Topic: Excelsior Henderson

[MikeSimon]

The "intellectual property" and the name (probably some still new bikes) of defunct Excelsior Henderson will be auctioned off at the Mecum auction in Las Vegas, January 2018. Interesting to see if someone with money and a plan will pick it up to revive it....

[BomberMann650]

I hope whoever does acquire henderson does better work than those awkward looking 90's cruisers.

[ekpent]

 Maybe be another feather in the cap for Polaris

[Bankerdanny]

Hopefully it doesn't go to yet another buyer that slaps in an S&S engine and calls it <insert classic make name here>.

[Rookster]

I had the opportunity to see the SuperX in about 1999.  They came with a demo model to meet the owner of Buffalo Harley Davidson and pitch him to become a dealer.  He let all the mechanics come out and get the spiel from the Excelsior Henderson sales people.  It was pretty cool.  The engine certainly wasn't a clone.  It was made by Weslake.  It had overhead cams and 4 valves per cylinder.  The entire bike was proprietary in that it was a completely new design.  It looked a little heavy but better looking than the Japanese cruisers.  The Victory came out at the same time and undercut the price of an HD while the SuperX was more expensive than the softail models.  It will be interesting to see if another motorcycle is built with the Excelsior Henderson name.  There probably isn't room for another American cruiser unless it is completely different than the HD and Indians currently available.

Scott

[BomberMann650]

I think these guys would be a good outfit to reboot the xcelsior legacy.

https://www.janusmotorcycles.com

[Bankerdanny]

I think these guys would be a good outfit to reboot the xcelsior legacy.

https://www.janusmotorcycles.com

I agree. They're based in Indiana and come over to the Chicago DGR and Motoblot. They are seriously cool looking bikes, but kind of spendy for such a small displacement and basic tech.

Royal Enfield would be an interesting buyer too. I doubt it is even on their radar, but they have the resources to develop a new engine and lots of experience with making new tech look vintage.

[BomberMann650]

A "royal xcelsior" would be interesting too. 

But admittedly, "not got fast enough for me"

A v-twin janus halcyon with a rear spring would just tickle me pink.

[BigJimG]

The Janus bikes really intrigue me.  Especially the Halcyon.  You are correct though, I would like a larger engine option, similar to the the Li-Fan V-twin or one of the larger singles.  The price is a little high, but you are getting a lot of really nice chassis components and the build quality, from what I have seen, is extremely high. 

[budman]

There's an uncrated 1999 EH Super X at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum that I saw last year.

[MikeSimon]

There's an uncrated 1999 EH Super X at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum that I saw last year.

Uncrated bikes This will always trigger a huge debate if and what these things are really worth. I bought a still-in-the-crate 1979 CBX this last summer after long negotiations with the owner. He thought it was worth an ungodly sum. It is only worth something outrageous for a museum which will leave the bike in the crate. As soon as you take it out of the crate, it becomes another very low mileage bike. You have to get it running to see if it is worth anything. Like many other motorcycle enthusiasts, I will not own a bike that I cannot ride. I am not in the museum business. Ergo, a bike in a crate has very limited appeal to me. They may be a part of history, but there is little real value in the market. Much like that Vic's early CB750 in another thread.

[Bankerdanny]

There's an uncrated 1999 EH Super X at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum that I saw last year.

Find a 1930 Excelsior Henderson still in its crate and you would have something, the 1999 version is an interesting footnote, but not really collectible even if it is rare.

[MikeSimon]

Find a 1930 Excelsior Henderson still in its crate and you would have something, the 1999 version is an interesting footnote, but not really collectible even if it is rare.

Don't want to be a smart aleck, but I think there never was a 1930 Excelsior-Henderson.  ;)There was an Excelsior, yes, but the bikes never had both names on them. Henderson became a division of Excelsior after Schwinn bought them in 1917. The BigX and SuperX were just Excelsiors.

[Bankerdanny]

Find a 1930 Excelsior Henderson still in its crate and you would have something, the 1999 version is an interesting footnote, but not really collectible even if it is rare.

Don't want to be a smart aleck, but I think there never was a 1930 Excelsior-Henderson.  ;)There was an Excelsior, yes, but the bikes never had both names on them. Henderson became a division of Excelsior after Schwinn bought them in 1917. The BigX and SuperX were just Excelsiors.

yes, I believe you are correct.