Description
"The Vincent Black Shadow Motorcycle" by Daniel Peirce
American author Hunter S. Thompson once said of Vincent’s world’s first “superbike”: “If you rode the Vincent Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die. That is why there are not many life members of the Vincent Black Shadow Society.”
The Vincent Black Shadow qualifies in almost every respect as the world’s first “superbike” both in terms of the sheer power and speed it was capable of, and in terms of the riding experience it delivered: a bike so powerful that you might indeed expect to end your life on earth and go to join the choir invisible if you persistently pushed it to its limits.
The story of this British motorcycle that actually managed to sow fear into the heart of Hunter S. Thompson begins all the way back in 1928, when young motorcycle enthusiast Philip Conrad Vincent began to fulfill his dream as he purchased an established motorcycle manufacturing company HRD, which itself had been set up by an ex First World War pilot named Howard Raymond Davies.
Already advertising their existing 110 mph Rapide machine as "The world's fastest production motorcycle", in February 1948 the distinctive Vincent Black Shadow was announced with a top speed of 125 mph. ...
Top speed: 125 mph (201.2 km/h) (est.)
Engine: 998 cc (60.9 cu in) 50° OHV V-twin
Bore / stroke: 84 mm × 90 mm (3.3 in × 3.5 in)
Vincent HRD was known for its legendary V-twin engines. First introduced in 1936, its performance shattered contemporary standards. With the onset of World War II, the British motorcycle manufacturer switched to wartime production, but it dreamed of postwar production. With the advent of peace, the rough sketches were already drawn for a unit-construction V-twin.
Early in 1946, the first few rolled off the lines. Vincent decided to release a sport model in 1948: the Black Shadow. With its black enameled cases and 5-inch speedometer, it would certainly make a statement. At this same time, John Edgar ordered a special-edition Black Shadow for Rollie Free to ride on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Free smashed the previous record held by Harley-Davidson with a new record of 150 MPH. Late in 1948, Vincent released its Girdraulic fork, an innovative design that was much-stronger than the new telescopic forks hitting the market.
In 1949, due to ongoing confusion with the name HRD, the company’s official name was changed to Vincent. The company went on to set numerous speed records worldwide, and Vincent motorcycles were distributed in the USA by the Indian Sales Organization. Of the 11,134 Vincents produced, the Series C being the most popular, fewer than 3,000 of the motorcycles to come off the line were Black Shadows.
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Color Changing Fine Art Print
Photographer: Daniel Peirce
Composition by: EFX Gallery
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Editorial Source: "A brief History of the Vincents Black Shadow -The World's First Superbike", silodrome.com "Vincent Black Shadow", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Black_Shadow "1949 Vincent Black Shadow", mecum.com
