A Brief History of the Vincent Black Shadow The World's First Superbike

The Vincent Black Shadow is a British motorcycle designed and built at the Vincent works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire UK. Motorcycles produced by Vincent H·R·D at their factory in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England were renowned for their design innovation, engineering excellence and high performance. The Black Shadow reflected this attitude. This menacing black monolith of a bike looks intimidating enough to make modern Harleys and Indians spill coolant all over themselves. When looking at the Shadow, there's almost the sense it was constructed directly from melted down Spitfires before being painted shiny and black.

1951 Vincent Black Shadow Achieves £83,250 At H&H Auction

The Vincent Rapide: The Father of the Black Shadow (1936-1955) The V-twin engine that Phil Irving created was made with a 47° "V", because the rearward set of the engine's idler was 23½°, so putting two together meant 23½° + 23½° = 47°. It's Jay Leno's favorite motorcycle: the classic English superbike known as the Vincent Black Shadow. More than 50 years after the last one rolled off the line, the Black Shadow is still an. This 1951 Vincent Black Shadow is a Series C model that left the factory on February 2, 1951 and was sold new by Indian Sales of San Francisco, California. Power is provided by a 998cc V-twin, which features an integrated 4-speed gearbox and is paired with its matching upper frame member. The Black Shadow was the most powerful standard motorcycle of its time. In an age when the magical "ton" (100 mph) still quickened pulses, the 125-mph top speed of the normal version of Free's.

The Vincent Black Shadow Was the Real First Superbike

The Vincent Black Shadow was so fast that nothing could lay a glove on it for a quarter of a century. It's forever associated with the great Rollie Free and that photograph of the American daredevil, stripped to his trunks, lying on his front as he made a record 150 mph run at Bonneville in 1948. But that was a special factory-prepared special. A 1952 Vincent Black Shadow is among these bikes. It's a Series C Black Shadow, most would agree about the most developed of regular production Vincent motorcycles. At around 55 horsepower, these bikes ruled the roads, and sometimes race tracks and, along with Broughs, were certainly the most prestigious of motorcycles in their time, highly. A Vincent Black Shadow with matching numbers—this was a remarkable find. Definitely in need of work, but it was Vincent, specifically a 1951 Series C. 1951 Vincent 998cc Black Shadow Series-C. Registration no. XFO 670. Frame no. RC9068B/D. Engine no. F10AB/1B/7168. Rear frame no. RC9068B/D. The ultimate 1950s superbike. Matching frame and engine. Recently restored. 'Well into the 1960s and even today, when it is wrapped in a mystique carefully cultivated by thousands of fanatically.

1952 Vincent Black Shadow Special

by Glenn Bewley. 1949 Vincent Black Shadow. The mythical Vincent in the barn. It's the holy grail of vintage motorcycles, the find every vintage motorcycle junkie dreams about. And sometimes, the dream comes true. This all started one night with a phone call from an old friend. He'd been contacted by a man in Philadelphia whose company had. A 1953 Vincent Black Shadow Series C was the top-selling bike at the auction, realizing $90,000. The second highest price bid was for a 1951 Black Shadow mounted to a 1949 frame, which brought $45,000. Other cream of the bidding crop included: The most desirable models are the Black Shadow (Vincent also made 15 White Shadows that are identical to Black Shadows but with a polished engine), a more powerful and tuned version of the Rapide, and the Black Lightning, a racing specific version of the Black Shadow that only around 30 were made. The Black Shadow also utilized what Vincent called a "Girdraulic" fork, which was basically a girder fork with 3" of travel that used a hydraulic damper instead of a central spring, meaning it was sort of a hybrid between a girder fork and a full telescopic like that found on many other motorcycles.

1951 Vincent Black Shadow S172 Las Vegas 2019

vincent black shadow Filter by Make & Model Make Year Min Years to Max Years Price Min Price Max Price Seller Type Dealer/Auction House Vehicle Condition Transmission Category Listing Status 1 results Show 30 Sort by Recommended 1952 Vincent Black Shadow Price The Vincent Black Shadow deserves the title of the world's first superbike due to its innovations and performance. It was the fastest motorcycle of its time, with a top speed of over 125 MPH.