c1933 Brough Superior 11-50 S.V Motorcycle (Project)

Description

The largest model to emerge from the renowned Brough Superior works in Nottingham, the 11.50 was designed primarily for sidecar and police work, employing 60-degree side-valve engines supplied by J A Prestwich. The 11.50 used Brough Superior’s patented ‘Loop Design’ frame featuring a Monarch patented bottom-link front fork specifically designed for sidecar work, while the advanced four-speed gearbox was pivotal-mounted, with three close ratios and a low bottom gear. The powerful JAP V-twin motor had a bore and stroke of 85mm by 99mm, a highly polished and ported detachable cylinder head, dry-lump lubrication and was fed by a single Amal carburettor. Capable of a very respectable 65-70mph with a sidecar fitted, the 11.50 could exceed 90mph when ridden solo and proved particularly popular with Commonwealth police forces in Australia and Canada, being well suited to the wide open road. To quote the 1939 Sales Brochure, the 11.50 Special was “…specially built for the tough guys of the motor-cycling game” and was also available in Colonial trim, with long rear-swept handlebars, twist-grip controls, foot-boards, foot clutch and gear-change. Produced of the exclusive 11.50 was, like all of George Brough’s machines, limited by the high price. Just 308 are thought to have been made between 1932 and 1940, when Brough Superior ceased all motorcycle manufacturing, switching to precision engineering thereafter and leaving behind a remarkable two-wheeled legacy.