Announced a couple of days ago and causing a bit of a stir, the all new Brough Superior SS100. There's a spec sheet out too that is fairly impressive with 140bhp on tap. The stated aim is to become the second largest bike manufacturer in the UK. Sounds grand but the target is 16 bikes a year to meet that goal. Apparently the aim is for it to retail at around 100k euros. That's a lot less and a lot better value than the updated replica vintage SS100s that Brough have been offering so far but it's still a massive amount of money for a bike.
Up to now I've been fairly sceptical about the Brough revival, producing a few replica bikes at vast cost seemed a bit unfocussed, but the publicity from the Bonneville records and the new model seems to put it on track. Let's hope it is a success.
Opinion seems divided so far on the looks of the bike. Whilst it is easy to make a modern retro out of a fifties or sixties classic, an update of a twenties icon is a whole different matter. Personally I think it looks individual, if not beautiful. I like the unusual forks, the design cues from the original on the fly screen, bars and exhausts. The petrol tank looks ever so slightly perched on top but to be fair you need to see it from a few different angles to make a judgement. Proof as ever will be in the pudding, how it performs out on the road. Undoubtedly there're going to be a few collectors who will buy it almost regardless but if it is going to sell year on year it needs to be a genuinely good machine.
Let's hope it is and congratulations to Mark Upham and co for the bravery to develop an all new bike, take a few risks and come up with something different.
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| All new Brough Superior SS100. |
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