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A Brand New Past
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JMR Egli-framed Vincent
Jeff Buchanan
09/01/2006
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In England there is a small motorcycle shop in the quaint
town of Buntingford, just outside Stansted. It is a good 45-minute train ride
and pleasantly removed from the bustle of London, where several men have taken
on the precious task of dusting-off dreams. Here, amidst the charming setting,
iconic British machines that once ruled supreme are meticulously rebuilt with
patient hands and respectfully resurrected to their past glory.
For 14
years, John Mossey, proprietor of John Mossey Restorations (JMR), and his team
have been returning post-war British singles and twins, ravaged by time and the
accumulated neglect from a string of unwitting miscreants, to their full and
deserving original condition. Among the shop’s eclectic array of impressively
restored Triumphs, BSAs, and Nortons, the motorcycles that garner the lion’s
share of attention, simply by virtue of their legend and storied past, are the
revered Vincents.
 Photograph by Paul & Linda Jones. (Click image to enlarge)
Just 17,000 of the black beauties were originally produced
by HRD Vincent between 1928 and 1955 (the HRD initials were dropped in 1949 to
avoid confusion with Harley-Davidson’s increasingly popular H-D acronym). In the
end, Phillip Vincent chose to cease production of his labor-intensive,
hand-built motorcycles, rather than compromise quality by adopting cost-cutting
manufacturing and a low-bid mentality with his suppliers. The level of
commitment to quality evidenced in that most assuredly difficult decision by the
company’s founder, combined with the sheer performance of his beloved machines,
has only served to perpetuate the legend and desirability of Vincent
motorcycles. (Click image to enlarge)
JMR, though thoroughly devoted to the task of restoring
surviving machines to their full resplendence, have taken the prospect of owning
a Vincent into a new realm. Working from original designs and specifications,
they now have the means to build—in incredibly limited quantities—the majestic
motorcycles from scratch, rendering, ostensibly, brand new, zero-mileage
Vincents.
The enterprise is flourishing, and draws a steady stream of graying
gentlemen interested in revisiting their cherished personal Vincent experience
from the past, or—for the have-nots of that era—those intent on making good
their promise to some day own one of the venerated machines. They are returning
from the detour of careers and the task of raising families to indulge their
early passions. Time may have slowed their strides but not their fancies.
 The past unites the present with an alluringly enjoyable result. (Click image to enlarge)
One of the essential Vincent projects the JMR team had to tackle in order to
satisfy this generation of discerning, fanatical devotees was the famous
Egli-Vincent. Fritz Egli, a Swiss motorcycle builder who was racing a Vincent in
1967, fabricated a frame of his own design around the potent Vincent V-twin
engine. Egli’s formula for superior handling was rigidity between the steering
head and swingarm pivot. The beautifully crafted, signature chrome frames
utilized a massive 4-inch diameter backbone that doubled as the oil tank.
Meticulously welded straight sections of tubing avoided curved frame pieces,
which Egli believed compromised the frame’s integrity. The result of JMR’s
tireless endeavor to replicate the legendary and extremely rare Egli-framed
Vincent is the beautiful, time-defying machine you see here.
Choices abound
for the prospective owner, allowing each customer to tailor his machine to
personal taste. He can choose between an electronic or magneto ignition, Smith
Kanrin or Menani brakes, dual or mono shock frame design, stainless steel or
fiberglass fenders, and a Mikuni or the traditional Amal carburetor. The fuel
tank, seat and rear cowling, as well as the race-inspired fairing, are bespoke
JMR items that pay homage to the shape and design flow of the original race
bikes. Old-school Ceriani forks and triple clamps handle the front suspension,
with Falcon shocks holding up the rear. Flanged alloy 18-inch rims and
heavy-duty spokes are laced into massive racing drum brake hubs. Magura levers
and custom footrests and pedals complete the rolling aesthetics. At the heart of
the machine is a fresh 1000cc Vincent twin-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke
engine in signature polished black. The big V-twin honors its ancestors with the
same 84mm bore and 90mm stroke, and produces 66 hp at 6,200 rpm. JMR uses a
multi-plate race clutch of its own design for smoother action and dependability.
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