Coventry Eagle Motorcycle

To say the Coventry Eagle was a motorcycle
that few have ever heard of,..is a gross under-
statement. I have never seen one in person, but
only heard of them and seen them in photos while
doing this series on old bikes.
The Coventry Eagle was founded in 1890 by a
trio of business men in England. Alan Hotchkiss,
Percy Mayo, and John Meek put together the
capitol to start the business. The bikes were then
called MHM motorcycles...but in 1897 Meek left the
company and the name was changed to Coventry
Eagle. These bikes, although primitive by todays
standards, were extremely well built and very
reliable for the time. Early models featured a
3.5 horsepower single cylinder Villers engine, but
in1899 a 5 horsepower V-twin was added to the
options. Unable to secure a government contract,
the company ceased production of bikes during
World War I to help manufacture war goods. 1919
saw the company retool its bike line-up and by 1925
the Eagle could be purchased with a 125cc two-cycle
engine, or a 175cc four-cycle powerplant.. It was
1926 when the 'Flying 8' first appeared for Coventry
Eagle. This was a bike that would make other companies
take notice. It featured a 976cc JAP engine, heavy duty
forks, and a wheelbase of 59 inches. The Flying 8 was
also heavy for the time, tipping the scales at 395 pounds.
The Flying 8 had many similar features as found on the
Brough motorcycles. This was due to the fact that owners
Percy Mayo of Coventry Eagle and George Brough were
drinking buddies and shared many ideas over a pint at
the local pub. By 1928 the streamlined Flying 8 was
easily considered the most handsome of all English
bikes of the period. The stock market crash of 1929
took it's toll on the company as it did on the rest of the
world. In 1930 Coventry Eagle tried a lot of new
experimentation with exhaust, carburetion, and a new
pressed metal frame. In 1935 a new leaf spring rear
suspension was introduced, but labor problems across
England hampered production at Coventry Eagle. They
tried using engines from the Matchless company in
1937 to keep up with the competition, but when England
began to build up for World War II, it was the kiss of
death. By 1940 they closed up shop and went out of
business.

WWII Women Pilots

I thought I would take a break from the
motorcycle updates and blog on a story of
recognition that is long overdue.
The Womens Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
came into being in the early 1940's and over
50,000 women tried to get into the program.
While America needed every 'able-bodied'
young man for the war effort, there were still
some jobs in the military that women could fill.
They were immediately faced with discrimination
from the all-male world they invaded. The WASP
program itself was discriminating for the women
involved. A candidate needed 500 hours of flying
experience just to qualify. Male pilots did NOT need
that kind of background. The women that did become
WASP were paid 250 dollars a month (less than a male
pilot) but the females had to pay for their own lodging, meals, and
uniforms. Over 50,000 women applied for the program
when it was established, but only 1,830 were accepted.
The final number of graduates from the program is
listed as 1,074. The WASP did everything that was asked
of them. Some were flying chauffeurs for general
officers and some flew supplies, munitions, and food
to bases that needed them. The biggest number of WASP
were involved in the shuttling of airplanes from the
plants where they were built to their base of assignment.
The WASP were never given any rank but each was
simply called a Flight Officer. After the war ended in
1945 the program was abandoned. Now sixty-five years
later the women were finally recognized by their country.
Each has been awarded the 'Congressional Gold Medal'..
the country's highest award for it's citizens. One hundred
and seventy-five of their women flyers are still alive and
were brought to Washington DC for the honor ceremony.
Another 2,000 representatives of deceased pilots were
in attendance to receive their medals. The overdue
recognition was the idea of Senator Barbara Mikulski of
Maryland, who spoke at the awards ceremony, telling
the group, "you flew high for us when the nation was at
war,..and now you get the gold."

