The world of motorcycling has always been heavily populated by dreamers and charlatans. I suppose such a statement could be applied to most business sectors, but in motorcycling it can be particularly hard to tell who is who. Is a person naive or nefarious; sometimes even the person themself doesn’t know.
That’s essentially the story of Minnesota’s other motorcycle brand: Excelsior-Henderson.
That’s not to be confused with Excelsior and Henderson, two American companies founded in the early 20th century. Nor the Minnesota towns of Excelsior and Henderson. In 1917, Excelsior (the Chicago-based motorcycle company) bought out Henderson (the Detroit-based motorcycle company), and both were shut in 1931 under the weight of the Great Depression. Naming rights went to bicycle manufacturer Schwinn and sat untouched until 1993, when they were bought by Minnesota businessman Dan Hanlon.
With his brother, Dave, he went to work raising an impressive $100 million to create a company that could rival Harley-Davidson. Most of the money came from the state of Minnesota and Belle Plaine, a small town roughly halfway along the flat and windy road from Minneapolis to Mankato. It was here that the brothers built a massive factory, promising up to 20,000 bikes a year and all the good jobs that go along with such an endeavor.
Some questions were raised about the scale of Excelsior-Henderson ─ Wouldn’t it be wiser to start much smaller and slowly build things up? ─ but the brothers were pertinacious in their optimism, and state and local officials were, in hindsight, perhaps a little blinded by it.
In 1999, Excelsior-Henderson produced this bike, the Super-X. Driven by a 1386cc air-cooled V-twin engine, it promised peak power output of around 65 horsepower ─ on par with big-twin Harleys of the time. Aesthetically engaging and unique, the Super-X was relatively well-received by moto-journalists of the time. It wasn’t perfect, but a solid first effort.
But, there would be no efforts beyond it. Funding dried up. Excelsior-Henderson declared bankruptcy in December 1999; it ceased production three months later.
“1999 was a fun year,” Dan Hanlon wryly told Twin Cities Business magazine many years later. “I started the year with a $20 million net worth and ended the year below zero.”
Roughly a quarter-century since Excelsior-Henderson closed its doors, most people see the Hanlons as falling on the acceptable side of the dreamer/charlatan divide. They were in over their head and competitors (ie, Harley-Davidson) were a lot tougher than they had anticipated.
In the end, less than 2,000 Excelsior-Henderson motorcycles were produced, so this Super-X ─ seemingly in great condition ─ is a rarity.
You can find it with 4,933 miles on the clock for sale with a BIN of $7,995 or best offer in Las Vegas, Nevada, here on eBay.