In the early 1900s, Americans were enamored with going faster and leaving their horses and mules behind. One of the cheapest ways to do that was to purchase a motorcycle. These early motorcycles were closer to what we think of as a bicycle today rather than a motorcycle, but they were improving every year. By the time this 1911 Excelsior motorcycle for sale on eBay in Cleveland, Ohio was built, motorcycles had evolved into reliable and fast transportation. Stored by the family of the original purchaser for over 100 years, this Excelsior is an amazing look at one of the better choices a motorcycle buyer could make in that era. With bidding currently at $20,600, is this bike destined to forever be a museum piece or is there hope that it can hit the road again?
The early 1900s were a wild time for transportation companies. The mastery of the internal combustion engine in applications designed to move people from place to place created a mad scramble on both the automobile and motorcycle fronts. As for motorcycles, one of the most powerful players in this emerging market was Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company. Started in 1907 and purchased by Ignaz Schwinn in 1912, the company was a strong third behind Harley-Davidson and Indian by 1928. When the Depression set in and sales fell off a cliff, Ignaz Schwinn called in all of the department heads and abruptly canceled all further production. When it came down to bicycles or motorcycles, Schwinn chose bicycles.
The motorcycle you see here was produced the year before Schwinn purchased the company. Looking carefully at it, you can see what Schwinn was thinking. Motorcycles still used a variety of bicycle parts and were very similar in construction. Hulking 900-pound road bikes were still decades off. Surely Schwinn saw that not only could common parts be shared between bicycles and motorcycles. He was also likely seeing how a move from a bicycle to a motorcycle would be a customer move that could be capitalized on, and Schwinn would have that product for them in the showroom.
What is remarkable about this Excelsior is how original it is. As previously stated, it was stored by the original owner’s family for over 100 years. The original 30.5 cubic inch engine is in original condition, but we are not told if it rotates or has frozen up from sitting so long. Other original parts on the motorcycle include the Excelsior script saddle that came with the bike when purchased, the original leather drive belt, the exhaust, all the linkages, and even the original key is still with it. The seller also reminds us that the bike will come with a bill of sale, but evidently, there is no title.
So, what does one do with such a motorcycle? Many would display it in their garage or even living room as it sits. Sort of a decoration or a collectible. Others would restore it to perfection and hit the show circuit with it. Still, there is a third option. You could leave the motorcycle as original as possible but get it running. Then, enter it in the next Motorcycle Cannonball. This is a cross-country race held every other year where riders take pre-1933 motorcycles and ride them from coast to coast in what has been described as one of the most grueling vintage events on the planet. While some modifications in the name of safety and endurance are allowed, imagine saddling up and taking this Excelsior from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in a little over two weeks.
So, what would you do with this amazingly original Excelsior? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Don’t touch it, display it with history information to inform present day people of how far back their history goes. Restoring would kill any history still remaining on this old bike.
Agree totally sir. Leave it alone. Restoring it would destroy it. Even if restored, no sane person would attempt to ride it on today’s clogged roads with drivers glued to cell phones.
So, this had to be the sellers GREAT grandfather that bought this new. Maybe they never came back from the war, and to be kept for so long, and nobody did anything with it, that’s incredible. Media , one show in particular, has created what seems to be a false market for these, if people are really spending 5 figures on something like this, tells me, they don’t know where to spend their money. Us “regular” folks should have such problems.
Thank you for sharing.
Did you see that 1930 Indian Four in all original patina on BAT that sold for $205,000 yesterday?
no, wouldnt wanna and so dont go-there any more.
If U wanna pay or see top dollar paid – that’s yer spot.
Try Petrolicious or your fav model page/site/forum, this
channel, create ur own… anything but there. One fella’s
consistent opinion from the disappointing visits. No more…
For me the fun is making a motorcycle run and riding it. I’ve done that more times than I can count. I wouldn’t be buyer on this one. This is like an expensive piece of…. I mean art. It’s lost on me at the current bid.
