Please Note: Bikes in The European Collection have a 10% buyer’s fee.
Please Note: The seller of this collection is very private and won’t allow pickup direct from his home. All bikes from this collection MUST use Iconic Transport with the option of having us ship it from Las Vegas or from our HQ in Panorama City but please get a quote from Iconic Transport with your specific needs prior to bidding. We’ll be happy to help!
Founded in Detroit in 1911 by brothers William and Tom Henderson, the Henderson Motorcycle Company quickly rose to prominence with the introduction of an inline-four engine.
The 934cc inline-four engine is mounted longitudinally in the frame, pushing 7 horsepower via chain drive to a 3-speed transmission.
The long wheelbase provided excellent stability, making it a popular choice for delivery companies and police departments. It was also the steed of choice for Carl Stearns Clancy, who became the first person to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle on a trip that covered 18,000 miles and did wonders for Henderson’s reputation. Alan Bedell also chose a Henderson for his attempt at long distance fame – he ended up riding from Los Angeles to New York in just over a week, demolishing the previous record by four days. Henderson became known as the best bike for people that wanted to reliably ride long distances at fast speeds.
Those qualities also made it a popular choice for board track racers, though the high level of finish and complex engineering made them expensive and thus rarer to see on tracks than competitors like Harley-Davidson and Indian. In 1917, the year this Henderson was built, the company was sold to Ignaz Schwinn of bicycle fame and it became part of a merger into Excelsior-Henderson.
This example is VIN: 3575, Engine #: 16964.
The seller has never ridden the bike. There is no odometer, true mileage is unknown.
It spent 40 years in a collection in Germany and has been restored at an unknown time in the past. It was auctioned off at the Dubec Collection Auction in Paris in 2007 and the seller acquired it through a Mecum auction in 2018.
Inside of the tanks:
Cosmetic Blemishes:
The sale does NOT include the pictured front wheel stand, though it may be available separately from the seller.
Currently located in Nevada, this Henderson is offered on a Bill of Sale only. Have any Board Track Racer stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
