I went to school at Alleynes in Stevenage, my music room was the Vincent production workshop, it was an all boys school and still very Victorian , beautiful old English School.
In the early '50,s I lived in South London. On my way to work I had to pass a shop which sold Vincents and Nortons. It was owned by Jack Surtees, father of John Surtees. Jack's wife used to ride a Black Shadow from their home in Bromley to the shop on most days. She was not afraid to ride rather fast, and the local police used to ignore her dur to the time of day she would ride! Jack used to ride in the Manx TT races and John started racing on bikes and graduated to Formula One eventually.
Simply the greatest motorcycle ever built ,bikes built in the 50s were still the fastest bikes in the world right up until the 80s no company have ever or are ever likely to emulate that achievement
The engine alone is a masterpiece , an artsculpture you would place on a pedestal in your livingroom . These motorcycles were so beautifully designed and built , no wonder calling their name makes bikelovers blush . And they have a sound and performance that you would expect from such a thoroughbred !
thank you John and the team, really enjoyed that. The bike doesn't look intimidating and I'd want to never get off a machine like that. Modern bikes don't really give me the same emotion.
Glad to see such marvelous machines being so carefully cared for. Any time any museum or collector can grab a bike that hasn't been started for years from the collection and, after an oil change and fresh gas, starts with just two kicks is doing things right.
Thanks for showcasing this rare Vincent single. Their big V-twins always seem to find the limelight. But I'll be honest: I've never been a speedy thrillseeker, and have long suspected that if I were ever lucky enough to own any Vincent, then a Comet 500 would do me just fine. Rudge was another marque I'd learned to admire, long after its heyday, particularly its Ulster models, so seeing the two great brands mated in this Model P was extremely interesting. It's just a shame that ANY Vincent has been, and will likely remain, well out of reach for the "beer budget" likes of me. Yet I'm quite content nursing along my now merely semi-elderly 2005 Royal Enfield "Iron Barrel" pre-unit Bullet 500 "Military"--a bit of a '50s "engineering fossil" still being made in India in our millenium. If not exactly a vintage bike, it's at least an unimpeachably vintage design, not merely some latter-day "retro" tribute, which scratches that itch for that old school "character" for a lot less than a Comet.
@Alfred Wedmore I totally get it about your seller's remorse for that Velocette, though I've only seen very few "in the wild", even when I lived in the UK. As for the Comet, aside from its good looks, I am probably drawn to them more through a refined sense of self-preservation, understanding full well that one of their V-twin 1,000s would likely punch my ticket for good. Truth is, Comets are just on a long list of oddball bikes I might just consider treating myself to if I snagged that Powerball too. Other candidates might include, yes, a nice Velocette, a Rudge, an early Norton Dominator 88 or maybe one of their '30s Internationals with girder forks...or hell, even a tired old 16H or Model 19 might scratch that primitivo itch. Less "needy" and arguably more practical, a "nice enough" BMW R69S or similar with those Earles Forks would suffice. Frankly though, at my pensioner end of the economic food chain, even a semi-crisp '72 Honda CB350 looks almost "aspirational". The good news for me, as it stands now, is that I can get a brand new carb for my Bullet 500 with all the jets and hoses for like $24 delivered. Honestly, for those like me who don't wanna go down that $5,000 "barn find" path for an elderly classic, but who'd like a taste of its "feel" and happy to cruise in the 50s, do try a nice old Bullet, which can often be had for change from the sofa cushions. For those who'd like a bit more modern speed and something Triumph twin-like, Royal Enfield's newish 650s are a great buy at about $6,500 brand new out the door, with a 3 year unlimited warranty and free road recovery in most countries.
When I was an apprentice joiner/shopfitter in Manchester, around 1962, a joiner offered to sell me his immaculate, Vincent 1000cc Black Shadow complete with fairing, indicators and full sized double adult sidecar. The price was £65! Unfortunately I earned about £2 per 40 hour week 😢 I was riding a 98cc James Comet bought at age 15 for £7. I had to strip, repaint and rebuild it with my dad’s help.
Poetry in motion. A friend of mine has a collection of HRD and Vincents. They are magnificent examples of the finest British engineering and craftsmanship. A very interesting video well done.
Late 70s-early 80s I had the pleasure of owning a 51 Series C Black Shadow . Very LOW vibration ,wonderful 1-2 finger servo clutch and dual front brake 2 fingers and could lock the front 3.00X21 on dry pavement. Good thing the front brake was so good as someone before I got had removed the second drum on the rear. I had picked up a basket case Comet in about 82 but, my roommate at the time threatened me with great bodly harm if I did not sell it to him. LOL 100+ MPH totally effortless !!
