To Zimmer Frame and Beyond….
Here, Tim explains what, how and why the bike has been improved for today and into retirement.
“Well, none of us are getting any younger and my knees aren’t too clever. So, over the past four years, putting the Rapide back on the road, we looked forward a decade and considered what my requirements would be then,” Tim explained as we visually toured his pride and joy – starting with the wheels.
Q: I noted the front tyre is 20in, with the rear 19-in. The Avons you have fitted offer a very period tread pattern; were these easily obtained?
A: I managed to get this set from a vintage tyre outlet at Beaulieu that makes them in batches, so I snapped these up.
Q: With the wheels, did you have to start from scratch and use the hubs you had collected over the years?
A: There were some damaged alloy rims in Greece. The old boy thought they were used for racing on the ice and certainly not salvageable. There were also some studded tyres, but we left it all behind. The hubs were already in my stores, so a full stainless set-up was attached and it was worth th extra investment.
Q: Your Girdraulic forks are an interesting part of the story.
A: Yes, I had the right-hand leg but the left side had sheared off in an accident. Spares were hard to come by in the late 1980s and everything went through Conway Motors. I regularly spoke to Chas Guy, a lovely man who was tragically killed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1993 during practice on his Vincent. He offered the one that had been keeping the parts door from closing for years, and it was an exact match.
Q: Headlight and clocks look new to me. How did you get hold of those?
A: The headlight is a genuine Miller example I managed to find. But the Vincent Club runs its own excellent spares company and these are available. Originally it would have had one three-inch clock, but I like the larger clock from the Black Shadow. They cost a small fortune if you can find one; luckily, this came into my hands many years ago. The rev counter came from Conway Motors with the fork leg back in the 1980s.
Q: I notice you have made extensive use of stainless steel rather than chrome?
A: True – for longevity, it makes sense. Some small parts like the choke lever and headlight rim are chrome-plated, but the majority of components, mudguards, exhaust and handlebars are stainless.
Q: Where did the tanks come from?
A: I swopped a Sunbeam S8 Dynamo for that tank with a gentleman in Dorset around 1969.
Q: The steering damper must be new?
A: Yes, designed and made by a club member in Sussex. Folk have found that screwing down the original friction damper doesn’t necessarily avoid getting a ‘tankslapper’ and after being thrown off himself, the chap decided to produce a hydraulic damper that fits in well with the rest of the bike. It comes in kit form and works well.
Q: Engine-wise, obviously it must have required some attention once it came back from Greece?
A: Certainly – it was in a terrible state. One quite common job would be replacing the cylinder ‘muffs’ or barrels. They were cast in a way that makes them porous, so I doubt there is an original set of muffs left. We also found the rear cylinder head was porous, leaking via the inlet track, and without the access to get a welding torch in to fix it, I managed to get a new one via Conway Motors.
Q: The engine internals after years of abuse and then neglect must have demanded a full rebuild?
A: Totally worn out, and we threw the kitchen sink at it! New mainshaft, bearings, sleeves, pistons, etc., all to race spec with 9:1 compression ratio with TT Carbs and tuned/flowed heads. But this was all done in the late 1980s; we never completed the bike, but the engine was ready to go. It then sat for a couple more decades but by 2017 I realised the touring was what appealed in the future and we set about reversing what we had done without the motor ever having run.
Q: K&N filters?
A: Yes, because originally it would have had just open bell mouths, and my concern is debris getting inside.
Q: I notice you have two batteries. Is this part of your modifying for the future?
A: Absolutely. The original battery fitted behind the engine would have been smaller, so now we have a pair of larger batteries which together ensure there is always enough ‘juice’ to power the starter motor fitted underneath. We found one battery would offer two or three starting opportunities, but should it fail to fire or she stalls up the road, there is no way I want to be trying to kick-start this engine, or even more importantly, in 10 years’ time, hence two batteries wired together.
Q: Charging must have also been improved?
A: Again, a discreetly located modern alternator. It supplies ample power for decent lighting, heated grips and the starter.
Q: So where did you locate the starter switch? A:
By modifying the headlight shell, we fitted a starter Mini ignition switch and she fires up at the turn of a key.
Q: Amal carbs – they can’t be cheap?
