made in indiana - Articles - Bikersinc2024-03-28T20:05:35Zhttps://bikersinc.org/articles/feed/tag/made+in+indianaE.J. Penningtonhttps://bikersinc.org/articles/EdwardPennington2018-08-15T14:30:00.000Z2018-08-15T14:30:00.000ZHannahhttps://bikersinc.org/members/Hannah<div><p dir="ltr"><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/EdwardPennington" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369221?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">Edward Joel Pennington was born in Moore’s Hill, Indiana in 1858. Although he didn’t stay in Indiana for very long, his early years in the state shaped him to automobile and motorcycle fame as well as equal infamy. Prior to moving to other parts of the Midwest and eventually Great Britain, E.J. Pennington first developed his ambitious and amazing skill at social engineering in various small Hoosier towns, where he conned people into investing in dud companies.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite his incredibly checkered past, Edward Joel Pennington had a passion for machines, going as far as having more than two dozen patents. He tinkered in engines and devices, even applying for some of the earliest motorcycle and automotive patents in the nation.</p>
<p>In 1893 Pennington submitted two documents detailing his versions of early motorcycles. The most interesting note is the fact that the term “motor cycle” is traced to these documents and exact year. Both documents declared Pennington as the assignor for the “Motor Cycle Company of Chicago.” Although the word originally appeared as a company designation, Pennington also promoted the term to encompass cycles with motors.</p>
<p><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/EdwardPennington" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369248?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>He showcased his motorcycle prototypes at various exhibitions in places such as Chicago and New York around 1895 to garner interest for investment opportunities in more dud companies.</p>
<p>It was Pennington’s testing and showcasing of the prototypes around that time in Milwaukee that had caught the eye of William Harley and Arthur Davidson, who would later on found the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company. They weren’t the only ones who were captivated by Pennington’s show of future potential. Henry Ford himself was also taken in by Pennington’s automotive ambitions, going so far as to later create an engine that looked similar to Pennington’s own, but mechanically more sound.</p>
<p>E.J. Pennington’s name was well known in early automotive and motorcycle circles due to his amazing promotional capabilities and often publicized his latest ventures in numerous papers. That fact is incredibly well documented in mechanics, patent, industrial, automobile and bicycle periodicals of its day. Even though his engineering skills were pretty questionable at best- doing what needed to be done in order to make pitches to investors, many marveled and admired his tenacity to be a visionary.</p>
<p>His enthusiasm for motorized vehicles no matter how shoddy his personal skills gave birth to automobiles and motorcycles that we know today. His death in 1911 was reported by dozens of periodicals and even though he was known as a charlatan and a swindler, his contributions to sparking the imagination and ambitions of many in the industry were well received.</p>
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</div>F.W. Spacke Machine Companyhttps://bikersinc.org/articles/SpackeMachineCompany2018-05-25T20:50:00.000Z2018-05-25T20:50:00.000ZHannahhttps://bikersinc.org/members/Hannah<div><p dir="ltr"><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/SpackeMachineCompany" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/126503965?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">F.W. Spacke Machine Company was founded in 1904 by Fred W. Spacke, a skilled machinist and inventor. Though born in Ohio, he moved to Indianapolis at an early age and well established himself in the state.</p>
<p>The F.W. Spacke Machine Company originally started as a modestly sized machining shop building air compressors, but soon expanded in 1907 to a larger facility. In the 1910’s the company was deeply involved in manufacturing engines for motorcycles.</p>
<p>In 1911 the company introduced a single chamber motor with a worm gear that drove a magneto, the only one of its kind in the US at the time. A twin version was also produced at the same time, though the patent application and approval were dated in 1913-1914. The motors proved to be well received by the industry. Its make was so popular that it was used by other motorcycle companies and models under the Spacke De Luxe brand name.</p>
<p><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/SpackeMachineCompany" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369309?profile=original" width="500" /></a> </p>
<p dir="ltr">Some of the companies that used the Spacke De Luxe motors were:</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr">-Sears (Dreadnought model)</p>
<p dir="ltr">-Dayton</p>
