Been dreaming for 30+ years about owning one of these has anyone got a spare money jar lying around!
SOLD for undisclosed I reckon as the ad was pulled by seller due to the item no longer being available.
VINCENT SERIES BLACK SHADOW. | eBay
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Been dreaming for 30+ years about owning one of these has anyone got a spare money jar lying around!
SOLD for undisclosed I reckon as the ad was pulled by seller due to the item no longer being available.
VINCENT SERIES BLACK SHADOW. | eBay
A Vincent Black Shadow has to be on top of every riders wish list.
Who hasn't seen the picture of Rollie Free laying prone in 1948 at Bonneville doing 150.313 mph (241.905 km/h) on a Black Shadow.
I had a chance to buy one in 1993 from a shop in San Pedro, Cal. The husband had passed having six Vincents, two were Black Shadows. She wanted $45K US and I thought that was too high at the time. Maybe silly me. As nice as this one is now at $113K US it seems high as well. But oh what a beauty.
Lots of forward thinking engineering went into those bikes. Nice looking too. I still don't have a money tree in the back yard so settled for a Norton.
Damn Jim I bet your kicking yourself now even if it risked the wrath of the Minister F W & F......
I will never forget Wayne Patterson a State road race champion was racing at Bathurst probably back in about 74'ish and had his Yamaha TZ-350 geared right up this is a proper factory road racing rig that was rated at 200KPH+ (120MPH).
Coming onto conrod straight before they put the kink in 1987 to comply with new rules also there had been a number of deaths there, Wayne was right behind a Black Shadow and had made up his mind to get past the big fella not forgetting your coming down a sharp left at a fairly steep angle so you can get good run on especially with a 2 stroke.....!
Wayne never got a look in the big bike just walked away from the TZ now that is no mean feat given the weight difference and a 4 stroke V's a 2 stroke and the intervening years that the bikes were produced yes sir they were a very very special bike.
I have ridden against Wayne on some runs when I had my VFR1000R he was on a FJ1100 Yamaha serial No.4 you guessed it with no compliance plate a prototype don't know how it got regoe'd but it could certainly go we were not hanging around as I know when chasing him the VFR-R was very close to its rev limiter at 11,000rpm on the tacho in top. (Pic of my 1984 VFR1000R in summer 1985)
Don,
750 or 850 Commando? They were great loooking bikes, rubber mounts as I recall.
This guy is going 150 mph.
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Jim, it's a 71 750.
Mine was a yellow 850. But my girlfriend in 1966, now my wife of 50 years, wanted something she could ride on the back with me. So I sold it and started buying Harleys.
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Rollie in his shorts a bath cap and borrowed athletic shoes because it made him faster,,,Timeless.
If you can’t run with the big dogs then stay on the porch Snowflakes.....
Ouch! I bet that left a mark. That's why mine has a Corbin on it like your old bike. If she wants to ride she can get her own bike.
This is my favorite- second owner from new ('72). These "oil in frame" Triumphs get criticized as not being as good as the 70 and older type but the oif frame was inspired by the Trackmaster flat track racing frame and is excellent. At 383 lb this one will leave my Commando wallowing in its wake on a twisty road. One of the last 650's and equipped with 5 speed it's a gem.
Ridolpho
Some tasty machinery on show.
Jim F:
Wouldn't a longer seat and two extra foot-pegs have been cheaper?
My Brother the Bike Buff built a "Norvin" years ago. Black Lightning power plant shoved into a "re-worked" Norton Featherbed frame. He held a launch party, the highlight of which was the ceremonial "public starting" of the beast.
What a glorious sound.
He still has it in the "shed" and it comes out for "special occasions".
There was a Black Shadow on the wall at a bike shop near me. Every time I went there I offered to buy it and every time the owner told me he wasn’t interested in selling it. Then one day it was gone. So, I asked the owner where it was. He told me he sold it for less than half I had offered. I was baffled and disappointed, but I wasn’t surprised when he went out of business shortly after. I guess it was like a first love that wasn’t meant to be.
Exactly what my wife did mind you I had to teach her the fundamentals but she now has her license so we can ride around together and its pretty cool the 3 of us as my son has a LAMS 650F Honda that we can do it as a whole family not that much will be happening now as its winter here.
In the UK during the early 70's we used to go to the Drag racing at Santa Pod. My favourite drag bike's were the Vincent Comet called Mighty Mouse 500 single and the 1000cc twin Super Mouse.
Both run by the rider; Brian Chapman. The 500 was amazing, running supercharged and weighing bugger all. It wiped the smile of many bigger bikes. It ran into the 8 second bracket if I remember correctly!
(a Standard Hayabusa runs in the 12's)
Some great photos on "The Acceleration Archive" . A photographic history of british Drag racing.
That's what my last roommate did. She practiced for a couple weeks on an old CB350 I had, passed the test, and bought a nice Zuk GS500E. Perfect for her 40 mile/day commute.
I've never been a fan of 2up riding. Takes me off my game. I've thrown a few down the road. Can't be 100% all the time. I don't want to know how it feels to have hurt someone because I
mucked up.
Bruce, when I was sixteen my girlfriend was more important than my motorcycle. I replaced the motorcyle.
QUOTE=TankerDon;431897]
I've never been a fan of 2up riding. Takes me off my game. I've thrown a few down the road. Can't be 100% all the time. I don't want to know how it feels to have hurt someone because I
mucked up.[/QUOTE]
Don,
My wife doesn't like driving, but loves to sit and hold on. After 52 years that hasn't changed. When I go with the guys I take another bike.
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Two up riding.....https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...8ded956d-1.jpg
On my own.....https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo..._zpsb6e9-1.jpg
Bonnie Jean is my favorite. She isn't fast, she isn't agile, but she sure is pretty and gives me the giggles.
Attachment 93744
Very nice, and having the back rest for longer rides in nice as well.
Used to run Yamaha XS 650's. Must have had five or six. Accumulated a bunch of others, some hot, some not, and sold 'em all off like most of us have. Down to three now, the '02 Heritage FLSTCI, the '73 750 Commando, and the '75 850 Electric Start. When She wants to go out, it's the Soft Tail, when I feel like losing harder to find bolts and such it's one of the Nortons. The Black Shadow has always been a dream. Keep eatin' bugs, guys!
We all had to start somewhere. I started riding in 1964 at fifteen. Fifty four years always having one bike or another. Seventeen total so far. This was my first, a Honda CB160. Bought it new, chopped the fender, chrome, pipes, painted, and used brylcreem on my mop before hemet laws. You always remember your first, of most things you do.
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