Motorcycles from one of the most extensive and internationally renowned collections in the world will be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum beginning March 15. “The American Motorcycle: Pioneering Machines from the Bunch Family Collection” will be displayed in the Richard Varner Family Gallery on the museum’s second floor. The exhibit will highlight some of the rarest and most historically significant motorcycles ever produced and explore the contributions of American motorcycling pioneers. Featured motorcycles include:
- 1898 Cleveland Tricycle, one of America’s oldest motorized cycles from a pioneering manufacturer, featuring the first front spring fork suspension.
- 1904 Thomas Auto-Bi, created by the E.R. Thomas Company, the first motorcycle manufacturer in America to design and build its own bikes.
- 1905 Nelk, one of the few surviving models from this Palo Alto manufacturer, featuring advanced technology for its time, including a rubber-mounted engine, water-cooling and an overhead camshaft.
- 1911 Marvel, designed by the legendary Glenn Curtiss, a self-taught mechanical engineer who crafted engines for motorcycles, dirigibles and airplanes.
- 1908 Indian Single, a purpose-built motorcycle owned by stuntwoman CeDora, famous for her performances in the “Globe of Death,” where motorcyclists defy gravity using centripetal force.
- 1936 Crocker Speedway Racer, produced by Crocker, a legendary motorcycle manufacturer in Los Angeles, whose bikes often outperformed Harley-Davidsons and Indians and are now some of the most valuable and rare motorcycles in existence.
