vincent

[not a biker]

i do not pay much attn to britt bikes. so i have my 84 gs1150 es parked at a local bike hang out [ the rock store] . it was getting a lot of looks etc. well this vincent v twin parks right next to me and WOW. it prolly was around late 50s . it was brand new looking, black. o my gosh it was beautyful. the speedo must have been 6 inches across. i doubt if the GS got another look after this fantastic looking bike parked their.
like i said i like jap bikes , but WOW. could it be a black shadow ? it had twin carbs like a race XR sportster. sorry no pic.

[mcloud]

The Vincent was produced 'till mid 50's. A very rare motorcycle, the 998cc was considered the fastest production bike.
The most popular of course was Steve McQueen's Black Shadow.
Also, the Rapide and the Comet.
Look it up on www.motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/classic_bikes/vincent
and let us know wich one you saw.

[makenzie71]

There's a gent here who rides a Black Shadow that, though it looks semi-stock, it has 17" excel spokies with big rotors on both ends...the forks aren't stock but they look just like the Vincent pieces...Ohlins shocks on the back...it's all pretty subtle though and I only know it's "wrong" because I know what's right. He likes to go to the local bike bang outs and park next what ever douchebag brought his 156" chopper or brand new GSXR1000. After he shows up, everyone else's crap is just crap.

I'd post a pic, but he has repeatedly, and politely, asked that pictures of it not be shared. I hate being respectful.

[jimcor]

Here's a couple of shots of a '51 Black Shadow I saw in North Carolina a few years back.

[Griffin]

Does the speedometer start at "10" on that bike?

I guess it's true that a Vincent looks like it's moving fast, even just sitting still.

[simon kuether]

How about an Aussie version.Cheers,Simon.

[Zooks]

Well he was an Aussie after all.

[Big T]

Spotted at Daytona 2006 Bike Week





The owner came up and admitted that he reproduced the bike after someone else's bike he saw at Bonneville. The inspection stickers are genuine, but not for this bike.

Still cool. There's just something about a Vincent!

[not a biker]

The speedo and front suspension look the same as the pic. I do not think the carbs were on the left side. It also seemed lower and sleeker. Dam it was nice.

[snowbeard]

I got a real treat this summer when the vincent owner's club came to Colorado. they had probably 30(?) vincents all together on one street!



I got to look over these beauties for hours,



ever seen a black shadow? how about two...




some modernized




my knees got sore from peeking under them. man what a treat!

[snowbeard]

another modernized marvel


this one was built up aound the bottom end that set the speed record, the one with the guy in his speedo. the fellow restamped the cases with an extra two so he wouldn't besmirch the other lightning out there with even more of the original parts.



a comet as mentioned above



and some were just riders,



all but two bikes were ridden in for the show (one because it didn't have any pistons in it) some after being brought here from across the world, I saw multiple New Zealand plates, and quite a few others.

[highmileage]

'The Guy in his speedos' was Rollie Free and he was on a Black Lightening (racing version of the Black Shadow). You may remember his character from the movie 'The World's Fastest Indian' which took place several years later.

If they are original, the Black Shadows have black motors, Rapides have uncoated aluminum.

Rapides were intended for touring or cruising, Black Shadows were just plain fast.

Comets were single cylinder, smaller versions.

For more, search 'HRD' and 'Vincent'...

I have seen and photographed several of the bikes above, including the Egli-framed bike with the aluminum tank, the Bonneville racer replica, and several others...

[snowbeard]

it's great how tight a group can be, with so few of these bikes in existence, it'd be cool to see your pics of the same bikes! have you met Gene then?

yeah, I have not done my research for quite some time, so I thought I'd keep it simple rather than blow my cover


here's a link to my original posting on brit bike, more than just vincents but all sweet!

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=213802&Searchpage=4&Main=21636&Words=snowbeard&Search=true#Post213802

[850 Combat]

One of the guys in my neighborhood has one. He's been riding it for over 30 years. We rode over to Eugene and back a while back.

I was on my CBX (which I traded in on a new DR400S).

[Billy Ricks]

The Vincent could be called the original superbike. Really high top speed for the day. If only they handled and stopped.

There are 2 or 3 of them at the Lone Star Motorcylce Museum in Vanderpool, TX.