Davis built??

[ranman]

I’ve had this frame and fork for several years now. I would appreciate any information that can be provided.
I believe at one time someone said they thought it might be Davis built.
It does have a repair on the frame. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to remove the fork .

 

[Freqman1]

I'm not thinking Davis but not sure what it might be. @Goldenindian What you say? V/r Shawn

 

[SKPC]

Mich. City Excelsior-built Schwing? Best evidence is volcano joint lower top bar/seat tube junction. Also seems to have the same sized top bars(hard to tell?) Plus early Schwinn fork design? Educated guess but could be wrong. Top tube bars being same diameter is not an MCE
trait? Cool early frame/fork.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

A&S Chicago truss fork; (perhaps swapped about the same time that the front end was repaired?). The truss tube looks like it is smaller than the 1” main tubes.
A&S fork on a middle 1920’s Excelsior of Indiana; (1925-C?).
A big red “E” head badge might fit the tall holes in the head tube.

 

[Freqman1]

I originally thought maybe Schwinn but that serial doesn't look like an early Schwinn serial to me. V/r Shawn

 

[ranman]

A&S Chicago truss fork; (perhaps swapped about the same time that the front end was repaired?). The truss tube looks like it is smaller than the 1” main tubes.
A&S fork on a middle 1920’s Excelsior of Indiana; (1925-C?).
A big red “E” head badge might fit the tall holes in the head tube.

I’m thinking if the fork was swapped it must have been many years ago. The patina match is crazy between the fork and the frame.
i held up a 26” wheelset and it looks like this frame was definitely pre 1933. Definitely looked as though it originally took a 28” wheel set.

 

[SKPC]

Did Excelsior make some bikes for AS early? They were making Elgin's for sears after 1923 I believe with bottlecap badges and volcano joints at the seat tube. Could be an early Excelsior made frame & fork during that Elgin period or before. I hear serial numbers for them(not all) started with an "A" in 1923? This 18-1/2" frame is pretty small, but certainly a 28-er. I would love to find a fork like that as I have a real-deal early 20's Schwinn moto frame just waiting for one.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

A member has previously posted a 1921 Excelsior Michigan City catalog showing the smaller frame motorbike, (with an Excelsior style yoke truss tube fork). About that time Excelsior then picked up business from the former Davis customer, Sears. But the Sears catalogs about that time show a taller motorbike frame, with indications of one size only, until about 1930. During the depression, Snyder NY took over Excelsior, and the more westerly factory began to build bicycles of the Snyder NY design and details.

Not this one:

1921 Henderson, Excelsior, Admiral Catalog Repro | Sell - Trade: Bicycle Parts, Accessories, Ephemera

This is a decent 16 page copy of the 1921 Excelsior Motor Mfg. & Supply Co. catalog, approx 8.5" x 11.75", $28 shipped CONUS. Thanks, Todd ******If there are other catalogs you would like to bundle, I will discount ******* Here are a few links to some of my other literature...

thecabe.com

But this one:

Does Anyone Have Resource Materials/Brochures/Detailed Photos on Excelsiors? | Antique Bicycles Pre-1933

Still researching this rusty motorbike and I'm hours and hours and hours into this thing. I've been able to narrow down what it isn't, and after finding just a handful of good photographs of Excelsiors I'm finding that the frame matches in about 5 or so distinct ways, the fork crown in...

thecabe.com

 

[Archie Sturmer]

Perhaps in the past, the frame may have had a Davis connection, in the chain ring sprocket.

The 26-tooth Excelsior built Sears Elgin chain ring sprocket is fairly distinctive, (with only the uncommon Emblem Angola being similar); but Excelsior might not have used the “Sears” sprocket on their own badged bikes. We have also seen an example of both an Excelsior built Elgin bicycle and a Sears Elgin ad that show the Excelsior 6-points star sprocket, (similar looking to A&S Henderson, and again Emblem); maybe that was a 1-year thing(?).

On many Excelsior examples, we have seen Davis chain ring sprockets, mostly Davis #6 with the star of Davis (like the Sears “Master”), and some with Davis #5.

Not sure if it is more likely that Excelsior acquired some sprocket assets from the bankrupt company; or purchased sprockets from Davis before they closed; or another explanation(?).