Lockdown Velocette

Though we’re hopefully nearing the end of lockdown, it’s inspired an apt new project, trying to make a tasty meal out of all the leftovers.

During the lockdown period, while I’ve been staying and working at my dad’s, we – mainly dad, to be fair – have been onwith various projects, but now my brother’s Venom gearbox is working again, the 50cc Morini that we’ve had lurking for years is as far on as it can be, a 125cc V-twin Honda was tidied and moved on, and a 400cc Honda single is now a runner and only awaiting anMoT, the list has diminished.

Dad’s own machines are prettymuch all up and going these days, while even most of mine actually nowwork too. Sowhat to do next? Well, over the last couple of years (and more) I’ve been gradually accumulating and collecting Velocette parts, the main goal being to build a Rickman-style frame Venom. This has been inspired by a number of factors, includingmy friend Chelsea’s superb Triumph-powered bike (featured in our November 2018 and June 2019 issues), as well as several other Rickmans too, among them Chelsea’s dad’s – Peter having recently finished his own 500cc version.

Last summer, I went to the Rickman day at the SammyMiller Museum, and met loads of Rickman fans, as well as Don and Derek, there, even going out for a ride with some of the guys. Other people’s enthusiasm is intoxicating and before I knew it, I was ordering a frame and formulating plans and collecting parts.

Consequently, I started to get what I wanted for the Rickman, but found more… and more. And bought more and more, which added towhat I already had lurking about – including a Viper engine and accompanying frame I must’ve bought the best part of 10 years ago, the engine intended to go inaMACengined Viper we have, but it’s so sweet as it is, there seems no point inmeddling – as well as other parts.

There really are quite a lot of parts – and once we started to look, there’s basically another bike there. Project Lockdown was starting to look viable.

Step one

Let’s see what we have. Well, it’s plain to see what’s there – and actually the answer is, the majority ofamotorcycle.

Major components are present and correct. The RS (rear springing) frame has, at some point, been nickel plated, but we’ve had a good look at it and reckon that it’s not in too bad an order. Attached to the frame is the swinging arm and forks, both present and correct.

I’ve a couple of petrol tanks – though annoyingly I got rid of another tank a few years ago, which was all painted and good to go. It used to sit on top of the wardrobe in my bedroom for years, until someone mentioned they wanted one a couple of years ago, and I passed it on. I think that was the same destination for a ‘big tank’ Viper/ Venom type ‘ears’ seat as well.

What I’m left with is a slightly jadedaround-the-edgesThruxton type tank; it has the cutaway for the GP carb as on theThruxton, plus the Monza-style filling gap. It also has some hand-painted lining, seemingly done in council yellowpaint (don’t know if it glows in the dark yet…) and Velocette transfers of the type used in the 1930s, celebrating the various TTwins.

Remaining tank number two is a rigid frame MAC one, as used, inmodified form, on the MSS scrambler, which wouldn’t take a lot of fettling to fit either. I’d fitted it loosely in one of my primary build-ups of the bike. This tank though looks to have had a jolly hard life…

Enclosed within the cycle parts will be the engine and gearbox. I’ve a Viper engine, which has been rebuilt in the dim and distant past – we think. Long story, but the idea was that the parts of this bike I acquired would enable me to turn the MACengined Viper back into a ‘proper’ Viper.

As for gearboxes: I’ve currently one prefix 12 stuck in Stroud, one (another 12) in bits, another in Surrey (though not all of one) and a prefix 14 too, the MSS type with different ratios. Fromall of these I’ll have a 12 for the Rickman rep, and another 12 for the Viper, leavingme withaMSS left over. But the 12 cases I have are damaged, so I’m hoping the Surrey onemight work out there, otherwise we will use the 12 gears in a 14 shell, which is, I think, the same.

Step two

Make a plan. I’magreat one for planning all sorts of schemes (see the Rickman episode, amongmany others…) and so having assessed what we have here, we’ll get going to decide what to do with it all.

