John Goodman

Johannes Gütgemann (c. 1857–1929), also known as John Taylor and John Goodman, was the founder of the Velocette motorcycle company.

Gütgemann was born in Oberwinter, a town on the banks of the Rhine in the Kingdom of Prussia around 1857 . His father was a successful merchant but died when Johannes was young, so when he was nineteen he moved to England to start a new life. His son Percy had left to seek his fortune in India and another son Eugene was working as an apprentice making motorcycles at New Hudson. Inspired by their father, the brothers set up New Veloce Motors Limited at Spring Hill in Birmingham and began making motor cars in 1908.

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 changed 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 Velocette went into voluntary liquidation.