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Vincent Black Lightning

To: <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Subject: Vincent Black Lightning
From: Wester Potter <wspotter@jps.net>
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 07:58:18 -0700
on 8/10/00 7:38 AM, Dick J at lsr_man@yahoo.com wrote:

> I remember when he did that - there was an
> article about it in Hot Rod or one of the other
> now long gone hot rod magazines of the time.  I
> was into motorcycles then too, had a Whizzer
> hidden at a shop down the road and worked on it
> every Saturday,  trying to get it running all
> summer.  I'd keep getting close, but then, the
> next Saturday, I'd have trouble again.  Just two
> years ago, I told the story to my mom and she
> burst out laghing.  She said old Mr. Oliver had
> called before he sold me the bike (for $5), and
> everytime I'd get close to getting it running, my
> dad would go over to his shop after I'd gone to
> bed and "sabotage" my progress.  Sheesh!
> 
> Dick J
> 
> 
> --- ardunbill@webtv.net wrote:
>> Eight straight pipes 2" x 48" is what I have on
>> my Ardun.  I copied the
>> factory racing pipes on the Vincent Black
>> Lightning.  They were usually
>> only 44" long, but I have an original factory
>> set that are 48".  The
>> cylinder size (500cc) was close to my Ardun,
>> and the valve timing very
>> similar, so I figured, how could it be wrong?
>> A factory Black Lightning
>> on 80-10-10 (methanol-petrol-benzole) took the
>> World's Motorcycle Speed
>> Record with these pipes at 185 mph in New
>> Zealand in 1955, running on a
>> two-lane public road closed for the occasion,
>> the bike was privately
>> owned (Russell Wright) and ridden by the owner.
>> This was the immortal
>> team of (Bob) Burns & Wright, as every Vincent
>> man knows.
>> 
>> Having said all that,  I know that the lore
>> today is that four into one
>> makes more power on V-8s.  But Willie Glass'
>> Ardun that just set the
>> XXF/GR record at 159 at Maxton has eight short
>> straight pipes (don't
>> know the diameter and length at the moment).
>> Cheers, Bill
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
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> 
List.

The Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle that Rollie Free rode to a 150.313
record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948 will be on display along with
two other bikes with Bonneville histories at World of Speed.  Herb Harris of
Austin TX who owns the bikes is bringing them at the request of Jeff Decker,
the sculptor who did the polychromed 40" bronze of the record run.  As those
of you who have seen the photograph will remember, Free stripped to his swim
suit, borrowed tennis shoes and his wife's rubber swim cap and laid out on
the tank of the bike for the run.  The mechanic who prepared the bike had
tole him that "any competent rider can get 150 mph out of this bike" and
Rollie wasn't going to be satisfied with his record breaking run of 147 plus
wearing leathers.  
The Jeff Decker, 13 1/2" trophy bronze of the record attempt is the trophy
for the fast bike at World of Speed 2000.
Herb Harris will be on the salt on September 21-23 with the bikes and Jeff
Decker will be there with his motorcycle bronzes as well.
Check our USFRA web pages for a photo of the trophy.

Wes Potter  Secretary, USFRA


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