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"Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous..."
Just need black leather and a red headed girl....
Has anyone here ridden one? I am curious about the brakes. I know the motors are strong but handling and brakes don't appear to be their strong suit.Pete
Did that bike come with Boranni rims?
From our last Vincent discussion in December:My take after 60 miles of mountain riding was that it has a beautiful, torquey, powerful engine, the equal of any V-twin sold today, which engine is enclosed in supported by pure 1950s British frame and girder fork technology, which means you'd better stay on top of things or it will get on top of YOU.Lannis
You mean it has power relative to it's RPM range, not that it has anything like the full throttle power of let's say a newer Ducati?
https://youtu.be/j0kJdrfzjAg
Props to the original, of course, but in my opinion, this is by far the best version of this song. One of the few instances when I think a cover is better than the original. https://youtu.be/CrGOs1a1lOk
I often contemplate how much simpler life would be with a couple modern bikes and a couple high quality $$$ classics instead of the menagerie I have now which numbers 33 bikes at the moment. But every time I sit down to figure out what to sell to get that Black Shadow or other high dollar classic it always ends in defeat. Sell the V7 Sport? Never! The 1000S's? Not on your life. The 56 Panhead? No way!! Just selling those 4 bikes could get me a nice Vincent. I just can't do what is required to get there..,
This I did a different calculation and came to the same conclusion. (the only reason I could even consider a Vincent was that I'd sold my long-time home and had a little windfall - and drive a $300 car ) I would have to sell the '39 Ariel and one of the Guzzi twins just to be able to put miles on all my bikes.Then I started thinking I'm a cheap bastard and I like learning things so I'd never want anyone else to work on the bike, but I'm also a realist (and a slow learner and impatient) so know that I'd skimp on some of the work or the quality of the parts. And I'm much more interested in the mechanicals than the looks. All this means any prize like a Vincent would slowly degrade in my hands even though it would run for years (even decades). I'd own it, but couldn't sell it because it was too much of a rat. I'd much rather buy a project. I'm considering going into the GTV for chrome and paint but doing the same calculation...
I don’t know if he’s still around but there was a guy in Putney, VT with five of them. Two of which were Vincent Egli’s. One ran and the other was being restored as it had been in a fire. My father made some parts for him in his machine shop. The guy was about what you’d expect considering he’d never worked a day in his life and owned five Vincent’s, a SS80 and a SS100 Brough Superior but when he learned I owned a Commando Interstate he offered to let me take a Rapide for a spin. I completely agree with Lannis regarding the bike. It had a remarkably flexible engine, mediocre brakes and a suspension/frame that wasn’t really up to the task of coping with the engine performance. I’m glad I got to ride it but I don’t have an interest in owning one. I was honestly more thrilled to be able to throw a leg over the SS100 and sit on it. I didn’t ride the Brough Superior but if he had let me....I might not have come back.
Interesting comments about the cost and difficulty of owning a Vincent , here is some counterpoint . Some years back the HRD Vincent owners club had their international rally in North Dakota at an abandoned airstrip so they could do some speed trials . It was the week before Sturgis , so several of the owners rode down and stayed in the same campground we were in over in Belle Fourche . About 15 of the Stevenage marvels got ridden the 400 or so miles from Minot , all equipped with Craven panniers and some type of windscreen or fairing , all were riders , no trailer queens . Most had some modern mods , Alton generators , modern carburetors , 18 inch wheels , more modern shock absorbers on the trick rear suspension , same on the Girdraulic forks most were running , only saw one original Brampton fork on a series A model . Most were running solid state ignition conversions for ease of maintenance . The engines had most all been converted to Picador (Black Lightning) specs on the lower end , caged roller bearings instead of the loose ball originals , and were running a type of more modern oil pump . Anyway , they were a friendly lot , probably six Brits , a couple of Germans and Frenchmen , a smattering of guys from the Benelux countries , and a few Argentinians being as how they had been a market for Vinnies . The sorta leader was an Englishman , interesting bloke , incredibly knowledgeable about Vincents , heck , they all were . We were discussing prices , the Englishman seemed amused that a nice Vinnie sold for stupid money in America , stating that nice working twins could be had in England for the equivalent of about $20K US , and that really nice restored models were about twice that . This was in 2,000 , so allowing for inflation ... I spent a day riding with them , showing them around the Black Hills , over to Devils Tower and up into Montana . Not one of these Vinnies was ridden gently , all were being ridden like a modern motorbike , we were running at 85 MPH at times , and bending thru curves in a highly spirited fashion . Not one puff of smoke was seen , no roadside repairs were necessary , just like any modern bikes . Dusty