I started this blog on the 16th October 2019 to record the history and restoration of Grey Flash 2751. Just over two years later the motor was fired and the bike was ridden, bringing to an end an at times frustrating but ultimately successful and rewarding project. The blog contains 100s of posts; a warts …
Well, here we are, some 13 years after acquisition and 2751 breathes fire once again! And running on methanol – as last raced – what a sound… Bert booked an airfield and rode up and down the runway, gradually unwinding the motor as his confidence grew with each run. With many decades of riding and …
After much careful preparation the engine has been induced – a major moment! Running on methanol, 2751 sounds like it means serous business…
Firstly I would like to apologise to all followers of this blog for the recent interruption in service. I briefly took the website out of the public domain with the intention of keeping it private, with access only by invitation. Unfortunately I encountered some complications with this format and, try as I might, I was …
There’s a little more work to do: a stripped thread needs repairing, some adjustments have to be made and pipes re-routed. But for all intents and purposes the restoration of Grey Flash 2751 is at an end, some 14 years after originally acquired. It’s been a long journey that’s required much focus in order to …
This plate is undoubtedly original to the bike and would probably have been anodised. On other GFs these plates were usually left polished. I thought I’d take the opportunity to “show a bit o’ leg” here. Finishing off is underway and Bert is busy snagging.
Finally, finally the platers called Bert and told him the exhaust pipe was ready to come and collect. Vernon Moss had done a top job; well up to their usual high standards. Bert had schemed-up a jig to hold the pipe, whilst he peened over the exhaust port end, to trap the nut. The pipe …
This has been a giant faff!! Much more than was anticipated… The Grey Flash exhaust pipe is just a 2″ straight-through racing pipe, right? Well, there were several types employed and there is very little data out there. The period shots we had of 2751 were as good as any a place to start. Bert …
Whilst we are waiting for the exhaust pipe to be made I thought I’d post a bit about the seat we will be using. Early Vincent HRD racers came fitted with a trimmed version of the standard road-going seat. I believe these were a Feridax product that featured a Dunlopillo foam with “cells” cast into …
Amongst several of the period shots that I have of 2751 racing in-period is one set of 4 images. The photos have been marked differently but were obviously taken at the same event. Recently I was looking closely at them and noticed a road sign was visible. One of the captions mentioned the Matarawa GP. …
Grey Flash 2751 