Description
Author: J P Bickerstaff, ISBN: 9781906133146, 128 pages, published in 2013
The definitive guide to model evolution and 100% originality. All production versions 1946-55 covered in depth Contains more than 200 specially commissioned colour photographs. Minutely researched text covers original specification and equipment.
Postwar Vincents are an obvious choice as the subject of the first motorcycle book in the Original series, which to date has been concerned solely with outstanding automobiles. No other British-built motorcycle matches the Vincent's style, performance or engineering ingenuity and excellence. And no other, with the possible exception of the older, rarer Brough Superior, can boast quite the same dedicated following.
Original Vincent concentrates on the postwar models while also incorporating as essential background a brief account of the birth and early days of the tiny Vincent-HRD concern in Stevenage, which from the beginning was devoted to the manufacture of exclusive motorcycles for the connoisseur. The postwar Vincent was introduced to the press in April 1946 and production in volume ended less than 10 years later. In that brief period several thousand motorcycles — the world-famous 998cc vee-twins and the 500s — had been built and were serving owners who delighted in their bikes' unique specification and outstanding abilities.
At a time when the British motorcycle industry was in general doing little more than turning out hastily revamped versions of prewar models, the 1946 Rapide surprised in almost every respect, with its innovative engine, frame and brakes, and a generous use of light-alloy which kept the weight of this 110mph grand tourer down to 500 single levels. One result was that new Vincent owners were more sophisticated, in an engineering sense, than the majority of motorcyclists, with a keen appreciation of the advanced features which the two PhiIs, Vincent and Irving, had worked so hard to incorporate in their brainchild. The same may be said of Vincent riders up to the present.
This book, by an acknowledged authority on the marque, deals in minutest detail with postwar Vincents and the many changes in specification and build made during their lifetime. Any Vincent owner, prospective buyer or enthusiast puzzled by conflicting opinions on originality, or unsure of the provenance or authenticity of various fittings and features, can be confident of finding unequivocal guidance here. The author has called on factory records and authenticated material to compile a comprehensive study of these charismatic motorcycles, while augmenting the text are more than 200 specially commissioned colour photographs showing carefully selected examples of all models, as well as a number of illustrations provided by the author. Together, text and photographs add tip to a definitive guide that will make Original Vincent indispensible to all admirers of what was 'the world's fastest standard production motorcycle'.
