Sears Dreadnought was a motorcycle sold by
Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
in the 1910s.
[913 Sears Dreadnaught V-Twin Share Mail-order motorcycling, from Indiana to your doorstep]
/ref> The motorcycle featured a V-twin made by Spacke.[ It was sourced from Spacke's ]cyclecar
A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. A key ...
and had .[ This engine was also used by Dayton, Eagle, Minneapolis and Crawford.National Motorcycle Museum Featured Motorcycle 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin]
/ref> In addition to the internal combustion engine, it also had foot-pedals like a regular bicycle.
/ref> (This was for getting the engine started as the kick start
Kick start is a method of starting an internal combustion engine (usually that of a motorcycle) by pushing a ratcheting lever with one's foot. Kick start mechanisms were almost universally a part of motorcycle engines before the mid-1970s, and ...
had not been invented yet.)
The motorcycle was designed for Sears in conjunction with Excelsior Company of N. Sangamon Street, Chicago. They put together popular components and features of the period including the Spacke V-twin engine, a Schebler carburetor, Musselman hub, chain drive, etc.1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
/ref> It was offered with various options such as a two-speed hub and a lightning package.
/ref>
Sears sold the motorcycle like its other products via mail order for $250 in 1913 ($ in dollars ).[ People would shop out of large catalog of thousands of items rather than the local store, then the product would be delivered to them.][ Sears sold motorcycles from 1912 to 1916.][ The motorcycle is also called the Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin.National Motorcycle Museum Featured Motorcycle 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin]
/ref> DeLuxe was the marque of the Spacke engine company and was on the engine itself.
/ref>
By the year 2001 it was thought about ten Sears Dreadnoughts remain, and one went for a Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
auction for over US$100,000.American Motorcyclist Dec 2001
/ref> By the end of the 20th century the motorcycles of this era were lauded as works of art, being featured for example in the prestigious Guggenheim Museums
The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
Museums in this group include:
Locations
Americas
* The Solomon R. Guggenh ...
.Old Motorcycles Take the Stage By JIM McCRAW Published: September 14, 2001
/ref>
Features
* V-twin by Spacke Machine Company of Indianapolis, Indiana[
*Schebler Model H carburetor]
/ref>
*Eclipse pulley and clutch[
]
See also
* Thor Model U (A contemporary of the Sears model in the 1910s)
* Harley-Davidson Model 7D (another contemporary, came out in 1911)
*FN Four
The FN Four was the world's first production inline-4 motorcycle, manufactured in Liége by Fabrique Nationale from 1905 until 1923.Edwards 1997, p. 43 It was also, at , the world's fastest production motorcycle from 1911 until 1912.Brown 2006, p ...
(a Belgian motorcycle of the period)
*List of motorcycles of the 1910s
List of motorcycles of the 1910s is a listing of motorcycles of the 1910s, including those on sale, introduced, or otherwise relevant in this period.
The 1910s has their share of expensive historic motorcycles sold at auction, especially the bra ...
References
{{reflist, 30em
Further reading
*A 1913 issue of Motorcycle Illustrated
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
gives a window into the World the Sears De Luxe Dreadnought was a part o
Links to Google Books)
*Website about spak
Spacke
Motorcycles introduced in the 1910s