The Last of the Big 3 Credits and Acknowledments
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THE LAST OF THE BIG 3 CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDMENTS Photos and images were furnished to Mecum Auctions by Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycles, and are from the Excelsior-Henderson archives, along with from the MN Historical Society, the Utah State Historical Society, vintage Motorcycling and Bicycling magazine, Motorcycle Illustrated magazine, vintage advertisements, various vintage newspapers and Excelsior-Henderson Bulletins, the Motorcycle Heritage Museum/Hall of Fame Museum, and original documents, brochures, and advertising material from both the Detroit-based Henderson brothers and the Chicago-based Schwinn owned eras of the Excelsior-Henderson brand. All of this information is for historical reference and documentary purposes, for enjoyment and illustrative purposes and are not part of the sale of the brand and trademarks of Excelsior-Henderson. The photos and images are merely to communicate historically how the trademarks, copyrights, and brand have been utilized over the years by various different parties. Excelsior-Henderson warrants no accuracy in any of the vintage or historical information. Included in the sale of the trademarks, are two different books, Hendersons Those Elegant Machines by Richard Henry Schultz (2014), and American Excelsior by Thomas Bund and Robert Turek (2016). Copyrights belong to their respective owners. THE LAST OF THE BIG 3 WRITTEN BY PAUL D’ORLÉANS For more information visit Mecum.com // 262-275-5050 NV License DLR000045204 4 A unique offering will take place in Las Vegas on January 27, 2018. The iconic Excelsior-Henderson brand and all its intellectual property will be auctioned at the 27th annual Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction at the South Point Hotel and Casino. Included in this purchase are the ownership of the Excelsior- Henderson brand name, 10 federally registered trademarks and web domains. The purchaser will also inherit the previous motorcycle frame and engine designs as well as 18 expired patents that can only be effectively exploited by the owner of Excelsior-Henderson. 5 6 EXCELSIOR-HENDERSON: THE LAST OF THE ‘BIG 3’ The Big 3. For a time, they were the last men standing in marketplace, far beyond any company’s control, that rather double down and buy a majority stake in the the American motorcycle industry: Excelsior-Henderson, determined the fate of the Big 3. company than see his family’s six-figure investment Harley-Davidson and Indian. They fought hard on the Excelsior-Henderson, Harley-Davidson and Indian go down the drain, resulting in the company’s most dirt tracks, race tracks, hill climbs and sales floors, and all nearly succumbed to the Great Depression. Their profitable period ever from 1930-45. in their 1920s heyday, the competition between the Big sales figures after October 29, 1929, were dismal, and Excelsior-Henderson was owned by Ignaz Schwinn, 3 made for the most exciting racing anyone had ever instead of selling tens of thousands of motorcycles whose mighty two-wheeled empire in Chicago earned seen between the fastest and most advanced racing toward the end of 1929, they sold bikes by the tens most of its profit from bicycles. Schwinn correctly bikes in the world. Sales-floor competition made each and hundreds, while unsold stock languished in foresaw a major downturn in motorcycle sales for company improve its products dramatically, and by the distribution warehouses. Drastic action was necessary; 1930, and decided to pull the plug on his big bikes and late 1920s, it was Excelsior-Henderson and Indian that Harley-Davidson found cash in Japan, selling its focus on the ones without motors, which were likely to dominated the 45 CI (750cc) market with the Super X old tooling and leftover parts supply to make Rikuo continue selling when jobs were scarce. And he was right; and Scout models. Their big models—the Henderson motorcycles under license, a deal arranged by the Schwinn bicycles outlived Indian and thrived through the Four as well as the Indian Chief and Four—were company’s Japanese importer Alfred R. Child. It’s still 1960s and ‘70s, but the company never again produced admired the world over, and were in many ways the little known that the “Dabbitoson Harley Motorcycle motorcycles. But the Excelsior-Henderson name has most attractive and technically interesting motorcycles Co. Japan” was the secret savior of the Screaming quietly survived, waiting for the right combination of built in the U.S. But larger forces were at work in the Eagle. As for Indian, E. Paul DuPont decided he’d capital and inspiration to roar back to life. “THE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE BIG 3 MADE FOR THE MOST EXCITING RACING ANYONE HAD EVER SEEN BETWEEN THE FASTEST AND MOST ADVANCED RACING BIKES IN THE WORLD.” 