Pennington

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by Earl
Is there any possibility of posting some Pennington project progress pictures? Even if posted here on the club website, this reproduction project would make for a great article for the club magazine.

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing the project roar to life at Davenport !!!!

Earl,

I agree. This project is simply wonderful and long needed to fill in a forgotten chapter in American motorcycle history.

Along with Pete's project the full tale of Pennington and his fabulous Motor Cycle (along with his other inventions) is very interesting indeed, and like I think that I've said before, would make a fabulous movie!

I'm saving my pennies for gas-money and hope to see the "Motor Cycle" at Davenport!

[Pete Gagan]

Hi Earl:
I've sent a couple of progress pictures to Adminguy to put up. The bike is now about 90% assembled with paint, plating, etc. I've also got the two coils and long mingling spark plugs pretty well dialed. If any of you are planning on attending that "concourse" in Half Moon Bay CA in a couple of weeks, I hope to have it there, but it won't be quite ready to jump any rivers yet.
Pete

[AdminGuy]

Pennington update photo one.

[AdminGuy]

Pennington update photo two.

[c.o.]

That's one cool bike Pete!!

[HarleyCreation]

Wow!

That thing really looks authentic from the old illustrations, photos, and patent drawings I have seen.

Pete:

Do those cylinders have water-jackets?

What is that front tire? Almost looks like an inner tube. Or did you sand off the tread or what?

Pennington's only lasting invention seems to be the balloon tire which didn't reappear on motorcycles for many years.

Oh yeah, and his trade name: "Motor Cycle" which in American became "motorcycle" but in England remained "motor cycle" and are still with us yet.

For those not real familiar with Pennington or his invention, it's not really "Pennington's motorcycle" because that term hadn't come into use yet, but was "The Motor Cycle" by Pennington because that was his specific trade-name for this new and exciting device that was supposed to take the world by storm, but alas....

On pix #1 is that a cycle-car in the background or am I seeing an optional illusion there?

[Pete Gagan]

Hi Herb:
There are no water jackets on the cylinders. There were water cooled cylinders on the later three wheeled Pennington Torpedo, or "raft" as it was called by some, and that chassis survives in the Beaulieu museum in England. The bike was air cooled.
T W Blumfield, who rode the bike at Coventry, wrote in 1931 that in spite of having no cooling fins, overheating wasn't a problem, the main one being the ignition. Because there is no crankcase, and due also to the direction of travel, air would actually be blowing on the bottom of the pistons, which would help considerably. Also, the valves are located in remote pods. Blumfield said his most successful ride was 10 miles non-stop on the Coventry cycle track, with an average speed of about 35 mph with occasional bursts to 60 or so when it got going well. Mixture control was tricky with no throttle valve, just a needle valve allowing fuel to drip into the open manifold.
The front wheel and tire were a lucky acquisition. It was an odd size, and it turned up at Dick Winger's museum. When I told him its use, he gave it to me. Its a landing wheel off a Curtis Jenny, a ww-1 training plane. The tire is original, a bit hard and cracked, but I'm not intending to ride too far. Also, what could be more suitable than an aircraft wheel for a motorcycle that flies?
The three wheeled cycle car in the background is my 1933 Morgan Super Sports, powered by an 1100 cc JAP twin.
Pete

[Earl]

I agree with you Herb,.......

WOW !!!!

High, Ho, Silver,...........

and away !!!!!

[HarleyCreation]

Pete:

Yeah, wasn't Blumfield the same guy who used like 27 igniters (or some such number) to make a modest distance ride?

I'd have to go back and review my Pennington files, but it seems to me there was mention of a water-jacketed Motor Cycle in the USA and I want to say the tandem-bike version.

Pennington had so many inventions and variations of inventions it's tough to keep track of them all.

But what you say about air blowing on the bottoms of the pistons and the valves located in remote pods also makes sense about the cooling effect of the (blush) "naked" cylinder model.

But beware of falling under the Pennington Mystique!

Good find on the Jenny tire and wheel!

Nice cycle-car! With $3 gas it almost seems like it's time for the modern reincarnation of the cycle car concept.

Earl: I think re-creating these historically important but lost motorcycles is a great thing. I was long hoping for a Pennington Motor Cycle re-creation as it has long flown (pun intended) under the historical radar screen and did not get the recognition that it and its inventor deserved.

And now that we know what the first Harley single and twin looked like.....

[knossos99]

who invented what?

Did Pennington claim to invent the balloon tire? My books and web searches all say that Mr Dunlop created it in 1887 for his grandson's tricycle. He patented it in 1888. However in 1845 a Scott named Thompson had made pnuematic tires too.

