1967 Velocette Thruxton revived after 40 years in boxes

Smoke due to new piston rings .

[hugostiglitz]

My father bought a Velocette Thruxton in 1970. I inherited it in 1995. I'm just getting used to starting it now!😁

[arturoespinosa]

According to my dad, this was the best English bike of all times, he had three at different times, and he was a Velocette lover, best handling, very light, very fast, no vibration at any rpm, these were some of my dad compliments to Velocette.

[bobs]

I’ve never owned a Velocette but had one in my possession for a number of years.
It was a ‘68 Venom and belonged to a friend who was a guitar maker in Austin TX. I did some work on it and since he was too busy to ride the thing, it lived at my shop (lucky me!).
I always bump-started it since my right foot has had a couple of surgeries and I didn’t want to risk it. I lived at the top of a hill and the old Velo always started quite easily.
It was very enjoyable to ride, long-legged and handled quite well.

[davidmarshall]

I can still remember going pillion to my dads mate Jim Merriman. Velocette Thruxton. the quality of the ride and the sound has never left me. this has just brought it all back. i'd be about 13yrs old back on the old Velo with Jim. i'm 58yrs old now. both Jim and the old Velocette are long gone. happy days.

[lifuranph.d.]

I bought a new special order Thruxton from the L.A. importer in 1969 [VMT621]. One of the last mag models [Lucas Racing Mag], small pipe, Lucas v-belt generator. I took off the stock seat and installed a stock AJS-7R seat. My Velo was a real good looker. It always drew a crowd when I parked it.

I dropped an inlet valve in my first AFM 500cc production race at Vacaville. I recrowned the combustion chamber, fitted a new MC piston and installed a Chrysler 2-1/8'' inlet valve, converted the valve springs to coils, so the valves wouldn't float until 7800 rpm. I still have the original piston with the head of the stock inlet valve jammed into the piston crown.

I fitted racing tires and rode it as my daily ride for over 20k, and racing it in AFM, ACA and AMA 500cc production class races for several seasons...with the usual Velo trials and tribulations.

Cold, it was a 2 kick start, hot just 1 kick. AFM had a ''run across the track and kick start your bike, race start''. I got a 10' handicap because I had a bad foot/ankle and a bad limp. It usually started with 1 kick and was in the first 5 off the start line.

I got tired of working on my Velo, when it racked up the miles, I sold it for $850. New I paid $1250. It was all worn out, but started well and sounded fantastic. A local S.F. Bay Area Hippie that bought it, was absolutely ecstatic. I never saw it again.

I still carry the clutch adjusting tool on my keychain for luck. At 76 I really need good luck

[affordableplumbingandelect]

A good mate had a 66 Thruxton, and man he could lay it over so well. I had a 67 Bonneville that could beat it in a straight line, but when it came to bends he'd leave me for dead.

[martinpye]

Beautiful bike. A real classic, and now worth a fortune.

[jonathanredman]

Lovely bike. Interesting those adjustable angle rear shocks.

[thomaslinden.]

Looks very authentic unlike almost all first starts on YouTube that are not really first starts. Congratulations.

[Vintagewheelz]

Oil might have been sitting in the crank case for ages, even thought he may have changed it, it takes some running to get back to normal .. that's usual in british motorcycles !👍 Good job buddy !!👍

[misterjones]

When I was on my way to college in 1967, I used to see a guy every morning using a Velo Thruxton as his ride to work transport - I always wondered if he raced it at the weekends? - lovely bike.

[BCUMF]

first start in 40 years ! a real thrill ! thanks for the showing of it .

[paulmorris]

Ah the joys of velo starting.You either made it or you didnt! I used to love taking mine apart as they were so easy to work on. My clubman and other velos never smoked like yours is/was doing. It was a sad the day i got rid of mine but its life.I stil love to see them on the road occasionally.

[garyholt]

To me there has always been something so simplistic about English single cylinder motorcycles ..Whether the bikes were Norton, BSA, Matchless, AJS, or Velocette. So simple. Single cylinder, carby, one inlet one exhaust valve, just not a lot to go wrong, and if they did bteak not a lot to replace or repair.

[conanhayle]

you lucky man, , how I have wanted one of these for over 50 years

[JR-bjuf]

I saw the title and I figured they were going to start it.Little did I know the were going to use race rollers. I had a buddy with a Vellocette and he lived on a hill. If he hadn't he would never have gotten that thing started. It has the shortest kick start lever known to man!

[RichTay]

Excellent job, well done. Frankly, I'd be worried if a newly rebuilt bike DIDN'T smoke a little! I'd think it had been put together dry?

[MrRunner]

Oh this is fantastic. Well done the Velofellow. 2" GP carb, .002 preload on the mains, I remember it all. I was going to buy one from Geoff Dodkin in E. Sheen, but passed as they were so difficult to start and I need a bike for work, so I got a CB750. THE best gearbox ever made. An ugly duckling, but oh, so smooth and accurate.

[andybelcher]

Fantastic, a true jewel. I have to make a comment though; everyone is mentioning the Velocette Thruxton which is not technically correct, it is a Venom Thruxton, the race tuned version of the Venom, named after Thruxton racecourse.

[paulroberts]

Stating it was an art form. We would come out the pepper pot cafe and my mates would be a mile down the road before I got it started. It always seemed like 40 years to start it. Once it was going it was brilliant, wish I still had it.