The Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles

I want you to imagine something: your father starts his own business making, say, dishwashers and he proudly names his new company after your last name, so Oconnell Dishwashers is very proud of his business as he should be, it's not the biggest nor necessarily the most successful. business but people love okell dishwashers, they are a good product and he supports his family with his new business, so you arrive and decide that instead of taking over your father's business you also want to create a company that also makes dishwashers and because you think you can make better dishwashers than your father, you call your company best dishwasher Oconnell and not only do your dishwashers end up better than your father's, but they are better than any dishwasher, maybe the best dishwashers of all time, well , that's exactly what happened with Motorcycle Company. we are looking at the Bruff Superior today the 1920s were a very different decade to the 1910s for motorcycle development, the most interesting and innovative motorcycle companies were dying out of those that appeared thanks mainly to the war which was very opposite to the previous decade. but one new venture really stands out: the protagonist of our story, George Bruff, saw it all unfold when he was young from a very interesting place.

His father, William Bruff Jr, was an engineer who developed his own bicycles and finally in 1902 manufactured a complete motorcycle. almost all of the L inh house, which was actually very rare for this era, were crude and simple as were most

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at the time, although in 1910 his father made his first v twin. Bruff During these early years, George's father would pressure his older brother William to compete on his family machines in Trials, but George was actually the budding motorcycle enthusiast of the family, forcing his father to allow him competing in a long distance event in 1906 in one of their oldest BRS and this was at the age of 16.

Scheduled to be a six day event, George managed to finish the test in 9 days, not really the result he was looking for, but he was young and inexperienced, like so many budding founders of these types of large companies, apart from setting up, George He spent his youth tinkering. and learning in his father's workshop, despite his initial difficulties in racing, there is really no substitute for the passion that George soon found himself mastering in Trials on his father's

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and specifically the Bruff V Twins, and this It would really lay the foundation for their belief in the v twin among the British companies who at the time were mainly focused on large single Williams Bruff motorcycles would eventually move on to flat or opposed twins.

William really loved the lack of vibration and he was an early adopter of this type of engine, but it was too much. The late George had already fallen in love with the v twin, a love he would never return to, but engines were not George's only passion. He also liked to chase Ching girls and drive as fast as he could through the city streets. until he met his neighbor Constance Evans and finally married in 1916, despite some very interesting and innovative interpretations of what a motorcycle could be. Postwar struggles would push his father's motorcycle company, Ruff Motors, into bankruptcy and George's father would move on to other things, but George had other plans to support his young family during the war.

He worked in engine development for a company called White and Pop and during this time he had the privilege of being able to ride many motorcycles from most of the major manufacturers, one of which was the great Harley. twin and his affinity for V twins was really growing despite his father's focus on flat Twins and he also came to love Harley's excellent front suspension setup at this time towards the end of the war, George found himself sketching what which he believed could be the perfect motorcycle. This notion of the perfect Ultimate machine is common among the founders of many great automotive companies, from Fred Dusenberg to Philip Vincent.

This idea of ​​making the ultimate best version of, say, the motorcycle or the car, really became George's obsession. This would not be achieved with his The first model, George actually took his initial design to his father, but his father was not that interested as the whole narrative of George setting out on his own and not being able to make it work with his father actually seems quite controversial. , it really was. In fact, William put his son to work on his designs and production in a workshop right on his property and once again we see that the big motorcycle startups throughout history have mostly shared this thing which is a supportive father, but this brings us to The name of George's new company, obviously they took Bruff, so George had to choose something different and, while arguing with his friends in the local pub about possible names and talking about what cool that it would be his motorcycle, a spectator told George if he is so Superior, why?

