Fred Meyer’s Vincent single was still shiny and bright after participating in the ride that takes place the day before the Quail Motorcycle Gathering (“It ran perfectly”) but Fred was busy polishing regardless. He was displaying his 1951 Comet for the first time at the show, and wanted it to look good for the judges.
 The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, one of the best known classic motorcycle events on the West Coast, takes place the first weekend in May at the Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California, a few miles from Pebble Beach, the site of the well-known classic car concours d’elegance. The show takes place on the putting green, with vendors arrayed around the field in medievally-inspired white peaked tents. Show goers are treated to a chef-prepared buffet lunch on real plates, with waiters to collect them after the meal. This year, over 200 classic motorcycles were on display, viewed by more than 3,000 attendees. Many of these showgoers were ogling the Vincents.
 The appearance of a Vincent makes most motorcycle enthusiasts sit up and take notice. One of the most famous motorcycle photographs of all time is of Rollie Free, wearing nothing but bathing trunks and shoes, stretched out on a Vincent on his way to setting a speed record of over 150mph. The Vincent factory was best known for its fast 1,000cc twins, but it also built 500cc single cylinder machines, and a few, including Meyer’s Comet, made their way to America. The Vincent factory, located in Stevenage, England, produced less than 11,000 motorcycles from the end of World War II to the end of production in 1955, but a large proportion of its output has survived.
 Most Vincents in North America were imported in the years after World War II. The brand acquired a small but enthusiastic following, and the enthusiasm has not diminished in the last seventy-five years. One story has circulated of the Vincent owner who also had a small airplane and wanted to fly his Vincent to a rally. He took his bike apart (Vincents have a modular design), put it in the cargo hold with a toolbox and reassembled it on the runway after he landed.
 The Vincent Owners Club is based in England, but has local sections all over the U.S. and Canada. Some years ago, the club set up a parts factory, which makes just about every component for most Vincents, making it possible for owners to ride their bikes any time they want. There are Vincent owners who ride their bikes enough to turn the odometer over.
 With this ongoing Vincent spirit in the classic bike community, it was not a great surprise that five Vincents were on display at the Quail in one corner of the field, with two others being shown in a different area. The owners and their friends stood around, kicking tires and talking shop. Riding, repairing and restoring Vincents can fill any time available.
 After World War II, the Springfield, Massachusetts Indian Motorcycle factory considered having Vincent supply the engines for Indian Chiefs. One prototype was built, but the project eventually fell apart. The Vindian is one of motorcycling’s what-ifs, and several people have built their own Vindians. One is Dennis Magri, who showed up at Quail with his blue Vindian and entered it in the Quail concours competition. He explained that he put the bike together, rode it 15,000 miles, and then rebuilt it to improve handling and performance. “I had a list.” The Vindian is back together in its improved version and Dennis is back to racking up the miles.
 Dennis explains that the instruments and controls are essentially Vincent, and the suspension is mostly Indian. One major modification was to the fork springs, customized by Magri so that they can be dismantled by one normal person, instead of two strong men.
 Frank Recorder has owned Vincents for years, but has just acquired a Black Shadow, the higher-performance version of the Vincent twin, and was proudly displaying it. Asked why he bought his Shadow, he explained: “About ten years ago, I found a Shadow I could buy, but someone bought it from under me. I took that as a challenge, and have been looking for a Shadow since then. I have finally found my bike. The Shadow engine is strong! Once you start the engine and hear it run, once you ride it, there’s a lot of satisfaction.”
 The satisfaction that comes with owning a Vincent and hearing it roar will keep the marque popular for years to come, and ensure that next year’s Quail will have Vincents on display.
