Jay Leno's Garage Showcases A 1939 Brough Superior Motorcycle

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1939 Brough Superior, one of finest British bikes ever made

1939 Brough Superior

More information on the Brough Superior, from Wikipedia

Brough Superior (play /ˈbrʌf/ BRUF) motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. They were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motor Cycle newspaper. Approximately 3,048 of 19 models were made in 21 years of production. In 2004, around 1,000 still exist. T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") owned seven of these motorcycles and died from injuries sustained while crashing one. George Bernard Shaw was another among many celebrities who were enthusiastic about Brough products.

George Brough was a racer, designer, and showman. All Brough Superior motorcycles were high performance and superior quality. Most were custom-built to the customer's needs, and rarely were any two of the same configuration. Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was for fitting of all components, then the motorcycle was disassembled and all parts were painted or plated as needed, then the finished parts were assembled a second time. Every motorcycle was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification, and was personally certified by George Brough. The SS100 model was ridden at 100 mph (160 km/h) or more prior to delivery. The SS80 model was ridden at 80 mph (130 km/h) or more before delivery. If any motorcycle did not meet specification, it returned to the shop for rework until it performed properly. The fit and finish was comparable to a Rolls-Royce car, and they were among the most expensive motorcycles.

Brough Superior motorcycles have always been rare and expensive. Prices for these motorcycles ranged from £130 to £180 in the 1920s and 1930s. Since the average weekly salary during 1920s and 1930s was £3 per week, only the wealthy were able to afford them.

Early models include the Brough Superior Mark I Sidevalve, Mark I Overhead, Mark II Standard and Mark II Sports. Early to mid manufacture included the Overhead 500, 680 S.V. 5.15, and 750 Side Valve, but these were not popular and were dropped from production.

The following four models represent the bulk of manufacture. Most were custom built to order and many variations were made:

The SS100 (Super Sports), powered by J.A.P. (J. A. Prestwich of Tottenham) or Matchless 1000 cc overhead valve V-twin engines. Approximately 383 were manufactured from 1924 to 1940. The SS80 (Super Sports), powered by J.A.P. or Matchless 1,000 cc sidevalve V-twin engines. Approximately 1,086 were manufactured from 1922 to 1940. The SS680 O.H.V. (Super Sports), powered by J.A.P. 680 cc overhead valve V-twin. Approximately 547 were manufactured from 1926 to 1936. The 11.50, powered by J.A.P 1096 cc sidevalve 60° V-twin engines. These were primarily designed for sidecar and police use. Approximately 308 were manufactured from 1933 to 1940. The model name refers to the horsepower rating of the engine, 11 RAC (Royal Automobile Club), 50 bhp (37 kW). In reality these engines produced 32 bhp (24 kW). Tax horsepower ratings were required by manufactures for tax purposes. RAC HP equals the piston diameter squared times the number of cylinders divided by 2.5.

Brough Superior produced many other experimental, show, and racing models. These include:

Golden Dream -  This was powered by a vertically stacked twin crankshaft opposed four cylinder engine. George Brough called this a "flat vertical" engine. The bike was finished differently and was unique for the marque as it was painted gold and was shaft driven. 

Straight Four Combination -  This bike was powered by a modified Austin 7 automobile engine. The transmission also came from an Austin 7. The Straight Four Combination was an inline four-cylinder motorcycle with shaft drive. It had two rear wheels that were mounted on each side of a cast drive unit. This motorcycle was made for sidecar use. 

Pendine - These were built in the early 1930s and had a guaranteed top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h). They were based on the SS100 model but with higher performance modifications to the engine. A well known racer, Barry Baragwanath, installed a supercharger on one, and it is now known as "Barry's Big Blown Brough". Noel Pope bought the motorcycle and in 1939 set two lap record with it at Brooklands; 106 mph (171 km/h) with sidecar, and 124 mph (200 km/h) in solo configuration, which exceeded the previous record set in 1935 by Eric Fernihough also on a Brough Superior.

