Beschreibung:

Launched in 1933, the 1,096cc ‘11-50’ was the largest Brough Superior to enter series production. Powered by a sidevalve v-twin (of unusual, 60-degree configuration) supplied exclusively to the Nottingham factory by J A Prestwich, the 11-50 fitted into the Brough price range between the SS80 and SS100. The model was conceived as a long-legged, effortless tourer and could exceed 90mph in solo form or pull a heavy sidecar at up to 75mph. Production lasted until 1939, by which time the 11-50 was the only JAP-powered machine in the Brough Superior range. Like its companion models - the SS80 and SS100 - the 11-50 could be ordered with the optional Bentley & Draper sprung frame, which this particular example has. Most 11-50s had rigid frames and came with Monarch forks, whereas this one was delivered with Castle forks fitted. It also retains its original set of the extremely rare bumper bars. There is no definitive record of how many 11/50 ‘springers’ were sold. However, W S Gibbard (Maintaining Your Brough) says a ‘few’ 11/50s were made with B&D rear ends whilst R H Clark (The Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles) suggests there might have been ‘only 10/12’ in total. Whatever the exact figure, this particular machine is a rare variant even by George Brough’s exclusive standards. ‘TV 9922’ was despatched from the Brough works on 10th January 1934 and collected by its first owner, a Mr G W Mills, believed a resident of Leicester. It left the factory with a large adult sidecar fitted. The Brough is known to have been in Worthing, Sussex around 1944 when it was owned by a local builder who used it for his business. It appears that circa 1952 the engine seized and it was taken off the road. In August 2003 the current owner discovered the machine, which was in a badly deteriorated state, and purchased it from its late owner’s descendants. The original registration mark ‘TV 9922’ was retrieved from the DVLA. The current owner joined the Brough Superior Owners Club and started the long task of rebuilding the bike as close to its original condition as possible. All the original components were cleaned, repaired, painted and reinstalled (including the aluminium number plates) while any new spares required were obtained directly from the BSOC. The 11-50 was finished in May 2005 and has been ridden for some 3,000-or-so miles since completion. Too lengthy to reproduce here, the vendor’s detailed description of the restoration and list of components renewed comes with the machine. Only two items are reported to differ from the original specification: the carburettor and side stand. The original Amal carburettor was well worn and considered beyond repair, while as the Brough was supplied with a sidecar it had a rear stand only, necessitating the fabrication of a side stand. A replacement carburettor of the correct specification proving unobtainable, a new Amal Concentric carburettor has been fitted, an update that facilitates improved starting and smooth running. (The original Amal carburettor comes with the machine). Originally chromed, the tank was considered too fragile to be re-plated and has been repaired and painted in gloss black to match the rest of the cycle parts. A measure of the quality of its restoration may be gained from the fact that the Brough was runner up in the 2005 Classic Bike Magazine Restoration Competition, beating over 200 machines. It was also awarded the ‘Restoration of the Year’ cup at the 2005 Brough Superior Annual Rally and in 2006 won the John Broadley Cup at the Brighton Engineerium for the best 1930s machine out of over 500 entrants. The Brough was also shown and ridden at the Goodwood Revival Meeting in September 2005. A retired university lecturer, the 11-50’s owner has a small private collection of classic motorcycles and advises us that he does not have time to ride them all. The Brough is by far the biggest, heaviest, fastest and most expensive machine in the collection, and it is for those reasons that it has been c