Sears Dreadnought

Sears Dreadnought was a motorcycle sold by Sears in the 1910s.[1] The motorcycle featured a 70.62-cubic-inch (1,157.3 cm3) V-twin made by Spacke.[1] It was sourced from Spacke's cyclecar and had 9 horsepower (6.7 kW).[1] This engine was also used by Dayton, Eagle, Minneapolis and Crawford.[2] In addition to the internal combustion engine, it also had foot-pedals like a regular bicycle.[3] (This was for getting the engine started as the kick start had not been invented yet.)

The motorcycle was designed for Sears in conjunction with Excelsior Company of N. Sangamon Street, Chicago.[4] They put together popular components and features of the period including the Spacke V-twin engine, a Schebler carburetor, Musselman hub, chain drive, etc.[5] It was offered with various options such as a two-speed hub and a lightning package.[6]

Sears sold the motorcycle like its other products via mail order for $250 in 1913 ($7,402 in 2022 dollars [7]).[1] People would shop out of large catalog of thousands of items rather than the local store, then the product would be delivered to them.[8] Sears sold motorcycles from 1912 to 1916.[1] The motorcycle is also called the Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin.[9] DeLuxe was the marque of the Spacke engine company and was on the engine itself.[10]

By the year 2001 it was thought about ten Sears Dreadnoughts remain, and one went for a Sotheby's auction for over US$100,000.[11] By the end of the 20th century the motorcycles of this era were lauded as works of art, being featured for example in the prestigious Guggenheim Museums.[12]

Features
  • 9 horsepower (6.7 kW) V-twin by Spacke Machine Company of Indianapolis, Indiana[8]
  • Schebler Model H carburetor[13]
  • Bosch magneto[8]
  • Eclipse pulley and clutch[8]

See also

References
  1. 913 Sears Dreadnaught V-Twin Share Mail-order motorcycling, from Indiana to your doorstep
  2. National Motorcycle Museum Featured Motorcycle 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin
  3. Old Motorcycles Take the Stage By JIM McCRAW Published: September 14, 2001
  4. 1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
  5. 1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
  6. 1912 SEARS De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin
  7. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. Sears 1913 9HP Dreadnaught 1157cc 2 cyl ioe
  9. National Motorcycle Museum Featured Motorcycle 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnought Twin
  10. Spacke And the CycleCar Era
  11. American Motorcyclist Dec 2001
  12. Old Motorcycles Take the Stage By JIM McCRAW Published: September 14, 2001
  13. "1913 Sears".

Further reading
  • A 1913 issue of Motorcycle Illustrated gives a window into the World the Sears De Luxe Dreadnought was a part of Links to Google Books)
  • Website about spake Spacke
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