<p dir="ltr">-De Luxe</p>
<p dir="ltr">-Eagle</p>
<p dir="ltr">-Minneapolis</p>
<p dir="ltr">-Crawford</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/SpackeMachineCompany" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/126504013?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">During that same period, the F.W. Spacke Machine Company also made engines for cycle-cars, which were modified versions of the motorcycle engines. In 1913 the company expanded further to accommodate for the production of motors.</p>
<p>Fred W. Spacke’s death in 1915 ushered in a reorganization of the company and was renamed to the Spacke Machine and Tool Co. The reorganized company continued to produce the Spacke De Luxe engine, but approaching 1920, the engines were more geared toward cars.</p>
</div>Patee Motor Cyclehttps://bikersinc.org/articles/PateeMotorcycle2016-09-07T18:10:00.000Z2016-09-07T18:10:00.000ZHannahhttps://bikersinc.org/members/Hannah<div><p dir="ltr"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369312?profile=original" width="500" class="align-center">Half a year prior to Indian’s entry into the motorcycle world, there was an Indianapolis machine that already had a head start into the motorcycle revolution that was to come. The Patee Motor Cycle*. The machines were already in production and being sold throughout the US with extensive advertising running in periodicals such as <em>Scientific American</em>. It was only one of very select few mass manufactured motorcycles at the literal turn of the century.<br> <br> <img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369353?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="397" class="align-center"></p>
<p align="center"><em><strong>January 1901: Short article/ad on the Patee Motor Cycle.</strong></em></p>
<p dir="ltr"></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369408?profile=original" width="500" class="align-center"><strong><em>March 1901 advertisement: As you can see from the pricing differences, Indian was producing bicycles at this time.<br></em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><br> Patee Bicycle Company officially came into being in 1897 and formally recognized in 1899, however its existence had earlier beginnings. Fredrick Patee, the founder, had a long history with bicycles and in 1895 left his job as secretary of Indiana Bicycle Company to start his own company. After leaving, he soon became a manager to Peoria Rubber and Mfg Co. in Illinois which had recently organized in 1896, where the first Patee Bicycle came to be. Although Fred Patee eventually left after a year with the Peoria Rubber & Mfg Co. to officially start Patee Bicycle Company, the bicycles were still being produced by Peoria Rubber.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The next two years would see the production of Patee bicycles and Fredrick Patee eventually embroiled in personal issues of a dark nature.<br> <br> <img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369438?profile=original" width="500" class="align-center"></p>
<p align="center"><em><strong>February 1901: A trade journal article about the Patee Motor Cycle.</strong></em></p>
<p></p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369453?profile=original" width="500" class="align-center"></p>
<p align="center"><strong><em>1901 Indianapolis newspaper ad.</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><br> Sometime in 1900, Fredrick Patee returned to Indianapolis after purchasing the Hay and Willits Outing bicycle plant, Munger Cycle Company plant and JD Morris of Rochester NY. However the sales weren’t finalized and reported until the start of 1901. In January of 1901 Fred Patee made announcements in various bicycle periodicals that the Patee Motor Cycles would be sold starting February for $200. Various magazines and newspapers show advertisements being run throughout the year. Not only that, but in May 1901, the patent for the Patee Motor Cycle was officially filed with the US Patent office.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369462?profile=original" width="500" class="align-center"></p>
<p align="center"><strong><em>May 1901: Patee Motor Cycle patent.</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><br> In the same time frame, Fred Patee and Joshua Morris, the man who created the motors for the motorcycles also created a tandem motorcycle and showcased it in a bicycle magazine. Around June, the Patee Motor Cycle performed in a handicapped race at the famous Newby Oval, the predecessor to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Though things seemed to be going well for the bicycle/motor cycle company, things were quick to take a turn. Despite the fact that orders were pouring in for the Patee Motor Cycle, the company was struggling financially. It was revealed in July that Fred Patee owed money to various interests and couldn’t make his payments. In a last ditch attempt, he lowered the prices for the Patee Motor Cycle to $150, but it wasn’t enough to pull the company out of the financial mess.<br> <br> <img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369474?profile=original" width="354" class="align-center"></p>
