Last weekend they held the annual antique/classic car/motorcycle auction at the Owl`s Head Transportation Museum. A 1953 Vincent Black Shadow sold for 90K!

Those bikes are simply gorgeous. Would love to own one someday, but I'm afraid I don't have the mechanical chops to keep it in the condition it needs to be. Peter Egan (the CycleWorld/Road&Track writer) owned one for a few years and even wrote a great editorial about the trials and tribulations of keeping his running. I can still dream, though...

Alex, When I was 18, I had a Vincent Shadow. I owned it for about six months because it, in all honesty, scared the hell out of me. I guess I was in a minority at 18--I did not believe I was invincible. The Vincent was really the first liter superbike--way ahead of its time with no frame and single rear shock. I ended up being very happy with a 1956 NSU Special MAX--which was also way ahead of its time--a single cylinder 250 with an eccentric driven OHC, Pressed steel frame and single shock rear suspension. This bike also had a fully enclosed chain, and one could remove the rear wheel without disturbing the chain or its adjustment. I owned that bike till 1991.