Custom 1930 Henderson 'Streamliner'
Henderson produced 4-cylinder motorcycles from 1912 until 1931. They were the largest and fastest motorcycles of their time, and appealed to sport riders and police departments. Police favored them for traffic patrol because they were faster than anything on the roads. Henderson was a Chicago brand and one of the American 'Big Three' (with Harley-Davidson and Indian). The company began during the golden age of motorcycling, and ended during the Great Depression.
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The art deco influence is obvious; legendary automotive designer Harley Earl could have drawn those curves. It’s all the more unusual because the mechanicals are hidden: even at the height of the Art Deco movement, most motorcycles were a triumph of form over function, with exposed cooling fins, brake drums and suspension springs. The bike is owned by collector Frank Westfall of Syracuse.
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Sources: wikipedia.org / gatsbyonline.com
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The art deco influence is obvious; legendary automotive designer Harley Earl could have drawn those curves. It’s all the more unusual because the mechanicals are hidden: even at the height of the Art Deco movement, most motorcycles were a triumph of form over function, with exposed cooling fins, brake drums and suspension springs. The bike is owned by collector Frank Westfall of Syracuse.
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Sources: wikipedia.org / gatsbyonline.com
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Custom 1930 Henderson 'Streamliner'
Reviewed by Molac
on
5:03 AM
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Reviewed by Molac
on
5:03 AM
Rating:
"most motorcycles were a triumph of form over function"
ReplyDeleteI think you mean function over form? One of the reasons many people love many of the old motorcycles, very little form is there simply for form's sake, most of the design is driven by function.
You might mention that this was not built by Henderson, but a Henderson engine was used by the original designer, O. Ray Courtney back in 1934 and following the "streamlining" trends of the day seen first in airplanes then in automobiles.
You can see the complete and amazing story of the original builder on Antiquemotorcycling.org http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/index.php?page=Exhibit-A-Winter-2010
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