About 2 weeks ago I finished the restoration of my 26 Model 5 short stoke and took it for a ride. It did not handle well at all, and I was really worried that it was not going to work out for me. I posted some completed pictures on the Velocette technical site, and a friend politely pointed out that the links on the fork go behind the neck and I had mine in front of the neck. The next morning I turned the neck around, and decided to take the bike on about a 25 mile ride to lunch. Now the handling is excellent as it is supposed to be. Was using a GPS Watch, and found that the bike feels like it would just run forever at 40mph. At that speed it is super smooth. According to the watch a speed of just under 48mph was registered during the ride, which was not on purpose, as I still consider it to be in the break-in stage.
Am posting some pictures to my album.
Well done, John! You have found what most owners know - the Light Solo more than lives up to its reputation!
Paul