1955 Vincent Black Shadow

This 1955 Vincent Black Prince is one of about 130 units that were manufactured during the model’s only year of production. This example was sold new in Leeds, England, and was refurbished under two previous owners from 2008 to 2012. Work included a rebuild of its 998cc V-twin by marque specialist Bob Culver of Letchworth and final assembly by the late Vincent expert Robin Blackwell of Hayling Island. The bike was acquired by its current owner in 2012 and imported to Canada, where—after over a decade in storage—it was recommissioned by Vincent specialist Phil Mahood in 2021. The bike is finished in black and features fiberglass bodywork, a four-speed transmission, a Girdraulic fork, a cantilever monoshock, dual drum-brake hubs, and a steering damper as well as a pair of Amal Monobloc carburetors, MKII camshafts, a 12-volt electrical system, and a chrome two-into-one exhaust system with a burgess-style muffler. This Black Prince is now offered by the seller on behalf of its current owner with refurbishment, service, and ownership records, a Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club Owners Machine Dating Certificate, and Ontario registration in the owner’s name. The Black Prince was based on the contemporary Black Shadow and fitted with enclosed fiberglass bodywork designed primarily to enhance weather protection rather than performance, which according to an article in the September 1965 issue of Cycle World magazine, was improved nonetheless. In an innovation for the marque, the bike’s two-up seat was isolated from the movement of the rear wheel, and other engineering differences from the Black Prince’s Series C predecessors included having an oil tank that was now separate rather than being contained in the frame. This example is finished in black with gold side stripes and Vincent/Black Prince graphics on both fenders and the dashboard. The seller notes that scratch and dent repair has been performed on the fuel tank, and a photo depicting paint chips on the left side of the rear shell can be viewed in the gallery. Fiberglass bodywork unique to the Black Prince includes a handlebar fairing, leg and engine shields, and a front fender with an integrated splash guard as well as a hinged rear shell that pivots up and is retained by a prop in its raised position. The front-hinged seat flips forward to reveal a tool tray, and the lower front fender stay doubles as a wheel stand. Additional features include a tinted windscreen, a bar-end mirror, folding passenger foot pegs, and a hand-lever-operated center stand. Black- and red-center-striped chrome rims measuring 19″ up front and 18″ at the rear are laced to dual drum-brake hubs and mounted with Avon Speedmaster MKII front and Safety Mileage MKII rear tires. Suspension is handled by a Vincent Girdraulic fork as well as a cantilever monoshock with a black rubber gaiter. Avon tires were mounted in preparation for the sale, and some photos in the gallery depict the bike with previously mounted Dunlops. The handlebar is shrouded by a dashboard that houses a replacement 150-mph Smiths Chronometric speedometer and a Lucas red dot ammeter along with a keyed ignition switch, a light switch, and the adjustment knob for a friction plate damper in the steering stem. The five-digit odometer shows one mile, and true mileage is unknown. The 998cc V-twin breathes through a pair of Amal 376 Monobloc carburetors fitted with pod air filters and a chrome two-into-one exhaust system with down-turned headpipes flowing into a low-mounted Burgess-style muffler. The engine underwent a rebuild in 2009 that included replacing the crankshaft, bearings, camshaft spindles, cylinders, pistons, valves, and guides, and it was subsequently fitted with higher-lift Stellite-faced MKII camshafts that were ground by camshaft specialist Gary Robinson of Isle of Wight. The electrical system was converted to 12 volts with a rewound Lucas D6 generator, and a Rhode Island Wiring replica harness was installed in 2021. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel by way of a four-speed gearbox and a drive chain. Shifting occurs on the right with a one-up, three-down shift pattern. The Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club Owners Machine Dating Certificate lists 1955 as the year of manufacture along with frame and engine numbers that match those shown on the bike, photos of which can be viewed in the gallery. The vehicle is being sold on its Ontario registration, which serves as the ownership document in Ontario, Canada. The sale does not include a title.