Another unknown Wisconsin Motorcycle?

[duffeycycles]

Wick type also known as surface carburetors

[BigLakeBob]

Evinrude!!!!Man i guess ive gotta lot to learn...seems very fascinating learning learning about the pioneers of early bikes, seems like most people only hear ford,benz......sometimes as i drive by old barns garages no longer used, what one would find in them, long lost motorbikes cars...

I had a late sixty's Evinrude boat motor. It was called the Sportster and the throttle grip was the same style as used on '62-'64 HD's.

[pem]

I just love talking about these old motorcycles. Merkel was selling all kinds of motorcycle parts back then. Somewhere I have an ad where they list frames, forks, etc. for sale. I got to dig that up. That tomato can carb(surface carb)was the best(was it?)they had in 1904/05. Did Merkel use that too? And sell it?

Something jogged my remembry and I looked up both the 1904 HD race and the 1905 HD race at the Wis. State Fairgrounds. Duffy posted those census records and Edward Hildebrand wasn't listed nor was he in the city directory if I remember correctly. But Paul was. And Paul Hildebrand was at that race in 1905 riding a HD with Perry, Walter and Henry Meyer. I'm thinking Paul Hildebrand was racing that HD in 1904. Not Edward. It was pretty common back in those days for newspapers to get their information mixed up. In one of the 1905 articles in the Milwaukee Free Press they listed Perry as Percy. And Paul Hildbrand, like Perry, was a machinist and both Paul and Perry left HD and went their separate ways. Or did they? We know Perry went on to build automobiles around 1907/08 and Paul Hildebrand became a member of the Comet Motorcycle Club which also had members who rode Advance and Greyhound Motorcycles among others. Did Paul and Perry work on that 1904/05 HD motor? Did they help with both the Advance and Comet motor? All 3 motors were similar in design.

[brettxlch]

It would be nice if someone could makeup a list of say....1920 and back of all the american motorcycle makers...wonder how many small and forgotten names, their would be..

[Chris Haynes]

The club has that list. If I recall correctly over 350 known American brands prior to 1930.

[pem]

I would love to see that list. Anybody have it?

[duffeycycles]

I think the Hanlon Bros..buttheads that did EX/Hen had alist of 200 or so.Somewhere I have that.

[brettxlch]

I would love to see that list. Anybody have it?

I 2nd that didn't know it existed...

[Tommo]

This list appeared in Easyriders magazine in the early 1990's

[Tommo]

This list by Michael Gerald and Jim Lucas first appeared in Road Rider magazine in August 1979 and was updated in 1980

[Tommo]

Finally this list appears at the end of the United States section of Hugo Wilson's "Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle"

[pem]

Peter, thank you. I'm going to print them off and keep them with my research. It will be interesting going through them and comparing the info. We should be able to come up with some kind of figure but it would only be a educated guess.

By the way I rode your south island back in the early 2000's for three weeks. I'd move there in a heart beat but you Kiwi's have very good immigration rules to keep out crazy Americans. Good for you. We would only ruin your beautiful country. Not me of course. Ha Ha. I met a man from Wisconsin who road a farm tractor all over the island as his primary transportation. He was a character. I forget if he lived there or was on a Visa.

Loved riding through the Buller Gorge. Managed to avoid getting a speeding ticket some how. I have some really good memories.

[BigLakeBob]

Looking through the 'The Antique Motorcycle' magazine winter 1995 and found this which is some additional info for some of the above mentioned models.Mechanical Details p. 30.jpgMechanical Details p. 31.jpgMechanical Details p. 32.jpg

[pem]

Ya hey, came across this May 13, 1908 Milwaukee Journal newspaper clipping that I forgot I had. Should have been included in my Comet Motorcycle article. Thought this thread is as good as any to post it so it is in the public record.

Pretty much answers the question was the Comet motorcycle influenced by a pre-1908 Harley-Davidson. That would be definitely yes. Frank Kitlitchko was selling his "In excellent condition" Harley that he owned while building/designing his 1908 Comet. I'm guessing it was a 1906 or 1907 model Harley. And we can assume the same thing with the Advance motorcycle too. By May 1908 the first Comet motorcycle should have been finished. Along with the Advance.

Dick

[exeric]

You dig up the most amazing gems of lost history, Dick. Your determination, and research will remain in perpetuity via the internet; because the internet never forgets. . . Well, at least until the next nuclear war and humans go back to living in caves, and eating bugs. Seriously, I very much appreciate your efforts, and that you share your hard work with the old motorcycle community.