Henderson Long Tank
Henderson Long Tank
Henderson Long Tank
Henderson Long Tank
Henderson Long Tank

History

The American Henderson Motorcycle Company was formed in 1911 by William G. Henderson in partnership with his brother, Tom W. Henderson. Henderson produced 4-cylinder motorcycles from 1912 until 1931. In 1917, the company was bought by Schwinn Manufacturing Company which built the Excelsior range of motorcycles.

The 1915 Henderson Model D has a 65 cubic inch, 7 horsepower, four cylinder engine. It has a 2 speed gearbox incorporated in the rear hub. Henderson motorcycles were the largest and fastest motorcycles of their time, and they appealed to both sport riders and police departments.

Police favored them for traffic patrol because they were faster than anything else on the roads at the time. The company began during the golden age of motorcycles and ended during the Great Depression.

This is one of only two American made motorcycles to win the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

"The longest, most difficult, and most perilous motorcycle journey ever attempted," is how The Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review described New Yorker Carl Steams Clancy’s circumnavigation of the world in 1912. Clancy’s steed was a Henderson Four, and if there was any doubt that the Detroit-based manufacturer built the fastest and most robust motorcycles, his 19,000-mile feat of endurance dispelled it.

If, for many European lovers, American motorcycles are essentially V-twin, it is an inline four-cylinder which is the soul of this magnificent Henderson Model D.

Brothers Henderson, William and Tom, whose grandfather founded a car factory in 1887, decided in 1909 to design what was to be the best motorcycle in the world! Equipped with an engine inspired by the Belgian FN, which appeared in 1905, the Henderson prototype emerge in 1911. From 1913, the World Motorcycle Review announced that the New Yorker Carl Steams Clancy had just realised a motorcycle round-the-world trip, riding his 1912 Henderson Model A! Highly mediatized, this feat established the reputation for robustness of the Hendersons.

The last model equipped with the spectacular long frame, this Henderson D outing of the Detroit factory in 1915. The centerpiece of the Henderson, the magnificent 1075 cc engine, one of the contemporaly smoothest and noiseless, develops 7 hp and allows this machine to reach a "crazy" speed of 115 km / h! A manual crank start, a clutch, one gear and a rear hub, accommodating a drum brake, make the Henderson a modern and luxurious machine.

Facing financial difficulties due in part to the war, the Henderson brothers sold the brand in 1917 to Ignaz Schwinn, owner of Excelsior. Production moved to Chicago and these beautiful machines were renamed Excelsior Henderson.

1915 Henderson Motorcycle

  • Year Built: 1915
  • Vehicle Type: Motorcycle
  • Built By: Henderson Motorcycle Company
  • Engine: 1075 cubic inch, 7 horsepower engine
  • Transmission: 2 speed gearbox at rear hub
  • Owner: Mike & Karen Madden