Vincent Motorcycle

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 HRD did previously with engines purchased as complete assemblies from other companies. From 1934, two new engines were developed as single cylinder in 500 cc and v-twin 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.''Classic Bike'', September 2002, ''The Vincent Story'' – Timeline, by ''Dave Minton'', pp.27–31 Accessed 17 September 2014

The 1948 Vincent Black Shadow was at the time the world's fastest production motorcycle. The name was changed to ''Vincent Engineers (Stevenage) Ltd.'' in 1952 after financial losses were experienced when releasing capital to produce a Vincent-engined prototype Indian (''Vindian'') for the US market during 1949. In 1955 the company discontinued motorcycle production after experiencing further heavy financial losses.

History

Vincent Motorcycles, "the makers of the world's fastest motorcycles", began with the purchase of HRD Motors Ltd less the factory premises, by Philip Vincent in May 1928.

HRD was founded by the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) pilot, Howard Raymond Davies, who was shot down and captured by the Germans in 1917. Legend has it that it was while a prisoner of war that he conceived the idea of building his own motorcycle, and contemplated how he might achieve that. It was not until 1924 that Davies entered into partnership with E J Massey, trading as HRD Motors. Various models were produced, generally powered by J.A.P. engines.

Although HRD motorcycles won races, the company ran at a loss. In January 1928 it went into voluntary liquidation. The company was initially bought by Ernest Humphries of OK-Supreme Motors for the factory space, and the HRD name, jigs, tools, patterns, and remaining components were subsequently offered for sale again.

Phil Vincent

Philip Vincent was advised to start production under an established name. He had built a motorcycle of his own in 1927 and in 1928 had registered a patent for a cantilever rear suspension of his own design. With the backing of his family wealth from cattle ranching in Argentina, Vincent acquired the trademark, goodwill and remaining components of HRD from Humphries for £450 in 1928.

The company was promptly renamed Vincent HRD Co., Ltd and production moved to Stevenage. The new trademark had ''The Vincent'' in very small letters above the large "HRD". After World War 2 Britain had an export drive to repay its war debts, and the USA was the largest market for motorcycles, so from 1950 the HRD was dropped from the name to avoid any confusion with the "HD" of Harley Davidson, and the motorcycle became the Vincent.

In 1928 the first Vincent-HRD motorcycle used a JAP single-cylinder engine in a Vincent-designed cantilever frame. The earliest known example extant exists in Canberra, Australia. Some early bikes used Rudge-Python engines. But after a disastrous 1934 Isle of Man TT, with engine problems and all three entries failing to finish, Phil Vincent and Phil Irving decided to build their own engines.

Phil Vincent also experimented with three-wheeled vehicles, amphibious vehicles, and automobiles. In 1932 the first 3-wheeler, "The Vincent Bantam" appeared, powered by a 293cc Villiers engine. It was a 2.5 cwt delivery van with a car seat and a steering wheel. The Bantam cost £57-10-0 and the windscreen and hood option cost £5-10-0. Production ceased in 1936.

Phil Irving

In late 1931 Phil Irving first joined Vincent as an engineer alongside fellow-engineer E.J. Massey from the original HRD company after initially working on metallurgy for Velocette,Motorcycle Sport, July 1979, p.350 ''P. C. Vincent – A tribute'' by R. R. H. (Robert 'Bob' Holliday, ex-editor of ''Motor Cycling'') Accessed 26 September 2014 leaving to return to his native Australia in 1949. His first engine design was an OHV 500 cc single-cylinder engine in 1934 called the "Meteor".

World War II

In 1937 Phil Irving went to work for Velocette but returned to Vincent Motorcycles in 1943. Vincent primarily made munitions, but Vincent engines were trialled in boats and portable pumps during the war, and the end of hostilities saw Vincent ready to return to motorcycle production. Vincent developed a highly efficient opposed-piston two-stroke engine for use in air-dropped lifeboats, although development outlasted the war and it never went into service.

