military Vincent

[AdminGuy]

Was there anything special about the military issue Vincents? Was the blackout lighting the only change? Did they paint them flat? I'm being put in touch witha local guy who shipped one home piece by piece from over seas. incl. saddle bags for chain clips. Airforce mechanic fella. Also Lancaster bomber stories. Should be fun!

I'm real curious to hear his storys.

[shawcycle]

Might try posting an inquiry to: http://www.thevincent.com/
John Hasty

[shawcycle]

Posting this on behalf of Robert Watson, editor of MPH, the monthly magazine of the Vincent Owner's Club. Replies can be sent directly to: watson@supplyline.com or posted here and I will forward.
John Hasty

I saw AdminGuy's posting on the AMCA site about a wartime Vincent, and
noticed you had replied. Vincent didn't make any wartime motorcycles,
they
were busy making bomb and shell casing parts. I was wondering if you
could
post something to the AMCA forum. I am no expert in this matter but I
have
only ever seen one Vincent in any sort of wartime garb and that was a
picture in a book of a Series A twin with a 'blackout" headlight. I
have
seen the same picture (same Reg number) in two different books. I have
actually just written to see if there is any date or other information
about the picture. The book was published in 1982, but the picture
appears
to be (judging from the 'newness' of the bike) taken around the
wartime. I
would be very interested in any details of the machine that the
'Airforce
mechanic fella' may recall. It would be interesting to see if he
remembered
the UK Reg Number. I believe that particular bike pictured is in North
America and the current owner has no idea how it got here!

[Pete Gagan]

There were no "military" Vincents. The simple answer to the picture of the one with blackout lighting is that any motor vehicle used in England was required to have blackout lighting during the war. As fuel was rationed, motorcycles were more usable than cars.
Pete Gagan