was first staged at the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
that year, with Kelly also recording the fastest lap at 91 mph. Prepared by London Velocette dealer Reg Orpin, the winning motorcycle was far from standard, for as well as being in 'Thruxton' trim, the valve gear included titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
tips to the pushrods and valve caps. A Norton Manx
Norton Manx
The Norton Manx or Manx Norton is a British racing motorcycle that was made from 1947 to 1962 by Norton Motors Ltd. A Norton had contested every Isle of Man TT race from the inaugural 1907 event through into the 1970s, a feat unrivalled by any other manufacturer, and the development and honing of...
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 the poor start Neil Kelly caught up with the other riders within three miles and went on to win the 500cc class, recording 121 mph as he passed the Highlander speed trap.