Vincent HRD Motorcycles

This is a motorcycle that never claimed to be
anything BUT the fastest bike ever made. The
Vincent idea from the very beginning was to make
a motorcycle that was faster than anything previously
manufactured.
The original company was located in Hertfordshire,
England and was called HRD after its
founder, Howard R. Davies, who was a World War I
pilot. He started his company in 1924 and built bikes
with the JAP engine, named after inventor James
A. Prestwich. Phil Vincent bought the HRD company
in 1928 and moved the facilities to Stevenage, England.
Beginning at the new plant the bikes were called
'Vincent HRD' and still used the JAP engines. At the
Isle of Man races in 1930 all three of the Vincent HRD
bikes broke down and the owner was not a happy
camper. A new engine and rear suspension was designed
for all newer bikes and this is where the Vincent really
started to make its mark on the world stage. The
cantilever rear suspension kept the drive wheel on the
ground better and the new engine design was a
500cc, 6.8:1 compression beast that put out 45 HP.
Remember this was 1931 when most motorcycles were
rated around 20-30 horsepower. From 1940 through
1944 the Vincent plant was devoted to the war effort
and produced munitions for the British Army. Even before
the war ended Phil Vincent was looking overseas to
the U.S.A. to market his motorcycles. In 1945 the first
American dealership to sell Vincent Motorcycles was
located in Philadelphia. All of the bikes coming to the
U.S. had the same logo on the tank as the European
models. It had Vincent in small type at the top of larger
letters HRD. Harley-Davidson protested the infringement
of their HD logo and henceforth all bikes were labeled
Vincent. Phil Vincent was never one to make a fuss over
the appearance of his bikes, as long as they went fast.
A Vincent was always black and chrome. In 1952 at the
request of others Vincent tried a new model that was
painted white and marketed under the name 'White
Shadow'. It sold 15 bikes worldwide and was never
heard from again. 1955 saw Russell Wright set a new
World Land Speed Record of 184.83 mph on a Vincent
Series D Comet. The early and mid 50's saw a drop in
the marketing of all British bikes and Vincent was no
different. Phil Vincent tried touring and three-wheel
models with no success. In December of 1955 at a meeting
of Vincent owners, Phil Vincent announced the plant
would be closing and he would not be making any
future motorcycles. Others have come along and tried
to reignite the Vincent magic, but without success.
Recently at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona an
immaculate 1954 Vincent Black Lightening sold for
one-hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.

Zundapp Motorcycles

The Zundapp motorcycle was an underdog
for its entire life. Having to run second best to
the much larger BMW company in Germany.
The Zundapp Motorcycle Company was founded
by Fritz Neumeyer and Friedrich Krupp. The Krupp
Arms Company was a major supplier to the
German war machine in both World Wars. The
new motorcycle company started manufacturing
in 1917, but it wasn't until 1921 when the first
cycles were sold to the public. By 1930 Zundapp
had 18% of all motorcycle sales in Europe. The
Zundapp Company was also instrumental in
assisting Ferdinand Porsche in the development
of the VW automobile. From 1936 through 1939
Zundapp supplied the German Army (Wehrmacht)
with 18,000 units of its model KS750 with sidecar.
The Zundapp featured an air-cooled twin cylinder engine
with its pistons opposing each other, a design
similar to the BMW Boxer engine. That also helped
fuel the fire between these two companies. At
the conclusion of World War II Zundapp moved
toward the scooter business and cut back on
production of motorcycles. Scooters and Mopeds
were aimed directly at a younger customer base.
In 1951 Zundapp produced the last of its larger
motorcycles and closed down the assemble line
as the company moved from Nuremburg to Munich
in search of a larger market. In 1980 Zundapp
models were moved to Ranipet, India and produced
by the same company that makes the Royal Enfield
bike. Even this move could not save the company
and in 1984 Zundapp declared bankruptcy and
closed down its operations.
I was in the 8th grade in 1958 and rode a Triumph
to school. There were a couple of guys that had
Zundapps and they had a sound all their own. They
did not have the power to challenge the Triumph
but they were distinct in their own way.

