49C Rapide

worntorn

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Dec 22, 2006
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This one has about 2500 miles on it since completing a very extensive internal and external resto.
Its been for sale on and off for quite awhile. Can't decide whether to part with it or not.
I've only ridden it 1900 miles in ten years as I generally ride the 47, don't know why.
The 47 isn't so pristine, I don't feel so bad if I get a scratch on it, maybe that's why.

Anyway , I took some photos for a buyer who said yesterday he is going to buy it.
No funds yet!

Thought I would share the photos here.








 
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Very, very nice!

Sensible carb choice.

Two front heads I note.

I'd keep it a while longer mate. Its part of your pension !
 
9 to one pistons and inlets ported to 35 mm, that's why the builder needed two front heads, to go that big without breaking through.
I keep thinking the price of these bikes will crash, then they go up a bit , then up some more.
The stock market crashes and Vincent prices go up. Seems to be a good hedge.
Maybe it is a pension item!

Glen
 
I have Girdraulics on the 47 as well. They were fitted on there in 1954 as an upgrade.
Some like the lighter feeling of the Bramptons, that's true.
On a fast ride through really twisty stuff that might have a few potholes and patches, I prefer well dampened Girdraulics over Bramptons, even if the Bramptons have had a modern shock added.
On that type of road, my buddies riding with Bramptons tend drop to back a long way.
The Bramptons don't like the rough stuff.
The Girdraulics eat it up.
Slow speed and in town though, the Girdraulics steering is quite heavy, it's in the Geometry somehow.
Actual weights of the two fork units is the same.

Glen
 
My experience says it is the Bramptons

The Brampton front forks were mentioned by John Surtees in the bike press when he was alive and he stated that they had got it wrong- so you know who to blame!!!
 
Ive got a set of originals that could go on there, however they are too small for the ported out 2 front head arrangement.
The other problem is I don't have quite enough room to carry the giant fire extinguisher needed when running leaky Amal type 276 or 289 s.
The guys who do run them seem to like the leaky operation.
" If they aren't dripping, you are out of gas" is the saying " :)
Ive travelled with a fair number of Vincent owners who are still running original carbs, albeit many have been rebuilt.
One thing they all have in common- put the bike on the side stand and the 276/ 289s drip gas.
Sometimes they backfire on starting and catch fire. This is an exciting part of Vintage motorcycle ownership that I have decided to let others enjoy!!

Glen
 
It's a common problem with those original carbs.
I'm surprised that there aren't more of the bikes burning up.
Those that love them are welcome to them!
 
That's only the supercharger slipping into reverse. Gotta love Amals.
Beautiful scooter.
 
It's a common problem with those original carbs.
I'm surprised that there aren't more of the bikes burning up.
Those that love them are welcome to them!

Well I got off lightly, bike off road (again) for (another) year and around £7000 of damage, if I recall correctly. And no damage to life.

It only happened to me once. Part of the rebuild included new Mikuni’s.

We live n’ learn eh ?!
 
That is true, the throttle response is better with the smaller carbs and ports.
Also, the other bike is set up for touring with top box and pannier racks , back rest and full suspension at rear.
That and it already has lots of scuffs and scratches from use, 1 more won't hurt.

Glen
 
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My ‘Black Rapide’ had the ‘usual’ mods done to it, ie mk2 cams, 8:1 pistons, electronic ign. When I first built it, that was definitely the consensus of opinion, and I certainly knew no better!

It also had two front heads. When I asked Patrick to check the ports for me he said they’re “OK”... now whether that was, OK they’re not scrap... or OK they’re not worth repairing... or OK they’re actually quite good... I never got to the bottom of that!

Complementing its two front heads, it had two front Shadow carbs. I thought this was a nice touch... until it caught fire!

I would have loved to have ridden a standard Shadow or Rapide back to back with mine to compare, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity.

For some reason, most Vincent owners I come across at bike meets don’t seem too keen on throwing me the keys...

I do know that my Vin was a lot quicker than my T120 or T140 and most folk commented on it being a quick bike when they rode with it. Considering how close to standard it was, and how old it was, it’s performance was impressive. But my Commando (post rebuild and hot rodded) was a lot quicker, and the 1330 Godet Egli made it feel like a Tiger Cub !
 
Ive got a set of originals that could go on there, however they are too small for the ported out 2 front head arrangement.
The other problem is I don't have quite enough room to carry the giant fire extinguisher needed when running leaky Amal type 276 or 289 s.
The guys who do run them seem to like the leaky operation.
" If they aren't dripping, you are out of gas" is the saying " :)
Ive travelled with a fair number of Vincent owners who are still running original carbs, albeit many have been rebuilt.
One thing they all have in common- put the bike on the side stand and the 276/ 289s drip gas.
Sometimes they backfire on starting and catch fire. This is an exciting part of Vintage motorcycle ownership that I have decided to let others enjoy!!

