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700K miles on a Vincent is impressive, almost unreal....... The late Pat Owens put over 500,000 documented miles on a 70 Triumph...Certainly it was rebuilt a number of times but I can't imagine riding one 1/5th that distance Some riders just don't stop...
I imagined a similar long term relationship with a Velocette.Until I rode a few.
Curiosity about Vincents got me to read what's available on the internet, much of it opinion of course.. In terms of acceleration, it can be compared to an ironhead Sportster, similar weight HP and torque, ..For sure the Sporty is a rougher more vibrating engine...It also seems Vincents like other bikes of that era have flaws that were never resolved by the factory...Some rather expensive one time work on the engine if the bike is ridden a lot.I believe cam and rocker wear issues..and perhaps main bearings... The famous photo of Rollie Free stretched out on the Vincent at Bonneville to set a record of 150 MPH , would require about 75 HP . it's not a factory stock engine of course. But that's impressive power from such an engine..
I the Mid 80s I was working at a small shipyard in Seattle. The Superintendent had a Vincent and a cocaine problem. I offered him 10 grand for a nice condition , running Black Shadow and my offer was rudely declined. Three months later he sold it to our welding supplier for less than 4 thousand dollars at 3 in the morning. Damn, The Vincent deal of the Century and I missed it.
Uh , the type of people who spend that kind of money on a rare or exotic motorbike want it to be either original , restored to orignal , or have some significant provenance , none of which this bike has . Dusty
The engine in the Rollie Free bike was a Black Lightening motor which was based on the Picador project , which was an engine built for use in drones. Caged rod bearings instead of lose ball , higher compression , bumpier cams , etc . Probably most Vinnies running today have engines which are a blend of Lightening spec with softer tuning . Interestingly enough , that LSR Vinnie ran faster at a later time , but the sanctioning body made him wear protective gear , and he wasn't stretched out on a piece of plywood , so the pictures aren't as , er , dramatic Memory says it ran 155. something , of course all of this was running dope , not straight race gas . Dusty
Sounds like a different currency might have better completed the transaction.....
--- The forks are not a true girder and although not long travel are remarkably compliant. They are subject to wear in the bushes which can affect their performance considerably. I am given to understand that John Britten modeled the Britten forks on the design. Something about the rake/trail not altering under braking---
Coming up at the MECUM auction in Vegas next month...("Oh my!!!") A Vincent for EVERYONE's taste!! Just bring the BIG CHECKBOOK!!
Sorry, but I just can't get into motorcycle songs by non-motorcyclists. On my Vincent ride, half of it was on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I stopped at a couple of overlooks, and both times I heard the same thing from people."Wow, is that a Vincent, really?" they'd say."Yes, it is. Not mine, though, I'm sorry to say"."Well what kind is it?""It's a 1951 Vincent Rapide.""Oh yeah? Now I'll tell you what you REALLY should have, and that's a 1952 Black Lightning. Yes sir, that's what you really need ... " and they wouldn't even look at the Rapide any more .... One country song made them experts on the things ....Lannis
Mr. Thompson would be somewhat amazed at being described as a country music artist.
I’ve seen Richard Thompson a good half dozen times, this song is defiantly a crowd pleaser. 1952 Vincent Black LightningSong by Richard ThompsonSays Red Molly, to James, "Well that's a fine motorbike.A girl could feel special on any such like."Says James, to Red Molly, "My hat's off to you.It's a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952.And I've seen you on the corners and cafes, it seems.Red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme."And he pulled her on behind,And down to Boxhill,They'd Ride.Says James, to Red Molly, "Here's a ring for your right hand.But I'll tell you in earnest I'm a dangerous man;For I've fought with the law since I was seventeen.I've robbed many a man to get my Vincent machine.And now I'm twenty-one years, I might make twenty-two.And I don't mind dyin' but for the love of you.But if fate should break my stride, then I'll give you my Vincent, To Ride.""Come down Red Molly, " called Sargent McQuade."For they've taken young James Aidee for Armed Robbery.Shotgun blast hit his chest, left nothing inside.Oh, come down, Red Molly, to his dying bedside."When she came to the hospital, there wasn't much left.He was runnin' out of road. He was runnin' out of breath.But he smiled, to see her cry.And said, "I'll give you my Vincent.To Ride."Said James, "In my opinion, there's nothing in this worldBeats a '52 Vincent and a Redheaded girl.Now Nortons and Indians and Greavses won't do.Oh, they don't have a Soul like a Vincent '52."Well he reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys.He said, "I've got no further use...for these.I see Angels on Ariels in leather and chrome,Swoopin' down from Heaven to carry me home."And he gave her one last kiss and died.And he gave her his Vincent.To Ride.1952 Vincent Black Lightning lyrics © BMG Rights Management“Interviewed in the 2003 BBC Four documentary Solitary Life, Thompson said: "When I was a kid, that was always the exotic bike, that was always the one, the one that you went "ooh, wow". I'd always been looking for English ideas that didn't sound corny, that had some romance to them, and around which you could pin a song. And this song started with a motorcycle, it started with the Vincent. It was a good lodestone around which the song could revolve"
Just curious Lannis, how do you know that all of the guys who did the song were "Non Motorcyclist"🤔
Don't know about "all the guys that did the song", could be some in there. First of all, MOST people aren't motorcyclists so you can bet that way most of the time. Second, it's written as a love lost ballad or whatever, and doesn't feel like someone who's really into motorcycles wrote it.Same feeling as when I read Hunter Thompson; some of his writing is pretty funny. I think it's clear, though, that he's trying to represent himself as a motorcyclist, but it's not fooling people who have lived with them their whole lives. His account of buying and riding "one giant motorcycle for myself", a 650 BSA, is proof enough of that.After a lifetime of this, I'm betting on my experience vs. theirs .... ! Your mileage may vary, professional driver on a closed course, is known by the state of California to cause cancer ....Lannis
I wonder why some manufacturer never brought the Vincent back the way they have did Triumph and Indians. It's obvious they are no where the same bikes they were back in the day. Wouldn't a modern day Vincent of that style and looks with modern technology be great.