This was such a complicated build I think I will let the owner and builder, Glen, tell you about it! I built the frame out of 304 stainless two years ago. My 47 Rapide was apart for painting, so I borrowed the motor for build purposes. The front end is off a 2003 GSXR600, rear wheel GSXR 750/1000. I built the frame something like an Egli Vincent, but differing in that it has a monoshock swing arm, made with an offset for the wide tire. I made the fenders, tank , seat cowl and exhaust here in my shop as well. The plan was to put together a new build hotrodded Vincent engine as the permanent engine. Before making that investment, I rode the bike with the 1947 998cc engine for five thousand miles as a test. It handled very well, I even managed a six hundred mile day on it and felt quite good afterward. So then I put the 47 Rapide back together and started ordering parts for the project bike engine (my friends call it the Glenli because it shares some design with an Egli but has a number of differences). I ordered many of the engine parts from Terry Prince in Australia. He has developed a complete top end kit that has some improvements over the original Vincent . The head design is much like that of the Australian V8 supercars, smallish bathtub Combustion chamber, twin plugs,Sideways D shaped exhaust ports for anti reversion, 38 mm inlet ports as opposed to 28 for the original heads. He also increases the bore from 84 mm to 92mm. This brings the capacity up to 1200 CC with a 90 mm stroke crank, but he also built me a 102 mm stroke porkchop race crank with oversized mainshafts. So the engine is 1360 cc. It also has some interesting high lift long duration cams that were designed by computer via the Mercedes Formula one team computer can development program. Ignition is a one off two plug head race ignition from Pazon systems in NZ, carbs are 41 mm Dellortos. I have been assembling the engine over the last few months and just got it running two weeks ago . It is still in the break in stage, but the power is quite terrific. Finished weight of the bike is 348 pounds dry, about the same weight as a Kawasaki 250.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 17:23:34 +0000
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