Lifestyle

2016 Quail Gallery: Pre-1916 Motorcycles

Century-old survivors that shaped motorcycling’s future.

May 27, 2016

A remarkable 113-years ago, George Adams Wyman became the first person to cross America by motorcycle, riding from San Francisco to New York City in 50 days aboard this 1.25-hp “moto bike” built by the California Motor Company in 1902. Dave Scoffone now owns this historic vehicle.Jeff Allen

Alan Huelsman’s black 1910 Detroit Single is the essential motorcycle, thanks to its 500cc engine and oversized frame tubes that hold gas, oil, battery, and tools. Only two are known to exist.Jeff Allen

Substance and Style: The Quail Motorcycle Gathering

Lucky year eight was a good one, with record attendance, the most bikes ever, and a hugely competitive show field.

Owned by motorcycle designer, restorer and collector Jeff Palhegyi, this 1916 Harley-Davidson Twin Cylinder Model 17 racer cost a staggering $1,500 when new. Racing was expensive then, too.Jeff Allen

Real or replica? Only your restorer knows for sure. Either way, this heavily patina’d orange 1911 Flying Merkel VS of Tom Holthaus proved highly popular at the Quail. Built by a racing company, Flying Merkels are said to have won 87-percent of competitions entered in 1910.Jeff Allen

Clay Hudson’s gorgeous 1912 Henderson boasts a longitudinally mounted 934cc four-cylinder, 7-hp engine and shaft drive. Priced at $325 in its day, the Henderson featured a particularly long wheelbase.Jeff Allen

Made in Massachusetts, the 1912 Marsh-Metz Twin of Wes Allen features beautifully integrated design elements, a wide-angle V-twin engine and a leather belt drive. Take that Harley guys!Jeff Allen

Owned by Virgil Elings of the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum in California, this wooden-wheel 1915 Militaire 2 is one of only a few known examples. Its four-cylinder, 1065cc engine cranks 11 horsepower through a three-speed transmission and shaft drive.Jeff Allen

This unrestored 1910 Pierce Four owned by Tom Holthaus scored a double at the Quail, winning both the Pre-1916 Motorcycles class and the HVA Preservation Award. Designed for “more prosperous sportsmen,” the Pierce was the first four-cylinder motorcycle produced in the U.S.Jeff Allen

Boasting a full liter of displacement, the Pennsylvania-built 1913 Reading Standard Twin was a serious bike in the day, featuring a V-twin engine, durable clutch, chain drive and twin rear brakes. This example is owned by Wes Allen.Jeff Allen

Once resplendent in elegant gray paint and polished nickel plating, this 1910 Yale Single owned by Wes Allen was known as a “gentleman’s machine” in its day. Although its patina appeared to us somewhat orchestrated, the effect is nonetheless stirring.Jeff Allen

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