How to advertise on this site

[gibbin82]

You do not have to join the club to either buy or sell a Vincent, however being a member will be a great benefit to you as a Vincent owner and I would highly recommend you do. I am both a fairly new club member and Vincent owner and found that after becoming a member of this club it has enabled me to meet and correspond with a lot of very friendly folk who are very happy to help with advice and even offers of parts while mine are being refurbished. Up to now everybody has been down to earth enthusiastic bike owners and not as I expected snooty 'Hooray Henry's'. There is also the 10% discount from the VOC spares scheme to consider, the membership price will be partly or completely recovered if you choose to change the bike to suit yourself, or need to replace parts. There is also the excellent owner’s club magazine that is full of interesting articles, the chance to join local and national Vincent events and facilities to trace your machines history and even get copies of the original factory records.

Regarding the Vincent’s ability as a practical machine compared to pre war bikes I think you will be pleasantly and totally surprised as to how good the Vincent actually is. Before I bought mine I started to have worries whether it would meet my expectations and be a safe useable machine on modern roads in traffic. Well the worries were completely unfounded as the bike (a 1951 Rapide) far exceeded my all of my hopes in all areas (brakes aside which as yet I have not got complete confidence in, this I hope to rectify by buying a new 8" front brake set up once funds allow). As a member of the club I have seen a variety of post war Vincent’s in all conditions from rough high mileage bikes to immaculate polished bikes, they all have one thing in common that if put together correctly and maintained they will cover high mileages and reach high speeds with very little effort, “yes” a Brough may be able to be ridden occasionally to events etc. but if you want a machine capable of being ridden every day in all weathers and traffic conditions then you will not find anything pre war that will live with the Vincent (or come even close), you will also need to come a lot further forward in British motorcycle history to find anything that is comparable.

 

[nkt267]

Oh Dear.Does this thread seem to be getting out of hand.
Yes membership of the club can be beneficial,a lot of useful advice can be gained from it to aid you in finding a Vincent without buying a lemon.I would not refuse to help a 'prospective member' find a Vincent because he/she is not a member.
Our section welcomes people to our meetings whether or not they have a Vincent or are a VOC member. We have to be open and welcoming if we are to expand,there are already a lot of Vincent owners who will NOT join the VOC.
Lets not alienate another prospective owner before he gets to know us properly.
I suggest you find out where your nearest section is, and go along and meet them.I'm sure that they will make you welcome.John

Well said gibbin..I was typing this whilst you were posting yours.

 

[BlackLightning998]

Well said David........

Welcome David,

I've been a member for a year this time around (was a young member with my father in the 1970's).

There are always strange folks in every club, but my experience of the last 12months has been mostly positive, I have met some very helpful and friendly people, some of whom have given freely of their time or resources to help me out as a novice, spanner wielding Vincent Owner.

I joined and left the Ducati Owners Group and the Harley Davidson Club - they really weren't for me, but here with the VOC I'm having fun and learning a lot.

There are those who are perhaps a little blunt, a little direct, an aquired taste through to some that I simply avoid being in the company of - but my experience is that you find that in many walks of life. In my view the positives far, far outweigh the negatives and I would recommend you come along to a section meet or a rally and sample us for yourself - best test?

You'll surely find your own groove, find those you like spending time with and those you'd prefer to avoid, and if you never go to a rally or an event cause it is not your thing then there's the Magazine and free reign on the Forum as value for money - but on the whole a friendly bunch of people who share a common passion for things Vincent - and the beauty is there is room for all, whether you own a bike that has not turned a wheel for several years, a box of bits under your workbench, a concours machine that gets trailered to events or a thoroughly used bike that has seen 100mph on the clock on a very regular basis.

Best piece of advice I've been given - "talk to 15 Vincent Owners, get 15 different opinions on the right thing to do to fix your problem with the bike, then make your own mind up and do it".

MPH the Club Magazine - well worth £28 a year in my view, why not buy a few backnumbers off ebay and have a read before you decide - you should be able to pick up a whole year for less than £10 if you go for more recent ones?

I've got some duplicates - let me have your address as a Private Message and I'll send you one to read.

I've never been a club joiner by nature, often prefer my own company and head off for a 200 mile ride on a Saturday alone, but the club for me has proved invaluable in getting access to hundreds of years of experience in fettling my bike.

Cheers and hopefully welcome to the Club.

Stuart

WELCOME TO THE CLUB. Wow!!! if your email is a representation, there seems to be serious issues afoot.

My circumstances you know nothing about and youir opinion matters little to me, when put in such an off hand way. Your comments I assume are in regard to yourself as you seem to have had bad experiences in the past and seem to put values on your bikes without being specific but that is not my problem and I dont have to comment as you seem to have said it all. I have though had several nice emails already that I am pusuing.

I disagree with you about a Brough completely. Its a matter of choice, otherwise we would all be riding or driving the same. I drive 20's/30's/50's and a new car and find them all delightful

 

[davidsgems]

Thank you

Thank you for the three encouraging comments. I will now apply to join the club.

Thanks again, it does make a big difference to read positive members contributions.

 

[Albervin]

Oh dear!

WELCOME TO THE CLUB. Wow!!! if your email is a representation, there seems to be serious issues afoot.
Indeed there are. Several Australians have bought bikes before joining the club & have ended up with expensive lemons. When they finally joined the club & received excellent advice they were put onto people who could fix their issues.

My circumstances you know nothing about and youir opinion matters little to me, when put in such an off hand way.
Sorry you took it that way, it was not intentional. In Australia we talk straight & try to be truthful.I never imagined I would draw such a vehement response to my posting.
Your comments I assume are in regard to yourself as you seem to have had bad experiences in the past and seem to put values on your bikes without being specific but that is not my problem and I dont have to comment as you seem to have said it all.
No, I did have a bad experience 24 years ago but many more people have suffered a similar fate since, due to naivety & ignorance mainly. Nothing wrong with that! I was most certainly naive & ignorant as I did not know of the VOC. I was most certainly not implying you were a fool & if you made that inference I apologise.
I have though had several nice emails already that I am pusuing.
That is good.

I disagree with you about a Brough completely. Its a matter of choice, otherwise we would all be riding or driving the same. I drive 20's/30's/50's and a new car and find them all delightful

Being "delightful" & being "useful" are completely different. My 1926 Douglas is a gem & a delight but is downright dangerous on the road !! My 1939 New Imperial is somewhat easier than the Douglas on backroads. However, I rode my Rapide 850 miles on a weekend in March on all types of roads including the main Sydney to Melbourne freeway. Not a problem, maintained a more than safe speed on the freeway & blitzed anything with 4 or more wheels on the back roads. With all due respect, you cannot do that with a pre-war machine, Brough or anything. The main differences between my modern BMW bike & Vincent are Brakes, pillion comfort, electrics & depreciation! The same goes for the differences between my Riley & Audi!
Once again I apologise if you misunderstood my message, one of the problems with electronic communication is you miss out on the body language & tones. Good luck in your quest.