• Fritz Egli frame work
• 'Bean' gas-tank
• Appears to be Cycle World test bike back in 1968
• Found in a dry warehouse after sitting for 30 years

One of the world's best-known independent motorcycle frame makers, Swiss engineer Fritz Egli built his first frame in 1965 in what would turn out to be a highly successful attempt to tame the wayward handling of his Vincent v-twin race bike. The Vincent used a spine-type frame and so did Egli, though his was tubular rather than box-section and all-welded rather than bolt-up in construction. Widely copied, this trademark large-diameter spine has been a feature of virtually all Egli's frames made since, proving adaptable to almost all types of motorcycle engine layout from British singles to across-the-frame Japanese fours. It proved to be the complete answer to the Vincent racer's handling problems, and Fritz duly took the Swiss hill climb championship in 1968, winning every round. These days widely regarded as a marque in its own right, it is the Egli-Vincent v-twin, with its exciting combination of classic power and modern chassis technology, that has proved to be his most enduring legacy. As Fritz Egli moved on to other projects, the machines continued to be produced in limited numbers by other specialists, some licensed by Egli, and some not.

This Egli, complete with a 998cc Black Shadow engine, carries frame no. EV5 and was probably constructed in 1968. It is one of several Cycle World 1968 test bikes which was shipped in Egli's favorite orange but there is a record of it being painted black soon after it had arrived in the USA. This very early example of a genuine Fritz Egli-built frame suffered a front-end collision while road racing in the 1970s. It retains its 'US' or 'bean' gas tank and front Campagnolo cable-activated disc brakes. Thus, it is sold without any guarantee as a project. It's strictly 'as-is' and without warranty as to its exact specification and parts originality. It does roll. It comes from a collection of Vincent motorcycles found in 2019 after 30 years in a dry warehouse in Chicagoland.