The Vincent Black Knight is a British motorcycle made between 1954 and 1955 by Vincent Motorcycles. A year before the factory closed in 1955, Vincent produced the enclosed range of Black Knight and Black Prince. Known as the 'Series D', the Black Knight was an upgraded Vincent Rapide which was fully enclosed to keep the rain and dirt from the rider. As well as allowing Vincent to reduce production costs, the enclosure actually improved performance by directing more air to the rear cylinder. Phil Vincent described it as a 'two-wheeled Bentley' and the enclosed Vincents got a lot of attention at the 1955 Earls Court show. Problems with production of the glass fibre mouldings meant that many riders removed them, which eventually led to financial difficulties and the factory closed on the 16th of December 1955.
Read more about Vincent Black Knight: Development, Launch, Production, Financial Collapse, Difference From Black Prince, Cultural References
Famous quotes containing the words vincent, black and/or knight:
“How strange a thing is death, bringing to his knees, bringing to his antlers/The buck in the snow.”
—Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950)
“In night when colours all to black are cast,
Distinction lost, or gone down with the light;
The eye—a watch to inward senses placed,
Not seeing, yet still having power of sight—
Gives vain alarums to the inward sense”
—Fulke Greville (1554–1628)
“Nae living man I’ll love again,
Since that my lovely knight is slain.
Wi ae lock of his yellow hair
I’ll chain my heart for evermair.”
—Unknown. The Lament of the Border Widow (l. 25–28)