The iconic American roadster from the 1910s is marking its presence again with a modernized appeal all thanks to Stephen Wright. Yes, I’m talking about the Cyclone motorcycle designed and developed originally by Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company. This performance roadster was way ahead of its time as it was capable of reaching speeds over 150 km/h, driven by a 996cc engine.
The bike made frequent appearances at the board track racing circuits until 1917 when other bike makers offered cheaper versions. Ultimately the Joerns’ had to sell it to Ignaz Schwinn of Excelsior Motor Company who later developed many machines engineered on the two-wheeler. The Cyclone motorbike was officially discontinued in 1920, and to date, only a handful of examples have survived the sands of time. In fact, only 14 bikes exist in current times, and five of them are pure racing versions. That’s how exclusive this classic actually is!
Designer:
It is hard to believe that the motorcycle is more than a century old and still in sublime condition. Most of that can be attributed to Stephen’s effort in restoring the yellow-painted V-twin bike. For the unassuming, the two-wheeler could be nothing special, but for collectors, it is a prized possession. This was the first ever overhead-camshaft motorcycle and since there were only a limited number of units churned out in the three-year-long manufacturing run, the bike was second to none. Being powered by a 61ci air-cooled OHC engine configuration, having a Schebler carburetor mated to a single-speed transmission controlled via a foot clutch, the machine churned out 45 horsepower. That amount of thrust for a bike in the early 1900s was totally unheard of. Also, it is worth mentioning that the two-wheeler’s engine employed self-aligning roller bearings instead of the more commonly used plain bushes. These were in place to adjust for the misalignment of the engine due to vibrational movement.
The engine combustion chamber has an elongated dome-shaped configuration and classy fenders which lends the bike a distinct persona in the signature yellow hue. Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company also sold the bike in blue color, but for this one-off restoration, Stephen opted for the eye-popping color. As mentioned on the auction website, the bike was a bit fragile when going over speeds of 150 kilometers, since it depends on the small metal well filled with oil for lubrication that drips on the two camshafts.
To get over this issue, the rider has to stop occasionally and add more oil to the cam drippers. But that won’t be necessary as we rarely have street-legal bike riders get an empty stretch of the highway to take such an exclusive piece of history for a spin over speeds of 150 kmph. For the undisclosed proud owner who bought it off the auction for 1.32 million, this is going to be the centerpiece of the garage.
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