Parade Vehicle

[AACA Library]

Interesting cycle. Note the little boy on the steps behind -- if he isn't looking at the cycle, what is he looking at that is MORE interesting?!

-Chris

[Dave Mellor NJ]

I saw this picture and copied it for my own album.I noted the rearward position of the pedals and handlebars and the wrapping of the fenders,presumably to prevent madame's skirt from becoming entangled in the spokes.While reading this month's[March]Hemmings,on page#76,lo and behold,what do I find but a story about a 1911 Marvel motorcycle.Correct me if I'm wrong,but,except for a few minor differences,like the lack of the headlight,bulb horns and decorations,this is the bike.Chris,if you agree with me,you should contact Craig Fitzgerald, the author,and Wes Allen,the owner so they can be alerted to this picture's existence.

[AACA Library]

Great eye Dave!

I personally don't think the pictured cycle is the 1911 Marvel. At least it isn't the Marvel pictured in the March Hemmings. The carburetor in the picture is on the front of the engine while the Marvel has its carburetor on the back of the engine. The carb bowl & front shape of the fuel tank appears to be different as well.

I don't think the front forks are the same either. The fork in the picture attaches to a spring up top where as the Marvel in Hemmings does not have the same apparatus.

Unfortunately the picture we have has no writing on it at all. The real picture is an 8X10 so you can really see a lot of detail. They are very similar bikes & could be a year or two apart too.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Thanks for the reply,Chris. I didn't mean I thought it was the exact bike that the lady was riding,just the model. Unfortunately, the view is from the wrong side but you could always get a shot of the Allen's bike's left side. When I first saw your picture,I thought the fork was on a slant but the Allen bike looks vertical that would make turning the wheel like turning a tiller.Very unusual to see a woman riding a motorcycle in that time frame, especially in that garb.Did you see it even seems to have the box on top of the tank? In Hemmings, it said Glen Curtiss, of "Jenny"fame was the maker of the bike and he made some under his own name.Perhaps it is a Curtiss.