Here's a picture of Curtiss on the bike. 1907, was a very busy time for Curtiss. In January, for example, he rode the world’s first V-8 motorcycle to a speed of 136 miles per hour in Ormond Beach, Florida. Having driven the cycle faster than even the typical locomotive of the day, he became known as “the fastest man on earth.” Full here.
The June Bug was designed by Glenn Curtiss and powered by a Curtiss engine.
Shaft-driven bicycle!
Could be handy going downhill in Philly on the fixed gear!
1934 Zündapp flat twin K500 shaft-drive motorcycle.
I had the opportunity to visit the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum yesterday after a long drive back to Philadelphia from Buffalo, NY. The museum is located in Hammondsport, NY near Keuka Lake. Keuka means "canoe landing" in the Iroquois language and "lake with an elbow" in the Seneca language.
Glenn Curtiss was an innovator in aviation, bicycles, and motorcycles. He was a talented motorcycle builder and racer and built engines for airships in the early 1900s. He worked with the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), a group founded by Alexander Graham Bell. Early on he had an interest in bicycles and started his own business building and maintaining them in Hammondsport. Curtiss began assembling engines and attaching them to the frame of bicycles. His desire to go fast was born. Breaking records in 1907 riding his V-8 motorcycle, building countless engines for famous aircraft, and innovating transportation and inspiring many thinkers for years to come.
If you are ever passing through or on a wine tour near the finger lakes, add this to your itinerary!
The man went 136 on that! Looks so dangerous, but it did it. Very nice indeed.
ReplyDeleteAll for the pursuit of innovation! Or he just liked the wind whipping his hair :)
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