I didn't call it Bruff Superior and George loved it now. His father responded to his impulsive son's name Choice by saying I guess that makes my Bruff bike inferior. At this point I should note that most of the information in this video comes from this incredibly well. Researched and well written book Bruff Superior, the complete story by Peter Miller, is the definitive work on the history of Bruff and I have linked it below so you can grab a copy if you want to find out more. George Bruff's first motorcycle was officially presented. in the late 1920s, labeled as a motorcycle designed for the sport rider powered by a big V twin and, in all honesty, basically a part-turn motorcycle assembled by other manufacturers.

Parts that is a theme in the history of this company, yet it looked good and really worked. Well, the most notable feature was the nickel plated tank, which was wide and large, but slim looking, and this would be a feature of George's motorcycles throughout the company's history, powered by a tuned jav 980c twin , beautifully polished and customized to George's taste. Capable of reaching 80 mph, this was the SS80. George knew that the best way to promote his new motorcycle was to show its racing capabilities, so a few days after its presentation he showed up in London to go out or test where, in pouring rain, the new motorcycle took the gold. , proving to George and the world that he could have something good on his hands, although far from being the best machine, George would build the main features of the Bruff Superior if it were there, it was powerful but also very robust, made for speed and The first Road tests found that Bruff's tops had incredible performance that was achieved with some ease.

They were motorcycles that ran effortlessly, they were quiet but powerful and they were motorcycles that felt refined and light, smooth and in some ways quite futuristic. Testers also noted the unique, minimalist yet beautiful design of this motorcycle. George's understanding of what it took to be successful in long races. The distance testing really influenced his design and the way he approached manufacturing. He knew where to focus his energy and the motorcycles were quickly gaining a reputation for reliability and quality as he continued to improve them and at a fairly deep discount, for example. Harley's big twin enthusiasts of the day were starting to get excited about this new motorcycle.

George competed on his own bikes in both solo and sidecar events and won, but whenever it came time to present his bikes to the public, they were spotlessly clean, that was all. very professional 1923 would be a great year for Bruff Superior, their models now had the latest in side valve Jaap engines. The production was a good success at the races, specifically in Brooklyn, pushing the company to the attention of the general public. People were beginning to consider George's motorcycles among the best. In the world, this was also the year that George's father built a flat twin Bruff that was apparently capable of reaching 90M bow just to show his son how it was done, but we don't need to focus on that, but the most important is that this would be the year. that Bruff Superior would be called for the first time the

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royce

of motorcycles in the April issue of the HD motorcycle Teague said this about the average rider who looks at the Bruff Superior to own an ss80 is to occupy a very select niche in the World of motorcycles Wheels for almost everyone Motorcyclists admire the latest Bruff Superior to consider, but there is one minor detail: they have a bad eye for the beauty of lines, they do not do it often, however, their attitude is that of a Ford owner regarding to a Rolls-Royce before you've driven one, it costs too much, they argue. and the extra cost is not balanced by better performance and even if it was, no one really wants a machine capable of doing what the Bruff Superior does, in essence the bike was too good for most people.

George was ecstatic at the idea that his motorcycle might be the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles, but was it really the Rolls-Royce? Royce of motorcycles? George told a story about one of the Rolls-Royce managers who showed up at the Bruff Superior factory. George was eager for his arrival so they cleaned the place and asked all the workers who were building bikes to put on pairs of white gloves in the hope of impressing the man and this apparently worked because Rolls-Royce never took action against Bruff for using his name in advertising, but simply being called the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles really wasn't what George had set out to do when he began designing his first motorcycle and building a team around him to build it. a reality George wanted to build the best motorcycle in the world, the perfect motorcycle, as he called it.

Bruff Superior had made a good amount of money on the ss80, enough for George and his team to go back to the drawing board and put together a completely new model. one that would truly shake the foundations of motorcycle development forever, although this new motorcycle would come out in 1925, the foundation was laid the previous year in the races of famous British racer and engine tuner Jaap Bert Ivac, known as The Wizard of Brooklyn, he rode Bruff Superior alone and with a sidecar. motorcycles at record speeds in 192 24 that same year bruff's broke nine records thanks to Bert's skills reaching just 120 mph on a tuned race-prepared ss80 George knew that the path to making the ultimate sports and touring motorcycle would be to use this racing setup and so, with that 4 cam Jaap engine generating 45 horsepower, the new ss100 was born capable of propelling over 100 mph and this was really unheard of for a road motorcycle at that time and it was not just a advertising.

