1912. William was joined in forming a business by his brother, Thomas, and with their father’s help, they found $175,000 of capital to begin production. After setting up a factory in Detroit, the first production Henderson motorcycle emerged in January 1912. The engine was a 4-cylinder 57 CI (934cc) F-head with a single-speed chain drive and clutch, which was started by a folding hand crank—shades of Winton practice. Beside the 4-cylinder motor, the most distinctive feature was that very long chassis with built-on passenger seating, with a short leading-link front fork and a lovely “torpedo” fuel/oil tank, which was used for one year only. The Henderson was an attractive machine, beautifully built, and expensive at $325. The new Henderson was an immediate international news “ item, as Carl Stearns Clancy set forth on a new Henderson in October 1912, intending to become the first motorcyclist to circle the globe. Clancy made money as he traveled by selling stories to the press; thus, everyone within reach of a newspaper knew about the Henderson motorcycle, a tremendous global PR coup. E.L. Hals of Modesto managed 104.2 miles on a gallon of gas with his ’16 Henderson, winning a fuel economy contest between Henderson dealers. Production by the new Henderson Motorcycle Co. began in In 1913, the models were upgraded to employ a stronger clutch and a “square” gas tank, plus a better brake, lower seating position and stronger girder forks. By 1915, Hendersons gained a 2-speed rear hub, and by spring, a much shorter wheelbase was available as an option at 58 inches instead of the original 65—an effort to bring the Henderson more in line with other manufacturers’ dimensions. For 1916, the Model F was a single-speed, the F2 had the 2-speed hub, and the price, which had gone down with more efficient manufacture, was raised back to $325. In January 1917, Roy Artley rode a Henderson and sidecar (with passenger Alan Munks) for 24 hours straight, making three round trips between Del Mar and Los Angeles to set a new world record of 706 miles, adding 122 miles to the previous record. On the other end of the performance scale, E.L. Hals of Modesto managed 104.2 miles on a gallon of gas with his ’16 Henderson, winning a fuel economy contest between Henderson dealers. Police departments and gentleman riders appreciated the quiet quality of the smooth 4-cylinder, although behind the scenes, the factory was struggling mightily with problems of inflation brought on by World War I. MECUM.COM // 75