A: Correct – brand new replicas at £500 apiece. I have the TT carbs but they were not suitable for our touring set-up.
Q: And the rear shocks?
A: They are machined stainless steel, instead of normally plated and rusting. I modified the damper from a modern Koni, giving it some age. Each
suspension set-up front and rear consists of two springs and one damper; it has all been rebuilt. To stiffen up the rear end, ideal when carrying passengers, a friction damper attaches from the seat base to the swingarm. This would have been standard kit but like the other suspension parts, I remade them in stainless. Where would I be without my lathe?
Q: You obviously enjoy machining all the stainless parts. Are you self-taught?
A: Largely, yes. I went on a course back in the 1970s but when my father asked what I desired for my 21st birthday, a nice Myford lathe was the answer and it has been with me ever since.
Q: Was the Myford put into action when it came to fitting the starter motor?
A: In this case, no; the starter comes as a kit. A new engine plate is supplied that allows for a cog beneath the kick-start quadrant and the motor itself sits discreetly underneath the engine... works perfectly, and the only drawback is that the engine has to be out of the frame to make it fit.
Q: What does the small tap do? That is certainly not original.
A: A very recent and very clever little gizmo, it actually stops wet sumping (oil draining back into the sump from the oil tank). The only concern is starting the engine without turning the tap on could destroy the engine, but the tap contains a small switch which wires into the ignition and if the tap is in the wrong position, the engine will turn over but won’t start. I was lucky – among my parts was plenty of NOS braided hose, and with stainless fittings it blends in quite well.
Q: I assume the Series D stand makes the bike much easier to lift?
A: Very much so. This bike features two side stands, one either side up front, which can be used separately or as a pair to raise the front, allowing easy removal of the front wheel. The original rear stand is awkward to unclip and position on your own, but the Series D roll-on stand just requires a pull of the lever and the bike sits securely in seconds – another feature that will benefit me in years to come.
Q: When we first discussed putting the Rapide story on paper, I asked if you had any idea how many man hours have gone into this bike?
A: This bike has consumed a lot of investment and man hours... the financial side we best not think about, but the labour must be at least 1500 hours. And it has been well worth it!
Q: You relied quite heavily on the Vincent Owners Club. How does the club fund these new modifications and the spares supply?
A: Around 1975 the VOC issued a shares option to members. Regrettably, I had just blown the budget on the £50 series D Black Shadow basket case in Weymouth. The shares were to raise cash for the spares company to purchase the rights of the Vincent name; I believe it was unsuccessful. The cash did, however, provide additional working capital to develop more stock in the company.
Q: No doubt the Vincent brand has had a big impact on your life. Could you share some of your best and worst memories, plus did you ever feel tempted to transfer allegiances to another manufacturer?
A: My first introduction to Vincent Motorcycles came at school when I had to select a book from the library. I picked The Vincent by Paul Richardson. I was 15 years old and probably only picked it to be rebellious with the teacher. I was fascinated by the sheer complexity of the bike and, in particular, the unique workings of the Girdraulic forks. I had never seen a Vincent before I was 16, when I glimpsed one in my hometown of Dorchester. Eventually, I tracked down the owner, Peter Phillip; I knocked on his door and this became the start of a long-lasting friendship. Peter became my mentor on all things Vincent. He guided me on my first purchase of a 1954 Black Shadow, UPJ 745, which was bought for £200. We undertook a lot
“Conway Motors (Vincent dealers since 1934) came up trumps. The firm had a used one, the side Tim needed, that had been propping open the parts department door for donkey’s years!”
of work on the bike while in daily use; four years after we met, he was best man at my wedding. I experienced all manner of 1950s and 1960s classics, and none of them came close to the Vincent... not just in riding, but working on them. They were just not in the same league mechanically. It was as though Vincents were designed and built with no budgetary constraints – they just exude innovative design and quality materials. Speaking of my life with Vincents, I suppose I have been very fortunate in many aspects. Firstly, I have been blessed with a very understanding wife who has always supported the constant presence of a Vincent in the family. Secondly, I felt very lucky that I have been the custodian of several twins in my lifetime that I have rebuilt and passed on to new owners to appreciate. Finally, it has been a privilege to be able to ride what I genuinely believe to be the finest British postwar historic motorcycle ever built.