VELOCETTE: THE THREE TWINS: ROARER, MODEL O AND LE

The Veloce company is well regarded for producing some of the best single-cylinder motorcycles in race form and for private use. It is not so well-known that Veloce Ltd also produced some twin-cylinder machines: the Roarer, for racing, and the Model O for production. These bikes had many engineering features in common, such as twin contra-rotating crankshafts, inline cranks, shaft drive, and swing arm rear suspension. The supercharged Roarer was never raced because of the advent of war; this also put paid to the development of the Model O, which would have been the first so-called "Superbike." After the war, the Goodman family, owners of Veloce Ltd, focused on the production of a “Motorcycle for Everyman” – an idea that had featured in their production bikes since the formation of the company. They drew on the ideas embodied in the Roarer and the Model O to produce the twin-cylinder LE range of motorcycles. These, however, were not well received by the motorcycling public, and many bla