Vincents - A New Interest For Me

syclone

New Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hello , My name is Jeff , I just returned from the Mid America Las Vegas Motorcycle auction where I got my first close look @ Vincent motorcycles and I must admit I was pretty much floored @ what I saw , the engineering , features and just overall appearance is pretty amazing for the time... I have always been a car guy and attend some of the collector auctions and shows in the US and consider myself pretty sharp on the cars but I have a lot to learn about the bikes.. So please bear with me if I ask what some would consider ignorant questions .. I would like to learn enough about these motorcycles so that someday I can possibly own a proper example and participate in some of the events and shows .. Thanks again for letting me join in and post on your forum ....
 

Tom Gaynor

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
New guy....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Setting aside (reluctantly...) the marvellous engineering that went into them, ride one. I rode one 33 years ago, and thought it was wonderful. So 30 years later i bought one of my own. To my huge relief, it was still wonderful.
 

Ken Tidswell

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VOC Member
The Vincent experience

I was bitten in 1962 and have been infected ever since. I suggest you go and lie down in a darkened room with your favourite tipple and allow the urge to pass over. It will preserve you worldy goods and not destroy your social life.
 

timetraveller

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VOC Member
Dear Mr Syclone

Pay no attention to Mr Boggler. Get to know some Vincent owners and go out on their bikes. Rmember that you will be on a 60 year old design and think about what a 60 year old car would be like with regards to comfort, brakes etc. If you still like the bikes after having ridden a few go ahead and get one. I got my first one about 51 years ago, about the same time as I started 'going out' with girls. I'm still riding both and they will both keep you young and fit.

Good luck :)
 

Len Matthews

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VOC Member
Ah yes, Norman but don't forget the Vincent motorcycle's design and performance were streets ahead of it's contemporaries sixty years ago. It's doubtful whether many cars of that era were so advanced. The uniqueness of the beast explains why the demand for them continues unabated and is reflected in the present day prices.
 

timetraveller

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VOC Member
You are correct Len, that is why I still ride one and see no need for a modern bike although I do have indicators and an alternator fitted. However, even the two Phils could not work 60 years ahead and if Siril the Syclone is used to modern bikes he will have to decide whether the Vincent's idiosyncracies are for him. As far as I am concerned given a fully sprung rear end, modern electrics and a bit more movement on the front end then I could want for nothing more but I guess that riders in their twenties, used to 150+ BHP and disc brakes would not be so enamoured.

Best wishes :)
 

Comet

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VOC Member
As a rider in my thirties that has ridden 140+ bhp bikes I love my Vin, the idiosyncracies add too the enjoyment. I have to say also that I get more attention from Joe public both young and old when riding the Comet than I ever have on a Jappy. The phils knew what they were doing didn't they!
 

syclone

New Forum User
Non-VOC Member
You Guys Are Great !!

Thanks for all the input , I am convinced I need to ride one of these motorcycles , I have modern bikes but I feel an attachment to older bikes such as the Vincent that seem to have been very much ahead of their time. I don't care about high HP or being exceptionally fast .. I also enjoy visiting with the older folks that grew up with these machines .. Thanks all for being so helpful .. Hopefully someday I'll find a bike that fits me and that I can afford ..

Jeff
 

Tom Gaynor

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Then and now

I first rode a twin in 1975. A friend lent it to me for six months. It had a certain aura about it (it was still the world's fastest production motorcycle in 1975), but in 1975, it was just "a bike". I rode it the 250 miles to the Isle of Man and back, and used it there as "mechanic's transport". A Rapide was worth about £200 then, a Commando under £600.
What impressed me most was the way it went up hills as though they weren't there, and on stopping, settled down to a regular tick-over.
Fast forward 27 years, and i bought a Shadow from the same guy. It was a good deal, but still a lot of money. It took about two relaxed years to get it roadworthy (it needed lights and so on). It started for the first time since 1969, on D-Day 2004.
The best bit of the whole experience was that it was exactly as I remembered: I hadn't been looking back through rose-tinted glasses. This was a huge relief. There were problems: lights and brakes that were acceptable in 1975 weren't appropriate for 2004, but in every other respect, it was a great motorcycle. Modern electrics fixed one problem, aftermarket 2ls brakes the other. Handling? OK for what it was designed for, and what I use it for, which is touring. I don't "scratch" on the roads any more. It does go over the ton, but is at its best between 30 and 90, in top gear. It is a very relaxed motorcycle. I use it for touring, riding, and commuting, alternating with a 900 Monster, and while the Monster is faster, and handles and stops much better, my journey times, and the grin on my face, are the same.
 
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