“THE OPEN-PIPE RACING VINCENT EARNED THE NICKNAME THE SNARLING BEAST FOR GOOD REASON, IT IS SIMPLY UNLIKE ANY OTHER MOTORCYCLE YOU’VE EVER HEARD” David Axelson kept his Black Lightning until 1965, when Kaj Weldingh convinced him to part with his treasure. Weldingh was an aircraft mechanic and a Vincent enthusiast, having already owned several examples of the make, and he carefully disassembled the Lightning, packaging up all the parts packed in grease. Every component was neatly boxed, with notes on the part number and a condition noted for every piece of the machine. It was never reassembled by Weldingh, but no one forgets hearing of a Vincent Black Lightning in boxes. On October 3, 1998, the machine was purchased by Sivert Bomberg, who had been pestering Weldingh since the 1970s. Persistence pays off, and it was Bomberg who reassembled this Lightning during the winter of 1998-1999. Sivert Bomberg was a man of meticulous understanding, and he restored this precious machine using all the original parts that had been carefully stored away. He had to replace a few things, including all the bearings in the engine, plus the pistons and cylinder liners, valves and guides, gaskets and miscellaneous worn bits. Adding up the racing mileage of his Black Lightning, Bomberg estimated that at the time of his restoration, the machine had only been ridden about 83 miles. The speedometer confirmed the calculation, showing only 133 km in 1999. The Lightning has covered a few miles since then, which must be blamed on Bomberg, who returned it to exceptionally fine running condition. And who can resist sampling the outrageous bellow of an open-pipe, highly tuned Vincent Black Lightning? Certainly not me. I begged the current owner, Bryan Bossier, to personally borrow the Lightning in order to make a short film of this ultra-rare racing Vincent in action, and he agreed. There is only one word for this beast of a motorcycle: magnificent. It fires up easily, revs smoothly, takes up the gears easily, and it has tremendous acceleration that will surprise even hardened contemporary sport bike enthusiasts. It simply hurtles forward, while its relatively slow revs are confusing— leaving the rider to wonder how on earth it reaches 100 MPH so quickly. And the sound: the open-pipe racing Vincent earned the nickname the Snarling Beast for good reason, it is simply unlike any other motorcycle you’ve ever heard, with an animalistic bellow that is both hair-raising and thrilling to the core. While filming our short feature on the Lightning, a bystander asked how much the bike was worth. When I gave my ballpark estimate, he summed up the symphony nicely, stating: “I’d pay that just to hear it.” OFFERED JANUARY 30 AT LAS VEGAS 2021 MECUM.COM • 53
