The American Motorcycle
THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE
A list of all 281 motorcycles made in America, where they came from, and when they died.
Michael Gerald
Jim Lucas
Whether you consider this as so much trivia, or as important historical research, doesn't matter. There have been at least 281 different motorcycles manufactured in the United States.
That’s right, 281. We have the names, almost all the dates and locations where they were produced, all this the result of years of research. That is a lot of motorcyles. Most of them were made in the early part of this century, when a person could buy an engine and a transmission and bolt them together in a frame.
As motorcycles grew more technologically sophisticated, motorcycle production became a job for bigger businesses. Less expensive cars meant motorcycles were no longer the only form
of inexpensive transportation.
Our list includes everything that can be considered a motorcycle. Even scooters are included. After all, the original motorcycles were much like current mopeds, with pedal starting and direct drive.
Also included are Honda and Kawasaki, manufacturers not limited to American facilities. American bike manufacturers have built motorcycles in other countries, too.
For the trivia buff, there are not American motorcycle names beginning with every letter of the alphabet. If you want a motorcycle name for every letter, there’s the Quadrant from Great Britain, the Ultima from France and the X-L-All from Britain.
Copyright 1979 Michael Gerald and Jim Lucas reprinted by permission of Road Rider Magazine
