2011 Velocette Spring Opener

Saturday was the 20-something annual Spring Opener ride for the Velocette Club of North America.  We rode around the Napa Valley, across on 121, then up 128 to Pope Valley.  Around Lake Hennessey and down the Silverado Trail, then across the terrible hwy 29,  littered with traffic of limousines filled with winos.  Up the very steep 18% Oakville grade, then down Dry Creek Road to John and Sue’s place for some food and grog.

 

Flat tire in the parking lot of the breakfast stop.  Notice the red rag?  That is there to keep the bricks from getting oily.  )

Fred and Fred fix that front flat while Lanora watches.

 

Family portrait in Oakville.

One of the wineries at 45mph

KTT’s get ridden on Velo club events!  This is the Paul Zell mk8 KTT, formerly Ron Mead, formerly Jim Feuling.  When Mead raced it on the Isle of Man in 1950, he made it 250cc displacement, but Paul has brought it up to 400cc.

John’s mk7 KTT in the barn, shown for comparison.  Note the swingarm, which was the big change for the mk8.  I’ve posted more pics of this bike on Occhiolungo from last year’s event; try the search function to see them.

More pics of the mk8:

 

Magnesium wheel hubs and brake plates, aluminum motor mount plates, and lots of other little goodies.

 

Dennis Quinlan came all the way from Australia for the event!  We had a good chat about the Stanley Woods memorabilia and Phil Ivring’s engineering.  Here is his special, a Mark2 KSS motor in a Scrambler frame, with the early Tickle dual leading shoe front brake.   There were four or five OHC machines on the rally this year, several Thruxtons, some MSS and Venom models and a MAC or two.  Plus one or two Triumph twins snuck in.

 

Not all Velocettes are black!  Here is Gil’s green MAC.

The tax disc holder has a special logo made by Ed Gilkison.  Around the perimeter it says “take it apart, put it back together, take it apart, put it back together,..”

 

Kim’s little 1930 KSS looks really tiny in this shot.  The 21” front and rear tires help that effect.  The view is from the driveway of John and Sue’s place.  Not a bad place to live…

John E.’s pickup: