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£1,350
1958 Velocette Valiant 192cc. Registration number WRW 901 (see text). Frame number unknown. Engine number unknown.
Launched in 1948, as the 'motorcycle for everyman' Velocette's LE addressed the criticisms most-often levelled at motorcycles - that they were noisy, dirty and needed special clothing to ride - achieving impressive levels of silence, comfort and practicality. A sports version of such a machine must have seemed improbable but nevertheless Velocette went ahead with the idea, launching the Valiant in 1957. More conventional than its predecessor, the Valiant boasted a tubular cradle frame, air cooling, overhead valves, twin carburettors and a four-speed, foot-change gearbox but was otherwise mechanically almost identical to the LE. Significantly more sporting than the LE, the 192cc, overhead-valve engine developed 12bhp at 6,000rpm and gave the early models a top speed of around 70mph. Contemporary advertising boasted of ‘performance unbounded, economy unexcelled and reliability unswerving’. Visually, the sporting Valiant could not have been more different but the model was expensive for a machine that was not a full 250 and sales were disappointing. Production ceased in 1964.
WRW is finished in a light metallic green which appears totally original. Left for storage when the owner emigrated to Dubai, c.1990, it is being sold to cover unpaid fees by our vendor. It is registered with DVLA but there is no paperwork with the bike.
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