1936 Velocette 348cc KSS Mk II

• Owned by the vendor since 1956
• Restored over a 20 year period
• Electrical system uprated to 12 volts

After an initial foray with bicycles, the Goodman family concern produced its first motorcycle under the name of Veloce in 1905. In spite of financial complications thereafter, further machines were made under this name until the Velocette title was rolled out for the first time in 1913. In the boom years of the pre-Great War period the company prospered. Their first appearance at the TT in 1913 was inauspicious however, and, interrupted by the great conflict, they had achieved only a couple of third places before 1926. The firm's radical overhead camshaft four stroke Model K had joined the range in 1925, and been raced at the TT that year but without distinction, when all three entries failed to finish due to rocker problems. Their initial victory would not be until the junior race of 1926 with Alec Bennett the victor. Having been firmly committed to two-stroke engines up to this point, the Bennett victory sealed Velocette's change of tack, and thenceforth the company's future would forever be linked mainly to four-strokes, and cammy engines in particular. After the first OHC model K, a sports version, the KSS, was produced in the same year, with increased compression, and sportier cams. Initially with a three-speed gearbox, it was later uprated with a four-speed. The Mark II version followed in 1936.

Our private vendor purchased HV 6642 in 1956 from an engineer friend, and paid the seller in instalments. The machine was used, initially, to commute to work and back, and occasionally it was also used for racing. After approximately 3 years, the bike was retired from road use and left at his parents' home in 1958/59, where it languished unused until the early 1980s when he decided to restore it. The restoration took until the early 1990s to complete, and it included an engine and gearbox rebuild by a Rolls Royce engineer, who was a member of the Velocette Owners Club. At the time of the engine rebuild the original crankcases were found to be cracked, and therefore replaced with the existing set. All the cycle parts were repainted and the bright work re-chromed; the wheels were rebuilt with new rims and stainless spokes; the electrics were rewired and uprated to a 12-volt system; the magneto and dynamo were rebuilt; the front forks were re-bushed and steering head bearings replaced; anything which required attention was attended to. Following completion of the restoration, the Velo has been used only for local VMCC events and shows, often winning prizes. In recent years HV 6642 has had a further magneto rebuild in 2024, and in 2025 it was retired from the road due to the owner's advancing years and domestic commitments, hence its present sale. Accordingly, the machine should require only light re-commissioning and safety checks before taking to the road with a new owner.

Documentation comprises a current V5C, an older V5C, an old type V5, a continuation VE60 dating from 1948, a quantity of invoices/receipts, and various handbooks/parts lists, and sundry papers.
Offered without key