Charles Lindbergh and his Excelsior "X"

[panhead_jim]

Put together a short article on Lindbergh after finding a few pictures of his motorcycle stuck in the mud on the way to flight school in 1922. As always, extra facts and corrections are welcome!

Charles Linbergh's Excelsior "X"

[exeric]

Ted Hodgdon was a great man, and the spark plug that made the AMCA happen; but he did a terrible restoration on Lindberg's Series 20 Ex. I've seen pictures of what he started with and the damage did preceed him. When Ted got the bike, it had already been sandblasted to bare metal, and then clear coated to inhibit the rust. As I recall, Ted had some people at BSA do the work, and some BSA parts were used. Also, the wheels are earlier 27 x 3. I could go on and on but let's keep it civil. Excelsior enthusiasts have talked for years about doing the bike properly but of course one person would probably wind up doing all the work, and nobody wants to be that guy. One of the Charlie Carter edited "Antique Motorcycle" issues had a detailed article about the restoration.

[panhead_jim]

Too bad on the restoration. I'm kinda surprised that Ted would not have been able to find all the correct parts. We just need to figure out how to make motorcycle restoration into a reality show and then the Discovery Channel can pay for it...

[Skirted]

Learned something new today! Neat story. If Charles paid $290 for the bike in 1920, according to an online inflation calculator that would be $3339 today. While it seems like alot, considering the price of new motorcycles today he got a good deal.

[exeric]

I thought I read that Lindberg bought the Series 20 in late 1919 and that would make his '20 a very early model. The early advertising literature of the Series 20, and the Henderson K model stated the color as being Olive Drab Green paint with broad brown stripes,and black pinstripes like the previous 3 years of Excelsior motorcycles. The period pictures of Lindberg's X make it hard to tell what color it is but I would suspect it is the ubiquitous Dark Blue. Again, it's too bad someone with access to a sandblaster at the Henry Ford museum went to all that trouble.

[c.o.]

It seems to me that a bike with such historical significance should have been handled better. If nothing else maybe it just should have been left alone until it could be done properly. My hat is off to whoever takes on the monumental task of doing it right in these modern times.

[servicardenise]

Panhead Jim:
The "two became friends", was that Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford? If so, it would be Charles and Henry or Ford and Lindbergh. It is a nice article and really cool pictures.
Denise

[panhead_jim]

Panhead Jim:
The "two became friends", was that Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford? If so, it would be Charles and Henry or Ford and Lindbergh. It is a nice article and really cool pictures.
Denise

That would make a lot more sense. Thanks for the correction.

[Ross]

Jim, a bit off topic but the logo you have on the top of the blog, "Riding Vintage" Can that be a t shirt anywhere? 50 wt and gas....I love it.

[panhead_jim]

[QUOTE=Ross;128929]Jim, a bit off topic but the logo you have on the top of the blog, "Riding Vintage" Can that be a t shirt anywhere? 50 wt and gas....I love it.[/QUOTE

I've thought about doing a t-shirt or at least some stickers to start with. I actually got the image from a graphic designer and then made up the text myself. I'm glad you like it, I was really pleased with how it turned out.

[exeric]

This topic about Charles Lindberg, and his Excelsior is the stuff that makes our motorcycle heritage so significant. Lindberg loved his Excelsior and apparently loved motorcycling which brings home the connection of aviation and motorcycling. Attached is a picture of Charles Lindberg and a Cleveland Tornadao. I would love to know more about this bike, and if it did belong to Lindy.

[c.o.]

Ahhh... Classic Cycle Review. I would always grab a copy if I could get my hands on one. It was a great magazine. Eric, I'd like to know about that Tornado and the association with "Lindy" as well. I gather that there was not much of an article to back up the photo on the cover?

[exeric]

There was just this brief reference to the picture:

On the Cover
The stately pile in the
background is "Round Hill" the
estate of Colonel Green, in South
Dartmouth, MA. The cycle is a
Cleveland. And the lucky man
standing behind it is the Lone
Eagle, Charles A. Lindbergh.

I was talking to Gene Harper recently and he is a student of Lindbergh history. Gene made the comment that Lindbergh loved motorcycles and they were a significant part of his early life. As we all know, you're a biker for life and I can't believe Lindy was any different.

[duffeycycles]

Isn't there a well known photo of Lindberg [on HD?]on the side of the road in Minnesota with cylinders off -scraping the carbon cake

[exeric]

That was his Series 20 Excelsior. I have that picture somewhere. I've never seen a picture of Lindbergh on a Harley.