I noticed this beautiful piece of machinery walking to the back stairwell inside the Imperial War Museum last week; the SS100 motorcyle was owned by T E Lawrence (A.K.A. Lawrence of Arabia).

Lawrence’s last SS100 (Registration GW 2275) was built in 1932 and capable of running to speeds of 100mph; aside from the film (which is one of my favourites) I was intrigued by the cycle itself. Beautiful British engineering, dual exhaust cans, not a lot has changed has it really? All custom made, even the handlebars were unique.

Looking into his death (caused by a motorcycle crash), it appears he was instrumental in the scientific study that eventually lead to the development of the crash helmet. You can clearly see why this particular part of his legacy is not exactly common knowledge.

Wish I had taken more footage of it! Gorgeous bike.