Flying Merkel

The founder of the company, Joe Merkel, began designing engines for motorcycles in 1902, and built his own motorcycles beginning in 1903, including a one-cylinder engine with a capacity of 316 cc, which was also used in the contemporary Indian. In 1908, he set up a company under the name of Light Manufacturing and Foundry Company in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. His motorcycles displayed the trademark "Merkel Light" on the tank. In 1910, he offered the first two-cylinder engine. In 1911, the company was taken over by Miami Cycle and Manufacturing Company of Middletown, Ohio. Subsequently, the trademark was changed to "Flying Merkel", and a bright and shiny orange paint was used, which was later described as "Merkel orange".

The Flying Merkel had a conservative engine-control system featuring an automatic inlet valve and a preset outlet valve. The V engine initially displaced 884 cc (53.9 cu in) and delivered 6 hp (4.5 kW), through a two-speed gearbox and a belt drive, for a maximum speed of 97 km/h (60 mph). A motorsports version without brake was available with a 997 cc (60.8 cu in) engine, including roller bearings, Bosch magneto ignition,

Schebler carburetor, and chain drive. The roadworthy version had a band brake on the rear wheel and was sold for US$325.

An innovation was the motorcycle fork, patented by Joe Merkel as a "truss fork", which could be seen as a predecessor of the telescopic fork. The Flying Merkel had an automatically dripping oil feeder, which was subsequently copied by Indian and Harley-Davidson. In 1913, a new model appeared; the engine had now an automatically controlled inlet valve and a spring-loaded kickstarter. Production ceased in 1915. The Flying Merkel achieved its iconic status through the shape of its tank and the colorful body paint.