SUPERB POSTER MODEL FOR EXCELSIOR MOTORCYCLES

THE MOTORCYCLE DEVIL!

Framed model 143 x 88.5

Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was an American motorcycle factory founded in 1907 and based in Chicago1. In 1912, the company was bought by Ignaz Schwinn, owner of Arnold, Schwinn & Co bicycles.

In the same year, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially clocked at a speed of 100 miles per hour (161 kilometers per hour).

The Henderson Motorcycle Company became a division of Excelsior when Schwinn bought out Henderson in 1917 4 In 1928, Excelsior was the third largest motorcycle manufacturer in the United States behind Indian and Harley-Davidson. The Great Depression convinced Schwinn to close Excelsior in September 1931.

Competition

Joe Petrali, the famous American motorcycle racer of the 1920s, persuaded Ignaz Schwinn to revive Excelsior in competition. He helped the company design several racing engines which proved to be great successes in the hands of talented pilots.

Uniquely, Ignaz Schwinn agreed to let Petrali ride his own Harley-Davidson on tracks where he thought it was more competitive than his models. In 1927 Petrali won for Excelsior its first AMA 10 km dirt track championship ahead of Harley riders on the Milwaukee Mile.

In 1929, Petrali began his hill-climbing adventure with the brand, winning national championships on 45 and 61 ci Excelsiors in Muskegon, Michigan. Petrali's custom-built 61ci (1,000cc) big Excelsior was affectionately nicknamed "Big Bertha". Riding it, he became the first rider to climb many of the circuit's historic climbs.

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