1910 Merkel Endurance Machine Single

• 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

Joe Merkel founded the Merkel Motor Com­pany as a bicycle manufacturer, but by 1903, he had built his own Motor­cycle. In 1909, Merkel merged with the Light Motor Com­pany and relocated from Milwaukee to Pottstown, Penn­syl­vania, where they produced Motor­cycles under the name "The Merkel Light Motor Com­pany," 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, this 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.