"from the saddle and a single damper replaced the twin rear shocks. The frame was also modified with the strong steel 'backbone' was replaced with a single tubular strut bolted to the steering head (which proved much weaker). The Black Knight was launched at the 1954 Earls Court motorcycle show, together with the 998cc Vincent Black Prince (an enclosed version of the Black Shadow ) and the 500cc Vincent Victor (which never went into production as only the prototype was ever built). There was a lot of interest but much of it was critical, and the Black Knight/Black Prince models"
"of World War II. Girder forks were used on the 1934-1942 Sport Scout and on the 1945-1948 Chief. Indian Prince The Indian Prince is a motorcycle manufactured by the Hendee Manufacturing Company from 1925 to 1928. An entry-level single-cylinder motorcycle, the Prince was restyled after its first year and discontinied after four years. The frame and forks of the Prince were revived in 1933 and used with V-twin engines to form the Motoplane and the Pony Scout. The Prince was designed by Charles B. Franklin and began production in 1925. It was a single-cylinder motorcycle for beginners and for export."
"Indian Prince The Indian Prince is a motorcycle manufactured by the Hendee Manufacturing Company from 1925 to 1928. An entry-level single-cylinder motorcycle, the Prince was restyled after its first year and discontinied after four years. The frame and forks of the Prince were revived in 1933 and used with V-twin engines to form the Motoplane and the Pony Scout. The Prince was designed by Charles B. Franklin and began production in 1925. It was a single-cylinder motorcycle for beginners and for export. The 1925 Prince had its gearbox attached to the engine and had a wedge-shaped fuel tank. The Prince"
"fiberglass bodywork; fairings, engine shrouds, and an enclosed tail section; these were named the Victor (an upgraded Comet), the Black Knight (an upgraded Rapide) and the Black Prince (an upgraded Shadow). They were poorly received by the public, and suffered delays in production, waiting for the new bodywork. A short-lived unfaired version of the Black Prince was then produced, and a Series D Comet. However, sales declined further after the post-war motorcycling boom owing to the availability of cheaper motor cars, so not many ""Series D"" models were made. The Firefly was a 45 cc ""clip on"" engined bicycle built"
"were termed the motorcycle you either love or hate. Production of the Black Knight began in the spring of 1955. Lucas components replaced the less reliable Miller electrical system and ignition was upgraded to coil and distributor. The rear enclosure, which incorporated the oil tank, was hinged allowing access to the rear wheel and final drive chain. Amal Monobloc carburettors improved starting. The centre stand was operated by a lever accessible from the saddle and the lower front mudguard stay served as an emergency front stand to facilitate the removal of the front wheel. Delay in delivery of the fibreglas"
"Norton Model 50 The Model 50 was a touring motorcycle built by Norton between 1933 and 1963. A further Model 50 was briefly produced by Norton parent-company AMC during 1965 and 1966 using a re-badged Matchless. Designed by Edgar Franks in 1933, the first run was almost identical to the Norton Model 18 except for the bore and stroke. The single-cylinder engine was 348 cc with pushrod operated overhead valves. Halted by World War II, production of the Model 50 single restarted in 1956. After 1959 the Model 50 gained the Featherbed frame, Lucas RM15 crank-mounted alternator (upgraded from magneto/dynamo"
"horn, chrome fenders, white-wall balloon tires, rear rack, a springer fork, and two-tone blue or green frames). The cruiser resurgence continued in 1995, when Schwinn reissued the Black Phantom to celebrate the company's 100th birthday. During that same time frame, similar offerings appeared from Columbia (a limited reissue of the classic 1950's 5-Star was produced in the early 1990s), and Roadmaster. Harley-Davidson even licensed a cruiser bike with their logo and trademark styling. These helped stir up interest in cruisers, which brought them to the attention of aging Baby Boomers, who remembered the originals from their youth and now were"
"during 1952 and 1953 was partly attributed to dated styling, so Philip Vincent sought to update the range and development began on what were to become the Series D machines. The main changes were redesigned frame components, resited oil tank, larger fuel tank, smaller diameter wheels, one-less rear brake drum, new design carburettors and updated electrics. Black Knight and Black Prince versions were innovative in using full enclosure and weather protection, with glass fibre panels that included leg shields and a handlebar fairing. This was not about streamlining for speed, as the fairings reduced top speed by , although the"
