It is safe to say that, mere moments after the first primitive motorcycles appeared in public, boys everywhere began dreaming of the day that they could trade in their bicycles for one of these newfangled internal combustion-powered contraptions. Here Milwaukee’s Harley-Davidson sensed opportunity: Why not develop a line of Harley-Davidson bicycles to sell to these youngsters, allowing them to buy into the manufacturer’s cachet and—hopefully—build brand loyalty that might lead to a bigger purchase down the line?

This product line expansion, which lasted from 1917 through 1921, brought things full circle for Harley-Davidson, as the company had its roots in the development of an engine meant to be retrofitted to conventional bicycle frames. Sold through Harley-Davidson dealers, the bikes were actually built by the Davis Sewing Machine Company of Dayton, Ohio, and largely resembled the standard bikes sold by that concern under other brand names. Harley-Davidson-specific touches included a chainring incorporating the motorcycle company’s name, an attractive head tube badge, and a paint scheme that recalled the military motorcycles used in World War I.

Offered from the Sam and Emily Mann Collection is a circa 1919 “Motorcyke,” the bicycle model that, as the name suggested, most closely resembled its engine-powered counterparts. The Motorcyke featured a frame with a double top tube, with a sturdy truss fork at the front. The handlebars would have originally been of a braced motorcycle-style design, and the rider sat on a sprung leather saddle.

Now in restored condition, the bicycle sports modifications that give it the look of a vintage board-tack racer, including a bobbed rear fender, two-piece dropped handlebars, a set-back Lycett saddle, a cigar-shaped faux “tank” with a storage compartment (similar to a rare factory accessory item) and a seat tube-mounted toolbox, as well as a slightly later two-speed rear hub with top tube-mounted shifter. These are all custom touches very much in keeping with what an imaginative youngster might have carried out in-period. Note that some components, including the head tube badge, appear to be modern reproduction items.

“Too bad every boy can’t have a Harley-Davidson Bicycle,” said period advertisements for these interesting bikes. With relatively few examples having survived the past century in any condition, it is too bad that every collection cannot have one as well—which makes this particular “Motorcyke” all the more appealing to devotees of America’s most famous motorcycle company today.