1906 Curtiss Other Curtiss Models

FROM THE DICK SHAPPY COLLECTION: The 1906 Curtiss V-Twin

Despite becoming known as the fastest man on earth in 1907 for setting a land speed record of 136 mph on an experimental V-8 motorcycle he had built himself, Glenn Hammond Curtiss was not known for his bikes, but rather as an American aviation pioneer. Born in 1879 in Hammondsport, New York, he started his engineering career racing bicycles in his youth. By 1901, he built his first motorcycle with an engine of his own design, and his genius only expanded from there. The sixth engine he ever produced, a single-cylinder under the name Hercules, can also be found in the collection of Dick Shappy. He quickly found that Hercules was already patented, and his future endeavors would begin the Curtiss line.

According to Richard Leisenring, former curator of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY, and author of Curtiss Motorcycles 1902-1912, During his early experimentation, Glenn learned two crucial points that made his motorcycles successful. First was the weight-to-speed ratio. Second was lowering the center of gravity on his machines, which substantially increased efficiency and speed.

He developed the first American V-twin engine in 1903, setting a world speed record with it that year, and inspiring the industry. Competitors Indian Motorcycles would go on to offer their first two-cylinder engine in 1906, followed by Harley-Davidson in 1909. In 1904, he was taking home the gold against even his rivals at Indian Motorcycles, and put his 9 HP V-twin engine into the first successful dirigible in the United States, the California Arrow. By 1907, Glenn had quite a few world records under his belt, including an unofficial land speed record of 136 mph on an experimental V-8 airplane engine-powered bike on Ormond Beach. In 1908, G.H. was the first in America to make a preannounced, officially recognized, publicly observed flight.

Until 1912, he and his team would go on to build, sell, and race motorcycles out of their Hammondsport garage, but this wasnt his only successful endeavor. In the same period, Curtiss was the chief rival of the Wright brothers, designing airplane engines, the most widely used U.S. aircraft in WWI, the first amphibious aircraft, and joining the Aerial Experimentation Association. Curtiss was one of the great engineers of the early 20th century, producing innovative and high-performance motorcycles, popularizing the handlebar throttle, and helping to create the U.S. aviation industry. There is no doubt that if G.H. Curtiss had pursued the development of the motorcycle with the same enthusiasm he put into aviation, the industry would look far different today.

This 1906 Curtiss is an extremely rare specimen, considered the "Duesen­berg" of early American motorcycles, and an example of a very early V-twin.

There are few Curtiss engines known to have survived, but there are several in the Dick Shappy Collection, including the Hercules, and the 1909 Curtiss V-Twin Roadster. This one, Engine Number 2715, went to Dale Stoner in collaboration with the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY, for a careful and meticulous restoration and documentation. Dale Stoner is not only the premier Curtiss historian and a master machinist but also an engineering pioneer who will one day be regarded in the history books right alongside Glenn. He is currently recreating the beautiful and historic 1906 Curtiss 8-cylinder experimental motorcycle that set the world land speed record of 136 MPH in exacting detail. It has been rumored that upon completion, this vehicle could be worth between $500,000 and $1 million.

Curtiss Historian Dale Stoner notes that the 1906 frame is unique to that year. Its close to the exhaust pipe, resembling a horseshoe, similar to the prior Hercules frame. This model is an early 1906, as several features are different in later 1906 models. Stoner cites that the drip oiler is on the left, the rocker arms have spheres on the ends, and the compression release arms connection points are at the center of the engine. He also notes that the rocker arm area on the crankcase is smaller than later models and is reinforced with steel plates on the timer side of the engine.

Unlike models earlier than 1905, this one was produced entirely in the Curtiss workshops, with no outsourcing for fabrication.

MANUFACTURER: The G.H. Curtiss Manufacturing Company
MANUFACTURED: Hammondsport, NY, USA
YEAR: 1906
ENGINE NO: 2715
HP: 5
BORE & STROKE: 3 ¼
THROTTLE: Lever attached to left-hand side
SEAT: H. & F. Mesinger Manufacturing Company
COLOR: Standard black enamel paint applied in four layers
BRIGHT METAL: Nickel-plated except aluminum


Check out master machinist and Curtiss historian Dale Stoner reflect on Glenn Hammond Curtiss's motorcycles and show off his 1907 Curtiss V-8 land-speed-record-setting replica at Jay Leno's Garage: "The Fastest Man on Earth: 1907 Curtiss V8 Motorcycle"