American motorcycle made in Louisville KY

[knuckcrazy]

Does anybody have any info on American motorcycle made in Louisville Kentucky 1924ish?

[rbenash]

There was an American Motorcycle Company that used to buy from other manufacturers like Yale, Thiem, and at least one other. They relabeled and added cosmetic changes. I've seen pictures of Americans (a single and a twin) that were Yales and had American on the tank. I believe that's in a book by Stephen Wright. But the time period of those photos would have been in the teens. I don't recall if there's a statement about how long they were selling motorcycles. I'll have to take a look and see where American mentioned in that book was located. I think the main person was named Mussleman or something like that.

[knuckcrazy]

Hope this works
only pic I have
american-21.jpg

[LouieMCman]

I don't think that is the same company that rebadged the Yales. Looks like a British Douglas. Sure would look good in my garage next to my HD Sport Model.

[rbenash]

My reference to American is from Stephen Wright in his book "The American Motorcycle" Which covered US manufacturing history 1869-1914. So can't say if it is the same company since the book doesn't state how long they were in business. The impression though is that they cut deals with a number of manufacturers, mentioning the ones they dealt with during the period covered by the book. It is possible that they cut deals with other manufacturerers along the way.

Page 167:

"A Wide Choice from Musselman"
Bicycle and motorcycle hub and brake manufacturer, A. J. Musselman founded the American Motorcycle Company in 1910. Operating from its headquarters in Chicago, the company purchased motorcycles and bicycles wholesale from estabilshed manufacturers: they made cosmetic changes and then sold them with an American tank decal. At that time Yale, Armac, and Thiem were supplying machines to Musselman. He sold his motorcycles and bicycles through advertisements in a wide variety of national publications, which were read by millions. Interested reader were invited to write to the American Motorcycle Company for the location of their nearest dealer.

Caption beside a rider on a single, same page:

"The tropical vegetation suggests that this Navy Shore Patrolman was stationed in Hawaii or the Philippines. Hi motorcycle is a side-valve belt-drive Thiem single which has been re-badged as an American."

On the same page there is also a photo of a re-badged American-Yale

There's another reference to American on page 206, there are 2 photos one is a picnic photo with an American Model 33 in the background which was produced by Yale. There is also a photo of a Yale-American twin.

On page 219 there's this reference:

"In the summer of 1912, A.J. Musselman closed his subsidiary business of selling Thiem, Yale and Armac models rebadged under his American Motorcycle Company name, and took over the Armac Motor Company plant on Carroll Avenue in Chicago."

The result was that Mussleman stared the Allied Motor Corp and started building twins.

So might not be the same owners of the company/name, but wonder about the history of the folks that he sold the American subsidiary too and if they continued to buy and re-badge under the same American name, moved the company, etc.

Anyway wanted to follow up with the info from the book/reference. Hope this helps in some way.

[LouieMCman]

Yes but this bike was made in the 20's and is a horizonal twin which of course yale didn't make. Were not talking about belt drives here, no doubt the rebadged bikes your talking about existed but this looks totaly different to me. I have several books I'll look in later today, I think I remember this bike because I have interest in horizonal twins. More later.....

[Perry Ruiter]

I have a German language book (Amerikansche Motorräder by Wolfgang Wiesner) that has an index in the back of all known US makes. It has three entries for American. Made in Chicago 1911-1914, made in Louisville 1921 and unknown where made in 1939 ... Perry

[AFJ]

The American fore and aft flat-twin claimed to be manufactured in Louisville, KY seems to exist only as an advertisement in a magazine "Motorcycling and Bicycling" in the spring of 1921.
The SV engine was supposed to be 352 cc with bore and stroke of 58.3 and 66.9 mm. It does not seem to be similar to the contemporary Douglas. It has a cooling fan, which suggests that the engine might have originally been intended as a stationary power plant and put into a motorcycle chassis and advertised to "test the market".

AFJ

[knuckcrazy]

We don't have a football team.
We dont have a baseball team.
I thought we had a motorcycle company.
Oh well, just have to stick to Moonshine and bluegrass music.
Thanks for the leg work.

[rbenash]

Interesting stuff.

I know my references were in the teens and we aren't talking about belt drives.

I'm suggesting that the company and name were sold, but the business associated with the name was the same. I.E., buying complete motorcycles and rebadging them American. That would mean they wouldn't necessarily be reselling the same products, but opportunists looking to resell motorcycles from whoever would do a reseller deal with them at good margins.

The company name could have changed hands along the way. There's really no factory associated in this kind of business, just a warehouse if that. The "business" could exist anywhere convenient.

Seems to be a pattern. Just a thought.

[sveger]

"American" motorcycles

Whilst surfing the www I found two pictures of supposedly "American" motorcycles.
Both pics have come out of US family photoalbums according to where I found them.






If these are not "American`s" anyone know what they are?

Perry, the German book is it worth buying?

Sverre
AMcN
http://AmericanMotorcyclesNorway.blogspot.com

[Perry Ruiter]

Perry, the German book is it worth buying?

My fluency in German is around the level where I can order a pizza and usually not be surprised at what arrives, so I certainly haven't read it cover to cover, but, I consider it an ausgezeichnet volume and well worth owning ... Perry

[LouieMCman]

OK Knuckcrazy don't feel bad, see you did have a bike made there, here's the pics to prove it. Now all you have to do is find one of the bikes........Pics from Jerry Hatfield's Catalog of American Motorcycles pages 15-17.

[LouieMCman]

AFJ..I don't think that is a cooling fan but instead just a fancy flywheel cover, like Harley's just better looking....

[fciron]

Not sure if anyone still cares, I stumbled on this thread looking for information about the 1920's American based on this article, from Motorcycling and Bicycling, march 9, 1921. Like Knuckcrazy, I'm intrigued at the idea of a motorcycle from my hometown. (I suppose I could settle for an Earnshaw Road Arro...)

Dang, click the thumbnail to see a legible image. >:-(

11149481_10204509787367882_1182641140078870835_n.jpg