The Knowledge - Velocette Owners Club

yokes ok I also used the rope Spanish windlass trick and a few thumps with a heavy hide ended
hammer to overcome the stick friction if you know what I mean. I also use the bumping technique to
ensure the forks were bottomed and the spindle aligned before tightening the forks bolts as per the red
book.
L #1731 I have reassembled the forks on a venom and topped them up with oil. There is a slight
oil leak past the large retaining nut which secures the damper assembly inside the bottom of the fork
leg. The BMS service series book says this is common and can be fixed by removing the nut with the
weight on the bike to keep the damper in position after draining the oil. They degrease the thread etc
and use 3M super weather strip adhesive, or a sealer used on Vauxhall Viva's (that dates it). Does
anyone know of a more modern sealant that I can find easily?
#1733 Bath silicon works a treat. I also make up top hat washers to accurately locate the 3/8 bsf thread
in the much larger hole.
L #1838 I have a Venom 57 which is currently fitted with Girling units of type TT Gas Shock.
These might be fine for racing, but is uncomfortable in regular road use. I am looking for a set of units
with a softer setting ideal for one-up on road. I know of a few alternatives: Hagon, NJB. Are there more
alternatives, and which is the one to choose ? Nice if someone with experience from testing several
alternatives could give me a recommendation. Any thoughts about ideal spring rating front and rear?.
#1839 I would recommend that you use the standard spring rating for Velocette shocks and simply set
the top mount in the forward part of the mounting arc if you want a softer setting, or the rearward part if
you want a harder ride or are carrying a pillion. This is the reason for the Velo spring frame design and
is superior to other manufacturers' designs up to and including the present day. This is because 99% of
other machines which have any form of adjustment on the suspension system use spring preload
adjustment to compensate for carrying heavier loads. This method does not change the spring rate
(which is what you really want) but basically alters the ride height by changing the amount of load
required to start compressing the spring(s). Ideally your machine should be set up so that sitting under
its own weight there should be a small amount of sag (about 8-10mm at the rear and 20-25mm at the
front). This can be done on the rear on Velos with Girling, Hagon or Koni shocks by adjusting the
preload ramp cam to give the required amount of sag. When you then adjust the position of the top
mount in its arc, the resultant change in leverage ratio changes the effective spring rate without having
to change the spring, which would be the only way to achieve the same result on any machine with
fixed suspension mounts. If you have damping adjustment on your units (a luxury not afforded to most
Velo owners although some Koni units do have some internal adjustment) you should not make the
mistake of winding on too much damping. The trick is to have just enough to keep the machine under
control - too much rebound will cause the units not to recover quickly enough after hitting a bump and
wind itself down over a series of bumps in quick succession with the effect that the ride will feel hard
due to the system working on a harder part of the spring and in some cases the machine might develop
a weave due to the resultant change in geometry. Too much compression will transmit shocks straight
through to the frame and will give the feeling of riding a road drill!
#1840 Many of us here in the US have had Works Performance shocks on our VM and VMT's for
years; the owner, Gilles Vaillancourt, is a Velo enthusiast, and has made what some consider the
perfect Velo shock. I think John Ray described them best, 'you just don't notice them when you're
riding' - high praise when you think how often you 'notice' your worn out Girlings! They have modern
internal specs, and I think he offers 'deception' shocks which have long covers like early Woodhead
units, but I've always used the open spring type which look appropriate on my VMT (yes, my '60
Clubman uses nos Woodheads, which are rapidly becoming noticeable).
L #1916 Are the original Velo clip-ons longer in bar length than generics available today; are they
different in any other way?
#1924 I don't think that the current ones will be any different in length , but watch out on the fork leg
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