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I have one of the first batch of the K100 ,1983 chassis 00000499 It was one, if not the first one sold retail in the UK. I have had it from new and now it is too heavy for me . I offered it to Sammy miller museum but they do not have room for it.

The first error in the title. 100cc…. Ouff.

I didn’t think it was available in a 100cc. Maybe they meant 1000.

Lovely bike, but cant believe you ride without gloves, thats just stupidity..

I had 1 of these. I had cooling problems with it: coolant in the oil. HG i thought. Wrong! Turned out that this bike has an oilpump and coolant pump on the SAME AXEL. There's a seal between the 2 pump chambers and that had failed. I fixed it and after that it was all good. Is it a good tourer? I say no. Because the K100 generates lots of vibrations thru the foot pegs AND handle bars. Very tiring. Stock seat is a bit meh. I think the K75 was/is the better bike because that has a balance shaft to combat vibrations from the 3cyl. All the early R airheads and K bikes tend to smoke a bit on cold startup. That is inherent to the design of horizontal cylinders. Oil runs down the cyl walls and accumulates below on the bores. On cold startup it burns off that oil. Not really an issue. Just keep checking the oil level.

Scott had kick-starters WAY before 1930.

Average everything 😁

And putting it on its side stand can turn it into….

Scott had a kick-starter LONG before the 1930s.

Had one that got to 350,000

I'm not a mechanic, just familiar with things, but I think, if you jerk the back wheel and there is a knock, you discovered a faulty wheel bearing, not a faulty drive shaft. And in the drive shaft housing there is oil, not grease.

Good Man!

It had adjustable seat height. 7:23

FYI The turn signals are selfcancelling.

My 85 Nighthawk 650 have 73 hp

But there was a time when we could pick these machines up for about £10.. !!! I have a Matchless G80 and I remember when I was a teenager a mate of mine paid £6.50 for one!.. It was the first machine that I ever went on the back off.. Needless to say.. The bike was destroyed ragging it around the fields.. I paid £7,000 for my Matchless!😮😮.. But it is mint..

That design is timeless. Love my K. I've got a ride video up. Check it out, if you care.

When I see the large wheels I am inspired, but I know there are a lot of things that happen when you actually set the triangulation and centrugal force to riding

That must be a very tall first gear. Twice now I've heard the Velocettes were smooth engines; I wonder why other Brit thumpers weren't.

I have a 1994 K1100LT that had been stored for 10 years before she came into my ownership. A change of all fluids, filters etc along with some new fuel, connect the new battery and pushed the starter button and after a couple of tries away it went purring like a kitten. That was 7 years ago and after moving to live i Tunisia in 2021 we returned later in the year to the UK to collect the K11 and given travel restrictions in place we had to travel from Yorkshire to Genoa in 3 days to catch the ferry over to Tunisia. This was done 2 up fully loaded and using motorways all the way through France and into Italy and she never missed a beat. She now lives in the sunshine and is still purring along like the day she came of the production line.

I met Geoff Dodkin in his retirement at his bungalow. I was there to see him regarding something other than bikes. I walked in to his workshop to be met with a Velocette frame. I had no idea who he was and he never once blew his own trumpet. Once he realised I knew something about old bikes he told me about all the pictures on the wall and old nose cones with the numbers on. We had a fab chat and he told me to call again and have a cup of tea. He and his wife were what I would call genuine people.

Please put some gloves on.

The Venom's handling is superb - especially with taper rollers in the headset - This is why many of the racers of the day including Hailwood and Grant cut their racing teeth on Velos

Thanks for keeping videos on, a fitting tribute to Rob Davies.

Loved the video and am considering buying one for daily use. My only worr is parts availability. Where could one get parts if anything was to go wrong?

Not sure about this bloke, those clogs look highly suspect...

Isn't that modern front tire mounted incorrectly? He directs the water to the middle, which doesn't make you happy.

My last motorbike was a Venom. I bought it second-hand and rebuilt it. It was a wonderful bike to ride and I even tortured it by using it to commute 30 miles each way from Chelmsford to the City for a couple of years. Surprisingly tractable in traffic but cruised at 70 on the A12 with plenty in reserve, and topped out in the high 90's. The handling on a twisty back road was better than any other bike I rode. I only sold it when a pretty serious health condition ended my motorcycling days.

The bikes were originally named Véloce. A later smaller model was called Velocette and that name came to apply to all models.

Wonderful video. I like the K100 with the Pichler fairing.

I live in the USA, and I fondly remember pouring over Jeff Clews’ Scott book as a young man dreaming one day to even see one in person….I had to visit the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham to finally fulfill my dream. Extremely rare machines over here.

Fortunately, I have the most indestructible of all BMWs, a 1986 K 75 s. And I'm happy about every well-made flying brick video. Thanks for that.

Wish I had someone to help me with my Honda night hawk SC 1982 650 !!!!!!!!!

I'm completely on board with the brown clogs and black t-shirt look.

I loved the sound of the Velo on the road. Back in the 70's bought a Thruxton from Geoff Dodkin that I used for everyday use and for production racing at club level. I was a great bike for both. Many thanks for the video, it brought back so many memories.

Great video and very well explained! Thank you for all the effort put into it! :) I have a K1100 myself and I both love it and hate it at times. One thing I don't understand is why people don't like the indicators. They just make so much sense to me and are so much easier to use than having to toggle a switch with your thumb. I'm upset not more bikes come with it :))

Doesn't look like the handlebars are original. Look nothing like mine

*1000cc

Aw look a nuclear bomb BOOOM!! Well that dus'nt appen evroi daioiy!!!

for those who are not retarted, this is a 1000cc motorcycle

Had a chuckle about having your engine up in the bedroom, we all did. One friend had his bike up there and I remember his parents reaction when the rear wheel backed into the livingroom so as we could maneuver it up the stairs. What about Duckhams chain guard, a round can of oil that you put your chain in and heated up on the stove. What a stink, mother didn't like that stunt.

One look at les's jumper convinced me that he is an expert on classis Britis motorcycles.

Love these. I'd love to see detailed drawings and cutaways of the engine. Anyone know where one can find them online?

I can attest to getting on in years part I have had my '85 model over 20 years and I do have to hit the gym to stay strong enough for garage maneuvers, out on the road no problem. I don't see a day when I would ever sell it.

Great viewing

Still make em today.

Many thanks to Les and Denise for making my dream come true. I bought a Rob North frame kit from them in 2012 with the goal of racing in the Classic TT which I managed to achieve in 2017, finishing 46th in the Classic Superbike race and so becoming the last ever person to race a Rob North Triple over the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course . This would never have been possible without the help and advice from Les. Andy Lee.

The K75 triple is even better :)

I'm considering a clean 87 for a 2nd bike but the pricing is high enough to be in/near 99-01 best of the 5th gen honda VFR territory...

that paint job is sick