The Vincent belonged to an employee of Horsman Motorcycles inLiverpool (presumably the aforementioned Mr Johnston) and was in hisback garden in a partly dismantled state. The sum of £10 and an AmalTT carburettor changed hands, and Harry found himself the ownerof the Rapide. He already owned a Series-A Meteor and Comet, andparts from these two machines were used to get the Rapide back onthe road. ‘The final result was – engine, frame, gearbox main shell andelectrics all original Rapide; forks, wheels, gearbox outer cover andchange mechanism Comet; valve gear, rockers and pushrods Cometand Meteor.’After a new main-shaft had been made to sort out the troublesomegearbox, the Rapide (with sidecar attached) ran well throughout1961/1962 before transmission trouble returned. After a period whenthe Vincent was laid up, the problem was solved by having a new steelclutch centre (with increased spline length) made together with anothermain-shaft. The machine ran well during 1966-1968 before a brokenprimary chain exited through the front of the chain case, which had tobe welded. An engine strip-down revealed worn valve gear and cams,and at the time Harry Lloyd wrote to Motorcycle Sport, the Rapide wasoff the road pending a rebuild having covered some 20,000 miles whilein his ownership, including two holidays of over 1,000 miles (see copyletter on file).The now dismantled Vincent was stored in a lock-up garage rented fromthe local council, which around 1980 erroneously rented the premisesto another resident who proceeded to clear it out. Fortunately, HarryLloyd was informed in the nick of time and was able to rescue hisbeloved Vincent as it was being loaded into a rubbish skip! The preciousmachine was transferred to Harry’s house where it remained securelystored in the back bedroom until 2007. Given its history, it can be safelysaid that this motorcycle’s survival to the present day is thanks to HarryLloyd’s engineering knowledge and passion for Vincents. The restorationcommenced in 2007 and was entrusted to the highly respected marquespecialist Glyn Johnson of The Vincent Workshop Ltd, but sadly Harrypassed away in 2008 and did not see the finished result.Completed in 2013, this was a most comprehensive restorationundertaken to concours standard, both mechanically and cosmetically.A measure of its quality may be gained from the painstaking approachtaken to the use of stainless steel fastenings. Every nut, bolt, stud,washer and fitting has been reproduced in this material to as nearoriginal pattern as possible, being finished in one of three ways: polishedto simulate a chromed finish; dull blasted to simulate cadmium; orchemically blackened to simulate a Parkerised finish. The result is a finishthat has the same appearance as the original but with the enduringqualities of stainless steel. The paintwork is all traditional stove enamel.The engine rebuild included pressure impregnation of the main castingsto counter known porosity problems; new alloy cylinder barrels;hardened (lead-free) valve seats; and new cylinder liners (cast iron),pistons, cams, valves, valve guides, rocker covers, pushrods, bearings,etc, etc. New inner and outer primary transmission covers were castfrom LM25 aluminium alloy (using the originals as patterns) and thegearbox rebuilt using stronger post-war gears running in bronze bushes.The clutch is a new 7” Burman of original type.80 | the spring stafford sale
Specialists Martyn Bratby and Dave Lindsley restored the Amalcarburettors and Lucas magdyno respectively, while the forks wererebuilt by Ray Daniels, including conversion to bronze-bushed pivots.New brake drums were made in cast iron for superior performance whilemaintaining the appearance of the original pressed components. The‘tinware’ - mudguards, lifting handle, tool box and numberplates - are allnew and to original pattern, while the fuel tank is the original: repaired,pressure tested, polished and repainted. The exhaust system and itsfittings are all new.A complete electrical rewire was carried out using cables and fittingssimilar to the originals. All the headlamp components were renewedwith the exception of the shell, reflector and ammeter, which werereconditioned. The taillight is an original new-old-stock item. GlynJohnson’s detailed list of all the works carried out is available forinspection (highly recommended). It should be noted that this motorcyclehas been bench run only and then decommissioned for storage/displayat the owner’s request. Accordingly, the machine will need to be carefullycommissioned, calibrated and tuned prior to any use.‘FYO 967’ retains its original registration number and is offered withthe aforementioned documentation, VOC dating certificate, copy/current V5/V5C registration documents a copy of the factory EngineSpecification Sheet. The latter records the assembly technician as‘Brown’, though whether this refers to the famous racer George Brownor his less well-known brother (and biographer) Cliff, another Vincentemployee, is not known.One of the most exciting motorcycles to be offered on the open marketin recent years, this wonderful Vincent-HRD Series-A twin represents apossibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for discerning collectors.£220,000 - 260,000€310,000 - 360,000Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the description and condition of each lotprior to bidding. All lots are sold “as is/where is” with all defects and faults.motorcycles | 81
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