Yamanatic

I suspect the last pic of the Sears is also the one spotted at the 2018 AMCA meet. Given the proximity of so many fledgling motorcycle manufacturing start-ups and similarities among designs around that time, I would imagine there was some parts exchanging going on, and direct design copying. Consistency of the earliest models was probably quite the challenge. I suspect the second generation of Sears singles sold from 1913 and up is straight-up badge-engineering, with the only difference between the Thor and the Sears being the finish. Warren

Thank you for the response - your english is very good! I could find virtually no historical information other than the sales and advertising in Sears catalogs and the one owners-manual? that is more an in-depth description on how the various components function with no actual repair-specific data. Most everything I have learned about Sears/Thor has been in the last year. Some Sears ads from the day '1909 and 1910' apparently show a Thiem instead of a Thor and was claimed to be the 'first' offering. Far as I know, there are no physical examples of the Sears/Thiem, nor an actual eye-witness account of one I could find. From the Cycleweird web magazine: The first generation Auto-Cycle was a rebadged Thiem supplied by the Joerns-Thiem Motor Company out of St. Paul, Minnesota. It had a simple, sturdy, 19.5-cubic-inch four-stroke single that produced a whopping 4 horsepower, a single speed transmission, battery ignition system, a leather belt final drive, and a rear coaster brake. Pretty standard equipment for the time. If you were a high roller, you could spring for an optional acetylene headlight for night riding and a magneto ignition system. In 1910, Sears added Thor motorcycles – built by the Aurora Machine Company from Illinois – with bigger 29 cu-in engines to its lineup. The Thiem and Thor machines were Sears' entry-level bikes – small, affordable, and modestly equipped – and soldiered on largely unchanged until Sears stopped selling bikes around the beginning of World War I." Attached is a picture of the Sears Ad showing the Thiem. The M-31 or M-3, or Model-M designation was prompted by several mentions in the few articles found, and referred mainly to the motors. The '4' was also referenced as the Sears was presumed to be 4 hp. Most of my comparisons were based on pictured and claimed Thor models that were offered by the Mecum auction; they have the best pictures by far. This 1908 Thor has the same front suspension as the Sears and similar but not identical motor: 1908 Thor Single for sale at Las Vegas Motorcycles 2023 as F43.2 - Mecum Auctions This Model IV appaers to have the identical bottom end to the Sears: 1910 Thor IV for sale at Las Vegas Motorcycles 2018 as F162 - Mecum Auctions Here are all the Thor motorcycles they have auctioned over the years: https://www.mecum.com/results/?configure[filters]=taxonomies.run_date.timestamp < 1705881600 OR sold %3D 1 OR bid_goes_on %3D 1&configure[ruleContexts][0]=pin_items&hitsPerPage=96&q=thor&sortBy=wp_posts_lot&type[0]=Motorcycle I have only identified 4 pre-1913 Sears singles still in existence so far - the Barber bike, one that surfaced at the Perkman District of the AMCA meet in 2018, an odd picture of one missing the Sears (or any) tank decal on display at an unknown museum, and mine; I posted in the AMCA forum but no response on the 2018 sighting. I suspect Thor used a mix of old and new, but consistent parts in the rather unique Sears - all years match. I regret Carroll Sears did not respond to my messages, he would be the best and possibly only source that could supply reliable information. So far, the AACA has been the best resource I can find! Warren

Hey Midman, Sorry for the late reply. Very interesting Indian - thanks for the pic!I do see a sidecar in my future (physical reaons, but not mandatory yet), and an early Indian might be the answer. I was thinking about putting one on the '27 Scout, but with the 37ci, it may not be the best candidate; a front brake would be nice too. I have been watching for a 101or long-frame front wheel, but not in earnest since the bike is up for sale: best regards, Warren

Hey MIDMAN, Great picture - thank you for posting that! It sure does look like the same bike. I have a recent picture from the same angle and distance to compare with, and it is definitely a match. The angles on the bars and seat are the same, tank transfer is positioned the same, and the cables are routed and even hanging exactly the same. A give-away is the broken/missing loop-spring on the nose of the seat, missing on both. The spring has been replaced/fixed with a piece of metal strap. Being from Minneapolis, I always attended the AMCA/Davenport meets religiously, including the Bicentennial in '76 (22 at the time); brought back fond memories of one of the greatest old bike gatherings and especially swap meets ever. The stuff the old-timers chuffed around on was amazing. Is that your sporterized Indian Powerplus profile pic? Looks radical =0 Have a '27 Scout myself: Thanks again for the great pic and Davenport connection! Warren

Hello everyone! Just joined, and doing some due-diligence learning about my newly acquired 1911 Sears/Thor Model-4 500cc single motorcycle: Since there was no history to be had when purchased from a 3rd party vendor, the biggest clue tracking down the heritage was the 1976 AACA National Winner award on the bike: After purchasing all the 1976 and 1977 AACA magazines, a reference was found to the Sears winning National 1st Junior Class 5-A including a picture in the January-February Hershey results, and another Eastern Division Junior 5-A award in the 1976 May-June issue. The owner of the bike is listed as Carroll Sears, Lake Forest, Ill. A Carroll Sears who is now 89, has a Facebook page, and noted he is the Grandson of Richard Sears, founder of Sears Robuck. Residence history has him living in Illinois in 1976. I left him a message in reference to the bike, but have not received a reply yet. At the time of purchase, no information was supplied as to originality or previous restoration, but close scrutiny and much experience with vintage original and restored bikes leads me to believe this bike is completely stock and original including paint, but possibly excluding the tires which appear to be the same tires that were in the 1976 Hershey picture. There is zero wear on any interface hardware like pedal rubbers, handgrips, seat, levers or leather drive. Paint on the body and motor appears to have never been redone looking inside and out, under and over everything, and it even has the original spark plug and wiring. Things like the points cam and follower have none of the wear expected on a vehicle even with modest mileage, and the plating on wear/contact items is also virtually un-scuffed. When purchased, it was assumed it had been very precisely restored, and the realization it was original was earned through close inspection and never assumed. Fortunately there are plenty of company drawings, catalog renderings, a period manual, and an accessory catalog to compare with, and it's spot on in every respect. OK, this is pure speculation, but this bike may have been set aside by the Sears family back in '11, and carefully stored and preserved since as a family legacy bike handed down to the grandson. It is more accurate than even the 1910 Barber bike when compared to catalog ads and images. All the 1909, 1910, and 1911 Auto-Cycles shown in catalog literature are the same model, A THOR 4hp, Model 13-M with slightly different front suspension. I have no intention of re-commissioning the bike, and plan to leave it exactly is-is. Any additional information or history on these early Sears/Thors would be appreciated, and gladly shared; I have pictures! To date, only 3 examples of the 4hp singles (counting this one) have been found; there is no guess how many were produced or sold, except for a couple "very few" type comments. Also, on another post here on the forum referenced a 1909 Sears motorcycle that sold at the Hartun auction in 2011 and prompted watching the Youtube videos from the sale which did show a Sears/Thor, but it was a 1913~1916 V-twin, a much more common bike; an AMCA member here in Phoenix has one of these early twins. Thanks everyone who managed to grind through this message - a bit of motorcycle archeology! Kindest regards, Warren W. Phoenix