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

Compare and Choose Best Price, Condition, Version, Shipping and Payment Options 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.

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

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. 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. 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 Fiendish Vincent Black Shadow Journey of the Orange Thread

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. 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. This 1954 Vincent Black Shadow is a Series C example that was acquired by its current owner out of Texas in July 1969 and is said to have undergone a refurbishment by Vincent specialist Rip Tragle during the early 1990s that included rebuilding its 998cc V-twin, installing a Quaife five-speed gearkit, and refinishing the bike in black with gold 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.

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

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: 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. A racing version of the Black Shadow, the Black Lightning, went on to set the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948 with racer Rollie Free riding, lying on the seat and wearing only swimming trunks.

The Black Suits Vincent Black Shadow. First built in 1949....

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. 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.