A Winter Diversion - A look at "seldom seen" motorcycles

As northeast Ohio started to see a glimmer of hope that a spring thaw would soon be upon us, I made a meager attempt to rally up a group of my fellow two wheel enthusiasts to wander out of the warmth and comfort of our domiciles to the Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio for the annual motorcycle display. This year's show, aptly titled "Seldom Seen Motorcycles" was a good excuse to shake off the cobwebs of cabin fever, however some folks were working, some had family obligations and one was still healing up from a bad spill on an icy driveway, a hazard all of us have been dealing with this winter. I was, however, able to hook up with fellow enthusiasts and active ABATE Region Zero members, TJ & Mary Kay Johnson, to enjoy the displays and a lunch with. And since you didn't make it there with me, I am bringing the displays to your living room for your enjoyment! (You can click on any of the photos to blow them up and get a better look at the artistry in iron too!)

Above you are seeing a rather rare 1903 single cylinder flat belt drive Harley Davidson. the handle attached to the gas tank was used to adjust the tension of the leather belt drive. The bike had a battery to give power to the ignition, however the bike had no method of recharging the battery. In order to start the bike, the rider had to pedal it! It may have weighed less than 200 pounds, but that would still be one heck of a work out!

This is a 1938 Panther. This British manufacturer made motorcycles from 1904 through 1967, but I had never heard of them until yesterday. The Royal Flying Corps used P&M (Phelon and Moore) motorcycles during WWI and P&M was chosen as a supplier to the RAC when they added sidecars to their fleets in 1922. If you look closely at this 600cc bike, the motor is actually part of the frame at the front of the bike.

Here is another European bike that was manufactured all the way up to 1987 but that I had not heard of before. This 344cc bike can do up to 107mph and has 5 speeds. The Italian bike was very popular over sees however very few were imported to the US. A very unique feature is the fact that it has something called "Heron" heads, "where the combustion chamber is machined into the piston instead of the cyclinder head." This model is called the 350 Strada.

This 1923 Douglas W-23 was built by a small, family-owned British company that supplied motorcycles for military use during WWI also, as well as WWII. The company was originally started in 1882 by brothers William and Edward Douglas as Douglas Engineering and they primarily did blacksmithing, then foundary work. In the 1920's, they developed the first disk brake. In 1932 and 1933, a gentleman named Robert Edison Fulton Jr. made history on a 6hp Douglas motorcycle by being the first man to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle. He used modified automobile tires on the bike. Following his adventure, he wrote a book called "One Man Caravon."

This model had a belt drive and carbide lights. Weighing in just under 200 pounds with a 3-speed tranny, the oil pump was hand operated with a plunger on the fuel tank, which you can clearly see in the photograph above. It's top speed was 40mph and it was a 348cc engine. The brakes work similar to a bicycle with what is known as a stirrup type operation. This display caught my attention as the bike was very clean and in excellent condition for it's age and unique nature.

Next you will see a rather rare US made motorcycle, a 1919 Reading Standard, manufactured in Reading, Pennsylvania. These bikes were made between 1903 and 1922 and less than a 1000 are thought to have been built.  The company introduced a single cylinder, the first flat head manufactured in the US, in 1906. However because their production was so limited, very few of them exist today.

A beautifully restored model is located in the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, IA. You can see a photo of it on their blog, by going to: http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/national-treasures/1909-reading-standard.aspx

 This years show far exceeded the quantity and quality of displays over last year's, which was rather disappointing. This year's selection was excellent and the quality of diversity in the displays was nice.