819 cc, 8-10 hp, air cooled V-Twin engine with chain drive.

• Top of the line offering for 1913

• Restored example with period accessories

The Excelsior Motor Manufacturing and Supply Company was founded in Chicago, Illinois by Ignatz Schwinn, the famed bicycle manufacturer in the late 1800s, to supply parts for the booming bicycle industry. The first complete ‘autocycle’ built from this subsidiary of Schwinn arrived in 1907. Very well built and innovative for the era, it had a single-cylinder F-head, autocycle engine and could achieve an impressive 40 mph. Excelsior used the term autocycle until production ceased in 1924.

Leveraging the might of Schwinn, Excelsior benefited from established distribution and sales channels and grew quickly. By the ’teens, Excelsior had become the third largest motorcycle manufacturer in the United States behind Indian and Harley-Davidson.

In 1913 Excelsior produced two lines of autocycles: the 4 series and the 7 series. The 4 series came with a 4-5 horsepower single-cylinder engine, whereas the 7 series featured Excelsior’s new X-Series engine, an 819-cubic centimeter air cooled V-Twin that produced 8-10 horsepower. Either series could be had as a “B” or “C,” indicating that it featured either a belt drive or chain.

The Excelsior Autocycle Model 7C offered here was the top-of-the-line offering for 1913 and is beautifully restored with an assortment of period-correct accessories; it has acetylene head and taillights with Presto-O-Lite bottle, a Claxon horn, Troxel seat and Excelsior floorboard, a feature that was not offered on production autocycles until 1914. Finished in elegant grey and red, it would make an outstanding display piece for any vintage motorcycle collection.