| At the beginning of the 1900's, there were over 300 motorcycle builders in the U.S. The first bikes were bicycles with powerful 3-5 h.p. gasoline combustion engines, beefed up with strut front ends and bigger balloon tires - names like Pope, Thor, Yale, Henderson and Curtiss. Remember Curtiss? He was a bicycle builder/racer known for his developing an experimental machine called the "Aeroplane", along with the Wright brothers! Most of those names were gone soon after the depression. Others, like Indian and Harley survived, building bigger and faster machines, competing in races on actual oval board tracks all over the country. At first, top speeds were 30-40 mph. These were truly the days of speed, guts and glory! By the 20's, v-twins were around and speeds over 100 m.p.h. were common. Board track racing rules required push starts and no brakes! Brave souls rode these bone shakers with the wind in their hair, bugs in their teeth and the smell of gas and oil filling the air! | Today, if you can find the real deal, these early motorcycles would cost $50,000 or more. With many years experience building bikes and restoring antique trucks, I decided to enjoy history in a whole new way. My son and I build early 1900's replica board track racers from scratch! We construct, paint, letter and pinstripe these bikes to order and at a fraction of the price that you would expect to pay for an original. Yours can have the patina of the "fresh from the barn" look or the "just out of the showroom glitter. Own a piece of history to ride and enjoy or display and make everyone else envious! Enjoy some of our photos on the Gallery page! |
Contact us by phone 603-267-1800 or email dan@adelsigns.com
Website designed by Dan Adel