Vincent Motorcycle Rollie Free

Roland free november 11 1900 october 11 1984 was a motorcycle racer best known for breaking the american motorcycle land speed record in 1948 on the bonneville salt flats utah.

Vincent motorcycle rollie free. Rollie free made made history aboard a 1948 vincent hrd v twin motorcycle often referred to as the bathing suit bike due to the scant attire of its rider roland rollie free. I ve talked with a number of people about this 179 page 9 x 12 book and accompanying oral history cd and everyone likes it but no one has finished it. The infamous motorcycle was afterwards converted to a road machine albeit in slightly de tuned form as edgar wanted to ride the world s fastest standard motorcycle. The business was established by philip vincent who bought an existing manufacturing name hrd initially renaming it as vincent hrd producing his own motorcycles as hrd did previously with engines purchased as complete assemblies from other companies from 1934 two new engines were developed as single cylinder in 500 cc and v twin 1 000 cc capacities.

Submit a free vincent related ad. John edgar hired free to make the attempt at the bonneville salt flats on sept. 1948 american racer rollie free sets a motorcycle land speed record of 150 mph on a modified vincent black shadow at the. 1928 vincent launches his self named motorcycle company.

The rollie free story by jerry hatfield. I too plan to keep it next to my easy chair this winter close by the crackling fire sampling various stories and studying the excellent photos. Late in 1955 brit phil announced that vincent s bike building days were over. It is not a.

Footnote aussie phil returned to australia in 1949 and continued in the engine design business. Vincent motorcycles was a british manufacturer of motorcycles from 1928 to 1955. Production grew from 1936 with the most famous models being. On 13 september 1948 rollie free achieved the us national motorcycle speed record at bonneville salt flats in utah riding the first vincent black lightning.

The picture of free prone and wearing a bathing suit has been described as the most famous picture in motorcycling. During test runs free reached average speeds of 148 6 mph 239 1 km h. A piece of exclusive motorcycle history. Rollie free lays stretched out on a stripped down vincent black shadow wearing nothing more than a bathing suit a pudding bowl helmet and slip on beach shoes as he streaks across the bonneville salt flats in utah.

Vincent technical sections serial.