I've got a rapide b. It's an interesting machine, tbh I'm not a massive fan. It's Hard work compared to a modern bike, but was an interesting machine to restore.
Always wanted a Vincent but never did buy one just too expensive for me in the early 60's had to "make do" with the Ariel Leader which was ground breaking in it's own right too.
Nice video. Was just reading about this bike today (not online) and coincidentally had this suggested by UA-cam. I take your point about the 1930s fashion for twin ports and exhausts being non-functional and in most cases just adding weight - my '34 BSA Blue Star is a good example. However, in the case of the Rudge Python engine it did serve a function in that there are two exhaust valves and it's convenient to have two downpipes. This is especially true of the S engine which used the radial exhaust head. The engineering rationality of this arrangement can be seen on later machines like the 1980s Honda CB250RS which also featured a four valve head and twin exhausts, while the four valve Yamaha SRX had twin down-pipes collecting into a single silencer.
Excellent and very informative and thus interesting. My Uncle had a Vincent Black Shadow and my Dad a 1932 twin port single cylinder 500 cc Sunbeam.. Any similar video on Sunbeams would be amazing. Thank you.
I was hoping to get a little history on the engine he designed and what inspired it. Is it a portion of a WW2 aircraft recip , radial ? The engine case is huge to house a large balancer? and transmission gears ? Why is the cylinder stroke so short.?
Curious what engine oil you and commenters are running? I’m thinking of switching to synthetic in my 69 BSA. Maybe Classic Motorcycle Channel could do a video on modern oils in classic bikes
Great bike in the day but due to being over priced for most riders and poor business decisions, they went bankrupt in 1955. Companies have to keep up with the times.
The company had been in financial difficulty from 1949. Lots of the early post-war sales were ex-servicemen spending their demob money. The main export market was Argentina, and that country got into BIG problems in '49 and suddenly stopped importing. Vincents went into receivership. They eventually got back on their feet, but then got tangled up with Indian in the USA - they wanted to buy engines, and persuaded Vincent to tool up for greatly increased production, such as die-casting the crank-cases - but payment kept on not arriving. It was an attempt to make Vincent go bust and then buy the assets cheaply. They just pulled through. And then the clever enclosed Series D models were a sales flop, selling a total of 500 bikes in a year. That was the final blow, Vincents stopped making bikes and made industrial two-stroke engines, the pioneering Amanda water-scooter (failed due to sub-standard fibre-glass by a sub-contractor), and engineering contract work. It just ground to a halt in 1960, the design rights and tooling sold to Matt Holder.
According to my late father who was a "Rocker" in the 50's. Vincent black shadow was faster if you could find an empty straight road long enough, Everyday the BSA gold Flash & Triumph tiger 110 were fast & nimble on country roads and much cheaper. In 1959 myself, Jaguar MK2 car & Triumph T120 Bonneville were born, game changers. He never got a Bonnie, but with me in the home he got a Jag. The passion never really left him, in the 70's he had a Tiger 90, 80's he had a Suzuki GS 550 for a while. His lottery bucket list included taking the Canadian Pacific train east to west then renting a Bonneville in Vancouver to tour the Canadian Rockies. He never did and died, not trying my Triumph Street Triple.
@Alfred Wedmore There are a couple more factors linked to Argentina. Philip Vincent's father owned a large ranch in Agentina. He made a trip to the UK, leaving a manager with powers to continue to operate the farm. The manager promptly sold the farm and disappeared with the money. The investment money promised to Phil Vincent for the bike company by his father was gone for ever. Also, with the sudden termination of bike sales to Argentina in '49, production was way too high for on-going sales. The surplus production went into a warehouse, which meant no cash-flow, and storage costs. After six months or so, batches of warehouse bikes were sold to dealers at discount prices, easing the cash-flow crisis, but at a cost... Production had to drop to match sales. Vincents took on contract machining work to keep the machine-shop busy. It was not enough.
The Vincent was the most impractical of motorcycles he tried to put an aero engine in a frame and whilst it was fast and expensive it is difficult to understand what he was trying to achieve a motorcycle that was hard to start .
It's an ERROR to have funnelt the 2 exhausts into one. Obviously rust would occur at the welding. And it's not a good design, i mean typical British, & weird ! It's weird and non natural. Mozart wouldn't have had that bike.