<p align="center"><strong><em>June 1901: A Patee Motor Cycle wins at the Newby Oval.</em></strong></p>
<p><br> By May 1902, Patee Bicycle Company had completely dissolved, the last known information was of Joshua M. Morris moving back to New York to start the Morris-Corkhill Motor Co.</p>
<p>Many believe that if not for Fred Patee’s past indiscretions, which may have contributed to the financial downfall of the company, then Patee could have been a third motorcycle giant alongside Harley and Indian due to its considerable assets. At the time of acquisition in 1900, Outing was the best selling bicycle in America, Munger a strong contender and journals touted Morris’s engine as being reliable and all three companies had thrived in spite of the Panic of 1893 and the subsequent hard financial years that followed.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There is currently no known model of the elusive Patee Motor Cycle to exist to this day, though there are a few bicycles that bears the marque. The interesting prototype tandem motorcycle is also lost in time.<br> <br> <img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369508?profile=original" width="500" class="align-center"></p>
<p align="center" strong=""><strong><em>May 1901: Fred Patee (Left) and Joshua Morris (Right) with their tandem motorcycle.</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br> Today, the remnants of the factory that used to produce one of the earliest motorcycles can be found near the intersection of W 18th and Gent Ave. The dealer who sold Patee’s bicycles and motorcycles occupied 359 Massachusetts Ave, the same block where Harry L. Dipple would years later sell Harleys, thus continuing Indiana’s saga in motorcycle history.</p>
<p><br> <em>*Motor Cycle vs. Motorcycle: It was common from the late 1880's up until about the 1920s for people to use the term motor cycle more frequently than motorcycle.<br></em></p></div>Great Western Mfg Cohttps://bikersinc.org/articles/GreatWesternMfgCo2016-05-17T16:45:53.000Z2016-05-17T16:45:53.000ZHannahhttps://bikersinc.org/members/Hannah<div><p><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/GreatWesternMfgCo" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/126504420?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">The Great Western Manufacturing Company of LaPorte, Indiana was primarily founded by John Lonn and his son Edward Julius Lonn in 1899-1900. Prior to that, the business went by name of John Lonn and Son, which originally started as a hide/tannery shop that shifted to making harnesses for horses. By natural progression the business then gravitated toward bicycles. A little before the reorganization of the old company to the new, Edward Lonn bought out Crown Bicycle Co, which provided the stepping stone to the start of Great Western’s growth.</p>
<p>Though the new company was originally a conglomeration of partnerships with other companies, the Lonns swiftly bought out their partners. By 1903 the Great Western Manufacturing Company owned Adams & Westlake, David Bradley Companies and Wisconsin Wheel Works- consolidating them and moving most of their production and operations from their original locations to LaPorte, Indiana. It is interesting to note that by 1903-1904 Great Western was considered the largest independent bicycle concern (business group) in the United States, outstripping ABC (American Bicycle Company).</p>
<p><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/GreatWesternMfgCo" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/126504343?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>In 1904-1905, the company ventured into motorcycles. More specifically the interesting “America” motorcycle. The engine was made by Thor (Aurora Automatic Machinery Company) and the rest by Great Western. At the time many manufacturers were creating motorcycles based on the early Indian and the America shared many similarities. However what made “America” stand out from its other counter parts of the day was the lack of handlebars. Instead, the curious motorcycle employed the use of a steering wheel. In fact the steering wheel itself has a patent where it was to be used for automobiles, bicycles and other vehicles.</p>
<p>And yes, Great Western even created a bicycle using said steering wheel through their Crown line.</p>
<p>This bicycle shown below was sold at an auction and surfaced at a Wheelmen Meet in 2013. You can see the close similarities between the bicycle and the "America."</p>
<p><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/GreatWesternMfgCo" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/126504425?profile=original" width="300" /></a></p>
<p>Though the venture was short lived and mostly a novelty, Great Western interestingly enough had a bicycle line called the “America” in the 1910’s that continued production into the 1920’s.  </p>
<p><a href="http://bikersinc.org/articles/GreatWesternMfgCo" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2369394?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
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