Vincent already looked to the United States for sales, and in 1944 Eugene Aucott opened the first USA dealership in the city of Philadelphia. Others followed.

Models

Meteor and Comet

The standard motor was known as the Meteor and the sports motor was the Comet; it was distinguished from earlier Vincent models of that name by the "Series-A" prefix. There was a TT replica & the Comet Special (basically a TTR with lights, horn etc.), which used a bronze head. The Meteor motor produced @ 5300 rpm.

An unusual feature of the valve design for these motors was the double valve guides, and the attachment of the forked rocker arm to a shoulder between the guides, to eliminate side forces on the valve stem and ensure maximum valve life under racing conditions.

The Series-A Comet could do , but Phil Vincent and his racing customers wanted more.

1936 Series A Rapide

Whilst working in his office at Stevenage in 1936, Phil Irving noticed that two drawings of the Vincent HRD engine lay on top of each other in a "V" formation. He set them out on the drawing board as a v-twin engine in a frame Vincents had made for a record attempt by Eric Fernihough, who no longer required it. When Phil Vincent saw the drawing he was immediately enthusiastic, and a few weeks later the first Vincent thousand had been made, with Meteor upper engine parts mounted on new crankcases. The Vincent V-twin motorcycle incorporated a number of new and innovative ideas, some of which were more successful than others.

The Vincent HRD Series A Rapide was introduced in October 1936. Its frame was of brazed lug construction, based on the Comet design but extended to accommodate the longer V twin engine. It continued the use of "cantilever" rear suspension, which was used on all Vincents produced from 1928 until 1955. Other innovations included a side stand.

Innovative telescopic forks were not adopted by Vincent, with both Phils believing girder forks were superior at the time and beyond. The Series-A had external oil lines – known as "the plumber's nightmare" – and a separate gearbox.Wilson, Hugo. (1993) ''The Ultimate Motor-Cycle Book'' p.82 ''Vincent HRD "The pre-war bikes were nicknamed 'the plumber's nightmare' due to their confusion of external oil pipes''." Dorling Kindersley Accessed 17 July 2014

With 6.8:1 compression ratio, the 998 cc Series A Rapide Vincent produced , and was capable of . The high power meant that the Burman clutch and gearbox transmission did not cope well.

1946 Series B Rapide

The Series B Rapide designed during the war and released to the press before end of hostilities looked radically different to the A. The oil pipes were now internal. Unit construction allowed Vincent to combine the engine and gearbox into a single casing. Philip Vincent summarised his frame design philosophy in his memoirs, writing "What isn't present takes up no space, cannot bend, and weighs nothing — so eliminate the frame tubes!" The angle between the cylinders was changed to 50° from the 47.5° of the Series A engine to allow the engine to be installed as a stressed member. This enabled Vincent to reduce the frame to an upper frame member (UFM) that was a steel box-section backbone that doubled as an oil tank, and to which the front headlug and rear suspension were attached. Brakes were dual single-leading shoe (SLS), front and rear. The wheelbase was shorter than the Series A, and its dimensions were closer to contemporary 500 cc bikes.

The Series B had a Feridax Dunlopillo Dualseat, and a tool tray under the front.

The Series "B" incorporated an internal felt oil filter instead of the metal gauze of the Series "A".

Vincent used quickly detachable wheels, making wheel and tyre changes easier. The rear wheel was reversible, and different size rear sprockets could be fitted for quick final-drive ratio changes.
The brake & gear shift were adjustable for reach to suit individual feet.
The rear mud guard was hinged to facilitate the removal of the rear wheel.

From today's perspective, it seems incongruous that Vincent could see the need for, and design, a cantilever rear suspension, as well as incorporate so many other new ideas, yet use Brampton girder forks with friction dampers up front. The two Phils felt that the telescopic forks of the time were prone to lateral flex, so they persisted with girder forks, and did use hydraulic damping in the Series C "Girdraulic" forks.

Starting in 1948, Indian Motorcycles

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