"in the Series C ""Girdraulic"" forks. Starting in 1948, Indian Motorcycles distributed Vincents in the United States along with other British motorcycles including AJS, Royal Enfield, Matchless and Norton. That same year an Indian Chief was sent to Stevenage to be fitted with a Vincent Rapide engine. The resulting hybrid Vindian did not go into production. Black Shadow and Black Lightning The 1948 Series C Rapide differed from the Series B in having ""Girdraulic"" front forks – which were girder forks with hydraulic damping. By 1950, the Series C had a 998 cc, 50° V-twin that put out , depending"
"Vincent Motorcycles Vincent Motorcycles was a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1928 to 1955. The business was established by Philip Vincent who bought an existing manufacturing name HRD, initially renaming it as ""Vincent HRD"", producing his own motorcycles as previously with bought-in engines. From 1934, two new engines were developed in 500 cc and 1,000 cc capacities. Production grew from 1936, with the most-famous models being developed from the original designs after the War period in the late 1940s. The 1948 Vincent Black Shadow was at the time the world's fastest production motorcycle. The name was changed to ""Vincent Engineers"
"The song's outlaw hero James, who has ""robbed many a man to get my Vincent machine,"" comments on the bike's mystique in his dying speech: Says James: ""In my opinion, there's nothing in this world, beats a '52 Vincent, and a red-headed girl. Now Nortons, and Indians, and Greeveses won't do; they don't have a soul like a Vincent '52."" Vincent Black Lightning The Vincent Black Lightning was a Vincent-HRD motorcycle first built in September 1948 at the Vincent works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK, and produced from 1948 to 1952. The bike was a purpose-built factory modified"
"Blackburne (motorcycles) Blackburne was a trade name of Burney and Blackburne Limited a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1913 to 1922 at Tongham near Farnham, Surrey. They were also a major supplier of engines to other motor cycle and light car makers and continued to make these until 1937. Burney and Blackburne also made small aircraft engines. The origins of the Blackburne motorcycle engine can be traced back to Geoffrey de Havilland who had designed (and made) a motor cycle before he became fascinated with aircraft. He sold the designs and patterns to two student friends for £5 when short"
"in 1931) decided to build their own engines. In 1935 the first Vincent powered motorcycle, the 499 cc Comet model was launched. It was quickly followed by the 998 cc Series A Rapide in 1936. During the war when motorcycle production ceased with production switched to armaments, Philip Vincent and Phil Irving designed the Series B twin-cylinder engine with integral gearbox which powered the Series B Rapide. Produced from the cessation of hostilities, it was further developed to power the legendary Vincent Black Shadow and Black Lightning models. In 1949 the HRD logo was dropped to prevent confusion with the"
"Petrali and his modified Harley-Davidson and which stood at . The bike had to be in Los Angeles California before September 1948. 1B/900 was a factory-built racer, but as there was no plan to market such a version as a separate model when it was built, the bike began life as a Black Shadow even though it was later referred to as a Black Lightning by the factory. Vincent mechanic Cliff Brown writes that he built a modified engine for the bike, with extensive porting and polishing and a compression ratio of 12.75:1. Brown also reports that he designed and"
"used Albion gears, for the greater choice of ratios available. The 500 cc bikes used a wet multiplate clutch, while the 998 cc V-twins used a dry, drum-type servo clutch. Most Vincents had black tanks and frames. In 1949 a White Shadow (a machine to Black Shadow mechanical specification, but with silver engine casings) was available, but only 15 were sold, and the option was dropped in 1952. In 1950 16 Red Comets were shipped to the United States. There were also 31 of the 1948 Grey Flash built. During the Korean War nickel chrome steel was officially regulated, meaning"
"in long-distance and sprint record attempts, as well as dirt track racing on Triumphs. On the morning of September 13, 1948, Free raised the American motorcycle speed record by riding the very first Vincent HRD (it is debated as to whether it was a Black Lightning or Black Shadow), owned by the California sportsman John Edgar and sponsored by Mobil Oil, to a speed of . Special features included the first-ever Vincent use of a rear shock absorber, the first Mk II racing cams, and horizontally mounted racing carburetors. Free adopted a style used by others of lying flat-prone along"
"inspired and powered by a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird, a modified 1970 Triumph Bonneville, and a 1952 Vincent Black Shadow engine, respectively. Barry has previously engaged a staff of up to six craftsmen to assist with the fabrication process of various aspects of his motorcycles. Preferring to work on each part personally, Barry currently employs only one CNC programmer. The Bullet was a customized factory-made bike. Since completing The Bullet in 2008, Barry has stopped customizing motorcycles and instead has developed a practice of designing, engineering, and machining each entire motorcycle, with the exception of the engine, carburetor, rims, and tires."
