1957 Velocette MSS500 Motorcycle

Description

Velocette motorcycles were made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during its lifetime, as the mass-produced machines of the giant BSA and Norton concerns. Renowned for the quality of its products, the company was "always in the picture" in international motorcycle racing, from the mid-1920s through the 1950s, culminating in two World Championship titles (1949–1950 350 cc) and its legendary and still-unbeaten (for single-cylinder, 500 cc machines) 24 hours at over 100 mph (161 km/h) record. Velocette, while small, was a great technical innovator and many of its patented designs are commonplace on motorcycles today, including the positive-stop foot shift and swinging arm rear suspension with hydraulic dampers. The MSS model debuted in the mid- ‘30s as Velocette’s large capacity OHV bike. A 495cc single, it trumped the 250cc MOV and 350cc MAC for range bragging rights. The MSS went on hiatus in 1948 as Velocette concentrated on newer models but made a return in 1954, with a square 86mm by 86mm bore/stroke single, now at 499cc. It produced 25bhp and was considered in period to be one of the best handling British bikes of the era.