In the annals of 20th century motorcycling, before Japanese machines came to our shores, two machines were the undisputed superbikes. John Wheeler recalls the lost classics of other days.
First was SS 100 Brough Superior, a 998 cc 50°JAP (after JA Prestwick, renowned engine builders) vee-twin which was in production from 1925 to 1940. A rare beast, only around 400 were ever made, the best known being that owned by TE Shaw, aka Laurence of Arabia, on which he met his untimely death.
The Brough Superior was hailed by The Motor Cycle magazine as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles. George Brough, its maker, used this description in his advertising and, surprisingly, Rolls-Royce never objected.
Just as Brough Superior production was coming to an end, the Phil Irving-designed, post-war Vincent HRD "superbikes" were emerging from their Stevenage factory. Legend has it that these awesome vee-twins owed their existence to an accident.
Two tracings of their high-camshaft 500 cc Comets had been laid one on top of the other in the drawing office. This composite image inspired a generation of 998 cc Vincent HRD vee-twins. Later, to avoid confusion in the all-important American market, the "HRD" was dropped in favour of just "Vincent".
The best known post-war models were the Rapide, a 110 mph "tourer" and the "Black Shadow", a 125 mph somewhat sportier version. You can see a Rapide on the first floor of Bikeworld on the Naas Road in Dublin. They were advertised as "the world's fastest motorcycle".
These bikes combined raw, almost evil power with a smooth sophistication which made them sinister, yet beguiling. Their curious firing pattern, both cylinders firing close together followed by a gap was reminiscent of a horse's gait.
The excellence and ingenuity of the engineering made all other machines of the day seem mundane. Twin front drum brakes, one on each side and a similar layout on the rear wheel provided good stopping power. Hydraulic damped Girdraulic front forks, a similar rear swinging arm, what was probably the first ever dual seat, oil tank in the frame, sprockets on either side of the rear wheel so that the final ratio could be changed easily.
Beautiful, nickel-plated T-bars were used instead of wheel nuts, making wheel removal a no tools job. Similar T bars were used for the hinged rear wheel mudguard and to hold the rear wheel stand. Other signature touches were such luxuries as side stands on both sides of the machine and, on the last, Series D, a centrestand operated by a hand lever. In every respect the attention to detail on these hand-built machines has never been surpassed.
By the standards of their day, even by today's standards, their looks were stunning. Wherever one has been, or ever will be parked, a crowd is sure to gather. It is easy to distinguish a Rapide with its highly polished all-alloy engine from the Black Shadow which had an all-black coated engine.
Vincents combined a mix of high speed with docility and tractability. Top gear (4th) could be used snatch-free from 20 mph, yet the 1949 Black Shadow could attain 68 mph in first, 87 mph in second and 110 mph in third. By modern one-litre standards they were economical, returning, on post-war, very low octane "pool" petrol, 86.4 mpg at 50 mph and 70 mpg at 60 mph.
These were ultra-performance mounts for the connoisseur, giving all the performance at the top end of the scale of a Senior TT mount with effortless high-speed cruising. But it came at a high price. In 1951 a Black Shadow cost £402, which must be compared with £281 for the only other one-litre bike of the day, the Ariel Square Four. The much-sought "sports" machine of the time, the 499 cc BSA Gold Star Clubman, cost £253.
To put these seemingly cheap figures into context, a young white-collar worker would consider himself fortunate to earn £197 a year. Buying a Vincent could easily swallow two years salary.
But, if you had bought one and kept it, today your Rapide would fetch around €27,000 and the Black Shadow a mere €36,500.
The mid-1950s were a time when the few cars there were belonged to professional gentlemen and the motorcycle was the only affordable means of transport - in 1950 you could buy a 123 cc BSA Bantam for £94. Vincents had become too costly to be saleable, and they were being sold at a loss.
In 1955 in a last-ditch attempt to capture public imagination, Vincents produced an all-enclosed, fully faired version, the Black Knight. Even today it would look modern. Sadly it did not sell, and production of the famous vee-twins ceased.
Anyone who has ever owned or ridden a Vincent would agree. We shall not see their like again.