I agree. Bikes were built to be ridden, not displayed. I would give it a good cleaning and detailing then make sure that the engine is up to standard. New belt and new tires and enjoy. People would think I’m ready for the nut farm but those who know me are already aware of that…
“Bikes were built to be ridden”, no matter how old they are.
$20,000+?, yikes !
Very cool. Having said that, I agree with previous comments. I just don’t see the value here.
Thanks for your nice – and well-informed – write-up, Jeff.
Anyone interested in seeing these old motorcycles should definitely visit Wheels Through Time in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. When we were there, the late owner Dale, was firing up an all original,1913 Harley. His son has since kept the place running. These guys appreciate the historical value of these machines, but they have the know how to get them on the road again.
I remember their short-live TV show featuring Dale and his son. Not sure if the episodes are anywhere to be found, but it is a great watch.
If Dale was still alive, he’d have this bike running in hours. I watched him do it many times. He used to say, “It ran before, it wants to do it again!”
Dale was right. An engine wants only three things; fuel, spark and air. My guess is Matt could get it going again. He may be watching this auction.
They are only original once. Belongs in a museum displayed as-is.
No dice, turn it into an antique chopper.
Just kidding
To me there is a big distinction between patina and dirt. I’d carefully clean it, lubricate it and get it running again without restoring the exterior finishes.
Coast to Coast baby!
I’m in the get it running and ride it camp. I wouldn’t do the cross country thing but I would get it out on nice days and take to some back roads. This isn’t going to be a comfortable ride, it will be rough riding with no rear suspension a little spring action on the seat and minimal suspension on the front, noisy, grease and oil everywhere but it will be fun. Leaving it on display in a museum would be a sad ending for this bike.
Gentle use of steel wool and water and then wipe it down with linseed oil.
Reverse engineer it into a digital document that can be reproduced then build and ride that.
Just dreaming.
I don’t know very much about vintage motorcycles. I just like looking at them. But I can’t really see what is used for braking. Another question I have is it possible to get tires for this? I think that returning it to operational status but leaving it looking as is would be pretty neat.
The frame is basically a Schwinn bicycle frame, which bicycle wheels, so tires should be relatively easy to find. It has a rear coaster brake.
What an incredible and historical find, with an awesome write up. To get into Schwinn’s thinking like that tells us of your business smarts as well, Jeff-that adds another layer yet to the story.
With regards to the question, it’d depend on the parts scarcity/availability especially those that are critical to its rideability.
It’d be interesting too to have a history of the original buyers ride stories plus any of the family that followed suit.
I’ll probably ruffle some feathers with my thoughts, but no offense meant… To those saying “leave it as is, it’s original”.. do you really think it originally looked like it does now? Heck no! It’s got original parts, but it’s broken down, filthy and uncared for. Either restore it yourself, or send it to the boys at Wheels of Time. Make it ” original” again, just like back in the day. Then ride it, show it, enjoy it and share it with the world!
I agree, that to those who say “it’s only original once” it didn’t come from the factory with rust, pitting, dirt, no tires, and only half the paint. I say restore it but document the whole process with lots of photos.
Dale was adamant about leaving bikes with original patina. If you ever followed Dale, he proved that original patina bikes were worth far more than like new museum pieces. Go back and look at the 1912 Pierce Dale took to Vegas to the auction. Granted, Dale had some fully restored bikes in the museum, but in the last 20 years, the saying “they’re only original once” has come to dominate. Even down to leaving the original barn find dust when taking cars to auction.
So because one person who had one museum liked patina bikes better then you are willing to doom this bike to never run again? Patina is a fad, idk how long it will last, but like all fads it will run it’s course. Ever look at the Sistine Chapel restoration? The paintings that Michaelangelo painted were done before electricity. The place was lit with candles for hundreds of years and the soot from the candles over the years made the paintings look dull and muted, people started to forget how bright and vibrant they once were, and some even thought he purposely painted in muted colors. When they restored and cleaned the paintings they found that he painted in far more color and detail than anyone alive ever imagined. That’s how I look at patina vehicles. They are dull and muted and if we are not careful future generations will eventually think that’s how they were intended to be. And maybe even start to question why a company would produce such a dull finish. Just like looking at the same picture in black and white vs color.
