The Johnson Motor Wheel Company was an interesting late contender in the much crowded motorcycle market in the late 1910’s. Unlike most companies jockeying to create full bore motorcycles from the ground up, the Johnson Motor Wheel Company took a more casual approach to the field.
They offered a kit that could convert any bicycle of a 26” wheel size to a very lightweight motorcycle or motor bicycle- a bridge vehicle so to speak. The kit allowed bicycle enthusiasts to gradually get into motorcycles or the more lazy to get through terrain without much effort and with little cost. Laziness of course, was one such driving force for entering the market, as admitted by some of the Johnson brothers, who were the founders of the company. The motor wheel originally retailed for $80-$97.50 for the kit and at one point in their run, the company even had a fully pre-made bicycle + kit assembly that sold for $140...for those who didn’t even want to fiddle with the kit conversion.