To see a classic British bike running around the English countryside, wonderful
I went to school at Alleynes in Stevenage, my music room was the Vincent production workshop, it was an all boys school and still very Victorian , beautiful old English School.
In the early '50,s I lived in South London. On my way to work I had to pass a shop which sold Vincents and Nortons. It was owned by Jack Surtees, father of John Surtees. Jack's wife used to ride a Black Shadow from their home in Bromley to the shop on most days. She was not afraid to ride rather fast, and the local police used to ignore her dur to the time of day she would ride! Jack used to ride in the Manx TT races and John started racing on bikes and graduated to Formula One eventually.
Thanks for your informative story,friend!
Great to hear of this preservation of engineering and production history.
Wonderfully presentation of a glorious motorcycle channel deserves ALOT more subscribers 👍
Lovely bikes and I love the sound. Thanks for the video. My bike is a 2018 Royal Enfield Classic 500 and it sounds pretty good too.
This is great! Rarer motorcycle models need more exposure like this.
What an awesome video , I’ve just purchased my first Vincent comet and love it !
Only your first? Well, I suppose we all must start out somewhere.
Very informative. Thanks. I do like 500cc singles. Plenty fast enough for me.
Simply the greatest motorcycle ever built ,bikes built in the 50s were still the fastest bikes in the world right up until the 80s no company have ever or are ever likely to emulate that achievement
Wow, 4 valves per cylinder back in 1932! Very well produced video.
Rudges were 4 valve through the '20s to end of production at the end of the '30s. Excepting a base 250 model
The engine alone is a masterpiece , an artsculpture you would place on a pedestal in your livingroom .
These motorcycles were so beautifully designed and built , no wonder calling their name makes bikelovers blush .
And they have a sound and performance that you would expect from such a thoroughbred !
Must be the best job in the world to maintain and show and ride these gorgeous machines !!! Great stuff 👍🏻🏴
I have a twin model, rapide 1949, 10 years to restore, all done by hand, by myself. 🇧🇷
thank you John and the team, really enjoyed that. The bike doesn't look intimidating and I'd want to never get off a machine like that. Modern bikes don't really give me the same emotion.
Glad to see such marvelous machines being so carefully cared for. Any time any museum or collector can grab a bike that hasn't been started for years from the collection and, after an oil change and fresh gas, starts with just two kicks is doing things right.
Thanks for showcasing this rare Vincent single. Their big V-twins always seem to find the limelight. But I'll be honest: I've never been a speedy thrillseeker, and have long suspected that if I were ever lucky enough to own any Vincent, then a Comet 500 would do me just fine. Rudge was another marque I'd learned to admire, long after its heyday, particularly its Ulster models, so seeing the two great brands mated in this Model P was extremely interesting. It's just a shame that ANY Vincent has been, and will likely remain, well out of reach for the "beer budget" likes of me. Yet I'm quite content nursing along my now merely semi-elderly 2005 Royal Enfield "Iron Barrel" pre-unit Bullet 500 "Military"--a bit of a '50s "engineering fossil" still being made in India in our millenium. If not exactly a vintage bike, it's at least an unimpeachably vintage design, not merely some latter-day "retro" tribute, which scratches that itch for that old school "character" for a lot less than a Comet.
@Alfred Wedmore I totally get it about your seller's remorse for that Velocette, though I've only seen very few "in the wild", even when I lived in the UK. As for the Comet, aside from its good looks, I am probably drawn to them more through a refined sense of self-preservation, understanding full well that one of their V-twin 1,000s would likely punch my ticket for good. Truth is, Comets are just on a long list of oddball bikes I might just consider treating myself to if I snagged that Powerball too. Other candidates might include, yes, a nice Velocette, a Rudge, an early Norton Dominator 88 or maybe one of their '30s Internationals with girder forks...or hell, even a tired old 16H or Model 19 might scratch that primitivo itch. Less "needy" and arguably more practical, a "nice enough" BMW R69S or similar with those Earles Forks would suffice. Frankly though, at my pensioner end of the economic food chain, even a semi-crisp '72 Honda CB350 looks almost "aspirational". The good news for me, as it stands now, is that I can get a brand new carb for my Bullet 500 with all the jets and hoses for like $24 delivered. Honestly, for those like me who don't wanna go down that $5,000 "barn find" path for an elderly classic, but who'd like a taste of its "feel" and happy to cruise in the 50s, do try a nice old Bullet, which can often be had for change from the sofa cushions. For those who'd like a bit more modern speed and something Triumph twin-like, Royal Enfield's newish 650s are a great buy at about $6,500 brand new out the door, with a 3 year unlimited warranty and free road recovery in most countries.