I don't want to discredit Pennington (or Pete Gagan!) but coil ignition and gasoline power was also in use before Pennington's 1894 bike. Edward Butler in England used it on his 3 wheel "petrol cycle' in 1884-1996. In addition, he is credited with inventing spark plugs, magneto and coil igntions, and the spray jet carburator, and coined the word "petrol".

His cycle was cut up for scrap in 1896, as the Brit laws required walking flag wavers ahead and behind vehicles. Being restricted to 2 or 3 mph was too slow to be worth the effort I guess.

I haven't come across any other reference to coining the word 'motorcycle" so maybe Pennington did come up with that. I recall reading a story that "motocycle" (no R) was the winning name in a public contest run by Hendee and Hedstrom to name their new cycle way back when.

No matter what Pennington did or didn't invent, Pete's bike will be great to see at Half Moon Bay this weekend.

cheers
Pete


[QUOTE]Originally posted by HarleyCreation
[B]Wow!


Pennington's only lasting invention seems to be the balloon tire which didn't reappear on motorcycles for many years.

[knossos99]

One neat trick in Pennington's 1896 patent is that he routed the motor exhaust through the frame, to heat the footpegs and handgrips. A very interesting idea!

pete

[Pete Gagan]

Hi Pete
You are correct in your facts regarding the pneumatic tire, which was not Pennington's idea.
The 'balloon tire", appears to be his, however, and refers to the relatively low pressure, fat cross section, which didn't re-appear untill the mid twenties.
I'd like to see your Butler research some time. Maybe at Half Moon Bay?
The IPO of the Pennington Motor Vehicle Company (2006) will be announced soon.
Pete Gagan

[knossos99]

IHi Pete. Sign me up for your IPO!

Info on Butler is available on the web. A quick Google search gave me these pages:

http://www.muzej-motociklov.com/muse...story1885.html
http://pages.zoom.co.uk/elvis/butler.html
http://www.ozebook.com/butler.htm

Similar info is the old books. I don't think it is Tragatsch, but it's in Caunter's "motorcycles, a technical history" and Clymer's "history of motorized vehicles" and other books like that.

There exists only one or two photos of the cycle, which are owned by the Science Museum in London.

It was an interesting vehilcle, with two big wheels in front, and the driving wheel in the back.

It would be a great one to replicate. hint hint...

cheers,
Pete

Originally posted by Pete Gagan
Hi Pete
You are correct in your facts regarding the pneumatic tire, which was not Pennington's idea.
The 'balloon tire", appears to be his, however, and refers to the relatively low pressure, fat cross section, which didn't re-appear untill the mid twenties.
I'd like to see your Butler research some time. Maybe at Half Moon Bay?
The IPO of the Pennington Motor Vehicle Company (2006) will be announced soon.
Pete Gagan

[HarleyCreation]

If I remember correctly, Pennington had a patent on his balloon tire taken out around 1894 while he was based in Cleveland where he created quite a stir before skipping town.

In fact, I believe it was in Cleveland where he improved the Motor Cycle into it's later two-cylinder form.

Some of his designs also used wick-ignition.

I had forgotten about the exhaust-heated grips and footrests but that rings a bell.

That was part of Pennington's strategy: Keep making "improvements" and announcing new inventions which needed further development and funding for vast new factories which postponed actual production.

My favorite Pennington invention is still the gasoline-powered baby buggy.

I wonder what his speed claim was for that thing? Who controlled it? The baby or the mom?

With Pennington it's hard to know....

[HarleyCreation]

Re: who invented what?

Originally posted by knossos99



I haven't come across any other reference to coining the word 'motorcycle" so maybe Pennington did come up with that. I recall reading a story that "motocycle" (no R) was the winning name in a public contest run by Hendee and Hedstrom to name their new cycle way back when.

About the term "motorcycle":

I wouldn't bet that Pennington was the very first to use the term "motorcycle" in a generic sense applied to some form of powered vehicle (altho he may have been).

What Pennington did was specifically apply the name "Motor Cycle" (in capital letters) as a title or trade name just for his gasoline-powered 2-wheeler. There would be a picture of his wheel and then big words: "The Motor Cycle" and/or "The Motor Cycle Company."

Pennington wanted everyone to think of that name when they saw his machine, promised to be produced in the tens of thousands in the 1890s!

He didn't call it a "Pennington."

While his device was defective, the motor-cycle name appears to have stuck to this day for 2-wheelers that run on gasoline.

If not for Pennington's influence, the words "motorcycle" may have gone on to describe any number of 2- 3- 4-wheeled vehicles, etc. Because for a time those terms were used that way in a broader or generic sense.

This naming thing is an interesting study.