Front wheel drive motorcycle

I tried to post this yesterday but I was having trouble copying and pasting the large size. This is from theoldmotor.com the driver is one Joe Tracy, an early racer. The old motor site posts main pictures and then 4 smaller associated pictures which can be enlarged but the enlargement is hard to copy. Anyway, the motorcycle is interesting as it's front wheel belt driven. I think it was identified as a Panhard et Levasseur but I'm not sure nor is the car identified

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Posted in Automobile photos 1885 - 1920, Motorcycle photos | Tagged Joe

Dave, I heard that Tracy's photos were posted over here and first off for thanks for sharing our posts here on the AACA forum.

Just to set the record straight, this photo shown here is of Tracy in a very early Panhard et Levasseur. The photo of Tracy is on the motorcycle is the one that we would like to ID. Anyone is welcome to follow this link and see all of the photos on The Old Motor.... Joe Tracy and Friends 1900-1903

Just to set the record straight, this photo shown here is of Tracy in a very early Panhard et Levasseur. The photo of Tracy is on the motorcycle is the one that we would like to ID. Anyone is welcome to follow this link and see all of the photos on The Old Motor.... Joe Tracy and Friends 1900-1903

Not many manufacturers put the motor up on the front wheel to me it looks like it could be a 1901 Werner made in France I don't have a photo to load up but found one in The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of motorcycles pg 296 by Erwin Tragatsch

I saw those photos and was going to suggest that the bike might be a Werner. No doubt there were others who built bikes in the same style. I think people discovered fairly quickly that that was not the ideal mechanical layout.

Of course at that time the motorcycle was very close to the bicycle and as in the bicycle industry there many component makers who supplied various parts for other makers to build a bike out of and put their own name on.

I think this bike is from a little earlier than 1901 - possibly 1897-1900, as 1901 was the year that Werner introduced their new model with its engine mounted low in the frame, the place where one would expect to find it today - http://cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/werner/index.htm

I enjoy the Old Motor site and appreciate being allowed to copy some of the pics. I felt the odd configuration of the motorcycle was the most worthy of reproducing here.

Thanks to Dave Mellor, B campbell and nzcarnerd for your help and the ID of this motorcycle. Here is a photo at the site that nzcarnerd found.

cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/werner/index.htm