Indian Motorcycles

The Indian motorcycle was the first American
made motorcycle, having gone into production in
1901. It would be two years later for Harley-
Davidson. The two companies would be heavy
rivals for the next five decades. George Hendee
was the founder of the Indian and built them
from his plant in Springfield, Massachusetts. The
early models went by the name of Hendee and
by 1910 they were the largest manufacturer of
motorcycles in the world. In 1903 an Indian set
the world speed record for a motorcycle by posting
a speed of 56 mph over the one mile course. By the
1920's Indian was ready to branch out from their
single model. The most popular Indian was the
Scout, made from 1920 through 1946, and the
Chief, offered from 1922 through 1953. All during
the years Indian and Harley-Davidson battled to
be the number one producer of American-made
motorcycles. From 1928 to 1943 the two companies
battled it out on race tracks across the country. Board
tracks, dirt tracks, or anywhere they could meet, the
two heavyweights would do battle. 1953 saw the
original company fall on hard times and Indian was
forced into bankruptcy. Between 1953 and 1970 several
organizations imported foreign bikes into the United States
and labeled them as Indians before the patent office stopped
them. A new company in Gilroy, California began making
Indian motorcycles in 1999 under the name of "Indian
Motorcycle Company of America", but they too declared
bankruptcy in 2003. In 2006 another company acquired
the name and began manufacturing motorcycles in Kings
Mountain, North Carolina. As of this writing they are still
in business, but do a fraction of the business compared to
Harley-Davidson.

Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle

Here is another great motorcycle from the past
just so they never fade into oblivion without
someone remembering just how great they were.
This is the story of the Excelsior-Henderson
bike. While most early motorcycles concentrated
on single or twin cylinders, the Henderson was exclusive
with a four cylinder in-line engine. It was the
brainchild of William and Tom Henderson of Detroit,
Michigan. They manufactured their first bike in 1912
and it sold for $325. Remember that in 1912
a hamburger was a nickel. In 1914 the Henderson was the
first bike to feature another gear, as they introduced
a two-speed transmission. By 1917 they had moved
to a three speed transmission with the shifter alongside
the tank. From 1915 through 1930 the Henderson
was constantly breaking speed and endurance records.
It was also the first motorcycle to circumnavigate the
globe, doing so in 1913 by traveling 18,000 miles in
ten months. On June 13, 1917 Alan Bedell rode a
Henderson from Los Angeles to New York City in
seven and a half days,..a distance of 3,296 miles. Ignaz
Schwinn of the bicycle business, bought the Henderson
Company and moved the plant to Chicago, Illinois. It then
became known as Excelsior-Henderson. In 1920 the new
K Model featured a 79.4 cubic inch engine that put out
28 horsepower and was capable of 90 mph. A favorite of
many police departments was the 1927 'KJ model'
which featured a 40 horsepower engine capable of 116
mph. Excelsior-Henderson was constantly raiding rival
Harley-Davidson for engineers and technicians. Tuesday,
October 29, 1929 was the day the stock market crashed
and the world plummeted into the Great Depression. Excelsior-
Henderson lost an estimated ten billion dollars. Bike sales
for all companies fell off drastically. In the summer of 1931
Ignaz Schwinn closed down the motorcycle plant to keep
his bicycle plant in operation. In 1998 the great brand of
Excelsior-Henderson was attempted to be put back in
business. They sold about 2,000 motorcycles for a price
of $17,950 and went out of business in 1999. Another
great bike was gone.... but not forgotten.

Matchless Motorcycles

The Matchless Motorcycle was truly that...
unmatched. The bike will long be remembered
by the faithful, but the newer members of the
riding community really missed out on a great
bike.
The Matchless was the brainchild of inventor
Henry H. Collier. He opened his plant in Plumstead,
England (London suburb) in 1899 and was one
of the early believers in motorized bikes. His two
sons, Charlie and Henry, were both committed to
their fathers dream of motorcycling. Early models
used the JAP engines that were also in the Brough
bikes, but by 1912 Matchless offered their own
engines. The powerplants were varied from a
small two-cycle engine to a 750cc four-cycle
V-twin model. Charlie won the famed Isle of Man
TT Race in 1907 on a Matchless. Brother Henry won
the same race in 1909, and Charlie was back in the
winners circle again in 1910. Matchless lost out on
the bidding to supply the English Army with bikes
for World War I. BSA and Norton won the bid for
the Great War, but Matchless did furnish 80,000 bikes for
the British Tommys in World War II. Matchless was
taken over in 1966 by the Norton brand. They
continued to make bikes with the Norton label but the
bike was still a Matchless. In 1969 Norton dropped
the line of models that was the Matchless and the
world is the loser. I never had the chance to ride a
Matchless, but I have admired many of them. The
Lone Star Motorcycle Museum in Vanderpool, Texas
has a Matchless on display...and the owner told me
he had been offered $200,000 for it. He didn't take it.