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The Excelsior Super X was a motorcycle manufactured by the
/ref> Constantine resigned his position at Harley-Davidson and offered his services and his project to Excelsior. Both were accepted, leading to the introduction of the Excelsior Super X in 1925. The design proved to be competitive in motorsports in its first year despite competing against motorcycles with engines of greater capacity. The Super X effectively replaced Excelsior's other mainstream model, a sixty-one cubic inch V-Twin, which was discontinued during the first year of Super X production. The smaller motorcycle was believed to be a more suitable companion product for their
The Excelsior Super X was a motorcycle manufactured by the Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company
Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was an American motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn
Ignaz Schwinn (April 1, 1860 – August 31, 1948) was a designer, a founder, an ...
from 1925 to 1931.Wilson, H. ''The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle'' p. 59 Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1995 It was the most famous Excelsior motorcycle manufactured by that company and was the first American forty-five cubic inch motorcycle.Wilson, H. ''The Ultimate Motorcycle Book'' p. 41 Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1993
Origin
Arthur "Connie" Constantine, Assistant Chief Engineer at theHarley-Davidson Motor Company
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...
, drew up plans for a mid-sized V-Twin to compete against the Indian Scout. When he presented the unauthorized project to co-founder Walter Davidson, he was reprimanded for wasting the company's time.''Pioneers of American Motorcycle Racing'' by Daniel K. Statnekov, Chapter 22/ref> Constantine resigned his position at Harley-Davidson and offered his services and his project to Excelsior. Both were accepted, leading to the introduction of the Excelsior Super X in 1925. The design proved to be competitive in motorsports in its first year despite competing against motorcycles with engines of greater capacity. The Super X effectively replaced Excelsior's other mainstream model, a sixty-one cubic inch V-Twin, which was discontinued during the first year of Super X production. The smaller motorcycle was believed to be a more suitable companion product for their
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
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four-cylinder motorcycle.
Construction
The design of the Super X was a considerable departure from its predecessors at Excelsior. Where earlier Excelsiors had an enclosed primary chain transmitting power from the engine to a separate gearbox, the Super X had the engine and transmission together in a single crankcase, using a helical gear to power the transmission directly from the engine. The Super X also marked the return of leading-link forks on Excelsior motorcycles, which had earlier switched to trailing-link forks similar to those used by Indian but with coil springs instead of Indian's quarter-elliptic leaf springs.Competition in the market
The Super X had originally been envisioned as a competitor to the Indian Scout which was, at the time, powered by a thirty-seven cubic inch V-twin engine.Wilson, H. ''The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle'' p. 104-105 Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1995 Indian's initial response to the Super X came in 1927, when they enlarged the Scout engine to forty-five cubic inches. This defensive move was followed a year later with a more decisive attack, the introduction of the 101 Scout. The new Scout proved to be a formidable competitor both on the racetrack and in the marketplace.Wilson, H. ''The Ultimate Motorcycle Book'' p. 36-37 Dorling-Kindersley Limited, 1993 In 1929, the Excelsior-Henderson concern restyled both its motorcycle offerings, the Excelsior Super X and the Henderson Four, for a more contemporary look. These "Streamline" models had tanks that hid the top tube of the frame and wide front fenders with holes for the forks to pass through. That year, Harley-Davidson released their forty-five cubic inch motorcycles, the D and the DL. The Super X competed with the 101 Scout, the D, and the DL, until 1931. During 1931, the Indian 101 Scout was replaced by a Scout model based on the heavier Chief frame, the sport solo DLD was added to the D and DL in the Harley-Davidson line, and the Excelsior-Henderson concern ceased production of motorcycles upon the order of its proprietor,Ignaz Schwinn
Ignaz Schwinn (April 1, 1860 – August 31, 1948) was a designer, a founder, and the eventual sole owner of the Schwinn Bicycle Company.
He was born in the town of Hardheim, Germany, in 1860. In his early years, he completed a mechanical apprent ...
.
Legacy
The Super X was America's first forty-five cubic inch motorcycle, and the racing class for forty-five cubic inch motorcycles was started in the United States one year after the Super X's introduction. The forty-five cubic inch class became the premier class in dirt-track racing, in which such motorcycles as the Indian Sport Scout and Harley-Davidson WR, KR, and XR would compete. Although the Super X came to an abrupt end, its competitors from Indian and Harley-Davidson would continue for at least a decade.Mitchel, D. "Harley-Davidson Chronicle - An American Original" p. 68-69 Publications International Limited, 1997 {{ISBN, 0-7853-2514-XReferences