When I was an apprentice joiner/shopfitter in Manchester, around 1962, a joiner offered to sell me his immaculate, Vincent 1000cc Black Shadow complete with fairing, indicators and full sized double adult sidecar. The price was £65!
Unfortunately I earned about £2 per 40 hour week 😢
I was riding a 98cc James Comet bought at age 15 for £7. I had to strip, repaint and rebuild it with my dad’s help.
I was offered a plumbers nightmare long ago for £35 .I didnt have the space for it but its too late now?
Thank you for this upload. Great vid...
Most enjoyable, keep up the good work. Maybe a peace on Velocette would be nice. Cheers.
Poetry in motion. A friend of mine has a collection of HRD and Vincents. They are magnificent examples of the finest British engineering and craftsmanship. A very interesting video well done.
Rode cycles for years,many bikes have caught my eye, italian,English ,german,have never seen a Vincent on the road.
Superb bike! What a stunner!
I was a very proud oner of a Vincent Black Prince in the late 1960s.
Another excellent enjoyable video! Your presentation is excellent too John, keep them coming..🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Beautiful machines. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely talk and walk through. Always loved the vincent.
Such a pleasure to watch! Great work team.
Nicely done Thank You
This was amazing ! TY awesome bit of history. Wonderful collection.
In the early 80s had a few chances to purchase a Vincent black shadow, I'm still kicking myself.
What a great video.
Well done.
A friend of mines father had a HRD Black Shadow in the late 40's.
VINCENT and BROUGH SUPERIOR. Really Iconic.
Late 70s-early 80s I had the pleasure of owning a 51 Series C Black Shadow . Very LOW vibration ,wonderful 1-2 finger servo clutch and dual front brake 2 fingers and could lock the front 3.00X21 on dry pavement. Good thing the front brake was so good as someone before I got had removed the second drum on the rear. I had picked up a basket case Comet in about 82 but, my roommate at the time threatened me with great bodly harm if I did not sell it to him. LOL 100+ MPH totally effortless !!
Absolutely incredible motorcycle. What a work of art. Thank you for this video.
Thank-you for sharing this video. Great stuff! 👍 🏍
I've got a rapide b. It's an interesting machine, tbh I'm not a massive fan. It's Hard work compared to a modern bike, but was an interesting machine to restore.
That Model P has a very nice sound.
tres evocative
That young man there means that these old bikes are in safe hands.
Always wanted a Vincent but never did buy one just too expensive for me in the early 60's had to "make do" with the Ariel Leader which was ground breaking in it's own right too.
The mid '30s Meteor was a lovely bike without all the complication of the twins .
Soy fan de todas las motos inglesas en especial de la bsa y la norton, muy buenas esplicaciones. Un saludo.
thanks for that indeed...........nice summary
I'm sitting here drooling onto my keyboard. I'll never be able to buy one but I'd love to get a ride on one. Sigh...
Magnificent. They were living, breathing beings, so tactile and hands on. Lumps of plastic and superfluous electronics has destroyed that these days.
Vincent twins are so well designed you can't really see the frame
Nice video. Was just reading about this bike today (not online) and coincidentally had this suggested by UA-cam. I take your point about the 1930s fashion for twin ports and exhausts being non-functional and in most cases just adding weight - my '34 BSA Blue Star is a good example. However, in the case of the Rudge Python engine it did serve a function in that there are two exhaust valves and it's convenient to have two downpipes. This is especially true of the S engine which used the radial exhaust head. The engineering rationality of this arrangement can be seen on later machines like the 1980s Honda CB250RS which also featured a four valve head and twin exhausts, while the four valve Yamaha SRX had twin down-pipes collecting into a single silencer.
Bless your heart. I understand. Very nice.
Fantastic 😜👍
Excellent and very informative and thus interesting. My Uncle had a Vincent Black Shadow and my Dad a 1932 twin port single cylinder 500 cc Sunbeam.. Any similar video on Sunbeams would be amazing. Thank you.
Hi Brian, thanks for your nice comments. We have done a video on a Sunbeam, here it is: ua-cam.com/video/q1c-P8nNYIY/v-deo.html
Can someone please tell me what HRD stands for. Exquisite collection of motor cycles.
Are there any more contemporary v-twins which are like the Rapide or Black Shadow?
