# 1917 Electric Bicycle



## Balloontyre (Dec 10, 2014)

Howard Hughes at age 12. Kwik Read below,

http://selvedgeyard.com/2009/03/10/howard-hughes-odd-behavior/


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## catfish (Dec 10, 2014)

And he built it on a Harley-Daidson bicycle!


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## bricycle (Dec 10, 2014)

kool!

...gee that doesn't stick out at all!!!!


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## hoofhearted (Dec 10, 2014)

catfish said:


> And he built it on a Harley-Daidson bicycle!





*Well .. Howard did built it on a Davis ...... Not quite sure it's a Harley Davidson ... but that doesn't stop me from wanting it to be a H-D.*

.............patric

















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## catfish (Dec 10, 2014)

Patric,    In one of the books about Howard, there is a better photo of this bike. And you can clearly see the H-D badge. I know someone on here posted a better photo of this a few years ago.

   Catfish



hoofhearted said:


> *Well .. Howard did built it on a Davis ...... Not quite sure it's a Harley Davidson ... but that doesn't stop me from wanting it to be a H-D.*
> 
> .............patric
> 
> ...


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## Nick-theCut (Dec 10, 2014)

Very cool.  I'm glad I went and saw the Spruce Goose while it was in Long Beach.  Looks like the bicycle serves as evidence as one of his early projects.  Cool.


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## Wheeled Relics (Dec 10, 2014)

*photo research*

Outstanding photo! Of course Howard would build a mid-drive electric using the bottom bracket off another bike as a motor mount! Love the switch front and center! 

Found some further information on the context of this photo of Hughes. 

"Howard Hughes assembled what the paper called Houston’s first motorized bicycle at the age of 12 from parts of a motor that belonged to his father. Also around this time he had his father purchase a fine automobile, a Bearcat, for the sole purpose of disassembling and reassembling it, which the young Hughes did successfully. Though Hughes did have one childhood friend, neighbors recalled that when he wasn’t under his mother’s watchful house arrest, the solitary boy would ride his bike in circles around the driveway of their home in the Montrose area of Houston."


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## Larmo63 (Dec 10, 2014)

Damn lazy kids these days with their electric bicycles!!!

When I was a kid, we had to pedal.


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## fordsnake (Dec 12, 2014)

Larmo63 said:


> Damn lazy kids these days with their electric bicycles!!!
> 
> When I was a kid, we had to pedal.




Hahaha...they've been saying that since 1895


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## Wheeled Relics (Dec 13, 2014)

https://archive.org/stream/digestofunitedst00alle#page/n5/mode/2up


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## bikejunk (Dec 16, 2014)

not seeing a battery was he planing on running a cord or do the trolly overhead pickup crazy stupid genius at work


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## Wheeled Relics (Dec 16, 2014)

I was looking for that too, tracing wires, could be on a rack in the blind spot. (?)


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## Balloon Knot (Dec 17, 2014)

Wow! Can you imagine finding Howard's bike today?


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## Wheeled Relics (Dec 17, 2014)

Yes, I can.


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## catfish (Dec 17, 2014)

Balloon Knot said:


> Wow! Can you imagine finding Howard's bike today?




That would be very cool ! But I bet it was thrown away a log time ago.


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## Wheeled Relics (Dec 17, 2014)

Sources suggest the scrap heap was getting used in a creative direction with these well to do's.


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## Wheeled Relics (Dec 18, 2014)

[Howard Hughes, full-length portrait, seated on bicycle with Ida Lupino, standing at left, in Miami, Florida]1937.


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