Mark Knopfler

Bill Cannon

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Was anyone listening to Ken Bruce on Radio Two yesterday?
Mark Knopfler was playing live and fielding a few questions from listeners.
Out of the blue one question came up:- Do you still ride your Vincent?
He answered that he does but hasn't much spare time to use it. And for aficionados he told us it was an early B Rapide.

Who knew?
 

b'knighted

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Many years ago I visited a motorcycle shop in Archway, North London and as I was riding a Comet was told by one of the staff that someone locally had some Vincent bits for sale. I visited and bought, amongst other things, Comet crank cases. The sellers were “rock musicians” but were very cagey about revealing their identities. I have often wondered if this was Dire Straits.
 

BigEd

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VOC Forum Moderator
Many years ago I visited a motorcycle shop in Archway, North London and as I was riding a Comet was told by one of the staff that someone locally had some Vincent bits for sale. I visited and bought, amongst other things, Comet crank cases. The sellers were “rock musicians” but were very cagey about revealing their identities. I have often wondered if this was Dire Straits.
How "many years ago"? Could it have been Gene Vincent, Bill Haley and his Comets or even The Lightning Seeds?;)
 

b'knighted

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After the heyday of Gene Vincent or Bill Haley - I'd have recognised them if not the Comets and they were too successful to be sharing a terrace in Archway by 1980. The Lightning Seeds wouldn’t have been out of nappies.
 

alan wright

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Many years ago I visited a motorcycle shop in Archway, North London and as I was riding a Comet was told by one of the staff that someone locally had some Vincent bits for sale. I visited and bought, amongst other things, Comet crank cases. The sellers were “rock musicians” but were very cagey about revealing their identities. I have often wondered if this was Dire Straits.
Bonjour, this may help with some dates. Between 1986 and 1989 I was with a Porsche racing team whose workshop was in a row of units in Nicoll Road in Harlesden London NW 10. At the other end of the row was an anonymous door which concealed a recording/ rehearsal studio. Quite often Mark Knopfler would wander down for a "fag break" and chat about Porsches and racing etc. and it got round to the point where he said he would "like a go" and it was arranged that he turned up at Snetterton (I think) with Jonathan Palmer and had a go in one of our cars. And he was pretty handy !!
A few days later he was having a smoke in our workshop and he mentioned to the chief mechanic that he reckoned the car had a bit too much oversteer and the mechanic, a blunt Northerner replied, " Aye, and I bought thy latest LP and thou hit a bum note on track 3 !!"
Also at that time I recall seeing a beautiful Comet outside a filling station in Stonebridge Park which turned out to belong to Robin (Vincent) Day. This was all around 1987/8/9
Best regards, Alan
 

b'knighted

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I was using a Comet to go to work in 'ackney from 77 to about 82 and it was during this job that I visited Archway. In my lunch hour I was able to walk to Draganfly before they moved to Norfolk, or ride out to Humphries. On one occasion I pulled up behind another Comet at the Old Street roundabout and managed to shout to the rider “You don’t see many of those about nowadays”
He looked at me, not at my bike and seemed unimpressed.
 

ray vinmad

VOC Drawings Manager
VOC Member
Was anyone listening to Ken Bruce on Radio Two yesterday?
Mark Knopfler was playing live and fielding a few questions from listeners.
Out of the blue one question came up:- Do you still ride your Vincent?
He answered that he does but hasn't much spare time to use it. And for aficionados he told us it was an early B Rapide.

Who knew?

Ian Savage did- He posed the question!
I should imagine the interview is available on BBC iPlayer.

Ray
 
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