An Egli evolution
Vincent stalwart Tony Perry has been busy in his Brisbane workshop: Philippe Guyony’s magnificent book “Vincent Motorcycles. The Untold Story since 1946” (below), was an inspiration to build an Egli Vincent racer. Of the numerous publications on Vincent motorcycles over the years, Guyony has nailed the need for a book devoted entirely to Vincent specials. My book was a present from a mate, and the excellent pictures made it possible to measure angles and work out a scale for making the frame and tank. Of the four varieties of tanks used over the years, I believe that the “droop tank” is the one that looks most “Egli”. This one came together using aluminum and resin with the help of my mate Pete. The frame has a steering head angle of 26 degrees to allow lighter steering for the modern wider tires used. The chassis was trialled at Lakeside in August 2018 with a borrowed motor, and handled extremely well. A “big” 1,200cc motor has been created using RTV cases and a locally made (RB) top end kit. A modified Norton oil pump was fitted, RTV cams, and breathing through 1 1/2 inch GP carbs. Lots of help was given by Vincent “guru” Garth Robinson, Rodney Brown and Niel Videan, and paint by Dave Wedley.
It was a full year’s work.