Gunga Din

Gunga Din is the nickname of a particular standard motorcycle built by the Vincent HRD company at their factory in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The bike was first assembled in 1947 as a Series B Rapide. It came to fill two roles; one of only two factory-backed racing bikes and a development platform for Vincent's high-performance V-twin models. Gunga Din underwent extensive modification throughout its working life until it was abandoned at the factory in the mid-1950s. Rediscovered in 1960, the bike was not restored until 2009. History The motorcycle that would come to be known as Gunga Din was manufactured on 3 April 1947. It was described as a "rattler". This may have been due to the engine having been run at some point with the sump filled with kerosene rather than oil. The bike was transferred to the Experimental Section headed by factory tester and racer George Brown, where it joined Brown's "Cadwell Special" single. The cast-off Rapide was extensively modified by Brown, working with his brother Cliff and with assistance from Vincent designer Phil Irving. The bike was given serial number F10AB/1A/71, the "1A" engine designation here meaning "modified Rapide", although this code would later be used to identify White Shadow engines. (This was the second 1A built, the first having been 10AB/1A/70 built for Jack Surtees, father of John.) Brown soon put the modified Rapide, labelled "HRD racing solo", to work on the track.