Monday 20 February 2017

Velocette Venom Thruxton (1965) Review, Top speed, Color

Posted By: ygshhd 22:43 Leave a Reply

Velocette Venom Thruxton

Thruxton’s 499cc motor used a big Amal carburettor and new cylinder head to increase power output to 40bhp.

Features including low handlebars, sticking-up twin instruments, big front drum brake and humped seat gave the Thruxton a suitably racy appearance.

I single-cylinder roadsters that were closely i related to racing machines, and the fastest and most famous of them all was the Venom Thruxton. Sleek, singleminded and ready to take to the track with minimal modification, the 500cc Thruxton was in many respects the ultimate street racer of the 1960s.

Essentially a tuned and race-kitted version of the Venom, Velocette’s standard (though still distinctly sporty and uncompromising) large- capacity model, the Thruxton was named after the Hampshire circuit where the marque had been consistently successful in long-distance production racing. Indeed, the model owed its existence directly to the competition experience that the firm from Hall Green in Birmingham had gained, most notably at the gruelling and prestigious Thruxton 500-mile (805km) event.

Racy Clubman trim

Since 1956 the firm’s main sports model had been the Venom, powered by a 499cc pushrod single engine with square dimensions of 86 x 86mm. Since 1960 it had been available in racier Clubman trim, with low bars, high compression piston and other mods. Then, in 1964, the factory offered a high- performance kit. This comprised a new cylinder head, with narrower valve angle, larger inlet valve and revised porting; plus a big Amal Grand Prix carburettor, which necessitated fuel and oil tanks cut away to accommodate its gaping bell-mouth.

For the following year, Velocette incorporated the kit into the new Venom Thruxton model, which also featured a suitably shaped tank - finished in striking silver - plus clip-on handlebars, humped racing seat, rearset footrests, alloy wheel rims, and a twin-leading-shoe front drum brake with a big scoop for cooling air. At a few pence under £370 the Thruxton was expensive (Velo’s hand-built bikes were never cheap, anyway), but it promised a seriously competitive level of performance.

The Venom Thruxton did not disappoint. Its uprated engine produced a claimed 40bhp at 6200rpm. which was only a few horsepower up on the Clubman but was enough to push the single's top speed to 105mph (169km/h). Despite its high state of tune the big thumper was tractable, too, Left: The Thruxton’s large- capacity fuel tank was initially finished in silver, and incorporated a cut-out in its base to allow room for the carburettor. The fishtail silencer is a Velocette trademark that dates back many decades.

The idiosyncratic Thruxton is not one of the easiest of bikes to live with, but when running well it delivers a thrilling blend of long-legged cruising ability and stable highspeed handling.

Pulling from 2000rpm in top gear and happily -mbling along at 3000rpm with plenty of instant -celeration in hand. Inevitably there was some :bration. but this cleared at about 4500rpm, -flowing reasonably comfortable 90mph (I45km/h) -ruising on the open road.

For such a race-bred machine the handling was : flawless, as the rear suspension generated some "stability at racing speeds. At 390lb (177kg) the T-.ruxton was not especially light, either. Typically r such a sporty single, it was also hard to start -nd was prone to loose bolts due to vibration.

But this was exactly the sort of high- -Tormance, race-derived and uncompromising ' -ichine that Velocette enthusiasts preferred. The Thruxton was a success, and more than 1100 were ~-ilt over the next few years; some of them, by ~ pular request, in Velocette’s traditional black- "d-gold colouring. The model finished first and -cond in its class at the Production TT too, both ' *.es lapping at almost 90mph (I45km/h).

Sadly, the Thruxton was untypical of Velocette ' Hiuction. because for years the firm had been ~ '• :ng away from its traditional customer base, disastrous result. During the 1950s, production ' the four-stroke singles had almost been -'-ndoned in favour of the lightweight, two-stroke, - fly -enclosed LE, which had failed to sell. The ;eroy. a 250cc scooter, was even more of a flop.

Specification Velocette Venom Thruxton (1965)