Nice video 👍 ,could you do a classic trials and MX ? Please kindest regards Wayne
Good idea Wayne, thanks for the request, leave it with us...
I was hoping to get a little history on the engine he designed and what inspired it. Is it a portion of a WW2 aircraft recip , radial ? The engine case is huge to house a large balancer? and transmission gears ? Why is the cylinder stroke so short.?
back when things were made to last.
Do you know what happened to Ted Davis collection as that was the full Vincent and HRD bikes ever made?
Curious what engine oil you and commenters are running? I’m thinking of switching to synthetic in my 69 BSA. Maybe Classic Motorcycle Channel could do a video on modern oils in classic bikes
Hi Garrett, thanks for your comments, not sure what oils the guys are running, but that's a great idea for a video, stay tuned.
Great bike in the day but due to being over priced for most riders and poor business decisions, they went bankrupt in 1955.
Companies have to keep up with the times.
Can you run any carb at a right angle? I have a CV40 which is in the way of the petrol tank I want to use; even a few degrees off centre would do it.
Those shaking pipe headers on the single were a bit loose, would cause issues if bike was used any amount of time takes away from quality.
I had a "D" fantastic magic carpet on wheels. Don't hear much of any around these days.
BAJAJ India has bought this Bike and production will start soon. Expected to give RE a competition. 1000 CC Bajaj Vincent is due soon.
Manufacture in France Vincent elles sont toujours fabriqué en France
whats the 1932 brakes like ?
Touch Helmet for that bike, look for a old leather football helmet or a biplane helmet. 😊
Vincent
yo why u not talk about Royal Enfield we still have it around
Why did Vincent cease Production?
The company had been in financial difficulty from 1949. Lots of the early post-war sales were ex-servicemen spending their demob money. The main export market was Argentina, and that country got into BIG problems in '49 and suddenly stopped importing. Vincents went into receivership. They eventually got back on their feet, but then got tangled up with Indian in the USA - they wanted to buy engines, and persuaded Vincent to tool up for greatly increased production, such as die-casting the crank-cases - but payment kept on not arriving. It was an attempt to make Vincent go bust and then buy the assets cheaply. They just pulled through. And then the clever enclosed Series D models were a sales flop, selling a total of 500 bikes in a year. That was the final blow, Vincents stopped making bikes and made industrial two-stroke engines, the pioneering Amanda water-scooter (failed due to sub-standard fibre-glass by a sub-contractor), and engineering contract work. It just ground to a halt in 1960, the design rights and tooling sold to Matt Holder.
Too expensive
According to my late father who was a "Rocker" in the 50's. Vincent black shadow was faster if you could find an empty straight road long enough, Everyday the BSA gold Flash & Triumph tiger 110 were fast & nimble on country roads and much cheaper.
In 1959 myself, Jaguar MK2 car & Triumph T120 Bonneville were born, game changers. He never got a Bonnie, but with me in the home he got a Jag.
The passion never really left him, in the 70's he had a Tiger 90, 80's he had a Suzuki GS 550 for a while. His lottery bucket list included taking the Canadian Pacific train east to west then renting a Bonneville in Vancouver to tour the Canadian Rockies. He never did and died, not trying my Triumph Street Triple.
@@billmago7991 That's the short answer
@Alfred Wedmore There are a couple more factors linked to Argentina.
Philip Vincent's father owned a large ranch in Agentina. He made a trip to the UK, leaving a manager with powers to continue to operate the farm. The manager promptly sold the farm and disappeared with the money. The investment money promised to Phil Vincent for the bike company by his father was gone for ever.
Also, with the sudden termination of bike sales to Argentina in '49, production was way too high for on-going sales. The surplus production went into a warehouse, which meant no cash-flow, and storage costs. After six months or so, batches of warehouse bikes were sold to dealers at discount prices, easing the cash-flow crisis, but at a cost...
Production had to drop to match sales. Vincents took on contract machining work to keep the machine-shop busy. It was not enough.
The total number of Vincents actually built was about 11,000
The Vincent was the most impractical of motorcycles he tried to put an aero engine in a frame and whilst it was fast and expensive it is difficult to understand what he was trying to achieve a motorcycle that was hard to start .
Wow, they predate Harley Softail Chassis!
Now bajaj india brought back vincent
It's an ERROR to have funnelt the 2 exhausts into one. Obviously rust would occur at the welding. And it's not a good design, i mean typical British, & weird ! It's weird and non natural. Mozart wouldn't have had that bike.