Can you help identify this old motorcycle?

[ihrescue]

Good Morning Folks:

We often get inquiries for help identifying old motorcycles and we usually are able to accomplish this through the forum. Here is an inquiry from Pat Castle Editor of Moto Guzzi News Express Official Newsletter of the Ontario Guzzi Riders

http://www.ontarioguzziriders.com/Newsletter.html

Now here is Pat's inquiry: He wants to identify the motorcycle in this image. Please post your comments and discussion and we can get info back to Pat.

NER-A-CAR OR NOT???.jpg


Thanks all, I look forward to your insight.

Mike Love
AMCA Forum
Moderator

[ihrescue]

It looks like a taxi. There is advertisement on the right rear fender. It has a feel of 1920s between wars.

Screen Shot 2019-08-10 at 9.34.14 AM.jpg

Mike Love

[ihrescue]

When I first looked at the photo I thought it was rickshaw like and kept finding references on-line to tri-cars. Then I looked again and see it is really a motorcycle with the passengers in front. It appears some stabilizer pushes down to keep the bike up right when stopped. Looks like the lighting is electric, has a steerable front wheel via linkage, belt drive.

Mike Love

[ihrescue]

Had a response on the AMCA Facebook page and it appears to be a 1922 La Jumella, which is the text of the writing that I thought was taxi advertisement. David Thies posted a couple of links that he found a heck of a lot quicker than I would have thought. This is apparently the only know photo of the bike.

http://www.car-d.fr/deuxroues.php?lng=en&fbclid=IwAR31fLrhAI1VAcqvQvBefnMzXQ86s9_wnLOn1c2fxicz-NV8ACI4p3UWBno

Scroll down to image.

and he also posted this

https://cybermotorcycle.com/euro/brands/jumella.htm?fbclid=IwAR0V8hJMmL0VaWGZojKrSZD1dPQfJEaXU_bSvgjFIOTCoEsQMKdI6HSAxlY

Clearly a rare motorcycle and maybe home made. It could be the writing on the right rear fender was not only the motorcycle model but also advertisement for the taxi which could have been one and the same.

Would like to see discussion of the physics of this bike's steering. It sure looks more than just homemade.

Mike Love

[Jerry Wieland]

I suspect that if it is not Nera-Car that the parts were made in the Nera-Car factory. Jerry

[ihrescue]

That makes sense Jerry. Some of what I saw on-line resembled the Near-Car especially fenders.

Mike Love

[exeric]

Neracar was made in Syracuse N.Y. from 1920-1923; then the rights were sold to Simplex in England and made from 1924-1927. I have to think it's a custom job that started life as a British Neracar. If it is a true La Jumella (which I've never heard of) then it's a helluva' blatant copy of a Neracar. When I first got into the AMCA back in the mid-70s, the Neracar was super desirable because they were supposedly so much fun to ride. I've never ridden one so I wouldn't know