"saddle and the lower front mudguard stay served as an emergency front stand to facilitate the removal of the front wheel. Delay in delivery of the fibre-glass components from subcontractors delayed the availability of the first production bikes until early 1955. Approximately 200 of the enclosed models were built. Increasingly affluent customers may have encouraged Vincent to go for a high-end luxury touring model, but at the same time high volume and very affordable small cars were flooding the market. Vincent's accountants came to the conclusion that the company was losing money on every Black Prince sold, so the last"
"Davis, Vincent's Chief Engineer. The exhibited bike has an experimental larger valve head and a large aluminium crank pin. Only one of the four Grey Flashes, (ridden by works racer Ken Bills), finished the race in 12th place. The Australian National Motor Museum of road transport history in Birdwood, South Australia has a 1950 Grey Flash. Vincent Grey Flash The Vincent Grey Flash is a British motorcycle made between 1949 and 1952 by Vincent Motorcycles. Advertised as ""By Black Lightning out of Comet"" this 500cc single racer is very rare as only 31 were produced. Vincents had a close association"
"in 1949, and no 1949 Chiefs are known to exist. All product manufacturing ended in 1953. Brockhouse Engineering acquired the rights to the Indian name after Indian went under in 1953. [Clarification needed - Brockhouse bought into the Indian Sales Corp in 1948]. The Indian Sales Corp imported and sold CZ, Vincent, AJS, Matchless, Norton from various dates after this [source needed. From 1955 through 1960, they imported English Royal Enfield motorcycles, mildly customized them in the United States, [source needed, they may have been factory done, almost certainly] and sold them as Indians. Almost all Royal Enfield models had"
"Vincent Grey Flash The Vincent Grey Flash is a British motorcycle made between 1949 and 1952 by Vincent Motorcycles. Advertised as ""By Black Lightning out of Comet"" this 500cc single racer is very rare as only 31 were produced. Vincents had a close association with motorcycle racing and the Phil Irving designed Vincent Comet provided the basis for the Series C 499cc Grey Flash racer. Tuned and stripped down to as a 500 cc version of the 1,000 cc Vincent Black Lightning, the new 'Flash' was capable of 115 mph with a power output of 35 bhp 6,200 rpm. Prototypes"
"""mind-bending volume of time spent on the details."" Falcon's third motorcycle, the 'Black', was built around a 1950 Vincent Black Shadow engine unit. Their fourth machine, the 'White' is currently under construction (as of November 2012), and is based on a 1967 Velocette Thruxton motor and gearbox. Falcon Motorcycles Falcon Motorcycles is a company founded by Ian Barry and his fiancée Amaryllis Knight in Los Angeles, California in 2008 to build a series of custom motorcycles. Barry set out to design, engineer, and fabricate ten custom motorcycles built around rare engines in a series entitled The Falcon Ten. The Falcon"
"components from subcontractors held back the availability of the first production bikes until spring 1955. Approximately 200 of the enclosed models were built. Increasingly affluent customers may have encouraged Vincent to go for a 'high end' luxury touring model, but at the same time high volume and very affordable small cars were flooding the market. Vincent's accountants suddenly realised that they were losing money on every Black Knight sold, so the last example of both the model and the marque left the production line on Friday, 16 December 1955. The Black Knight is easily mistaken for the very similar Black"
"a corresponding Indian model in the US. The models were Indian Chief, Trailblazer, Apache (all three were 700 cc twins), Tomahawk (500 cc twin), Woodsman (500 cc single), Westerner (500 cc single), Hounds Arrow (250 cc single), Fire Arrow (250 cc single), Lance (150 cc 2-stroke single) and a 3-wheeled Patrol Car (350 cc single). In 1960, the Indian name was bought by AMC of the UK. Royal Enfield being their competition, they abruptly stopped all Enfield-based Indian models except the 700 cc Chief. Their plan was to sell Matchless and AJS motorcycles badged as Indians. However, the venture ended"
"the ground. Following the collapse of an attempted sale the court made an order for the compulsory winding up of Invicta Cars Limited on 3 May 1938. The name was revived in 1946 by an organisation calling themselves Invicta Cars of Virginia Water Surrey who began making the Black Prince. Meadows engines were again used, this time a twin overhead camshaft 3-litre six with three carburettors giving 120 bhp. The aluminium-bodied cars – steel supplies were effectively non-existent for new businesses in Britain's new centrally planned economy – were extremely complex and very expensive with a torque converter (Brockhouse Hydro-Kinetic"
