Vincent Black Shadow

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Prototype Black Shadow. Photo believed to have been taken by Phillip Vincent

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Vincent Rapide advertisement, The Motor Cycle, December 1945

The Vincent Black Shadow was a hand-built motorcycle produced by Vincent Motorcycles, introduced in 1948. The series "C" (introduced in the early 1950s) had a 998 cc 50 degree OHV V-twin engine. It ran 7.3:1 compression ratio.

The beginning

The Black Shadow was a "Stressed Frame" design. The engine, instead of being cradled in a set of frame rails, was suspended from above becoming an integeral part of the structure. The Black Shadow as well as the other post WWII Vincents featured several new technological innovations such as a unique and original alternative to the primitive telescopic front forks of the day, a sprung rear sub-frame, the extensive use of aluminium alloy and a unit construction stressed engine. It weighed in at 206 kg (453 lbs). This was about the weight of a pre-war 500cc bike!

The inspiration for the Black Shadow was RAF pilots flying over the factory, and soldiers serving in WWII. The designers created a motorcycle that could be operated and maintained by men who had been injured in combat. The clutch could be operated with just two fingers, and maintenance was made far easier than anything previously available.

The reason for its name "Black" Shadow was due to the entire bike (including the engine) being coated with black paint. The reason for the black paint on the cylinder block is still disputed to this day. Some claim that the black paint was for looks, others claim that it had something to do with heat transfer and dissipation. Whatever the original reason behind the painting of the engine, it was far different than anything else at a time when everything was polished and chromed.

Collecting

Only 1800 Vincent Black Shadows were made, all hand-assembled. It is now sought after by classic motorcycle collectors from around the world, and is valued in excess of $50,000 USD in today's market. In the 60's Vincents were being sold for $200 to a $900.

The bathing suit picture

The famous picture of a man stretched out in only a bathing suit on a Vincent is in fact not a Black Shadow. It was in fact a Black Lightning. The difference between the two bikes is essentially the difference between a factory race tuned bike and a stock. The Black Lightning was a custom order from the factory and was some 100 pounds lighter and 25hp more powerful than the stock model. The Black Lightning is the finest Vincent ever produced.

As for the famous "bathing suit bike" picture, it is of Rollie Free, an American, riding at the Bonneville Salt Flats on 13 September 1948. Free was determined to break the land speed record in the "Flying Mile." His first pass hit 148 mph, which broke the record, but Free was determined to break 150. Noticing that his riding leathers had started to come apart at the seams from the force of the wind, Free borrowed a bathing suit, cap, and a pair of tennis shoes and laid down on the bike. With the decreased drag, Free broke 150 mph, topping out at 150.313 mph, shattering his record of only a few moments before. That bike, also known as the "John Edgar Lightning" after its sponsor, is currently in the private collection of Herb Harris of Austin, Texas.

In literature

The Vincent Black Shadow is mentioned in works by the late Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as well as Kingdom of Fear. In Fear and Loathing, the character Dr. Gonzo talks about entering a Black Shadow into the Mint 500, a grueling desert motocross race. This is meant as comic irony since not only is the Black Shadow deeply inappropriate for off road use but even at the time of writing (1971), the Black Shadow was considered antiquated and obsolete.