Trick or claim, every SS100 came with a written guarantee that this motorcycle could reach 100 mph. The reason this engine was much more powerful, about 50% more than the previous ss80, had to do with the internal parts of the Jaap engine, it used things like rollers. bearings throughout the motor, lighter materials, it had a bore of 80mm and a stroke of 99mm compared to the ss8, practically square stroke which was smaller and capable of revving well beyond 4000 RPM. This was truly a futuristic engine for its time. George knew that this new model had However, in order to do more than simply hit top speeds and then fall apart like other British sports bikes at the moment at top speed, he wanted it to truly be the ultimate Grand Touring machine and therefore , for the suspension opted for the Harley front.

Racing program fork configuration from him to obtain the best possible stability for people who are going to ride at high speeds. At the end of 1924, the motorcycle magazine published its first road test of the new SS1 100 and this test is, in essence, a testimonial. to George's ability to simply execute a plan because the descriptions you see in this article are really of a perfect motorcycle for its time, sure it could go over 100 mph, but what they noticed most was its stability, its comfort, its Ease of use and confidence inspiring. At one point, nature tester George Patchet was willing to take his hands completely off the handlebars at 95 mph.

Performance wasn't everything, although this is something George was always interested in as he wanted his motorcycles to give off an air of professionalism and luxury with the The devil really was in the details, so the SS100 would go on to be one of the most beautiful timeless designs in the history of motorcycles. The motorcycle was a picture of high-level craftsmanship, from the imposing long-stroke Big Twin tothe finned alloy exhaust manifolds and their simply slender nature. of the bike when you look at it from the front, the single exhaust that runs down the left side of the bike and splits behind the rear cylinder into two great automotive designs have always been exercises in subtlety and simplicity, although the ss100 was certainly an improvement -The best machine in terms of performance, it simply had a simple and confident presence and, again, the most notable feature was that unique tank, flat but wide and curved, with a beautiful but very complicated boning and bore.

If you are ever bored, try to figure out how. When reading an isochronous metric instrument like this, like so many other great sports designs in the history of automobiles and motorcycles, the SS1 100 gave the impression of speed even when stopped. During its life, the SS100 would earn the reputation of being the best and fastest production motorcycle in the world. world, the ultimate sports machine and even those who own and ride them today will tell you that these motorcycles can really hold up even in modern traffic as real grand tourers, which is really impressive when you think about these motorcycles that are 80 or 90 years old. and the record attempts really showed all the character of this motorcycle, which is really impressive when you think about these motorcycles that are 90 to 100 years old, and the record attempts really showed all the character of this motorcycle, whether they were treacherous long distance trials or land speed records, the ss100 was ready for anything in 1924 Ryder Noel Pope set a new 1,000 m record at the Brooklyn Circuit in England aboard an ss100 averaging 61 mph during the endurance race.

One of the craziest events at the time was the Austrian Alps trials. This was a major event where riders would ride 1700km of mountain roads in some of the worst conditions imaginable over 8 days. All of Bruff's riders, including George himself, although they often crashed in this competition, took home gold medals by sweeping throughout the event. These weren't just a different breed of motorcycles, they were also completely different breeds of men and I really wish we'd go back to these old school long distance trials to celebrate this event. Bruff made the ss100 AL pendine a replica of the race bike used with many of the amenities of that event bike and with a 110mph guarantee in this tuned form.

