Old News
November 1, 2007
We are currently finishing the ultimate Vincent show bike for patient customer and famous Rhode Island maritime artist, J. MECRAY. John’s no-excuses approach fits right in with ours and together, we have done a Black Shadow to take on America’s best motorcycle concourse. You have to see it to really believe it. Capt. MECRAY has paid us two visits to help with this endeavor. Today, we’re on the final problem, perfect gear changes. Aside from this, look out.
Denver customer and long-time friend GENE BROWN has his Vincent street-equipped BLACK LIGHTNING waiting for its final touches and test miles. We tried to use some small, PIAA lamps instead of the traditional Miller lamp, but it just doesn’t look like what we wanted. A set of BLACK LIGHTNING clocks were installed and the drive added off the magneto end. We will add a somewhat more powerful battery to give us more time with the electric starter than we currently get. Finally, the racing carbs require some patient fine work. A little bit more clear was put on the fuel tank and that needs to be color sanded and buffed. Great bike!
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August, 2007 -- Legend of the Motorcycle This second annual, world class concourse was held again in Half Moon Bay, Ca. and attended by us. We took six Vincents there. For display only, we showed the Marty Dickerson “Blue Bike”, the John Edgar Lightning, the Record Breaker Street Lightning of Gene Brown, a spare Black Shadow, now sold to a gentleman in Miami and my own “B” Black Shadow for the Sunday ride to Alice’s Restaurant. Lastly, I debuted the Prototype Series “B” Vincent, 1X. Of course, the Edgar Lightning always steals the show. Next to that, Marty enjoyed visiting with fans and having his old bike there to add flavor to his great stories. There’s no better story teller in motorcycling than Marty. The 1X bike, a very historic and important bike featuring the original, first Vincent twin engine , serial no. F10AC/1X/1 originally and changed by the race shop to F10AM/1X/1468 when they redid it to Lightning specs for the British govt. as an assault boat engine sans gearbox. Minett’s Notebook has this in it as do the biographies of both Phils. All that’s left of the original, later licensed as GNK 564, is embodied in this one bike. Gene’s Lightning is the first of a short series of similar bikes called “The Record Breakers” and to be tribute bikes to the men who set world’s speed records on their Vincents. In the case of no. 1, Gene’s bike, the actual Lightning crankshaft and rods used by BURNS & WRIGHT to set their records in Christchurch, NZ is installed. Electric starter, full Lightning engine and more. Straight pipes and race Amal carbs top it off. Currently, we are fitting small, PIAA headlamps in place of the stock Miller. A set of Lightning speedo and tach are going on as well. Gene’s bike also features magnesium engine cases and a 5-speed gearbox. As you might expect, Michael Maestas built the Lightning saddle. This Shadow uses original cloth-wrapped cables, original DUNLOP wheels and Vincent balance weights and more. Its taking some time to do it this way. For instance, the original wheels used chrome rims, painted and striped centers, cadmium plated spoke nipples and spoke flanges and then laced with zinc-plates carbon-steel, swaged spokes. A lot of work sending things all over the country and getting it all right. This bike will go to John Mecray in Rhode Island, a famous artist specializing in maritime scenes, right now to include racing yachts. John keeps threatening to come down here and watch, but a day of this heat may change that. A special bike for a customer of exacting interests and taste. We are slowly building the bike around the spare engine discovered recently and freshened by us known to be part of the Vincent world’s endurance record team in May, 1952 at Montlhery, France, near Paris. One race bike was used and this was the spare racing engine built just in case. It was to the exact race specs, Lightning cams, two front heads done to Lightning dimension, special factory-modified cases and renumbered by them, racing Amals on special short racing alloy inlet manifolds and a special breather. Of course, the bottom end is polished. The bike will have all of this plus alloy wheels and Lightning brakes and a very special thick-walled aluminum set of H1 Vincent handlebars I found. This project is not one for sale, its going to be my special occasion rider. Oh, real 2” Vincent Lightning racing straight pipes and nuts replated to real brilliance. Sales are very good and right now, we’re out of Vincents. Next up we will build a Red Rapide in a Series “B” configuration. We have an early “B” and although it wasn’t originally red from the works, it will make a stunning Vincent. Page 1 of 1 |
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