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Private company

Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company

Logo: Auge=mit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons3

Former American motorcycle manufacturer in Chicago

Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was an American motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn, proprietor of bicycle manufacturer Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1912. In 1912, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially timed at a speed of 100 mph.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1907Founded1
  • Industryautomotive industry1

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1912 Excelsior motorcycle
Photo: Cullen328, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was an American motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn, proprietor of bicycle manufacturer Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1912. In 1912, an Excelsior was the first motorcycle to be officially timed at a speed of 100 mph. The Henderson Motorcycle Company became a division of Excelsior when Schwinn purchased Henderson in 1917. By 1928, Excelsior was in third place in the U.S. motorcycle market behind Indian and Harley-Davidson. The Great Depression convinced Schwinn to order Excelsior's operations to cease in September 1931.2

Products and brands

In 1929, the stock market crash and the resulting Great Depression caused motorcycle sales to plummet. The summer of 1931 saw Schwinn call his department heads together for a meeting at Excelsior. He bluntly told them, with no prior indication, "Gentlemen, today we stop." Schwinn felt that the Depression could easily continue for eight years, and even worsen. Despite a full order book, he had chosen to pare back his business commitments to the core business of bicycle manufacture. All motorcycle operations at Excelsior ended by September 1931.

From Wikipedia’s article on Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. Sep 1931Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1907Founded Founded1

Sources

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