Perhaps the greatest speed record for Bruff Superior came in '29 when George's son also named George wrote a highly tuned and specified ss100 at an incredible 13.6mph, absolutely breaking the previous record, although the ss100 would actually go on to surpass being a sort of definitive Bruff Superior and of course the V twin configuration, although completely American in England, was synonymous with Bruff to many. Different models were experimented with in 27. A single, race-ready single-cylinder Bruff was built in 500 cc form. That same year a mini ss100 of sorts was made for production with a downsized 680cc jaap twin and in terms of styling it was completely ss100 but Perhaps the most unique model to be developed was the V4 Bruff before its introduction.

George had been imagining what his bike would look like in V4 configuration, but Jaap didn't make a V4, obviously no one was making v4s at the moment. I don't know exactly how this engine was created, but it was probably through a contract with George's father's company, although he is often criticized for using parts from other companies. This engine was completely home built and is truly impressive, as far as we know, only one was made and presented at the Olympia show in 1927 and George made a big show of it with the engine displayed in a glass case and guarded by police officers, Although the V4 Bruff would never go into production, it truly is a testament to George's relentless pursuit. and really just his progressive attitude, Bruff Superior would even make six eight and even 12 cylinder cars later in his life and those vehicles would be known as the Bruff Superior of cars, okay that wasn't so funny, it started out as a wish to make a car, but the moment it became known that Bruff Superior was making cars, the requests started coming in, so they did it very much as a team effort and largely done with other companies.

The parts on the Bruff Superior cars were great and some even had quite a bit of performance. oriented, but they never lived up to the Bruff name and the depression didn't really help, so the Bruff Superior cars were pretty short lived. One of the most fascinating stories surrounding Bruff Superior is that of TE Lawrence and his obsession with these motorcycles. Of course he was mainly known around the world as a British war hero and of course you know an influential military leader and kind of a romantic figure, but after the war he was a bit broken and he really found solace in his OWN owning and riding Bruff Superior motorcycles, seven in total throughout his life, you know, and riding in all sorts of different parts of the world, he wrote extensively about how wonderful it was to just ride, but also specifically ride fast, and the superiors Bruff really offered a way. experience speed and performance at this time without the raw riding experience of a typical racing bike and called his bikes George 1 through George 7, some of them had sidecars, others were more tuned as solo racing bikes, many of the which crashed and damaged. his life, although George number seven would be the last motorcycle he would ride, although he had another one ordered and boy did he love it.

He wrote to George about the machine. Dear Mr. Bruff, it is the silkiest thing I have ever driven, partly because of the perfect tuning partly because of the high gear but mainly because of the spring sprocket. I guess I think this will be a great bike. The crowds gawking at her at the moment will stop caring for her after she gets dirty and that may be soon if only the RAF gave me enough free time to use the poor thing in April 1934. George number 7 had racked up 19,000 miles in just a few few years of ownership under TE Lawrence on May 13, 1935.

Little is known specifically about how TE Lawrence happened. he would crash George number 7 and this would ultimately be fatal. We know that shortly after breakfast, TE Lawrence started to feel like going for a walk as we all do, so he left the Bruff and headed to the nearby town of Bovington after leaving The Butchers. To return to his house in Cloud's Hill that same butcher's assistant had already gone out on a bicycle with his friend and when he came out of a splash, probably at excessive speed, the cyclists were crossing the street, he had not seen them and in an attempt to avoid the Young TE Lawrence would hit the back of his bike and crash his motorcycle.

Lawrence was unconscious and seriously injured and would succumb to those injuries on May 19. He wasn't wearing a helmet. Not surprisingly, this accident really spurred development. of motorcycle helmets I also didn't know the exact dates of the accident and his death, but interestingly my wife was born on May 13 and my son was born on May 19, so it's a little strange that there are all kinds of conspiracy theories around upon Lawrence's death. death, but what we do know is that, like many, he liked to go fast and, ultimately, he would pay the ultimate price for it. Lawrence's very public motorcycle accident and death did not do wonders for either Bruff Superior or the motorcycling world as a whole. but it is certainly not the reason for Bruff Superior's demise like that of so many other large manufacturers who closed their doors, especially at this time, it was a combination of several factors, the economic crisis during the Great Depression of the 1930s affected the motorcycle industry as a whole. leading to reduced consumer spending and declining sales, and in particular Bruff Superior, known for its expensive luxury motorcycles, struggled to remain profitable in the face of these economic difficulties.

