Harley-Davidson, Inc. is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with its historical rival, Indian Motorcycles. The company has survived numerous ownership arrangements, subsidiary arrangements, periods of poor economic health and product quality, and intense global competition to become one of the world's largest motorcycle manufacturers and an iconic brand widely known for its loyal following. There are owner clubs and events worldwide, as well as a company-sponsored, brand-focused museum.
Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Formerly known as Aeronautica Macchi, the company was founded in 1912 by Giulio Macchi at Varese in north-western Lombardy as Nieuport-Macchi, to build Nieuport monoplanes under licence for the Italian military. With a factory located on the shores of Lake Varese, the firm originally manufactured a series of Nieuport designs, as well as seaplanes.
Indian Motorcycle is an American brand of motorcycles owned and produced by American automotive manufacturer Polaris Inc.
Henderson was a manufacturer of 4-cylinder motorcycles from 1912 until 1931. They were the largest and fastest motorcycles of their time, and appealed to both sport riders and police departments. Police favored them for traffic patrol because they were faster than anything else on the roads. The company began during the golden age of motorcycling, and ended during the Great Depression.
The Excelsior Super X was a motorcycle manufactured by the Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company from 1925 to 1931. It was the most famous Excelsior motorcycle manufactured by that company and was the first American forty-five cubic inch motorcycle.
Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH is a Swedish-origin Austrian company which designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes motocross, enduro, supermoto and street motorcycles.
The Indian Chief is a motorcycle that was built by the Hendee Manufacturing Company and the subsequent Indian Motocycle Company from 1922 to the end of the company's production in 1953, and again from 1999 to present.The Chief was Indian's "big twin", a larger, more powerful motorcycle than the more agile Scout used in competition and sport riding.
The Harley-Davidson Model 7D of 1911 was the first successful v-twin from Harley-Davidson, inaugurating a motorcycle engine configuration that has continued unbroken from the Milwaukee motor company ever since.
Charles Bayly Franklin was an engineer and a motorcycle racer. He designed motorcycles for the Indian Motocycle Company, including the original Indian Scout of 1920, the original Indian Chief of 1922, and the Indian 101 Scout of 1928. Prior to this, he had been part of the Indian motorcycle team that won first, second, and third place in the 1911 Isle of Man TT, finishing in second place. Franklin was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2016.
Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was an American motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn, proprietor of bicycle manufacturer Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1912. In 1912, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially timed at a speed of 100 mph. The Henderson Motorcycle Company became a division of Excelsior when Schwinn purchased Henderson in 1917. By 1928, Excelsior was in third place in the U.S. motorcycle market behind Indian and Harley-Davidson. The Great Depression convinced Schwinn to order Excelsior's operations to cease in September 1931.
Motorcyclepedia is a motorcycle museum containing over 600 mostly American motorcycles, mainly from the first half of the 20th century, with a special emphasis on Indian motorcycles, including a model from every year of the original Indian brand on display, covering 1901 to 1953.
The Flying Merkel was a motorcycle of the American company Merkel in Milwaukee, which relocated later to Middletown, Ohio. The motorcycle was produced from 1911 to 1915.
Hazlewoods Limited of Coventry were manufacturers of bicycles from 1895, and motorcycles from 1911 until closure c. 1923. They were typical many British companies who proceeded from bicycle manufacture to motorised bicycles, a change made possible by engine and geared hub suppliers.
The Indian Powerplus is a motorcycle that was built from 1916 to 1924 by the Hendee Manufacturing Company. Designed by Charles Gustafson, the Powerplus's engine was Indian's first flathead.
Thor was an American manufacturer of motorcycles and motorcycle parts especially engines, founded in 1901 in Aurora, Illinois. From 1901 to about 1907 it made engines under license for Indian Motocycles of Springfield, Massachusetts,, which Thor was also allowed to sell on the open market. Thor also sold a large variety of parts especially cylinder heads. and when the agreement finally ended, entered the motorcycle market on its own selling complete bikes until about 1920. Some of its success were supplying engines to many motorcycle manufactures of the period, some record setting bikes in the early 1910s, and V-Twin engine with automatic valves.
Thor Model U was a motorcycle that debuted in the 1910s with a 7 hp V-twin in the Thor marque of Aurora Automatic Machinery Company of Illinois. The 1913 model came with a 61 ci V-twin engine, with the V at an angle of 50 degrees. In 1914 the engine size was increased from 61ci to 76.25ci The motorcycle had chain drive with clutch and was overall a bicycle configuration with two handle bars and seat above a frame which housed the engine and connected the front and back. The V-twin has an angle of 50 degrees. By 1916, the Model U was essentially the "flagship" of the Thor lineup with a large 50 degree V-twin with mechanical valves, a magneto ignition, and a three speed transmission. These kind of features were improvements over typically features of the day like a single-cylinder engine, battery start, and two speed or even single speed;they were much closer to their bicycle origins they had just birthed from in the previous decade.
