Brought Superior SS100, after 90 years a legend is back in vogue

100 miles per hour in the legendary quarter mile, a performance even guaranteed by the company for every SS100 that left the Brought Superior factory, famous English motorcycle factory renowned for its performance and superb quality of finish. The standards of the company founded by George Brought were almost unthinkable for the time and the first prototype saw the light in 1919 and arrived to the public in 1921. It was the Mark I, followed by the SS80 in 1923.

But the year in which the legendary was created SS100 was 1924, a motorbike which, in addition to its performance, which was extraordinary for the time, had avant-garde technical features, such as the cradle frame, overhead valves, but above all a large 1000 cc twin-cylinder. Big fan of Brought, he was Thomas edward lawrence (the famous Lawrence of Arabia) who accomplished the feat of traveling 1000 miles with your own SS100, in three days: a true adventurer.

90 years have passed, and now the legendary Nottingham brand lives again at the hands of the British businessman Mark Upham. Presented at Eicma 2013, the new Brought Superior SS100, is a bike that George Brought himself would have fully approved of, because it promises to relive the same sensations experienced in the 20s, with the same spirit, bringing as a legacy alternative technical and design solutions. Even today we have a great one twin-cylinder, 8-valve V-shaped engine of 88° and 997 cubic centimetres hanging from a trellis made of steel tubes and “noble” titanium; the two cylinders adopt liquid cooling, and at full power the engine delivers 140 horsepower at 10.000 rpm. The design exclusivity is palpable when you can observe the splendid set of Ohlins suspensions. The technical exclusivity, however, is to be considered when studying the braking system: two pairs of aluminum and ceramic discs 230 mm, bitten by a specific caliper that acts simultaneously on the four braking surfaces available, and everything is produced by Beringer.

Also of due beauty are the 18-inch rims on which 120/70 and 160/60 tires are mounted: the first is supported by a double wishbone built in aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloy, while the second is linked to an alloy swingarm with double truss, connected to the progressive support arms of the Ohlins mono. A special mention goes to Superb fuel tank, an example of splendid minimalism to evoke the SS100 of 1924. Even the look of the brake discs was designed to combine the neoclassical style with high-level performance. The design was handled - like that of the entire bike - by a team of designers made in France, Boxer Design, who has always dreamed of reviving the myth of the SS100 and has therefore squeezed every single drop of passion to create all the details of the "Superior".

Those who want to relive the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia will have to wait a little longer, as the artisan hands and their machine tools will get to work at the beginning of 2014: production should be around a few dozen SS100s per year. Of course, perhaps the biggest limit is the time of purchase, as you will have to pay an amount very close to the 100.000 €…the price of the exclusive care that Mr. Brought put into building his motorbikes, his motorbike, his Rolls-Royce of motorbikes.