Additionally, George Bruff's relentless focus on producing custom-made motorcycles really limited his production capacity, while this focus did not. Ensuring high quality craftsmanship and exclusivity, also limited the company's ability to compete with larger manufacturers who could produce motorcycles at lower costs and higher volumes and, over time, other companies simply caught up to them during this time, the market Affordable mass-produced Bruff Superior sports models faced stiff competition from companies such as Norton Triumph and BSA, which offered motorcycles at lower prices and with somewhat higher performance. comparable at the end of its career and as innovative as these motorcycles were in their early days.

The reluctance to adopt newer technologies, such as unit construction and overhead valves, really limited their ability to innovate and compete effectively in the evolving motorcycle market, while the company maintained a reputation for engineering excellence. their reluctance to adopt modern design and manufacturing techniques. Innovations may have hindered their competitiveness. and like many small businesses, Bruff Superior faced challenges related to management and financial stability, there were multiple ownership changes and of course then World War II occurred which further exacerbated all of Bruff Superior's challenges and it never really they recovered in the postwar period amidst changes. Consumer preferences and economic uncertainties, the company ceased production in 1940, marking the end of an era for one of the most legendary names in motorcycling history, but how does Bruff Superior and specifically the ss100 compare to the greatest and best motorcycles of all time? of the respective eras, one thing you can't ignore is the makeup of Bruff's motorcycles instead of saying you know the best Honda motorcycles, you know the CB750 or even something like Vincent Black Shadow, those are motorcycles that were designed and produced internally and, in particular, were composed. mostly internal parts, plus things like carburetors and shared electrical systems, but the engine frame suspension, you know, something like a Vincent Black Shadow, is much more built and designed in-house, if that makes sense, the CB750 or the Triumph Bonville, one of those that emerged years ago.

Decades of in-house research and development, which is not exactly how the top Bruffs were made now, on the one hand, I would say they have the advantage for that reason, I mean, even George's father, his Bruff motorcycles were more in-house than the Bruffs. superiors, but on the other hand, Bruff Superior really was the little guy taking on the big guys. It's kind of an underdog story where the underdog does everything they can to somehow make it to the top and that's exactly what Bruff Superior represents with a motorcycle that was miles ahead of anything available at the time, Even if it was nice of them, you know, a spare parts bin motorcycle, it was one of those motorcycles that was more than the sum of its parts and that's what makes it amazing, it's a different kind of great motorcycle, yeah that makes sense. especially if you compare it to something like you know some of the Harley motorcycles or the CB750 or the Hayabusa, in the end I think the reason the Bruff Superior stands out in motorcycle history is because of that difference.

The story of George Bruff and what he accomplished is simply not like that. What we see with other manufacturers in a sense, I would rather Len Bruff over Dusenberg than probably Rolls-Royce again because of this relentless quest to make the Ultimate machine and does it really matter if the motorcycles had Harley forks or Jaap engines? I think so, it's not that Bruff couldn't have set out to develop their own engines and they did at times, it just wasn't the best way forward for them when trying to make the best motorcycle in the world and you know why change. something that works, they could have also made cheaper motorcycles to make more money, but that was not their identity, they were a luxury brand, maybe the best luxury motorcycle brand of all time and luxury brands just make the different things in the sense in which they are understood again. from the owners of these motorcycles throughout history is that they truly are incredible pieces of engineering and craftsmanship and perhaps most importantly is that they are simply incredible to ride and what more do you really need from a motorcycle?

I hope you enjoyed this motorcycle. story I hope you learned something and I would love to hear from you in the comments below. I would love to know which one you think.which is the best motorcycle of all time, see you next time, ride safely.