"On a cool Monday morning on Sept. 13, 1948, Rollie Freee lifted from
Harley Davidson the US national motorcycle speed record by riding the first
Vincent HRD Black Lightning racing Rapide motorcycle to a speed of 150.313
m.p.h. When Rollie's leathers tore from early runs at 147 mph, he discarded
them and made a final, heroic attempt without jacket, pants, gloves, boots
or helmet. Aboard the motorcycle owned by the California sportsman, John
Edgar, this final run resulted in the most famous photograph in motorcycling,
the "bathing suit bike" shot taken from a speeding car on the Bonneville
Salt Flats in Utah. Rollie lay flat out on the motorcycle wearing only
a speedo bathing suit, shower cap and a pair of borrowed sneakers. The
AMA certified Free's record. The Lightning remained in California and was
raced as well as seeing duty on the street until it's owners moved to Michigan
in the 1960's. Out of sight for decades, the bike has re-emerged recently
in the hands of it's new owner in Texas. Special features included the
first-ever Vincent use of a rear shock absorber, the first Mk II racing
cams and horizontally mounted racing carbs still in place today on the
Lightning. Seldom has a racing bike survived virtually intact for almost
50 years.
Following a feature story in CYCLE WORLD MAGAZINE, the Bathing Suit
Bike was flown to London as the star of the show for the LOUIS VUITTON
CLASSIC in June, 1998. From there, it appeared as the featured bike
at the VOC North American Rally at Mid-Ohio in July of last year.
Since then, feature stories on the bike and its owner, HERB HARRIS, have
appeared in magazines in France, England, Sweden and Italy. Stories about
the bike have recently appeared in THE LONDON TIMES and THE LONDON INDEPENDENT
newspapers and a segment on SKY TV in England. Most recently, it was featured
at the Greenwich Conn. Concours D'Elegance covered by Speedvision.
Little wonder that it has been named THE MOST FAMOUS MOTORCYCLE IN THE
WORLD