HORSE POWER

I was chatting recently with a friend about the historical articles we ’ ve been highlighting in recent issues . He said he enjoyed the insight into previous eras of motorcycling , and the conversation evolved into imagining what it must ’ ve been like to be a rider in our hobby ’ s early days around the beginning of the 20th century .

Just firing up a bike from that era can be challenging . Not only do you need to kick it over – or pedal it – you also need to have the mixture and spark timing set correctly . Then there ’ s the oddly archaic dance of balancing a foot clutch with a hand- shifter . And if it ’ s a really early motorbike , you might not even have the “ luxury ” of a twist- grip throttle .

When I grew up in the 1970s , it seemed as if motorcycles always had a hand clutch on the left , a foot shifter on the left side of the engine , and a twist- grip throttle on the right that rotated toward the rider , but I ’ ve since learned these devices didn ’ t always have their locations and operations set in stone – er , metal .

And then there ’ s the roads during the early days . The crumbling streets filled with potholes and divots that we bitch about today would be lavish compared to the bumpy dirt paths that greeted riders from bygone eras . And depending on where you were riding , there might not be a fuel station for hundreds of miles in any direction . The 80- mph speeds we regularly cruise at today would seem a futuristic pipe dream to early riders .

Motorcycles began as the cheapest form of motorized transportation , as they required far fewer resources and components to build than cars . But it took less than a decade for Henry Ford to revolutionize industry by innovating assembly lines that dramatically drove down costs of production . Before long , it was cheaper to buy a Model T than it was to purchase a nice motorcycle .

“ It ’ s funny ,” my friend mused . “ In the old days , only poor people rode horses , while rich people drove cars and rode motorcycles . Today , it seems like only rich people ride horses !”

Roughly 125 years have passed since the motorcycle was invented . Wealthy people are indeed riding horses , and a few deep- pocketed folks are riding ungodly expensive motorcycles like the ones featured in this issue .

The Combat Motors Wraith and Audette Velos you ’ ll see beginning on page 26 are among the most extravagant and upscale moto machines we ’ ve ever seen , rivaling the brilliance of legendary bikes like Brough Superiors , Crockers , and Brittens . They are luscious works of motorized art and are priced that way too .

Meanwhile , two pages from here , the founder of this magazine discusses the other side of the swank scale . Reg Kittrelle recognizes the void at the bottom end of Harley- Davidson ’ s lineup and wonders what will fill that hole . MoCo loyalists will scoff at Harleys made in China or India , but there ’ s a real need to provide an attainable step into the H- D fold . Will it come from overseas ?

While we might fantasize and lust over upscale Wraiths and Audettes – or equines like the revered Golden Akhal Teke – the U . S . motorcycle market also needs a few modest American Quarter Horses for day- to- day riding . An electric starter , at least , would be nice to have . Oh , and a twist- grip , please .

Got something to say ? Hit us up at connect @ americanrider . com

If you find yourself thinking $ 100,000 is a little too pricey for a motorcycle , be thankful you ’ re into bikes and not airplanes . The F4U Corsair resting with its wings folded behind the Audette Velos is worth at least 30 times that amount . Aim high !

4 | OCTOBER 2023 | AMERICANRIDER . COM