The Vincent motorcycle company was founded in 1927, by Phil Irving, and named for his step-father and backer, a wealthy Argentinian rancher named Senor Vincent. Early Vincents were made using a variety of bought-out motors, including JAP, Rudge, Indian and Harley-Davidson, which is why many of the early models are marked "HRD" ( Harley-Davidson abbreviated in the English manner), and the marque sometimes referred to as "Vincent-HRD" or even "Harley Vincent".

While the early models won their share of trophies - and notoriety, when T.E, Shaw, alias Lawrence of Arabia died on one - the real history of the marque really begins at the end of WW2, when Phillip designed the powerful V-twin that has become synonomous with the Vincent name.

The new engine was basically a copy of the new postwar Harley engine that would eventually become the Sportster, with a few features borrowed from the old Indian Scout. But while the Harley version used many cast iron parts, the Vincent used light alloy castings exclusively, resulting in a much lighter and larger displacement engine that produced far more horsepower than the Harley - or any other motorcycle engine of its time. In full road going trim, with muffler, lights, and dualseat, a Vincent twin weighed only 382 lbs, half the weight of a comparable Harley. Indeed, the same engine, with only slight modifications was used to power a prototype RAF fighter aircraft that was never, unfortunately. put into production as the the advent of the jet engine made propellor fighters obsolete.

The new V-twins were fast, setting numerous records. Indeed, Vincent is probably the only manufacturer ever to have cataloged a standard model, which could be purchased through any dealer, as being suitable for, in the words of the catalog, "setting national and world speed records". This was no empty boast - Vincent models held the US and world speed records, many national championships and national speed records, and a Vincent was the last standard motorcycle (as opposed to purpose-built streamliners that could not be ridden off the salt) ever to hold the world motorcycle speed record.

The original model, the Rapide - spelling was never Irving's forte - was followed by the even faster Black Shadow, then a stripped down competition model called the Black Lightening, and ultimately the fantastic Black Widow, the no-holds-bared, bored and stroked street version of the Lightening.

Rare Original Catalog Shot of the Vincent Black Widow. Note the huge
6" "Widow Clock" a 220 mph (350kph) that is one of the rarest parts
of the machines.

Why was the Widow so much faster than the other models? Mainly, the others, even the legendary Black Lightening, were made to comply with the racing and insurance regulations of the day, which effectively limited displacement to "a mere" 1000 cc. The Black Widow was not, and was punched out to the max. Also, the available octane of petrol in those pre-war days was low, and the standard Vincents were, as a result, fitted with tiny 1 1/16" to 1 1/8' carburetors that didn't take full advantage of the machine's potential. Perspective buyers of the Black Widow were warned that they must run aviation gas when hi-test was not available, and this made it possible to fit monster 1 1/2" racing carbs.

Unfortunately, this superb powerplant was mated with a bizarre, partially sprung frame, that quickly gained the reputation of "handling as if it had a hinge in the middle". Sucessful Vincent riders and racers alike tended to be uniformly powerful men who could hold the machine to the road by brute force. Indeed, properly speaking, there wasnıt a frame. The forks were bolted to one end of the motor, and the rear suspension to the other, and the handling characteristics of the machine would change radically with the temperature of the engine.

The front suspension was equally unusual. At a time when most manufacturers were fitting the then-new, and now universally standard telescopic fork, Vincents choose to instead fit an incredibly complex and expensive forged aluminum affair which was - as difficult as this may be to believe - essentially no more or less than an alloy copy of the girder forks popular in prewar days! The only advantages this fork offered over the telescopics was the dubious ability to alter the trail while the machine was underway - and the strength to withstand repeated high speed crashes.

Alas, with itıs inordinately powerful engine, bizarre handling, and almost non-existant brakes, the Vincent, and especially the Black Widow, was, quite simply, too much machine for most riders to handle, and it left a trail of carnage that continues to this day, and the reputation as "the most dangerous motorcyle ever made". All this applied doubly to the Black Widow version which was much faster, but had the same woeful brakes and suspension.

So deadly was the Black Widow that it was eventually outlawed in 37 of the 48 American states. Not that outlawing it accomplished anything - the Black Widow was so much faster than anything else on the road, police cars included, that ownership of one was a carte-blanche to speed.

Production of the Vincent ceased in 1955. The bikes had always been very expensive, selling for well in excess of the price of a luxury car, and were essentially hand made - the Vincent factory did not possess a single machine tool!

There was not sufficient a market for a machine that maimed so many of its riders, and bankrupted the rest. Anyone who really wanted one could buy a wrecked one - of which there was always a plentiful supply! - and rebuild it for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Those Vincents that have survived have become prized collector items. As they are owned by older, very wealthy, status-obssessed collectors who ride their investments rarely, and when they do, do so cautiously and sedately, the marques old reputation for carnage has been almost forgotten. Today, the owner of a Vincent is more likely to be asked how much itıs worth than how fast it will go - and is more likely to know!

Very few Black Widows were made, the standards versions being fast - and pricey - enough for all but the most hardcore riders. The usual figure given is 22, but some experts put it closer to 10. Very few, if any, Black Widows survive today, making it the rarest and potentially most valuable collector motorcycle of all. Considering that Rapides and Shadows now sell for upwards of $100,000, and Lightenings for triple that, that is saying a lot.

So rare was the Widow, that many Vincent owners - certainly one of the snobbiest. most effete and opinionated groups in existence - will try to tell you it never existed.

As so many Vincent "specials" and so-called "replicas" of the rarer models have been built over the years, and many machines upgraded by installing key parts from the faster versions until it is hard to say exactly what they are, anyone considering the purchase of a machine represented as a Black Widow should realize the odds are strongly against it being genuine. The best indicator of authenticity are the engine numbers - genuine Black Window cases should bear engine numbers beginning with F10AB/2D, the D being the critical letter. Genuine Black Widows were also fitted with special giant 6" 22O mph speedometers which were never listed separately as spares.

Specifications:

Bore and Stroke 94mm x 102mm
Displacement 1400cc
Horsepower 118
Weight 378 lbs.
Carburetion 2 - 1 1/2" Amal GPs
Top Speed 190 mph
1/4 mile 9.3 sec.

Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow, HRD, HRD-Vincent, Vincent motorcycle, Vincent Black Widow, Vincent Black Shadow, Black Widow, Black Shadow,