Buy that motorcycle.

[DreamGypsy]

46. That, my friend, is a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning...

as identified in the eponymous song by Richard Thompson, which I posted.

Information on Vincent Black Lightnings here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Black_Lightning

The Black Lightning was a Vincent motorcycle designed and built in September 1948 at the Vincent works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK, and produced from 1948 to 1952. At the time the Black Lightning was the fastest production motorcycle in the world.

My understanding is that Black Lightnings occasionally come up for sale at auctions, but they are so expensive that even if you could afford one, you would probably not ride it.

Now I have a confession to make: I am participating in this thread under false pretenses. I an not a motorcycle aficionado. Any dreams I have about riding or owning any such beautiful machine are exactly that...dreams. My riding experience is limited to a single instance when I was around 10 or 11. My older sister's high school girlfriend Gail had a boyfriend, the boyfriend had a motorcycle that Gail could borrow...some little Honda as I recall, probably more of a scooter than anything. I rode once tandem in the neighborhood on that bike. As we approach the first turn at slow speed, Gail leaned right and I, apparently feeling the bike start to tip, leaned left. We hit the curb across the street. No injuries.

However, I do still feel the allure of those beautiful machines and the romantic notions of freedom and power that they embody. I will live out my fantasies in the Richard Thompson song and its artful combination of love, crime, tragedy, redemption, and a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning.