1969 Velocette Sportsman Solo 500cc Motorcycle

Description

Made by Veloce Ltd in Hall Green, Birmingham, Velocette was a small but very successful, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during its lifetime as the mass-produced machines of the giant BSA and Norton concerns.  Renowned for the quality of its products, the company was active in international motorcycle racing from the mid-1920s through the 1950s, culminating in two World Championship titles (1949–1950 350 cc) and its legendary, still-unbeaten record for single-cylinder 500 cc machines over 24 hours at over 100 mph set in March 1961.  Despite a reputation for technical innovation, Velocette was in serious decline by the late 1960s and the disaster of the Viceroy scooter sounded the death-knell for the company.  As a swansong the Sportsman model introduced for the Australian market in late 1969 proved a fitting finale.  Created at the behest of local Sydney importer Burling & Simmons and derived from the Thruxton, the Sportsman shared many of the same features including the two-way damped forks, front brake, instrumentation and petrol tank.  Mechanically the Sportsman used the standard Venom Clubman head and an Amal 32mm carburettor for a claimed power output of 37 bhp at 6200rpm, while the Thruxton’s swept-back exhaust was retained.  According to Jim Scaysbrook (the editor of Old Bike Australasia and himself a Sportsman owner since 1971), just 40 were completed and shipped to Norm Burling’s Parramatta Road premises in late 1969 and early 1970, the majority with coil ignition although some were still using magnetos.  Four also went elsewhere; one to Sweden, one to the USA and two remained in Britain.  Of the Australian delivered Sportsmans, historians can account for three quarters, many held by long-term owners - these old-school British sports bikes are highly regarded by local enthusiasts and rarely come on the open market.