The Black Shadow might just be the most famous motorcycle ever built, with an iconic history thanks to moments like Rollie Free’s bathing suit speed run on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Black Shadows were handmade, and less than 1,700 were built in total. In the words of Hunter S. Thompson, “If you rode the Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die.“
In a time when cars were putting around at 45 miles per hour, a Black Shadow could comfortably cruise at twice that or hit a top speed of over 120 miles per hour thanks to the 55 horsepower 998cc V-Twin engine. The name was a reference to the black enamel finish on the motor, which stood out when other bikes typically featured polished or chrome finishing.
Per the seller, this example was restored 35 years ago “and still looks like it was done yesterday.” He adds that it has just been serviced and is ready to ride after 30 years on display in the owner’s living room – it’s been ridden just 300 miles since the restoration three and a half decades ago. This is one of the most legendary names in motorcycling, though I’ll admit that every time I see a Black Shadow for sale now I think of a comment Paul d’Orléans once left here on Bike-urious: “Save $100k and buy a Rapide instead. By now, there’s no performance difference, the Shadow only has a little more black paint and a spooky name – are those worth a hundred large? Shadow prices prove the enduring power of press hype, and the eternal willingness of folks to hand over their money for a piece of a good story.”
After recently watching a documentary on Vincent called Speed is Expensive and hearing Rapides tear around race tracks and city streets, I find it impossible to disagree with Paul. The Rapides look and sound absolutely brilliant:
Find this Black Shadow for sale in Miami, Florida with a BIN of $130,000 here on eBay.