Indian Velos Colour gallery... 65

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1 Contents Acknowledgements and foreword... 5 Chapter 1 Introduction... 6 First of an important line... 6 Second in line, a four-stroke... 7 The family becomes involved... 7 That clutch again... 7 The significance of the K series machines... 7 Shades of today... 8 Bigger again The war years The MSS reintroduced Chapter 2 The final evolution American demand Racing withdrawal Racing restarts with scrambling The ISDT special An end to scrambling Reg Orpin s role Viper and Venom arrive Production racing Official return to racing Geoff Dodkin Mike Tomkinson SOX Racing Vipers Late 1950s Clubman versions announced The 24 hour record attempt Orpin road racer Production racing The Venom Thruxton begins The mid-1960s More Orpin racers Late 1960s TT win The beginning of the end Diversification Indian Velos Colour gallery Chapter 3 Engine development A basic redesign The cylinder head Valves The large valve cylinder head The valve operating mechanism Racing modifications Rockers The cylinder barrel Pistons Valve operating mechanism Cam followers Pushrods Valve clearances Cams and valve timing The bottom end Bearings Main bearings The crankcase castings Lubrication Engine breathing Oil tanks Carburation Exhaust pipes and silencers Chapter 4 Primary drive, clutch and gearbox The clutch The primary chaincase The gearbox Overall gear ratios (1953 onwards) Endurance Chapter 5 The rolling chassis and fitments The rolling chassis and fitments The frame Hubs, brakes and tyres Instruments Mudguards and their mountings Footrests and related controls Seats Petrol tanks Lighting equipment Engine fairings Chapter 6 The current situation Paintwork and chrome Suspension Wheels, hubs, brakes and tyres Frames and fairings Engines Carburettors Oil Exhausts Clutch and gearbox Electrics Suppliers Living with a Velo Chapter 7 Model identification, production figures and bibliography Engine markings Frames Engine numbers Thruxton Indians Identifying your Velo Bibliography Motorcycle production Motorcycle production figures Suppliers of parts and services Index VISIT US ON THE WEB - 4

2 average performance, it was recognised that there was a market for a larger-engined machine. A simple expedient would have been to increase the size of the small motor, but it was thought that the result may not have been successful. Designers today recognise the problems associated with large capacity cylinders. In the early 1920s, however, with inferior metallurgy and scanty lubrication, these problems would have been more acute, so, a four-stroke it had to be. The drive side of a later MOV model showing the standard layout. The family becomes involved The design of the new motor was largely the work of Percy, the elder of Goodman s two sons. This overhead camshaft four-stroke 350 appeared in 1924 and was designated the model K (the first of a much revered and respected line). Two of these machines were entered in the TT races in the Isle of Man in 1925, ridden by Fred Povey (Veloce machine tester) and Gus Kuhn, both of whom retired from the race. One of these machines actually won the TT in 1926, ridden by Velocette dealer Alec Bennett, vindicating the designer s faith and judgement. The TT races taught Veloce another lesson (as well as the need for a clutch), and a positive stop foot gearchange mechanism was soon developed by designer Harold Willis. That clutch again Soon after the introduction of the K series, the mechanism by which the pressure plate lifted was changed. Instead of a face cam pressing on a quick release thread, a hinged thrust plate mechanism was adopted. This was featured on all subsequent clutches. The fishtail silencer, another well-known Velo feature, was used on the later ohc models, and the method of construction, employing handed steel pressings surrounding a baffle tube, was subsequently adopted for the M series silencers. A factory publicity photograph featuring an iron engine ohc model of the early thirties. The machines produced in this period had a particular shortcoming: they didn t have a clutch (the drive was through a simple two or three speed gearbox). Consequently, a suitable design of clutch was fitted in The heavily offset crankcase dictated either a complete redesign, or a very slim clutch. Expedience won the day and the ancestor of all subsequent Velo clutches was created. This design, which has been applauded and ridiculed, attacked and defended by generations of motorcyclists ever since, continued until the last Venom left the Hall Green Works! The little two-stroke had another significant claim to fame. As it followed on from the larger bikes, it was aptly named a Velocette. The name stuck and all subsequent models carried it on the tank. The Velocette two-stroke stayed in production until 1940, although a few were assembled from some remaining parts after the war. Second in line, a four-stroke Although the small Velocette gave well above The significance of the K series machines The 1926 TT win by Alec Bennett aroused much greater interest in the Velocette marque, and the ohc models began to be considered more from the sporting point of view. Various derivatives were then offered in response to the demand that developed, each with a different specification. These were known as the KSS, KTS and the KTT. The ohc engine and cycle parts went through a process of continuous development, with the lessons learned from TT races being incorporated into each year s machines. Again, most of the development work is attributable to Percy Goodman. There is no disputing the quality of design and the honest approach; nothing was done for the sake of fashion. Even so, the overhead cam motor needed highly skilled fitters to assemble it and this was reflected in the price. 7

3 Ivan Rhodes displays the ex-bob Foster Mark 8 KTT at Stanford Hall. Ivan Rhodes Roarer. 66

4 Mr Fred Dibnah on Jools Holland s Venom. (Courtesy Kos Kostovic) The winged logo is used on the fibreglass engine cover (see bottom picture, page 70) and the LE. (Courtesy Classic Transfers) Left: This Viper Special, pictured at Stanford Hall during an annual Velocette Owners Club rally, is a delight in colour, using VW Mars red as a nice match to the original colour. The toolbox knob is a cunning theft-deterring design. 71

5 Dubbed the Little un by Geoff Steele, the gearlever works straight off the back of the camplate. Fuel goes in the top tube and is fed through a Wal Phillips fuel injector. Geoff demonstrates the comfortable riding position of the supercharged sprinter Blue Steel. 77