Sears Dreadnought
Sears Dreadnought was a motorcycle sold by Sears in the 1910s.[1] The motorcycle featured a 70.62-cubic-inch (1,157.3 cm3) V-twin made by Spacke.[1] It was sourced from Spacke's cyclecar and had 9 horsepower (6.7 kW).[1] This engine was also used by Dayton, Eagle, Minneapolis and Crawford.[2] In addition to the internal combustion engine, it also had foot-pedals like a regular bicycle.[3] (This was for getting the engine started as the kick start had not been invented yet.)
The motorcycle was a designed for Sears in conjunction with Excelsior Company of N. Sangamon Street, Chicago.[4] They put together popular components and features of the period including the Spacke V-twin engine, a Schebler carburetor, Musselman hub, chain drive, etc.[5] It was offered with various options such as a two-speed hub and a lightning package.[6]
Sears sold the motorcycle like its other products via mail order for 250 dollars in 1913.[1] People would shop out of large catalog of thousands of items rather than the local store, then the product would be delivered to them.[7] Sears sold motorcycles from 1912 to 1916.[1] The motorcycle is also called the Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin.[8] DeLuxe was the marque of the Spacke engine company and was on the engine itself.[9]
By the year 2001 it was thought about ten Sears Dreadnoughts remain, and one went for a Sotheby's auction for over 100,000 USD.[10] By the end of the 20th century the motorcycles of this era were lauded as works of art, being featured for example in the prestigious Guggenheim Museums.[11]
Features
See also
- Thor Model U (A contemporary of the Sears model in the 1910s)
- Harley-Davidson Model 7D (another contemporary, came out in 1911)
- FN Four (a Belgian motorcycle of the period)
- List of motorcycles of the 1910s
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 913 Sears Dreadnaught V-Twin Share Mail-order motorcycling, from Indiana to your doorstep
- ↑ National Motorcycle Museum Featured Motorcycle 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin
- ↑ Old Motorcycles Take the Stage By JIM McCRAW Published: September 14, 2001
- ↑ 1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
- ↑ 1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
- ↑ 1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
- 1 2 3 4 Sears 1913 9HP Dreadnaught 1157cc 2 cyl ioe
- ↑ National Motorcycle Museum Featured Motorcycle 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin
- ↑ Spacke And the CycleCar Era
- ↑ American Motorcyclist Dec 2001
- ↑ Old Motorcycles Take the Stage By JIM McCRAW Published: September 14, 2001
- ↑
Further reading
- A 1913 issue of Motorcycle Illustrated gives a window into the World the Sears De Luxe Dreadnought was a part of Links to Google Books)
- Website about spake Spacke