So exacting was the individual tailoring of each Brough Superior SS100
that they gained explicit permission to be dubbed the “Rolls Royce of
motorcycles”. A marvel of craftsmanship and engineering, each SS100 was
guaranteed to hit 100 MPH — no great feat by today’s standards, but this
was in 1924. By 1928, the Brough Superior SS100 would hit 130 MPH in
the standing kilometer with George Brough in the saddle. T.E. Lawrence,
better known as Lawrence of Arabia, owned three Brough Superiors in his
life and famously died due to head injuries sustained when swerving to
avoid two young cyclists. Lawrence’s death would eventually lead to the
requisite use of crash helmets for motorcyclists.The Brough Superior SS 100 was designed and built by George Brough in Nottingham, England in 1924. Although every bike was designed to meet specific customer requirements—even the handlebars were individually shaped, sixty-nine SS100s were produced in 1925 and at £170 (equivalent to £8,700 in 2015) were advertised by Brough as the "Rolls Royce of Motorcycles".The term was coined by magazine road tester in his review of the bike, and Brough eventually obtained explicit permission to use it after a Rolls-Royce executive toured the Brough Superior factory.All bikes had a guarantee that they were capable of 100 mph (160 km/h).
The SS100 (Super Sports) was the first custom motorcycle with components chosen from many different suppliers. The first engine (from 1924 to 1936) was the twin-cam KTOR JAP (made by J. A. Prestwich) V twin (upgraded to a Matchless engine from 1936. Gearboxes were the 4-stud 3-speed from Sturmey-Archer Brough developed the features of the Harley-Davidson forks and produced his own version (made by the Castle Fork and Accessory Company) to combine light weight with strength that was to become a feature of the SS100 handling.
After the initial introduction of the SS100, the Alpine Grand Sport, an SS100 with a full touring specification. was launched at the 1925 Motorcycle Show. In the same year Brough Superior produced a 110 mph (180 km/h) Pendine Racing Model (named after the Pendine Sands where Malcolm Campbell set a number of world speed records) with increased ground clearance.
Every owner was encouraged by Brough to suggest their own ideas for developing the SS100, which meant that almost all his motorcycles were uniquely hand-built and the design continually evolving.The Sturmey-Archer gearbox was upgraded in 1929 for a three speed "super heavyweight" box to cope better with the 50 bhp (37 kW) produced by the JAP engine. In 1928 Brough introduced rear suspension and in 1934 the Alpine Grand Sport gained a 75 hp (56 kW) overhead valve JAP engine known as two of everything as it had two magnetos and two oil pumps.A foot gear-change was introduced in 1935 and a four-speed Norton gearbox in 1936. Development on all Brough Superiors was stopped during the Second World War, when the factory was turned over to war work.
World recordsEvery owner was encouraged by Brough to suggest their own ideas for developing the SS100, which meant that almost all his motorcycles were uniquely hand-built and the design continually evolving.The Sturmey-Archer gearbox was upgraded in 1929 for a three speed "super heavyweight" box to cope better with the 50 bhp (37 kW) produced by the JAP engine. In 1928 Brough introduced rear suspension and in 1934 the Alpine Grand Sport gained a 75 hp (56 kW) overhead valve JAP engine known as two of everything as it had two magnetos and two oil pumps.A foot gear-change was introduced in 1935 and a four-speed Norton gearbox in 1936. Development on all Brough Superiors was stopped during the Second World War, when the factory was turned over to war work.
The SS100 engineering was developed through competition and wins in over 50 events in the early 1920s, and Bert le Vack, who worked with Brough on development, was the holder of seven world records. In 1927 George Brough and Freddie Dixon both achieved a record 130 mph (210 km/h) for the kilometre on the SS100 and in 1928 Brough broke his own record with 130.6 mph (210.2 km/h). In 1932 Ronald Storey achieved 81,08 for the standing half-mile at Brighton and in 1939 Noel Pope secured an all time Brooklands track record lap time of 124.51 mph (200.38 km/h) on an SS100.
On 27 April 2008, at the Stafford Motorcycle show, the auctioneers Bonhams sold a 1934 Brough Superior SS100 for £166,500 – a world record and the highest price ever paid for a British motorcycle at auction. A new World Record for any motorcycle sold at auction was set on 22 October 2010, when a 1929 Brough Superior SS100 was sold at the Haynes International Motor Museum. The bike achieved £286,000.
On 27 April 2008, at the Stafford Motorcycle show, the auctioneers Bonhams sold a 1934 Brough Superior SS100 for £166,500 – a world record and the highest price ever paid for a British motorcycle at auction. A new World Record for any motorcycle sold at auction was set on 22 October 2010, when a 1929 Brough Superior SS100 was sold at the Haynes International Motor Museum. The bike achieved £286,000.