"for the rear cylinder is on the left. On Series D bikes both plugs are on the right. (All Black Lightning engines have both plugs on the right.) The engine has dry sump lubrication. The electrics on Series D bikes are by Lucas This included a change to coil ignition and a DKX2A distributor. Engines for Black Shadows were largely built out of selected Rapide production parts. The camshafts, for example, were standard Rapide units; MkIs in early examples and MkIIIs from 1952 onward. Parts were hand-selected for tighter tolerances, and airflow was improved by blending and polishing of the"
"record for 11 years on September 13, 1948 by Rollie Free who rode a Vincent HRD (Black Shadow or Black Lightning) to a speed of 150.313 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Petrali died on November 10, 1973 in Casa Grande, Arizona due to a heart attack while attending a economy run for Buik, In 1992 He was included into the Motorsports Hall of Fame and 14 years later he was included into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Joe Petrali Joe Petrali (February 22, 1904 – November 10, 1973) was a motorcycle racer, Joe Petrali also was"
"and 650 cc vertical twins in 1956 and 1959 respectively. On the racing front AMC were fielding the AJS Porcupine (500 cc forward-facing parallel twin), the AJS 7R (32 bhp, 350 cc OHC single), the Matchless G50 (a 500 cc variant of the 7R) and by 1951, the Matchless G45 (500 cc vertical twin). The AJS Porcupine had been designed for supercharging, before the rules changed ending supercharged racing motorcycles, but even so, Les Graham won the 1949 World Championship on an unsupercharged AJS 500 cc Porcupine. In 1951 AJS development engineer Ike Hatch developed a bore x stroke, three"
"Black Prince (tank) Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43) is the name that was assigned to an experimental development of the Churchill tank with a larger, wider hull and a QF 17-pounder (76 mm) gun. It was named after Edward, the Black Prince, a famous 14th century military leader. As a development from the Churchill, the Black Prince was a continuation of the line of Infantry tanks, that is slower, heavier tanks intended to operate in close support of infantry. It also was able to work close with other tanks. The parallel development in British tank design were the Cruiser tanks,"
"engine's ports. Early Black Shadows have a third inner valve spring not shared with the Rapide, but this feature was dropped from later bikes. Due to the low-octane 'Pool' petrol that was all that was available in the early post-war years, bikes of the period could have only low compression ratios. Although the prototype Black Shadow was built with a compression ratio lower than the Rapide's nominal 6.8:1, production Shadows have a ratio of 7.3:1 due to having different pistons from the Rapide, although still supplied by Specialloid. The Black Shadows have different carburettors than the Rapides, with Series B"
"Brough Superior Brough Superior ( ) motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the ""Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles"" by H. D. Teague of ""The Motor Cycle"" newspaper. Approximately 3048 motorcycles (19 models) were made in the 21 years of production; around a third of that production still exists. T. E. Lawrence (""Lawrence of Arabia"") owned eight of these motorcycles and died from injuries sustained when he crashed number seven; the eighth was on order. Moving forward to 2008, vintage"
"on the state of tune, either Rapide or Black Shadow. The Black Shadow, capable of , and easily recognised by the black coating on the engine and gearbox unit known as ""Pylumin"", and large speedometer, was introduced. The engine produced @ 5700 rpm in Black Shadow trim. The Black Lightning was a racing version of the Black Shadow; every necessary steel part on it that could be was remade in aluminium, and anything not essential was removed altogether. These changes helped reduce the weight from to . Every bit the racer, it had a single racing seat and rear-set footrests."
"Black Prince (rocket) Black Prince was a proposed British-led satellite expendable launch system. It would have made heavy use of the preceding Blue Streak missile and the Black Knight test rocket development programmes, as well as some new elements, to produce a British-built launcher capable of deploying medium-sized payloads into orbit. Popularly known as the Black Prince due to its assigned rainbow code, in official documentation, the platform was referred to as the ""Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle"" (BSSLV). The Black Prince originated from various ballistic missile programmes that were being conducted by the United Kingdom during the 1950s. As"