I absolutely love motorcycles. Not just the nuts & bolts of the machines but the riding, the experience, the camaraderie. It’s just so immersive and full-on fun.
Over far too many years riding bikes, some testing, occasional racing, lots of high mileage rides, factory visits, hospital visits and broken bones, I’ve finally accepted that easy-going, non-challenging riding of classic and retro motorcycles is where I should be.
And why not? Classic bikes need a tad more maintenance than new motorcycles but at least it’s mostly do-able with a reasonable workshop. Retro style modern motorcycles are a great combination of what’s enjoyable and what’s fun, and the whole classic/retro scene is so much more civilised than it used to be.
So what floats my boat these days?
It has to be a Velocette. Of all the motorcycles I’ve had or ridden through my long life, the one that keeps bugging me is a Velo. A 500cc Venom, to be precise, that is as near original as possible and is fairly well sorted. I want to ride it not rebuild a pile of bits.
When the notion of buying a Velocette Venom first lodged itself into my brain, I started a casual look around at bikes for sale and quickly realised that I needed to be a bit more organised about this. There are differences in spec that can make a huge difference in appeal. Do you want a Venom with Clubman or even Thruxton spec? Or one that looks like those two racing orientated models but is basically a road going bike?
A matrix of desirable elements beckoned… but I’m completely hopeless at that so when a mate, Miles, offered me his Velocette at a fair price, I just had to look at it.
It wasn’t just a case of heart ruling my head. Miles is a talented and diligent engineer who works on classic light aircraft as well as motorcycles, and he gave me a list of all the work he’d carried out on his Velo. It was extensive and thorough. And in all the buying advice I’d read about Velocette big singles, the bit about getting one with a sound engine stood out. Rebuilding an engine is expensive, meticulous work and not for amateurs like me.
Provenance counts
Equally, I became aware of the importance of provenance. The difference between a £5,000 Velocette and an £8,000 Velocette is not always about condition (although that’s important too). It’s also about the paperwork showing some light into the bike’s history. Similarly, someone asking £10,000 plus needs not just to have a great looking, immaculate bike but also extensive history. Matching numbers – ie, the frame and engine numbers are correct and as per the original records – plus the original buff logbook and correct number plate make a huge difference in value.
You can make a good argument to say that stuff doesn’t matter. What’s important is the ride-ability of the motorcycle. You’re right… to an extent. Looking after old motorcycles is expensive. Parts are available, mostly, but are not cheap. So, if you put £5k into restoring, or just keeping roadworthy, a motorcycle, you need to have a reasonable chance of not losing too much money should you need to sell it.
According to Velocette records, this matching number 500cc Venom was built in 1960 but first registered in the UK on 22 September 1961. It’s equipped with exactly the spec I’d like: standard Venom apart from the Thruxton petrol tank and twin leading shoe front brake. It also has alloy wheel rims which I’m less bothered about. It comes with a huge history file that shows much maintenance over the years with a substantial amount of mechanical work from 2007/08. It is also suppled with lots of old MoTs that go back to 1979 when the mileage was 65,140.
A previous owner kept a detailed handwritten schedule of service work from 2007 until he sold the bike in 2016 at which time the mileage was 90,087. It currently shows 90,151. Importantly, it’s running well, already on the Velocette Owners Club register and has its original numberplate. It’s on sale with Godin Sporting Cars And Motorcycles of Mereworth, Kent ME18 5JG at £11,495
There’s another element too. Classic motorcycles, like it or not, are now an investment ‘opportunity’. Less expensive than top end classic cars but with potential for capital gains. There’s even one firm, The Motorcycle Broker, which talks about ‘investment grade’ motorcycles and seems to do great business finding the right machines to sell on.
So, anyway, this project – Kickstart & Magneto – is about celebrating these wonderful old motorcycles but with a keen eye on values and what affects that. We’ll be watching auctions, other sales, renovation costs and case studies, but also remembering that what unites us is the enjoyment of these old motorcycles.