George Brough was known for his dedication to his vehicles and customers. He, and later Albert Wallis, continued to service Brough Superiors after production ceased, making parts until 1969. Production of bikes never resumed after WWII.

1929 Brough Superior SS100 Motorcycle

How often do you see another custom bike and it looks cookie cutter. As in you can see every bought part on there and it just feels pieced together, rather all parts coming together as a whole making a truly unique machine.

With that in mind, you just happen to glance over some classic images and there sits one of the most unique and truly superior designs in a machine built around two wheels. Do yourself a favor and dig into the Brough Superior motorcycle.

Brough Superior, one of the coolest motorcycles ever designed.

Link to original post on Classic Auctions

"A number of manufacturers have sought to produce the "ultimate" motorcycle, a machine with that intangible blend of performance, handling, quality, looks and that little "something" extra that places it above and beyond its competitors. A number have got close, but have not been able to make the transition from contemporary ultimate to achieving an enduring status as the pinnacle of desirability, that accolade falls to two manufacturers, Brough Superior and Vincent. Both machines were the result of one mans search for perfection, both were and are exclusive, admired by all and possessed by a select few, as desirable now as they were when built, however the Brough Superior did something that had not been achieved before, paving the way for the later Vincent, it became an object of desire for all. George Brough's customers included the aristocracy and royalty, the Brough Superior became one of the most desirable machines built, accepted and admired as much as a Rolls Royce or De Haviland Comet by all sectors of society, motorcyclist or not.

George Brough had learnt his trade whilst working at his fathers Brough company, but a divergence in views regarding motorcycle design, prompted George to establish his own company in a prefabricated concrete building at Haydn Road in Nottingham.

Advertisements for the first Brough Superior, the Mark 1, appeared in the press during November 1920 and orders were forthcoming, however, George Brough was not satisfied with his new machine and started development of a "super sports" model, the SS80, that became available during 1923. As with all his products, the SS80 was not a response to the views of the press and other "experts", it was developed by George Brough to meet his standards, tested and evolved by him. It was followed in 1925 by the SS100, an overhead valve 1000cc that was inspired by by Le Vack's record holding machine.

1929 Brough Superior SS100 right side of engine

1929 Brough Superior SS100 right side of motorcycle

The new machine was guaranteed to be able to reach the magic 100mph mark, but just as importantly it offered exceptional handling, braking and good looks. During the first year of production 69 of the JAP KTOR, delivering 45 bhp, powered machines were built. All were fitted with the patent "Castle" fork and three speed Sturmey Archer gearboxes and sold for £170. Little changed for 1926, although the "Alpine Grand Touring" was now available having been announced at the the end of of 1925 and at the 1926 Show the stripped down, tuned version of the SS100, the Pendine was shown for the first time. 1927 was a quiet year for the SS100 with the company focusing on the new "680", however for 1928 the SS100 received a new "super heavyweight" Sturmey gearbox to cope with the increased power output delivered by the JAP JTOR engine that had supplanted the KTOR as the standard fitment in the SS100. 1928 also saw the introduction of the Bentley and Draper sprung frame.

1929 saw 29 SS100s produced in Pendine and Grand Alpine form with the option of the B and D sprung frame and the three speed "super heavyweight" gearbox, although a few are believed to have been built with the standard unit. 1929 also saw the introduction of the new dual headlight, as fitted to the machine offered, although not all the 1929 SS100s were so equipped.

The beautiful example offered was purchased by the vendor as a complete, original machine in need of a complete restoration. It was restored between 2000 and 2001 and has subsequently been used extensively travelling to Scotland, Spain, France, Austria and Italy. The vendor describes the machine as being in excellent condition in all respects. It is offered with a Swansea V5C and a dating certificate."

1929 Brough Superior SS100 front wheel

1929 Brough Superior SS100 left side of motorcycle

1929 Brough Superior SS100 detail on engine

1929 Brough Superior SS100 dual gas caps on tank