1969 Velocette Venom

1969 VELOCETTE VENOM
By 1969, Velocette was a year from closing its doors. Whether they knew that in 1969 or not is questionable, but surely they realized they were in dire straights, financially. Velocette was the one British brand still building bikes in the 1960s that never fielded a vertical twin. The only twins they built were a weird selection of little bikes, like the LE, the Viceroy and the Vogue, all with horizontally-opposed, water-cooled, 149cc flathead twin-cylinder engines making all of 8 horsepower. As far as middleweights and heavyweights, and performance bikes, Velocette was totally vested in big singles. By the mid-60s, development had reached its zenith, with bikes like the 1969 Velocette Venom making 41 horsepower out of a 500 OHV single, and at 6,200 rpm no less.

TRADITION OR OBSOLESCENCE?
While the 1969 Velocette Venom was advanced for a pushrod single, when compared to 1969 mode-year bikes coming out of Japan, like the Honda 450 and 750, or the Kawasaki Mach III 500 triple, it was woefully inadequate. They had become anachronisms, products of another era. And they looked like it. Where bikes from Triumph, BSA, Norton, and even Royal Enfield continually updated the looks of their bikes to keep them modern, Velocette never seemed to be so inclined. Even their newest models, like the 1969 Velocette Venom, had a decidedly dated look, like a bike designed in the 1940s, and so they were. Despite all that, the Venom was a fast, light, great-handling machine that was fun to ride, with gobs of torque on tap.

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1969 Velocette Venom SPECIFICATIONS