Topic: Vincent display in Central City, CO

[heffay]

hey all... gonna go do some gambling and check out the Vincents on display... yes, i'll bring back pictures tonight!   

[heffay]

are you ready for this?... by my count, this is one of... 54 !VINCENTS!

[SD750F]

Wow! I like!!!

Scott

[heffay]

[heffay]

!AMAZING! walk thru video to come!

[ekim98]

I realize your still posting more, but thanks for this topic. 

[DammitDan]

I do love me some vincents...  Though (like /2 Beemers) I like them better restored to original than customized.

Unless of course it's a Norvin or some such 

[azuredesign]

Thanks Heffay,

Looking forward to seeing the video!

[heffay]

should have the video in a few minutes...

that entire left hand string of bikes in the 2nd picture is all vincents and another 5 or 6 on the right side!...  you'll see more soon.   

[heffay]

[youtube=425,350]3BuGhySeVT8[/youtube]

quality sux a$$ but thats what happens when you take it from 300mb to 20    i'm sure its still bike porn enough.   

every vincent you see in this video is not a repeat... you can check my count but it was 54, i believe.

[DammitDan]

I especially liked that black one... 

[azuredesign]

Wow, I'm not sure if you can have too many Vincents, but that's as many as I'll probably ever see. Thanks for the video!
Ben

[Demon67]

Has any one driven one?
Bill the demon.

[rhos1355]

How much do those Vincents go for in the states? Here they've become like rocking horse sh!t; rare and expensive. And eminently nickable with professional gangs scouring bike meets and following owners home to come back later and nick them when the owners' are asleep. Classic bike theft in this country is soaring.

[Demon67]

rhos1355, not much wonder when the prices are so high.
Bill the demon

[DammitDan]

I've read in Motorcycle Classics that Vincents are an absolute nightmare to ride and maintain.  They're beautiful pieces of machinery, but they're all still Brit bikes after all is said and done.

(The proof is in the rather abundant drops of evidence under almost all the bikes  )

[heffay]

(The proof is in the rather abundant drops of evidence under almost all the bikes  )

one was leaking so badly that it was starting to pool up and lube the crack in the concrete beneath it.   

there were a decent number of people working on them while i was there but i don't doubt that if we all got together we could keep our grubby mitts off of ours either!   

[heffay]

p.s... i completely forgot to gamble.   

[Demon67]

I had a buddy in the RCAF that had a Rapide that was being brought up to Shadow spec and it was like a religion with him to the point that his wife saved all year to get him a new exhaust system on his birthday and he talked a old time tool and die maker into helping him overhaul it considering he made  $173 per month plus $ 60 per month marriage allowance, he had to be dedicated and yes I did get a chance to try the finished product out, it was fast to the point where I ran out of highway before I ran out of speed I never got out of third, from the feeling of wind going past I was doing the ton, but it was a pig to stop and a pig to get going ( the clutch was either off or fully on, no feathering there) it also felt like it might have had a hinge in the center of the bike, now was it impressive, yes, I would have liked to ride after it was broken in and for a couple of months to properly get to know it, but the maintenance was worse than my old 51 Matchles, was it good as my 59 Triumph Bonny, it was faster but on the whole I think I'd rather have the Trumpet.
Bill the demon

[DammitDan]

I've heard about the "hinge" issue with Vincents, and they can be a bit scary when going fast around sharp corners.  Apparently the hinge turns into a ball joint in a curve    

I would still love to have one if I had the money.

[Demon67]

Dammmitdan I've thought a lot about and maybe one of the modernized Vinnies with disc brakes and good frames would be OK, so that all you had to worry about was the engine and tranny but setting up girder forks etc is a bit much, having said that, if a long lost McIntosh were to leave me one say a 51, I would in front of the massed regimental bands of the Black Watch and the RCR possibly the Van Doo and the Airforce central Band proclaim on the steps of the Parliament of Canada that I believe at 17:30 so that on the evening news the world might see the prodigal return to the fold.
 Damm I've got to stop taking these pain killers.
Bill the demon

[Ichiban 4]

Try this link out: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=188134

Also..I didn't actually ride a Vincent myself..but had friends who had them.  For a mid 20th century bike they were about the fastest, most maneuverable of any production bike.  Could still give many production bikes a run for their money today.  But look @ the video link above and see for yourself.

Price?  They seem to fetch anywhere from $20 to $100 thousand..depending upon model, year and condition.  Would I like to have one?  You bet.  Would I pay that kind of money for an old Brit bike?  Probably not (I wouldn't even pay the $20K+ they want nowadays for old Ariel Square Fours..which I did have/ride).

I thought of contacting you about going to CC to see them Geoff.  Thanks for the pics and video!

Ichi