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Brough Superior profile (by Ian Falloon, Feb 2022) ![]() Hand-made and in bigger demand than ever Pre-war England
sported a thriving motorcycle industry. But while
majority of bikes on the road
were utilitarian single cylinder ride-to-work machines
for those who had money,
the best, and most expensive, was the Brough Superior
SS100. Some things never
change and today the Brough Superior SS100 stands at the
pinnacle of
collectibility and is still one of the most expensive
motorcycles available. During the 1920s, out
of small premises in Haydn Road, Nottingham in the North
of England, George Brough
set out to build the ultimate luxury motorcycle to
“cater for the connoisseur
rider who will have the best and fastest machine on the
road.” George also
wanted his machines to be suitable for sidecar
attachment and at that time the
only competition for big twin motorcycles came from the
American manufacturers.
Priding himself on the
finish of his motorcycles, nickel plating was evident
throughout, even on the
fuel tank. At a time when motorcycles featured
rectangular fuel tanks under the
top frame tube all Broughs had a distinctive rounded
saddle-style fuel tank.
Unlike other motorcycles of the period the Brough
Superior came fitted with
number plates, horn, acetylene lamps and generator. Brough Superior frames
and some cycle parts were made in house, while the
engines, magnetos and
carburettors were sourced from outside suppliers. The
advantage of this scheme
was Brough was insulated from excessive tooling and
design costs, but the
downside was the company was dependent on the quality
and supply from outside
concerns. The first Brough was
the SS80, powered by a 1000cc side-valve V-twin
specially manufactured by JA
Prestwich (or JAP) and in 1924 the engine was redesigned
to include overhead
valves. The new 50-degree V-twin overhead valve design
had two camshafts, each
with two cams and enclosed rockers running on ball
bearings. The two valves
were opposed at 90-degrees and lubrication was by a
constant loss mechanical
oil pump. Brough housed the new
JAP engine in a double cradle frame developed from Bert
le Vack’s
record-braking machine that had achieved 182km/h at
Brooklands in 1924.
Sturney-Archer provided a stronger three-speed handshift
gearbox and the SS100
debuted at the 1924 Olympia Show, each coming with a
guarantee that it had been
timed at over 100mph (161km/h). In 1925 Brough and
engineer friend Harold Karslake patented the Castle
front fork, these more like
those used on Harley-Davidsons than the Brampton type
that distinguished other
British motorcycles. Later in the year the
SS100 evolved into an even sportier version, the Alpine
Grand Sports. The 995cc
engine was now longer stroke (80 x 99mm) with a roller
bearing lower end and
Brough and FP Dickson entered two in the Alpine Trial,
both winning trophies.
Eventually the Alpine Grand Sports evolved into the
Pendine, named after the
Welsh racetrack and guaranteed to exceed 110mph
(177km/h). In 1928 (as on the
example here) an optional frame featuring a triangulated
rear section and under
seat springing was offered on the Alpine Grand Sports.
The Achilles heel of all
Broughs were the pressed steel single leading shoe
brakes, simply because
George was more interested in going fast than stopping. During the 1930s the
SS100 gained a foot gearshift, and in November 1933 it
received a new twin
carburettor dual magneto JAP engine and a four-speed
transmission. But
eventually George Brough grew tired of dealing with JAP
quality control issues
and switched the SS100 to an overhead valve Matchless
50-degree V-twin. The
Matchless engine was not as powerful as the JAP, but
more refined and the SS100
remained in production as the spearhead of the range
until motorcycle
production ceased in 1940. Other Broughs
emphasised quietness and comfort but the SS100 was
always unashamedly
performance oriented, and because of this the JAP
powered versions considered
the more desirable. Why is the Brough
Superior so revered? In these days of mass-production it
is difficult to
envisage how Brough Superior survived. Between 1920 and
1940 only about 3000
Brough Superiors were built, with a handful of SS100s,
and the company was
virtually a one-man concern. Every aspect of the
Brough Superior placed it beyond the reach of the
average motorcyclist. George
Brough was happy to build just one high quality
motorcycle in preference to ten
cheaper machines and his obsession with quality and
performance has ensured his
motorcycles are still amongst the most coveted of all.
Always built to the
highest standard, they represent a bygone era; one where
quality came first and
profits second. ------------------------------------------------- Produced by AllMoto abn 61 400 694 722 |
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