I decided to get it all out in the garden, in its loosely bolted up form– as I’ve brought it to dad’s – and see what was what. With some of the other bits brought along too, it was starting to really look rather motorcycle-like.

Appearances, as we all know, can be somewhat deceptive. It really isn’t as complete as the picturemight suggest – the bits aremainly hung off it. There’s a fair amount of work to do.

My first task was to complete an inventory of what I had – and what I’ll potentially need. With what I’d brought with me, plus raiding my dad’s sheds, we started to assemble something resemblingamotorcycle.

Step three

Looking at what we have, there are various things – including several silencers and such – that I’mnot sure will work. My aim is to reuse asmuch as I can – I even found amudguard outside at dad’s, I reckon it’s the one off his AJS (see page 48) from years ago, which might come in handy. With the brackets for the headlight, the chrome is shot, the same as the headlight itself and the engine plates are chrome too, and again seen better days.

There’s a few bits I forgot to include in the photograph: as mentioned, I’ve most of a prefix 12 (Viper and Venom) gearbox in bits, and another stuck in Surrey, plus I found a couple of magnetos as well, so will pick the best of what we have, although a rebuild would be a good idea, I’m sure.

As we dissemble we’ll start tomake a list of what we need. The idea was/is not to send too much money, but already I can see costs creeping up. I thought if we could do it for an outlay of £1000, and in 12 months, that’d be a good target, with the reality being it’ll take £2000 (minimum) and two years, as these things always take twice as long as you plan!

But now we have put it all ‘sort of’ together, it’s going to be a case of taking it apart and from there start tomake some progress.

First job (after strip down) will be to get the wheels done, as a project without wheels is just an immovable object. I found a brand-new rear tyre inmy shed, but will have to buy a front; I’ll use a 3.25 x 19 ribbed at the front, to go with the 3.50 x 19 SMrear I have in stock.

We’re going to rub down and paint the frame ourselves, the idea being to do as much as possible ‘in house’ and see howwe get on.

Wish us luck!

What I definitely need…

■ Front tyre

■ Nipples and spokes

■ Set of handlebars

■ Speedo and speedo bracket ■ Battery box

■ Toolbox (with battery box – Thruxton-esque?)

■ Dynamo

■ Dynamo cover rear/inner ■ Oil tank repair

■ And lots more!

This is what we’ve got!

Glass fibre engine covers, acquired by me a while back. We’ll not be using them this time.

One wonders why? For some reason, oil tank bracket been chopped off. It’s rather crudely bolted to the back of the home- made battery box.

Thruxton- esque tank cutaway on the ‘big tank.’ Whether this one has been modified or is a real tank, not sure – modified is my hunch.

Found in one of dad’s sheds, a dynamo belt cover. I couldn’t find the back of it, or a dynamo though, but he reckons there might be one somewhere.

Toolbox; not sure what it’s from, we thought it was perhaps Velo, but don’t think it is. It’s been put back in the shed.

This carb was bought a few years ago, for the Viper, but it was last tried on dad’s MSS.

Set of handlebars, found in one of the sheds at dad’s. A Clubman was supplied new with up- turned standard bars. These ones are too narrow, but sufficed for the photographs.

Research! This is what ‘working from home’ looks like… I’m aiming for an amalgamation of the two on screen. Quite fancy a red tank.

Headlamp shell is probably too far gone, same as the brackets, and may have to be replaced.

Single leading shoe front brake. Not ideal, but it’ll do to start with.

Rear light is as fitted to BSAs and Triumphs – but not Velos. Though it still looks alright.

Borrani rims look good and will be pressed back into service, probably with new nipples and spokes.

My records! More questions than answers as yet.

Rigid- framed MAC tank was going to be used at one point, but think we’ll go for the big Thruxton type one instead.

Levers will clean up and be reused. Cuppini seem to have been popular on scooters.

Hung together. Sort of the look we’ll aim for. The single seat looks better than the Thruxton type one, to my eye anyway.

Kick- start and gear lever aren’t perfect – but will be fine for now. That’s the view we will take initially, anyway.