7 IGNAZ SCHWINN The motorcycle industry began slowly in the U.S. at the gradually Schwinn rose to the post of factory manager and during a worldwide boom in the bicycle industry, the idea dawn of the 20th century, but soon it exploded into life, designer for Kleyer’s “Adler” bicycles—the factory later grew of him starting his own company must have seemed a sure becoming a veritable springtime of manufacturers sprouting famous making typewriters and motorcycles. bet to Arnold. up from the ingenuity and pluck of our native country. In 1891, Schwinn left Germany to seek his fortune in Arnold, Schwinn & Co. was founded in 1895, with Arnold’s Hundreds of small factories emerged between 1900 and Chicago, the center of American bicycle manufacture. He investment of $75,000. The company carried on doing 1920, as the formula for making a motorcycle—adding a quickly found work at the Hill Cycle Manufacturing Co., makers business under that name through 1967, although when motor to a bicycle—was intuitively easy to replicate. Bicycles of the “Fowler” bicycle, where once again he rose to the job Arnold retired in 1908, Schwinn purchased his stake in the were at the peak of their popularity, with manufacturers of factory manager and designer. Schwinn was also involved company. That year, the company built 50,000 bicycles—a like Schwinn producing hundreds of thousands per year in the launch of Hill’s related International Manufacturing number that would double in three years. Schwinn became and inventing “vertical integration” by incorporating every Co., which produced the “America” bicycle. Schwinn designed a very large company and even fielded a racing team in aspect of building, advertising, selling, racing, sponsoring International’s bicycles, selected the machinery and tools for Europe to promote the brand. With so much success, Ignaz’ and repairing under its umbrella, and becoming very rich manufacture, and hired the employees to make them. Within son, Frank—an avid motorcyclist—encouraged his father to in the process. a year, he was supervising 237 workers and oversaw a move invest in the burgeoning motorcycle industry. Ignaz Schwinn was an American success story. Born to a larger factory building with 60,000 square feet of space. Schwinn’s engineers designed a motorcycle in 1910 with in 1860 near Baden, Germany, Schwinn was the second Schwinn had made a great success of International a parallel twin-cylinder engine, a crankcase incorporating eldest of seven children, and while his family was mildly Manufacturing, but he wasn’t happy with the management an integral clutch, and a shaft final drive. It was a very prosperous as manufacturers of organs and pianos, his father of the company, and he quit in 1894. During that year, he advanced design, and at least one prototype was built, but died when he was just 11. After a primary and vocational made plans to begin his own bicycle-manufacturing business, Schwinn decided it prudent to buy an existing motorcycle school education, he scoured northern Germany for work, keeping an eye out for a good location and someone who brand rather than develop a new one. Dozens of small and repairing bicycles for cash. He found a job as a machinist at could provide financial backing. He found a kindred spirit large companies made motorcycles in the U.S. in 1910, the Kleyer bicycle works and burned the midnight oil on a in another German immigrant, Adolf Arnold, who owned and most of them struggled to make ends meet in a highly small drawing board in his room, designing his own “safety” the Arnold Brothers meat-packing plant and was president competitive market. Ignaz Schwinn didn’t have to look far bicycle, which had recently been invented by Stanley in of the Haymarket Produce Bank. After Schwinn’s successful for a successful motorcycle manufacturer looking to sell; he England. Heinrich Kleyer approved of these drawings, and management of three large bicycle manufacturing firms found the perfect fit right in Chicago. 8 9 10 EXCELSIOR SUPPLY COMPANY The Excelsior Supply Company was formed in 1876 by model year, a new machine was introduced, designed George T. Robie, initially for the distribution of sewing- by Excelsior’s George Meiser, called the Excelsior Auto- machine parts. By the early 1890s, Excelsior branched into Cycle Model A. By 1909, business was booming, and the booming bicycle business as well, selling parts and Frederick Robie hired Frank Lloyd Wright to build him new “safety” bicycles built by other brands. By 1904, the a new home on Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago. company added automobile parts to its list of distributed Unfortunately, in late 1909, George T. Robie died of supplies. George was content with distribution, but his appendicitis, and young Frederick, at the age of 29, was son Frederick aspired to be a manufacturer and prevailed left to run both his motorcycle business and the far- over his father to embark on motorcycle production. larger Supply Co., as well as settle his father’s personal The “Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review” noted in debts.