Another Save Challenge Thread: Save Excelsior

Following a trend I seem to have started...:p

In 1931, Excelsior Motorcycles (the U.S. firm, not the same-named British one) was closed by the owner, Schwinn. Was it possible to keep the company in business? Could the Henderson brothers, the former owners (& IIRC still on the Schwinn board of directors), have bought out Schwinn's interest?
 
William Henderson was dead in 1922, and Tom had other interests. Why not save Beardmore, Scott, AJS, Matchless, Rudge, Velocette, Brough Superior, Vincent HRD, BSA, Villiers, Cotton, Douglas, Royal Enfield or Excelsior (British)?
 
Just Leo said:
William Henderson was dead in 1922, and Tom had other interests. Why not save Beardmore, Scott, AJS, Matchless, Rudge, Velocette, Brough Superior, Vincent HRD, BSA, Villiers, Cotton, Douglas, Royal Enfield or Excelsior (British)?
I could happily see Brough & Vincent saved, too. The others, I really don't care.:p

As for how Excelsior gets saved, I really don't much care there, either.;)
 
I could happily see Brough & Vincent saved, too. The others, I really don't care.:p

As for how Excelsior gets saved, I really don't much care there, either.;)

I suppose if you've never heard the banshee cry of a Scott wailing down Glencrutchery, or marveled at the 7R, G-50, Ulster, or Venom Clubman, you don't know they're gone.

Almost forgot the porcupine. Me bad.
 
Just Leo said:
I suppose if you've never heard the banshee cry of a Scott wailing down Glencrutchery, or marveled at the 7R, G-50, Ulster, or Venom Clubman, you don't know they're gone.
Y'r right.:p

Truth to tell, I'm lucky I even heard of Excelsior. (And I only know about the Vincent because of "Rockford Files".:p)
 
Truth to tell, I'm lucky I even heard of Excelsior. (And I only know about the Vincent because of "Rockford Files".:p)

The Vincent Black Shadow, like the Brough Superior, had an oversized speedometer tilted well up-right so you would know you were going well over the ton.
 
Save Excelsior

Instead of Ignaz shutting them down in 1931, I would have Indian not suffer so badly at the hands of their Board of Directors and thus have a pile of cash with which to make an offer to buy Excelsior-Henderson from Schwinn. Indian probably wouldn't have cared much for the Super X, but I'm sure they would have coveted Henderson's big powerful 4.

You know, the Super X was released in 1925 and was an inlet over exhaust (IOE) engine. (That is an "F" head, isn't it?) I know they were continuously updated and tinkered with every year. I've always wondered what, if anything, Excelsior had planned to replace the IOE engine on the Super X, the IOE concept being pretty long in the tooth by 1931.
 
hardrada55 said:
Instead of Ignaz shutting them down in 1931, I would have Indian not suffer so badly at the hands of their Board of Directors and thus have a pile of cash with which to make an offer to buy Excelsior-Henderson from Schwinn.
That strikes me as a kind of Packard-Stude merger: a failing company joining one that was otherwise successful, leading to a disaster.:eek: It also requires saving Indian, first, which is hard enough.
hardrada55 said:
Indian probably wouldn't have cared much for the Super X, but I'm sure they would have coveted Henderson's big powerful 4.
You know, the Super X was released in 1925 and was an inlet over exhaust (IOE) engine. (That is an "F" head, isn't it?) I know they were continuously updated and tinkered with every year. I've always wondered what, if anything, Excelsior had planned to replace the IOE engine on the Super X, the IOE concept being pretty long in the tooth by 1931.
Yep, that's an F-head. (I'd tend to call it a flatty, myself.) If Excelsior had replaced the IOE, it would probably be with an OHV.

The stupid part of the Excelsior shutdown is, sales hadn't slipped. They had orders outstanding, & their bikes were popular with police departments. IMO, they had a good chance of surviving the Depression, except for Schwinn.:rolleyes::confused: They didn't even really need an "angel", just somebody willing to run the business--& able to persuade Schwinn to sell.
 
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