the first Harley's

[Ross]

That's a great article. I had always heard that the Motor Company made 5 machines in 1905 and possibly 2 prototypes in 04. That report would support what Herbert Wagner has researched over the years. Nice to see a clipping like that still surfacing.

[pem]

Prophetic article

Came across this article from 1906 this weekend in my old files. May 31, 1906 Motor Way magazine. Talk about being prophetic. Can't remember if I had posted it before and a search turned up no results. Old age!

[c.o.]

Whoa! That pic just got a tad cooler! I'm leaning toward the low budget idea. That strap tank is a dandy but man that home brew bike is cool!

[silentgreyfello]

Very cool picture! My guess is a low budget bike. The guy had another contraption that needed a motor. Wow, that's neat! I'll take the second one from the right, though.

[marsh1915hd]

It has a light.

[jurassic]

Here's the whole picture. I think the custom bike is a racer. No license plate. Also check out the 1907 Harley.

Wait a minute, there is a license plate on the front axle. So he must have ridden it on the street.

[harleytoprock]

We don't need no stinken cranks,fenders,muffler or springs!

[exeric]

Do you think that was a street rod of the day, or a weekend racer? I notice there are no pedal cranks, no fenders, no muffler, and a rigid front fork. Even by the standards of that time, it seems like a pretty uncivilized bike for the street.

[c.o.]

Wow!!! That's a cool one! I guess some folks that bought engines off the MotorCo. actually built motorcycles around them. Thanks for posting that shot!

[jurassic]

This early photo just showed up. Appears to be a custom made bike powered by a very early harley engine. A 6 bolt engine. The photo is dated 1908

[c.o.]

http://www.prewarcar.com/magazine/previous-features/ressurection-of-a-mack-stephens-015294.html

[c.o.]

That's some interesting news for sure. Thanks for posting that WebKahuna!!! Now we just need some pics!!!

[WebKahuna]

FYI

I got an email from someone using the contact site link, Here's the mail in case anyones interested
Gary,

The following message was sent to you via the AMCA Forum Contact Us form by
Dennis Eggert ( mailto:steco1911@aol.com ).
Referring Page:
http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/bbo...arley-s/page39
--------------------------------

We have an engine described above. Perry Mack use to work for H.D. Ours is
one of those engines which was modified to be used in a 1909-12 Steco
cyclecar. After more than 100 years in storage, we have it running for the
first time since it was stored in 1914 where we found it in an attic with
the other pieces of the collection, a 1911 Steco Areohydropalne, a 1909
Gnome Omega 7 cylinder rotary engine and the cyclecars.

--------------------------------
In a message dated 11/30/2011 3:57:11 P.M. Central Standard Time, WebKahuna@amcaamc.org writes:
Dennis
Thank you very much for the information. I assume you couldn't post to the
forum. Do you mind if I post the information or pass it on to a couple of
the guys who did post there. I wouldn't be surprised if some would like to
contact you with questions too. So if you give your permission I will supply
your email too. Once again thanks for the input and I won't do anything with
the information until I get instructions from you
Best Regards
Gary
AMCA Forum Moderator


No problem. We even have a DVD video of the Mack/Stephens engine running on September 24, along with the Gnome engine run an a history of the collection if anyone is interested.

Denny Eggert
(edited out phone number)

[c.o.]

Dick!!!

It's funny how Mr. Mack keeps showing up and is still, for the most part generally overlooked when it comes to popular H-D history. Without a doubt he is a significant connection when it comes to the "early" years. It doesn't seem too hard to picture what a Tri-Car would look like in 1906. What a find that would be!

Bill,

That was an interesting piece on USPS history. It seems like a grey area when it comes to the part regarding Tri-Cars with no specified marque mentioned though. I have seen early ads for the Indian version. It's hard to tell when it comes to the picture link you posted. If I were to guess it looks like a Indian Tri-Car from the teens.

[23JDCA 808]

You might try Googling Harley Davidson tricar 1906
I found one reference at USPS Servi-Car History | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8654448_usp...#ixzz1bG5qfjPl
“The Tri-Car: In 1908, the Postal Service experimented with three-wheeled motorcycles, the forerunner of the Servi-Car, for mail. According to the U.S. Postal Museum, these vehicles solved the problem of where to put the mail, but they did not perform well on rural roads and the USPS eventually abandoned the plan to use them. They motorcycle and sidecar combination held up better on long rural routes, though maneuvering with the sidecar took skill and the amount of mail a carrier could handle was limited.”
Indian had ad for their “Tri car” before 1906.

http://motorbicycling.com/attachments/f44/36205d1305689720-indian-tadpole-indian-tri-car-2.jpg