Glen
I'll use a 1034 concentric on my 600cc Comet project they don't leak and work very well, thank you, Monoblocs do work as well and doesn't look totally out of place like those hideous Mikunis. We are talking old British bikes here, I can't see the point of spoiling them with oriental stuff everywhere from disc brakes to forks, stands, clutches, frames, you name it. Everything on a Vincent or any other old Brit can be replaced by something far better from one Japanese manufacturer. Where do one stop? Why don't you ride a modern Japanese if you want modern behavior from your machine?
But we already had this talk before... Please note again that I build bitzas and I only use period Brit parts on them, I'm not a purist but in my opinion there is no excuse to denature any old Brit Bike, stock or period specials.
This is not specifically pointed at you Glen, your mighty Egli is something else built from new parts as far as I know.
Eric
 
I'll use a 1034 concentric on my 600cc Comet project they don't leak and work very well, thank you, Monoblocs do work as well and doesn't look totally out of place like those hideous Mikunis. We are talking old British bikes here, I can't see the point of spoiling them with oriental stuff everywhere from disc brakes to forks, stands, clutches, frames, you name it. Everything on a Vincent or any other old Brit can be replaced by something far better from one Japanese manufacturer. Where do one stop? Why don't you ride a modern Japanese if you want modern behavior from your machine?
But we already had this talk before... Please note again that I build bitzas and I only use period Brit parts on them, I'm not a purist but in my opinion there is no excuse to denature any old Brit Bike, stock or period specials.
This is not specifically pointed at you Glen, your mighty Egli is something else built from new parts as far as I know.
Eric


The bike in the photo is ported to 35 mm.
I probably should have 36 mm carbs on there but the 34s work quite well.
A few years ago I considered switching to Concentrics but 32 was the largest available at that time without going to MK2, which look much the same as the Mikunis but are lower in quality.
I don't mind the Concentrics but you have to know there are people who despise them as strongly as you do the Mikunis.

I knew one very good Brit engine builder and Daytona racer who insisted that all Concentrics should be removed from the bike then driven over and crushed with a large truck so that they would never be used again.
They see them as cheap, low quality carbs that showed up as the British motorcycle industry was in its death throes.
There is some truth to that, the original Concentrics were an extremely short term, throwaway carb. The Monoblocs I've seen also had the same problem of very fast slide and body wear. They appear to be of the same monkey metal as the lowly Concentrics.
The Mikunis with their heavy chrome over brass slide are a much higher quality item, can't ignore it.
So it's interesting to see someone get worked up about something as low end and forgettable as the old Concentric carb! $750 US for a 1034, is that correct?
Seems a lot for a throwaway carb that is not original to any Vincent. The 1034 I'm seeing is NOS at Baxter's and it appears that you get all of the original Concentrics issues for that price, fast wearing slide, bad pilot jets design, iffy float.

I do think the new Premieres are quite good and aren't overpriced. Unfortunately there have been some quality control issues with them.
I'm having good luck so far with a set of the Premieres. I wish they were available in larger sizes
Everyone has an opinion, in the end the owner runs whatever works for him/her.
I run Dellorto 41mm pumpers on the 1360 solely because that's the carb Terry Prince suggested. They work extremely well with that engine. I just used the jetting he suggested and it was bang on. Tried going up and down from there, but ended up back at the original jetting.
The surprising thing is that it gets 60 mpg on a 70mph cruise. 70mph is just off idle on that bike, so I guess it's still running on the pilot jets.
 
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My ‘Black Rapide’ had the ‘usual’ mods done to it, ie mk2 cams, 8:1 pistons, electronic ign. When I first built it, that was definitely the consensus of opinion, and I certainly knew no better!

It also had two front heads. When I asked Patrick to check the ports for me he said they’re “OK”... now whether that was, OK they’re not scrap... or OK they’re not worth repairing... or OK they’re actually quite good... I never got to the bottom of that!

Complementing its two front heads, it had two front Shadow carbs. I thought this was a nice touch... until it caught fire!

I would have loved to have ridden a standard Shadow or Rapide back to back with mine to compare, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity.

For some reason, most Vincent owners I come across at bike meets don’t seem too keen on throwing me the keys...

I do know that my Vin was a lot quicker than my T120 or T140 and most folk commented on it being a quick bike when they rode with it. Considering how close to standard it was, and how old it was, it’s performance was impressive. But my Commando (post rebuild and hot rodded) was a lot quicker, and the 1330 Godet Egli made it feel like a Tiger Cub !

Where the 998 Vincent shines over an 850 Commando is when loaded with luggage and carrying two passengers through the mountains.
Torque is king for that type of use and the Vincent just has more of it than the Norton.
I don't experience this when riding 1 up.
In that situation the Norton is , if anything, a bit stronger on long hills than a good Vincent twin. Many of these grades through the Rockies go on for miles and miles. You don't want to subject the bike to very high rpm for that long.
So the Vincent with its lazy but strong engine is ideal for this. It'll pull just about any grade we have in top Gear at above legal speed even loaded with 500 lbs of riders and luggage. It will sit on 3200 rpm (70 mph) and just float along. It's a great travellers bike.

Glen
 
The US buyer hasn't come thru with funds or even a downpayment so I put the Cortech bags on and am out on tour in BC.
Not a huge ride, maybe 800-900 round trip from Langley BC to the interior Gold Rush town of Wells, BC.
We had some beautiful back roads today.
My favourite kind, old windy 2 lane highways thru the mountains, very little traffic.

Before leaving I played with the ATD. Someone suggested installing new springs.
I tried that and the bike became a total dog, wouldn't take throttle in top gear below 65 mph
The new springs required 8 lbs pull for full advance, the old were just 6.
I put the old springs back in and it ran as before, smooth but a bit boggy on acceleration in top.
I experimented with less spring pressure and now the bike is a rocket!
4 lbs pull was the magic number.
3 created some pinging if accidentally lugged and did not perform like 4.

Glen
 
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