Hello - and where to start...

Albervin

Albervin

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And now for something completely different

A couple of years ago, on behalf of a friend in England, I bought a bike here in Australia. It was a Terry Prince Egli with full carbon fibre body work (tank, seat base, fairing & lower engine cowl. It had an Ohlins racing monoshock on the rear, Egli Racing forks & wheels, AP brakes & looked the dog's bollocks. I thought it a bit tall but on the move it was sweet. If this is what you have in mind then Terry is your man.;)
 
V

VirtualVincent

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Thanks for all the posts and thanks to Bill for commenting.

Bill, you confirmed my fears over the girdraulics. I know people say they are brilliant if you set them up right, but I also have been lead to believe that setting them up properly is an art form in itself. I hadn't realised that the Standard C had side car lugs - what a brilliantly simple solution of using them as fairing mounts :). I need to look at the schematics closely but did you need any other mounting points as well? I figured that the front fork springs would need stiffening because of the weight of the fairing. Didi you adjust the damping at all?

I do like the Terry Prince machine and might yet go that way. Thanks for the link to the website - it is the same one I'd looked at before which says it was last updated on 01/01/06! That's why I'd assumed he was no longer trading. A self-build project has a LOT of appeal but perhaps they can supply it in kit form :)
 
Bill Thomas

Bill Thomas

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Hello again from Bill, I have had my first twin since 1965, I even worked at Conways at that time, I was a learner with a sidecar !. The trouble with the Forks is that a lot of other things upset them, tyres, pressures,dampers, springs, damper eyebolts etc.If the forks come right up i.e.compressed the trail is less than 2''. What I think you need is inner springs which they left out on the D, taper roller s/head bearings and a hydraulic steering damper + a bit of luck. Even John Surtees had one at Goodwood threw him off, I saw it twice on the telly It made me feel better because he is the top man.I think you would be better off with a proper job from the U.S. to be honest all my mod's are a bit of a bodge, If you go for a D top frame like I did in the end, You will have to sort out an oil tank, D's had them under the saddle, I don't think you will like that, My brother Ron made me a petrol tank 2'' taller with oil one side and petrol the other.Look up photo, Liphook 09 image 7927 Cheers Bill.
 
Bill Thomas

Bill Thomas

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Hello from sunny Dorset,
I ment teles' You have to remember my mods' were between 1970-1980
Even 1970 Norton forks had there problems, In the road tests they told of sticking and topping out i.e.clonking when hard accelerating.
I am sure Steve will supply you with some good forks.
My bikes are built to a low price i.e. I am skint ! Always was,.
If I can get some money together I may have one more project,
I have enough old bits for a Comet and I have a conrod from U.S. which is 1/4'' too short !!. With a suitable hole in the flywheel I think it will work out to be 560cc ? Always looking for more power!!.
I just need to get my brain working, these letters have helped I am not as keen as i once was but I just need a kick up the a---, Sorry Graham.
All the best Bill.
 
Howard

Howard

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Hi Bill and VV

Bill you got the right Howard, I campaigned the ex Pete Campbell's racing Comet for a time. Glad you're still Vincenteering, and like you, I needed a kick to get the interest going again - it took a bit of a back seat with family matters etc.

I mentioned Bill's special originally, not as something to copy, but more as a source of ideas because it sounded so much like the original spec proposed by VV.

On girdraulics : I never had any problems on the Comet, after I turned the eccentrics from sidecar to solo position, that is. Mine were slightly different, the springs and boxes were removed and the central damper replaced by a sprung damper. Anything that wasn't essential was removed from the bike, and anything that was essential was drilled, including the damper knob, so the whole plot was as light as a comet could be (even the pilot was lighter then). The bushes were kept to tollerance and greased, and the damper was always tight. Of course, it helps when you only ride it on smooth racetracks, but the backend always gave me more cause for concern than the forks.

If you're going to make a modern cantilever frame with oil in the top member a la Vincent, why not make some modern Girdraulics, PCV never liked teles and BMW have a sort of Girdraulic even if they do call it Telelever.

Just joking ...... or am I?

Howard
 
T

Tnecniv Edipar

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Take a look at the Britten V1000 for a glimpse of how the Vincent may have developed. It has all the fundamental aspects of the Vincent but developed with modern materials and technology. Not a sports tourer admitted , but could easily be.
 
Bill Thomas

Bill Thomas

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Hello All, This will be the longest thead ever !.
Like I said money is short so I will have to keep the junk I have, The wife says get rid of all of it !! I think she means me as well.
Nice to hear from you Howard, You can't give them up can you.
I was sad to hear from Bryan Sutton that he sold his lovely special.
I can still see Peter Cambell flying through the air, It was Curborough was it not ?.
When this thread started, My head started to hurt with all the memories, Vincents have been my life for 44 years ! I wouldn't change much, only the pain part !.
The Lightning has been off the road for 2 1/2 years since breaking a cam follower but I have been doing a bit the last few days and hope to have going soon. Keep The Faith,
Bill
 
V

VirtualVincent

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I was going to mention the Britten but Tnecniv Edipar beat me to it :rolleyes:.

There is a balance in what I hope to build between several things:
desire, authenticity, cost and safety (not necessarily in that order!).

The scare stories I've read about girdraulics are terrifying which is why I'm linking of more 'modern' (1965-70) teles. I'm sure there must be a thread on teles vs girdraulics somewhere in this forum :).

Perhaps I should just do a Norvin and be happy but I really want to preserve the rear suspension setup (though perhaps with a pair of Hagon shocks that look authentic but have more modern capabilities).
 
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