1910 Flying Merkel Single

FROM THE DICK SHAPPY COLLECTION: The 1910 Merkel Endurance Machine Single

Joe Merkel founded the Merkel Motor Co. as a bicycle manufacturer, but by 1903, he had built his own motorcycle. In 1909, Merkel merged with the Light Motor Co. and relocated from Milwaukee to Pottstown, PA, where they produced motorcycles under the name "The Merkel Light Motor Co.," which was later shortened to "Merkel Light." In 1911, the company was acquired by Miami Cycle and Manufacturing Company of Middletown, Ohio, and the trademark was subsequently changed to "Flying Merkel."

The Merkel had an innovative spring fork, patented by Joe as a "truss fork," the predecessor of the telescopic front fork, which became the choice for racing, where they broke records. It had an automatically dripping oil feeder, an invention that would go on to be copied by larger manufacturers, such as Indian and Harley-Davidson. They developed the mono-shock rear suspension system that is still in use to this day. Its iconic status was achieved through this innovation, its bright "Merkel orange" paint, and its distinctive tank shape, making the motorcycle immediately identifiable.

Merkel attracted buyers with its high quality and slogans such as "All roads are smooth to The Flying Merkel," "The Most Powerful Motorcycle in the World," and "If it passes you, it's a Flying Merkel." It wasn't enough to sustain the Flying Merkel through the onset of war, however, and production ceased in 1917, making this 1910 Endurance Machine Single a relic of history.

One hundred years later, the Merkel, under the care of Dick Shappy, would find a page in the history books. The Motorcycle Cannonball is the most difficult antique motorcycle endurance run in the world. Founded by Lonnie Isam, Jr. in 2009, he aimed to inspire antique motorcycle owners to give their machines the life on the road they deserved, generating respect for the ingenuity of our forefathers who built these machines. He named the run after Erwin George Cannon Ball Baker, the American motorcycle and automobile racer and organizer from Indiana, born in 1882, as the true long-distance pioneer. In September of 2010, this motorcycle and 44 others left Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on a transcontinental journey to the Pacific Ocean in the very first Motorcycle Cannonball Run, all on pre-1916 bikes. This 1910 Merkel Endurance Machine, bearing number 25, was signed by the team that undertook the journey.

It sports an original single Merkel engine with the number 7622 and a Bosch Carburetor. Weighing 210 pounds, it features such amenities as a luggage rack and a rear stand. It also comes equipped with a headlight from the 20th Century Manufacturing Company in New York and a taillight from Toby Baxter Limited in London.

ENGINE: Original Single

ENGINE NO: FORM W-S NO. 7622

CARBURETOR: Bosch

WEIGHT: 210 LBs.

FEATURES: Luggage Rack, Rear Stand

HEADLIGHT: 20th Century Mfg. Co., New York

TAIL LIGHT: Toby Baxter Ltd., London

DOCUMENTATION: RI Registration