In 1948, an eighteen-year-old walked into Mickey Martin’s Burbank Vincent-HRD dealership and put a cash deposit down on the $1120 sale price of a new Series B Touring Rapide, starting a payment plan on what was then the most expensive motorcycle in the world. The inspiration for his trip was the boasting of a Vincent-owning Scotsman who spoke of leaving “long black streaks” on the highway while passing cars at seventy miles per hour, in third gear. Readers of the late 1940s motorcycle press were familiar with Vincent-HRD ads touting impossible speeds, right beside ads for X-ray glasses and miracle bodybuilding powders. Very few Americans had actually seen a Vincent, even fewer had ridden one. Marty Dickerson, the youth in question, thought the Rapide was ugly, but he “wanted that power, wanted that speed”. Marty was not disappointed with his purchase and quickly came to understand he now owned one of the fastest motorcycles on the planet.
Built In: U.S.A. Bike Style: Board Tracker
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Vincent Rapide Bike Specifications – Garage Built Bikes
| FEATURE | SPECS |
|---|---|
| Class Styling | Board Tracker |
| Frame | Unknown Frame |
| Gastank | Aftermarket – Unknown Gastank |
| Handlebars / Risers | Drag / Straight Bars |
| Motor Brand | Vincent |
| Paint Color(s) | Blue, Gold |
| Seat | Solo Solidmount |
| Suspension Front | Girder |
| Suspension Rear | Cantilever |
| Wheels | Standard 40-80 spokes |