In the early 1900s, Excelsior and Henderson were two of America’s best motorcycle manufacturers. Excelsior produced the first motorcycle to official hit 100 miles per hour, while Henderson was producing the favored bikes of America’s police officers. There’s a reason for the similarities – the companies were both bought up by Schwinn in the 1910s, and were shut down in September of 1931 when the Great Depression crippled the economy. Fast forward 60 years to the Hanlon Manufacturing Company, founded in 1993. This Minnesota motorcycle maker secured the rights to both the Excelsior and Henderson names, and tried to capitalize on some American nostalgia with the Excelsior Henderson Super X, named after the 1929 model that is credited for being the first modern-day cruiser.
Production of the Super X started in 1999 – only 1,952 were produced over two years. Unfortunately, and in a similar twist of fate as the companies that gave their names to this firm, the economy faltered due to the .com bubble and Excelsior Henderson couldn’t secure the next round of funding they were expecting. The remains of the company were sold off, and production never resumed. Because of the limited production, the Super X is usually an expensive bike to find nowadays, but here’s a surprisingly reasonably priced example.
This specific example has 9,000 miles and is claimed to run well with a recent service, new battery, and new tires. Find this Excelsior Henderson Super X for sale here on Craigslist in West Milford, New Jersey for $4,900.
This bike-uriousity brought to you by David N!