barn find -Vincent

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Nov 12, 2010
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ok, 5 mins ago my neighbour asked me if I'm interested in a Vincent -dunno anything more for the time being.
the owner is an 85 years old bloke that now lives in a Home.

Will let you know what's next.
 
My neighbour asked him if he wanted to sell it and he said something like: "got to think about that, what would I do with the money, I've no needs"
He does not have any relatives left.

the bike is here, 10 metres from my door in a garage. As always been locked in there. No-one as ever seen it -neither did I-.
hhhmmmm
 
might be possible. 20 years ago my family moved into a house. Far from a rich or well to do neighborhood. Directly across the street was another house and then the town park. Well I use to cut through this old lady's yard every day after school to go play soccer in the park. She had 2 garages with a carport in the middle. 2 cars in each side, all nice antiques. Only one i remember was a gullwing mercedes. Her husband had died years earlier and they just sat there. Not once were any of the 4 taken out of the garages or drove in the 6 years i lived there. Her kids probably sold them all off by now. If i wasn't a young dumb kid I would have never got away with cutting through her yard and peeking in the garage windows. Things can be close to you without ever knowing.
 
This has nothing to do with a Vincent in a barn but years ago I was working at a computer company and a vendor, who had a scrap computer business, was moving his warehouse. He knew I liked bikes and he asked me if i wanted to buy an old BSA Gold Star. I figured, if it was a BSA "Gold Star", it was probably one of the unit 500 jobs that used the same name but were nothing like the original. At the time I was hanging out and racing with Jerry. Jerry had something that I never did, money. So I called my buddy, gave him the address and told him to go have a look. I wrote the whole thing off as just another missed bike. In less than an hour I get a call from Jerry. "Holly crap" he says. "It is a for real BSA Gold Star. It is laying on its side under a bunch of computer junk and I can see the right side of the engine."

After many frantic visits to various ATMs, he gave the guy $500 and took possession. He couldn't get it out of there and into his van fast enough. The engine numbers identified it as a factory racer. It had no lights and it had a megaphone muffler. It was missing the body work and instead had one of those one piece fiberglass tank seat combinations complete with metallic flake paint job. It didn't fit very well. The people at the computer shop said that an old man (possibly the dad of the owner) used to crank the BSA up every now and then and ride it around the parking lot. They said it was really loud but it hadn't run in years.

Jerry contacted Dick Mann about the bike who verified that it could have been a factory bike. He said it "could" have been factory but in those days a race bike had to have matching frame and engine numbers. They had spare cases a used to stamp their own just in case of catastrophic rod failure. Jerry shipped it off for a total restoration and I never saw it after that.

All MY actual barn finds have been total crap.
 
still no news from me. waiting to see the bike. complicated: keys with the old man. old man in the home. neighbour dealing with him but with no rush.
have a hard time sleeping -can feel her smell..
 
They also made some VERY cool Lawnmowers and a Personal Water Craft called an Amanda.

Vince
 
hhhm. it's a 500. not a twin... my wet dreams of myself riding a black shadow has gone.
not seen yet. but have been told it's a 500 probably 1953. a Comet I guess.

Should know in a week if he intends to sell. but less excited now.
 
Orsonoce said:
hhhm. it's a 500. not a twin... my wet dreams of myself riding a black shadow has gone.
not seen yet. but have been told it's a 500 probably 1953. a Comet I guess.

Should know in a week if he intends to sell. but less excited now.

Who knows, maybe it's a Grey Flash and should be able to trade it for a Black Shadow...
 
Grey Flash, right... Actually I had a couple of dreams about it being a Black Lightning...
 
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