Do both, best of both worlds. Put it in a museum but take it out from time to time to run it. Oil and lube and fresh gas. Get the dirt off of it. Only question is tires. Personally, I’d get a second set of wheels (not nec. Excelsior) with fresh tires and swap out the originals for the updated tires for ride days.
I think the brakes work like a bicycle, you push the pedals backwards. I’m about 10 miles from Wheels through Time. I haven’t been there yet but I plan to go.
Back in 2015 I was traveling for work, after my company lost the local contract that employed me, mostly flying but my regional mgr had me drive to a hospital in NC, I drove right past that Wheel of Time museum, and tried to plan a visit. Unfortunately they were closed for the winter, and I have not been able to get back that far over in NC to check it it
We restored an ancient DL76 Schebler “Diecast” carburetor fitting a Henderson a while back. The trouble with TIME is that it is ever so difficult to reverse. The Zinc alloy had aged in many places to a “Crystilized-dry-lake-bed”. Some parts WERE restoreable. Others we used as mold models to cast new. My bill for the carburetor alone was quite high having over 50 hours in research and casting work. Some rare parts did exist, and we found them as well. THIS is what restoration is about, the enjoyment of the search, the satisfaction of following the footprints of history, and a testamony to craftsmanship and final success by riding it. It must sound incredible!
I would carefully wipe it down, and then park it in my living room as is. This is an artifact of bygone days, but unlike a Model T which is also 100 years old, there are very few of these left. I would like to think that an ultralight aircraft (which I love to fly) 100 years from now, would be an example of the derring-do of the first owner. Can you imagine the freedom this motorcycle offered? Every time I looked at it I would revel at the sense of adventure and significant amount of courage the rider had.
But my living room is tiny, and this is a long ways away, so it will become someone else’s dream. A very good write up…
I’m in the restoration and use it carefully camp. My grandfather immigrated from Finland alone at the age of 17 in 1917 and immediately ended up in WWI. When he got back to America he bought a new Indian that looked a lot like this bike. He used to tell me stories when I was little about riding in Philadelphia when the police had bicycles and tried to stop him for speeding. He said when they got motorcycles he got a sidecar so he could beat them around corners. I have pictures of him on that bike with my grandmother in the sidecar.
Excelsior had developed a 120 MPH board track bike the 30 cid “OHC” that was faster than any other bike but Bob Perry, Excelsior’s star racer, was killed competing on January 4, 1920. Ignaz Schwinn had the remaining OHC’s destroyed, personally sledgehammering all the engines in the factory. Schwinn didn’t have his heart in the motorcycle business after that and Excelsior was dying a slow death until the depression finished it off. The Excelsior OHC V twin is one of the great should have been stories.
I think what I would do with this is leave it pretty much as it is, maybe wipe off a little bit of the dust, and have a replica of it made. A couple of aluminum castings, and I think everything else could be done with a brazing torch, and a 8 inch lathe. I mean look at it, it only has one lobe on the camshaft.
I would leave it as is, and send it to an antique vehicle museum, like the one on Mt. Petit Jean in Arkansas.
That things so old it would have to run on leaded gasoline, I would think. 🤔
No leaded gasoline in 1911. Leaded gasoline was a 1920s invention. So yeah unleaded would be fine.👍👍
Ended at $25,622, Reserve Not Met.
Really it would be interesting to see the old girl have a go in the race. Especially with modern lubricants like magna lube G for the bearings and amsoil for the engine. Why not enjoy the thrill and enjoyment of some competitive spirit.
There’s a movie about this bike in here somewhere, I can feel it..calling to its owner from its storage place, or perhaps slowly restoring itself as the spirit of its original owner wants to ride again……
If you like the idea of riding that STYLE of motorbikes check out Seymourcycleworks on Instagrams – he builds early 1900s tribute bikes with modern engines. I think the Excelsior deserves to be ridden, but perhaps in shorter rallies and rides, rather than all the way across the USA.