Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Speed is Expensive is a documentary currently in pre-production about the history of Vincent Motorcycles. In addition, the bike weighed nearly 90 pounds less than the Black Shadow, thanks to magnesium components, alloy rims, rear-set foot controls, a solo seat, and aluminum fenders. There’s no hard evidence for this tale, but one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”. Actually, the lyrics to the song didn’t mention “beezers.” That line went like this: “Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won’t do…”, I have an unopened plastic Hot Wheels model of a 52 Vincent. Beautiful restored Vincent Comet, looks, runs and rides excellent. Vincent-HRD developed the Black Lightning directly from the Vincent Black Shadow, which was an evolution of the V-twin Vincent Rapide. It went like this: Tom, you’re right in that he does often say “Greeveses” — in the studio version, too — but Richard Thompson varies the lyrics when he plays the song live, sometimes mentioning “Beezers” instead of “Greeveses.” He even refers to Harleys and Indians sometimes when playing in the States. Now Nortons and Indians and Beezers won’t do. Read more... © Silodrome 2020. all rights reserved. away Thanks in advance. --Richard ThompsonThose are the words of James Aide The Vincent Black Lightning for sale / auction through Bonhams is a 1949 Vincent 998cc Black Lightning Series-B. That is why there are not many life members of the Vincent Black Shadow Society.”, Enter Rollie Free and the 150 mph barrier…. As it stands today the Black Lightning is fitted with twin Amal racing carburetors, dual straight-through exhaust pipes, abbreviated aluminum fenders, and overall it looks to be in correct specification for its year. It’s important to note that any potential buyer would need to do their own due diligence into this however. VINCENT Motorcycles, Parts and Literature For Sale: HRD, METEOR, COMET, RAPIDE, BLACK SHADOW, VICTOR, BLACK KNIGHT, BLACK PRINCE, NORVIN, EGLI, GREY FLASH, BLACK LIGHTNING For Sale : Reproduction No. At the time of its introduction in 1948, the Vincent Black Lightning was the fastest production motorcycle in the world, capable of achieving 150 mph through its 70-hp, 998cc V-twin engine. Founder Philip Conrad Vincent felt that steady performance improvement was crucial to the company. Alert for new Listings. Your email address will not be published. The decision to race at the Bonneville salt flats at high-speed with no much exposed skin wasn’t taken lightly, Free was trying to break the 150 mph mark on a motorcycle for the first time in American history but he was still 2 mph too slow. Almost immediately, Vincent decided to produce and market a race-trim motorcycle of similar specification to Free’s record-setting machine: the Vincent Black Lightning. The race has been known by a few names over the years however the basic format is always somewhat similar, It takes a brave person to customize a new Ducati 959 Panigale, it’s a motorcycle that’s already perfect according to many in the motorcycle community, and the Ducati fanbase is one of the most…, The new Stilo ST5VR is a motorsport helmet designed specifically for sim racing, it’s intended for use by both professional and amateur racing drivers who want to ensure their sim rig is as close as…, Roman Bulach is a Russian engineer who lives in Siberia, specifically in the Novosibirsk region of western Siberia. The Black Shadow boasted a 50-hp version of the company’s 998cc V-twin, with a top speed of 125 mph. The Vincent Black Lightning was essentially a racing version of the (already very quick) Vincent Black Shadow. One of those engineers was Phil Irving, who developed the air-cooled, OHV, 50° V-twin used in the Rapide, Black Shadow, and Black Lightning. Above Image: Rollie Free’s successful US land speed record attempt at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948. Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. As the story goes, two Comet blueprints were overlapping on his desk in a rough approximation of a V-twin, and Irving had a eureka moment. Cafe Racers, Scramblers, Trackers, and Bratstyle. The motorcycle you see here is a 1950 Vincent Black Lightning, right about the mid-point of the model’s production. Bonhams today captured the world record for a motorcycle at auction when it sold a 1951 Vincent Black Lightning for $929,000 at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Silodrome, Gasoline Culture, and the Piston/Blade Icon are registered trademarks. We’re thrilled to see this story of the rise and fall of the legendary motorbike company, and we encourage you to keep your eye out for the film! The changes made to the engine to bring it up to Black Lightning specification were significant. It’s the second Black Lightning ever built, expected to bring $400-500,000. Vincent Black Lightning Motorcycle (Replica) Sale price: £34100 ≈ $45433 ≈ €38362 ≈ ₿2.47 btc. TIME magazine has ranked the song of the 100 greatest songs of all-time, only adding to the legend of the Vincent Black Lightning. Search 1 Used Vincent Black Lightning listings. Now Nortons and Indians and Beezers won't do. Siberia is famous for both its beauty and for its rugged terrain. The Vincent Black Lightning was essentially a racing version of the (already very quick) Vincent Black Shadow. The 150-mph Black Lightning was supplied in race trim, though the bikes could be registered as street-legal with some modification. Can’t find any reference of it on Hot Wheels site. Some of his variations are mentioned in the comments of this post: http://zero-station.blogspot.com/2010/09/on-richard-thompsons-1952-vincent-black.html, Your email address will not be published. Those are the words of James Aidee, the narrator of one of the great ballads of the modern era, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson. It is a complete, unassembled scale model. The bike was also put on a strict weight loss program dropping the dry weight from 458 lbs (207.7 kgs) down to 380 lbs (170 kgs), this was achieved by stripping off anything deemed non-essential, a much smaller seat was used as well as special racing tyres on lightweight alloy rims, it made extensive use of magnesium components, specially developed rear-set foot controls, and aluminum alloy front and rear mudguards. Normal vehicles are largely pointless…, The Desert Runner is one of the most consequential custom motorcycles built by the team at Revival Cycles, in order to build it they were shipped an unreleased Royal Enfield Interceptor from the factory under…. It’s had five owners and been with the present owner for 50 years. These bikes are always included in the top 3 , iconic British classics. 42 round rear Miller brake light switches as used on the first 430 postwar 1946/7 Vincents. It was the second-ever Black Lightning ever built, ordered for and raced by Swiss racer Hans Stärkle. Franklin Smith at fgsmith05@gmail.com. Says Silodrome: “Long before his Formula 1 glory days, Irving was working at Vincent-HRD on a replacement for the single cylinder, 500cc Vincent Comet engine. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to view the listing on Mecum. Frame no. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Contact Us. 1-15 of 77. Ultra-Rare Vincent Black Lightning up for sale!