Standard Oil Company

[c.o.]

Well Herb, my son and I took turns straining our eyes with a magnifying glass and came up with this much so far.............

"The Motorcycle

Is a machine that will carry a person at as high a rate of speed as is safe over roads and highways without fatigue to the rider. You sit on the machine with your feet on the coasters and guide; The Standard Oil Company's product does the work.

The machine is built in the most approved (?) heavy enough to withstand hard usage with non-puncturable tires, four inches in diameter. It will run uphill at a good rate of speed.

(then there's the blacked out shading that does contain only the odd legible word. I did note that Washington is the last word in that paragraph.)

It may be run at any speed from one to as many miles per hour as the operator has the courage to ride. May be Propelled by Foot Power if desired. The machine is guaranteed to be what is represented.

To Start the Machine

The machine is always ready to start and by switching the electric (?)"............

.........and this is where the ol' eyes said that's enough! It does look like it is a period ad of some sort and was at one time folded in three width wise. So the words on the creases are blurred. I wonder if Tod was contacted, if he would share a clearer image?

I'll take another stab at this tomorrow night.

[Chris Haynes]

I wonder why Todd Rafferty doesn't belong to the AMCA?

[HarleyCreation]

Herb, believe it or not the document came from a postage stamp size piece in the back of Tod Rafferty's book Classic American Motorcycles. I was looking for something else, noticed it and thought I throw it out there. The caption below the document says " A magazine piece on the history of the motorcycle. Shown is a small machine manufactured by the Standard Oil Company that resembles an 1894 Pennington." Maybe it's a mistake in print? Either way I think I may be able to bring the print in a little clearer in the book with a magnifying glass. When I get my hands on one, I'll give it a whirl and post what I find.

I have a couple Rafferty books, but not that one.

Rafferty is off by saying that it "resembles" the late 1894/1895 Pennington. That is the VERY machine: the original "Motor Cycle" right down to the name printed below it. If there is some Standard Oil connection we should add it to the story if possible.

I tried reading it again, but it's hopeless beyond a few stray words. It doesn't look like a "magazine piece on the history of the motorcycle" so much as an ORIGINAL period ad or prospectus for yet another incarnation of "The Motor Cycle" by Pennington. It looks like it may contain new and different information we haven't seen yet, which always gets me chomping at the bit.

It would be great if you can make out the text. Nothing about Pennington or who he was working with would surprise me. The guy was a totally unique phenomenon in American motorcycle history and really started things off with a bang.

[c.o.]

Herb, believe it or not the document came from a postage stamp size piece in the back of Tod Rafferty's book Classic American Motorcycles. I was looking for something else, noticed it and thought I throw it out there. The caption below the document says " A magazine piece on the history of the motorcycle. Shown is a small machine manufactured by the Standard Oil Company that resembles an 1894 Pennington." Maybe it's a mistake in print? Either way I think I may be able to bring the print in a little clearer in the book with a magnifying glass. When I get my hands on one, I'll give it a whirl and post what I find.

[HarleyCreation]

Good stuff!

I tried using a magnifying glass on the screen to read the text, but that didn't work at all....

I can't recall a Motor Cycle/Pennington/Standard Oil connection before this document.

Ran a search for "standard" thru my Pennington Data file.

Pennington was involved with Standard Machine Co. in 1880s, but that's not Standard Oil.

Also, guys in two of Pennington's later companies (1900 & 1909) were said to be connected with Standard Oil Co., but what Cory posted is earlier, c1894-95 and the original "Motor Cycle" as conceived and built by Pennington.

This sheet looks to be something different and important...if we could only read it!

We can date it to late 1894 thru 1895 because it's the later spark ignition job.

Excellent find, but what does it mean and how do we fit it in?

[HarleyCreation]

Has anybody seen any info on this machine before? I couldn't make the print any clearer. I can't even read the original, but what I can gather is it was made by the Standard Oil Company. I have no idea what year it is but it's obviously pretty early. It seems pretty clear that it was a Pennington copy. Now that I think of it the picture looks like the one in Herb's new article in the club mag, right down to the written word! Hmmm.... Any ideas Herb?

I believe this is the c1894-95 "The Motor Cycle" by Pennington and not a copy, but I can also vaguely make out the Standard Oil Co. words and not sure what it means.

It's a new document to me and we need to find a copy we can read as it probably contains new and significant information.

Cory, any chance of a more readable copy?

Great find!

[c.o.]

Has anybody seen any info on this machine before? I couldn't make the print any clearer. I can't even read the original, but what I can gather is it was made by the Standard Oil Company. I have no idea what year it is but it's obviously pretty early. It seems pretty clear that it was a Pennington copy. Now that I think of it the picture looks like the one in Herb's new article in the club mag, right down to the written word! Hmmm.... Any ideas Herb?