motorbike exhibits

More than a half-century after the last bike left the factory in Stevenage, England, people still praise the Vincent Black Shadow. It was the fastest motorcycle of its era, widely considered the world's first superbike, and it still holds its own on the highway.

The Black Shadow was a "Stressed Frame" design. The engine, instead of being cradled in a set of frame rails, was suspended from above becoming an integral part of the structure. The Black Shadow as well as the other post Second World War Vincent’s featured several new technological innovations such as a unique and original alternative to the primitive telescopic front forks of the day, a sprung rear sub-frame, the extensive use of aluminium alloy. It weighed in at a relatively light 458 lb (207 kg) which was about the weight of a pre-war 500 cc bike.

The reason for its name "Black" Shadow was due to the entire bike (including the engine) being coated with black paint. The reason for the black paint on the cylinder block is still disputed to this day. Some claim that the black paint was for looks, others claim that it had something to do with heat transfer and dissipation. Whatever the original reason behind the painting of the engine, it was very different from anything else at a time when everything was polished and chromed.