F: Frame Correct transfer

[Howard]

Just for my curiosity (and I promise not to lose sleep if no one knows) which is the correct transfer on the steering lug for an early post war Vin.

I've seen a Comet and a Rap recently and all castings and transfers were HRD, apart from Mercury on the steering lug, which was Vincent on both.

H

 

[Simon Dinsdale]

As a note, these dates are approximate:

Up until late 1949 it would have HRD on the tank and the HRD Mercury crest on top of the tank and on the head stock. During the last quarter of 1949 there was a mixture of HRD and Vincent machines been made during the name changed and anything went really. So some HRD cast engine bikes went out with Vincent on the tank and Vincent Mercury crest.

From late 1949 when Vincent cast engines were introduced the tank had Vincent and the head stock had the Vincent Mercury transfer.

Sometime in 1952 the Mercury crest was changed to "Vincent Engineers".

Simon

 

[Howard]

Thanks Simon. I'm glad I'm not a purist.

 

[vibrac]

All three described shown and dated in Jaqueline Bickerstaffs 'Vincent Motorcycles' I flick through looking for a panel on the bottom RH side its all there.

 

[TouringGodet]

As a note, these dates are approximate:

Sometime in 1952 the Mercury crest was changed to "Vincent Engineers".

I would say 1953 for this one. I know of a number of bikes road tested in Dec 1952, with a known history, that came with the pre-Engineers style of Vincent Mercury Crests.

 

[Somer]

My observation of original paint bikes is that somewhere around 53, they went back to using Vincent-HRD on the Mercury crest. Possibly they ran out of Vincent Engineers and started pulling out old stock ? I have the same theory for compression release levers.
Another observation on transition bikes was that if it said Vincent on the crankcase, they were fitted with a "plain" timing cover. Also "plain" inspection caps. If the cases were earlier style with HRD removed , then the bike was treated to a Vincent timing cover and maybe inspection caps.

 

[Somer]

From a low mileage 54 Shadow I had. 2800 miles.

 

[TouringGodet]

Number-wise, it seems that very, very, very few Series C bikes were made late enough to have the Vincent Engineers transfer, it doesn't seem that the factory would have used up enough to run out, how many transfers would they typically buy in an order? Bikes with engines up to number 9900 were built late in 1952, that doesn't leave too many to be built in '53 or '54 to get the Engineers version of the transfer. That's a fairly small number of bikes to consume enough transfers to warrant multiple orders.

I call my Shadow, purchased new by my father, a '53 example, because that is when it left the factory, but it was built in late '52, and it is in the high 98xx range, with the Vincent HRD Mercury Crest fitted by the factory.