This Vincent Black Lightning is called a tribute as it was apparently built with “all original parts” after factory production ceased. Part of the Gene Brown collection, it’s received quite a bit of acclaim, including a 1st place at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering – it’s even the subject of a painting (or maybe two).
Restored – 1968 Norton Commando Fastback
View PostGuess That Bike – Revealed
The boxer engine of Sunday’s Guess That Bike comes from a 1957 Douglas Dragonfly – one that’s currently available for sale in the UK! Were you able to identify it? I got several responses from you impressive readers (and most of you were correct). Special mention goes to MadMike, who was the first reader to give the correct answer.
1958 BSA Golden Flash
Despite the name, the Golden Flash (named for the “Polychromatic Golden Beige” scheme) was only available in black for home-market British customers. Thankfully, this export model has no such problem.
CSR? 1965 Matchless G80 Rhodesian Police
When it comes to the Matchless brand, the CSR acronym is typically associated with the G12. But the seller of this G80 claims to have 1 of 20 G80 GSRs built as a special order for the Rhodesian High Commission for their police force. I can’t find any independent verification of this and the reader who submitted this to me …
1 of 750 – 1970 Norton Mercury
Introduced in October 1968 (and produced only until February of 1970), the Norton Mercury was considered by some to be a ‘parts bin’ bike when it was released. History has been a bit kinder to it – only about 750 were ever sold and it was the last of the Dominator twins.
Atom Bomb Special – 1972 Triumph Bonneville
View Post1963 Francis Barnett Falcon
Founded in 1919 by Gordon Francis and Arthur Barnett, Francis-Barnett was an English motorcycle manufacturer that was eventually acquired by AMC in ’47. After WWII, the company focused on small two-strokes with Villiers-sourced engines. After ’57 they started using AMC’s powerplant. Francis-Barnett liked to name their bikes after birds, including Plover, Kestrel, Merlin, and more. One of those birds was …
Video Game Tie In – 2015 Triumph Venom
View Post1983 BMW R100 Scrambler Custom
I spent some time debating if I should feature this bike or not – this R100 has been customized into a bit of a scrambler, but do you think it’s been done well?
1970 Norton Commando Production Racer
The coolest of Commandos, the Norton Commando Production Racer (affectionately known as the Yellow Peril) was a street-legal factory racer made available to privateers for a princely sum. How princely? It would set you back $1,900 at a time when $1,500 would buy you an Austin Mini.
In England – 1961 Matchless G80S
Here’s an unrestored example of the venerable Matchless G80, with some modifications to aid in use as you fight off modern traffic.
1935 Rudge Tourist 250
Founded in 1894 through the merger of two bicycle makers, Rudge-Whitworth moved into motorcycle production in 1911. They made a name for themselves with some technological innovations (such as the Multi gear system which allowed for 21 speeds) and some racing success.
Needs Some Work – 1969 BSA Rocket 3
Sharing its roots with the Triumph Trident, the BSA Rocket 3 was a 750cc triple that was designed to extend the model line beyond 650 twins. It was specifically built for the US market, which wanted larger displacements and less vibrations. BSA’s financials suffered with the production of this bike, but nearly 27,500 of the Trident/Rocket 3’s were produced between …
85 Horsepower – 2007 Triumph Bonneville Custom
In the seller’s words, this is “the Bonneville Triumph should have built.” His/her opinion is that Triumph did a great job with the design (though I’d argue their effort paled in comparison to Kawasaki’s W series) but they were too conservative with performance (now that I agree with). So, this custom was designed to upgrade performance – now it’s putting …