Mecum 2019 Las Vegas Auction

Somer

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
It has been my observation that some of the "forms" were filled out before hand. Clerical staff didn't always "catch" the changes. I had a B Shadow that was shown as coming with a 3" Speedometer. Girdraulics appeared about # 1C/1320 ? 1328 was a Shadow that was sent to Argentina with Girdraulics. There was a short run of longer swingarms with the straight tabs. Believed that the seat stay could go over center, hence the curve in the tab.
 

Little Honda

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Simon, While I appreciate your hard work and undeniable passion to keep everything above board I do take issue (in the nicest way) with works sheets from 1949. We both know from personal experience that the works were struggling with the change from B to C and also the new Shadows. It is my belief (and I always stand to be corrected), that a Vincent with a frame stamped RC/***** is a Series C. Some of these bikes had a straight rear seat lug BUT the RFM was longer than a Series B one. So.... irrespective of the front forks, if the bike has a long RFM and is stamped RC/**** then it is a Series C. The other, less compelling reason would be the cylinder heads and gearbox cover, both of which vary in 1949. As we also know, an HRD engine does NOT mean a Series B. What fun.
Wrong, Albervin! As often here in the forum, you commented too quickly! You must know, that at the time,
when the first and second BL were made, the works did only have short RFMs, which usually were fitted with
19" rear wheels, which, with tyres on, only just fitted into the short RFM. This was not so with the first two
Lightnings, which had 20" rear wheels! To be able, to have safe clearances for the rear wheel, they had to
lengthen the rear frame for these two bikes at the works, only to fit these larger wheels.
This is easily proven by the original fotos of BL no.1 on the earls court show 1948, with PCV, PEI and George
Brown standing behind. There are original fotos from both sides of the bike. It is clearly visible, that a 20"
tyre is fitted to the first BL. Also clearly visible is only one brake cable abutment on its RFM, which is proof
for a formerly short RFM, which - consequently - must have been lengthened, as all later and longer RFMs
had 2 brake cable abutments, which were necessary for the then introduced Comet with its secondary
chain on the other side.
This fact is prooved by a reader´s letter by PEI to the editor, appeared in MPH 21 (oct. 1950), referring to
RFM lengths.
You see, Albervin, only a careful look onto historical fotos can show your error.
If you continue careful thinking, it would not have been useful, to lengthen any short RFM after March
1949, when the longer RFMs were introduced together with Meteors and Comets, then coming into sale.
That, however, prooves , together with the historical race fotos of No.2 BL, that its present RFM is its
first original one with only one brake cable abutment, being in it since new. That is equally so with no.1
BL, which, nowadays no longer has its original RFM, acc. to Simon´s statement.
Final reflection: If longer RFMs were available since March 1949 from the works, and No2 BL was delivered
to Switzerland in Jan., 1949, there are only 6 - 8 weeks left to exchange its RFM into it like it was new, ie.,
with one brake cable abutment, as that would have been useless after this date, when longer RFMs were
readily available at the works. Moreover, there is no documentation of RC3548 coming back to the works
for RFM- repair within 6 - 8 weeks after delivery.
We all must be very careful in judging other´s bikes concerning originality or, honesty of their owners!
 
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