First Ride on my Vincent After Two Years Away From It

[Bill Thomas]

I think it's an age problem ?,
Vibration and Wind !,
On the Bike, Not us ,
And the Cold etc,
For me, Too Hot, Too Cold, Maybe Rain ?, Too much Traffic ?,
Fear of breakdown,
The wife wants taking somewhere and picking up,
I am just a Cab Driver !!.

When you are young , You don't think about it, But now I have to Tell myself OFF,
And just get out there.
Cheers Bill.

 

[MarBl]

Concerning both problems there might be a quick first step to get better results.
If you still have inner springs installed on the front, take them out. Clean and lubricate the bushings.
When it comes to vibrations, I am always kind of surprised, how little attention is directed to a meticulous synchronization of the Carbs. We are talking about quarters of turns of the adjusters or even less. If done properly, and the rest of the engine is ok, you can find very pleasing sweet spots, matching your cruising speeds. Its not BMW-like, but can be close.
But at the end, a very characteristic discomfort compared to modern bikes, is what I enjoy with a classic. To me modern bikes and closed helmets are boring at road legal speeds. And when it comes to aesthetics, most classics beat all of the modern bikes by a long shot (maybe except Superveloce). Its so pleasing to simply look at them and listen to their music.

 

[kerry]

Simple answer...... Get a D Series, Easier starting, smoother ride due to coil over etc which Yamaha copied, simple to use centre stand, better Lucas lighting and electrics, non leaky better monobloc carbs, and more.......... Kerry.

 

[Bill Thomas]

Concerning both problems there might be a quick first step to get better results.
If you still have inner springs installed on the front, take them out. Clean and lubricate the bushings.
When it comes to vibrations, I am always kind of surprised, how little attention is directed to a meticulous synchronization of the Carbs. We are talking about quarters of turns of the adjusters or even less. If done properly, and the rest of the engine is ok, you can find very pleasing sweet spots, matching your cruising speeds. Its not BMW-like, but can be close.
But at the end, a very characteristic discomfort compared to modern bikes, is what I enjoy with a classic. To me modern bikes and closed helmets are boring at road legal speeds. And when it comes to aesthetics, most classics beat all of the modern bikes by a long shot (maybe except Superveloce). Its so pleasing to simply look at them and listen to their music.

Funny , I bought a Modern (1983 !!) BMW K 100, And the vibes at 70 mph , Just where you need it nice,
Was really bad, So I only kept it for 10 years !.
But I still had my Vin's for nice days.
Cheers Bill.

 

[MarBl]

Funny , I bought a Modern (1983 !!) BMW K 100, And the vibes at 70 mph , Just where you need it nice,
Was really bad,

I should have mentioned that I refer to the the Boxer engine, which is the standard reference, when it comes to BMW smoothness. Amongst them, the early 500cc and 600cc roller bearing engines are practically vibration free and not matched by anything I now of. The /5 and later ones do vibrate a bit. My Rapide at its 70mph sweet spot really isn't much different from my 1981 R100CS (now 1070cc). I would even go as far as to compare the characeristics of the Rapides engine with that of a R80ST, which I owned for a while - similar power and lots of torque at low revs. Of course even at the sweet spot the Rapide does vibrate a bit more than the 800cc boxer, but really not that much and certainly not in an annoying way.
By the way, here in Teutonia the K100 is called "The Brick". Never had one of those nor anything with more than two cylinders.
I find synchronization to be an important issue even with modern bikes. I did it myself with the MT-07 I had for a while, as the service did it according to their books, whilst I wanted the sweet spot matching my cruising speed, it made quite a difference. As said before, I now think, that many complaints about vibrating two cylinder engines are related to non optimal synchronization.

 

[Bill Thomas]

I did like the Brick.
90 bhp and 5 speed G box.
Fuel injection.
Made me feel Rich and fitted me well.
A friend tested New ones.
And said some did not vibrate at 70 mph

 

[Little Honda]

If you can ride across the big wet spot that separates us, you’re a better man than I..

Ha, ha, shipment included! Wld b a nice story to tell later at the camp fire! I am serious, though, allthough
having passed 70, already, so don´t wait too long! And I promise, to seal her up within 4 weeks after my return home from the trip with a video of starting her up and show her running for whatever time u want!
come on, don´t b shy!

 

[Little Honda]

I think it's an age problem ?,
Vibration and Wind !,
On the Bike, Not us ,
And the Cold etc,
For me, Too Hot, Too Cold, Maybe Rain ?, Too much Traffic ?,
Fear of breakdown,
The wife wants taking somewhere and picking up,
I am just a Cab Driver !!.

When you are young , You don't think about it, But now I have to Tell myself OFF,
And just get out there.
Cheers Bill.

Maybe, it´s not weather, nor vibes, nor temperature, but - perhaps - the wife?

 

[Bill Thomas]

You are So Right !, They do change !,
But too late now.
Cheers Bill.

 

[Tim Kirker]

With reference to engine vibes. What's the state of the Engine Shock Absorber? It might pay dividends to invest in a new sprocket and cam from VOCSC, now made as close as possible to the original design intent. Certainly made a big improvement to my Rap, especially low down. I suddenly found I could get a steady tick-over, without racing the engine. And I would echo the advice about balancing the carbs. It helps a lot but I couldn't describe how to do it - a lot of trial and error!

Tim Kirker