1946 KSS 350cc

This machine was brought to Australia by a British immigrant, packed in a shipping container with his treasured vintage MG tourer and household items. He settled at Warrandyte in the hills north of Melbourne, and later word reached me that a 1926 model Velocette KSS was being offered for sale not far from my home, and so I had to at least have a look at it with a view to buying.

First glance showed that the bike was in fact post WW2, and whether the owner was really aware of this, I never found out, but the entire machine had been brush painted over with green household enamel, which failed to conceal the fact that the rear mudguard had two large wrap around galvanised patches bolted into place. The owner admitted that the British salted roads were to blame, but claimed that he had ridden it back and forth to work for several years in Britain, and in fact, the motor had been rebored and run just prior to packing it up for the move to Australia, but had lain idle for several years since the move. This information was of course taken with caution, but in fact proved to be correct when the bike seized on the first run after I restored it!

After pointing out that the Velo was in fact 20 years younger than claimed, and the rough paint job which possibly covered acres of rust – and the mudguards being beyond repair – the owner seemed happy to part with the bike for $600, less than half of what he had originally asked for his 1926 model, and so I took my newly found treasure home!

I immediately stripped the cycle parts down, but left the motor and gearbox intact, as upon starting up when I arrived home, I was relieved to find that the motor ran like oiled silk, and a ride around the block showed that it was in fact under the grime a beautiful machine! I made new guards, the old ones being rusted beyond repair, but the rest of the cycle parts were in excellent condition under the heavy layer of paint. This was in fact a well maintained motorcycle, and after a new coat of black stove enamel and a new exhaust system, and rechroming of levers etc, I had an as-new machine with paperwork going back to the original owner – even a stack of British registration discs in the original holder.

The first run on the road confirmed that here was a really class motorcycle, but as soon as I opened the throttle, a seizure occurred almost immediately, not only a seizure, but a complete lock up, which refused to move, and so it was trailered home and the head lifted, only to find that the piston was locked into the bore and refused to budge. So the barrel was lifted and after much effort, a block of wood on top of the piston, and several increasingly harder sharp hits with the barrel properly supported, and suddenly a sharp click, and all was completely loose once more!

It turned out that the piston had grown in one spot, possibly even partly over the years that it had stood idle, whatever, it had taken only a rise in temperature, and suddenly a small dome appeared, and as the bike wasn't being ridden all that fast at the time, the piston had spot welded itself to the bore which was as previously claimed, not even run in.

I don't recall having dismantled the engine any further, and the high spot on the piston was removed, and the bike never having been registered in Australia, has only done a few miles to this day.
One obvious thing about this bike is that it must have been one of the first off the production line after the war, the frame and gearbox numbers are close to a 1939 MSS that I have checked. Another interesting point is that KSS machines were not officially sold in Britain, all production earmarked for export, a sign of the times is that the wheel spokes are stove enamelled – chrome plate being restricted in the post war era.

So, apart from the new guards and bright items, a pristine original example of the era!