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At the Davenport meet I met a gentleman by the name of Ken Arnold who was displaying motorcycle photos for sale from his fathers estate. The photos were of Ken's grandfather and were taken beginning in 1907. The photos interested me since Ken's grandfather, Ed Arnold, was the owner of the "Arnold Motorcycle Co." a dealer in "Wagner and Excelsior" motorcycles, from about 1907 to 1920, in Logansport, Indiana, about 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
If you go to www.granddadsbikerpics.com you will find the photos. In photo #1, four men from Logansport, Indiana, with their 1907 Wagner "strap tank" motorcycles standing front of the front door of the "G & J Tire Company" in Indianapolis. Note the "Solar" type motorcycle headlights. (The "G & J Tire Company" was located on the south side of East Georgia Street between South East Street and South Noble (College) Avenue in Indianapolis. "G & J" was located adjacent to the Indianapolis Rubber Company which became the U.S. Rubber Company.) In the fall of 1907, Ed Arnold, his brother and two cousins rode from "Indianapolis to Denver" as an advertisement for "G & J" Double Clincher motorcycle tires. The sign on the rear wheels of their motorcycles advertises their adventure. Photo #2 is of Ed and his brother J. Leroy. The other photos on the website display an interesting history of the Arnold Motorcycle Company. The photos and memorabilia were found by the Ken Arnold, a grandson of Ed Arnold, in the estate of his father. For some unknown reason, none of Ken's generation were aware of the motorcycle history of their grandfather.
Later, I found an article on page 84 of the March, 1908, "Motorcycle Illustrated" magazine that was sent in as a letter to the editor, by the G & J Tire Co. in Indianapolis and tells the story of four friends who rode from Indianapolis to Denver in the fall of 1907 on G & J tires. There is also a copy of the text of the letter sent to G & J by Ed. W. Arnold. The letter from Mr. Arnold extols the quality of the G & J tires used on their trip. If you go to http://bridgehunter.com/mo/osage/gascondy/ you will find photos of the bridge in Missouri that the foursome rode over in 1907. A real scary ride.
The article can be found in the "Motorcycle Illustrated" magazines that have been digitized by Google.
The photos present an interesting pictorial view into the history of an early motorcycle dealer.
If you go to www.granddadsbikerpics.com you will find the photos. In photo #1, four men from Logansport, Indiana, with their 1907 Wagner "strap tank" motorcycles standing front of the front door of the "G & J Tire Company" in Indianapolis. Note the "Solar" type motorcycle headlights. (The "G & J Tire Company" was located on the south side of East Georgia Street between South East Street and South Noble (College) Avenue in Indianapolis. "G & J" was located adjacent to the Indianapolis Rubber Company which became the U.S. Rubber Company.) In the fall of 1907, Ed Arnold, his brother and two cousins rode from "Indianapolis to Denver" as an advertisement for "G & J" Double Clincher motorcycle tires. The sign on the rear wheels of their motorcycles advertises their adventure. Photo #2 is of Ed and his brother J. Leroy. The other photos on the website display an interesting history of the Arnold Motorcycle Company. The photos and memorabilia were found by the Ken Arnold, a grandson of Ed Arnold, in the estate of his father. For some unknown reason, none of Ken's generation were aware of the motorcycle history of their grandfather.
Later, I found an article on page 84 of the March, 1908, "Motorcycle Illustrated" magazine that was sent in as a letter to the editor, by the G & J Tire Co. in Indianapolis and tells the story of four friends who rode from Indianapolis to Denver in the fall of 1907 on G & J tires. There is also a copy of the text of the letter sent to G & J by Ed. W. Arnold. The letter from Mr. Arnold extols the quality of the G & J tires used on their trip. If you go to http://bridgehunter.com/mo/osage/gascondy/ you will find photos of the bridge in Missouri that the foursome rode over in 1907. A real scary ride.
The article can be found in the "Motorcycle Illustrated" magazines that have been digitized by Google.
The photos present an interesting pictorial view into the history of an early motorcycle dealer.
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