birth_place article_title name occupation
birmingham eugene goodman
 eugene goodman motorcycle designer and manufacturer
eugene goodman

eugene goodman was the co founder of the velocette motorcycle company with his father john goodman .
eugene was born in birmingham .
his father had a small shop in great hampton street in birmingham selling and making bicycles and fittings .
eugene began working as an apprentice making motorcycles at new hudson .
inspired by their father , he and his brother percy set up new veloce motors limited at spring hill in birmingham and began making motor cars in 1908 .
their father was experimenting with a new motorcycle engine design and commissioned the engines to be made by his sons , while he went on to develop the frames and cycle parts at his works in fleet street , birmingham .
in 1909 they had a working prototype 276cc four stroke which had many innovative design features .
the motorcycle market was very much in its infancy , however and sales were poor so he decided to produce a 499cc belt drive model to bring in some much needed cash .
in 1916 eugene 's car making business failed and he joined veloce , the family firm .
in 1913 , the company first used the trade name velocette for a small two stroke motorcycle invented by percy , and the name was then used for many later cycles as well .
production was halted by the outbreak of the first world war and the factory was turned over to the production of munitions for the war effort .
after the war the company name was changes to `` velocette '' as this had become a recognised brand .
in 1925 goodman had a breakthrough when his 348cc overhead cam prototype was entered in the isle of man tt which was one of the most famous road races of the time and a great ` proving ground ' for motorcycle manufacturers .
in 1926 alec bennet won the tt on a velocette ktt for the next forty five years a series of very successful motorcycles followed .
in 1971 rising development costs and the owners ' racing expenses took their toll on the company 's bottom line and they went into voluntary liquidation .
