1909 Curtiss V-Twin "Roadster"

• MANU­FACTURER: The G.H. Curtiss Manu­fact­uring Com­pany
• MANUFACTURED: Hammondsport, NY, USA
• YEAR: 1909
• MODEL: Roadster
• ENGINE: 35 cu. in. V-Twin, Air-Cooled
• HP: 6
• ENGINE NO: 3302
• TRANSMISSION: Belt Drive
• CARBURETOR: Curtiss
• FRAME: Standard
• SEAT: Persons Manu­fact­uring Co. of Wor­cester, MA
• SPEED­OMETER/ODOMETER: Stewart Magnetic Type
• CLOCK: Ingersoll Watch Com­pany, Yankee Model
• HEADLIGHT: Twentieth Century Mfg. Co. Lamp Model No. 102 of New York City
• COLOR: Special-order black enamel paint applied in four layers
• BRIGHT METAL: Nickel-plated except aluminum
• FEATURES: Tool Bag, Speed­ometer/Odometer, Headlamp, Clock, License Plate

FROM THE DICK SHAPPY COLLECTION:

The 1909 Curtiss V-Twin “Roadster”

Despite becoming known as the “fastest man on earth” in 1907 for setting a land speed record of 136 mph on an experimental V-8 motor­cycle he had built himself, Glenn Hammond Curtiss was not known for his bikes, but rather as an American aviation pioneer. Born in 1879 in Hammondsport, New York, he started his engineering career racing bicycles in his youth. By 1901, he built his first motor­cycle with an engine of his own design, and his genius only expanded from there. The sixth engine he ever produced, a single-cylinder under the name “Herc­ules,” can also be found in the collection of Dick Shappy. (You can read about it at DSClassics.com) He quickly found that “Herc­ules” was already patented, and his future endeavors would begin the Curtiss line.

According to Richard Leisenring, former curator of the Glenn H. Curtiss Mu­seum in Hammondsport, NY, and author of Curtiss Motor­cycles 1902-1912, “During his early experimentation, Glenn learned two crucial points that made his motor­cycles successful. First was the weight-to-speed ratio. Second was lowering the center of gravity on his machines, which substantially increased efficiency and speed.”

He developed the first American V-twin engine in 1903, setting a world speed record with it that year, and inspiring the industry. Competitors Indian Motor­cycles would go on to offer their first two-cylinder engine in 1906, followed by Harley-David­son in 1909. In 1904, he was taking home the gold against even his rivals at Indian Motor­cycles, and put his 9 HP V-twin engine into the first successful dirigible in the United States, the Cali­fornia Arrow. By 1907, Glenn had quite a few world records under his belt, including an unofficial land speed record of 136 mph on an experimental V-8 airplane engine-powered bike on Ormond Beach. In 1908, G.H. was the first in Amer­ica to make a preannounced, officially recognized, publicly observed flight.

Until 1912, he and his team would go on to build, sell, and race motor­cycles out of their Hammondsport garage, but this wasn’t his only successful endeavor. In the same period, Curtiss was the chief rival of the Wright brothers, designing airplane engines, the most widely used U.S. aircraft in WWI, the first amphibious aircraft, and joining the Aerial Experimentation Association. Curtiss was one of the great engin­eers of the early 20th century, producing innovative and high-performance motor­cycles, popularizing the handlebar throttle, and helping to create the U.S. aviation industry. There is no doubt that if G.H. Curtiss had pursued the development of the motor­cycle with the same enthusiasm he put into aviation, the industry would look far different today.

This 1909 Curtiss V-Twin Roadster is an extremely rare specimen, considered the “Duesen­berg” of early American motor­cycles. A powerful air-cooled engine rated at 8 to 10 horsepower with splash oil lubrication and a dry-cell battery ignition was produced at the G. W. Curtiss Manu­fact­uring Com­pany in Hammondsport, New York. The Audrain Auto Mu­seum reports that this 1909 Curtiss is one of the most well-preserved motor­cycles in the world today and the last of the Curtiss line.

There are few Curtiss engines known to have survived, but there are several in the Dick Shappy Collection, including the Herc­ules and the 1906 Curtiss V-Twin. This one, engine number 3302, went to Dale Stoner in collaboration with the Glenn H. Curtiss Mu­seum in Hammondsport, NY, for a careful and meticulous restoration and documentation. Dale Stoner is not only the premier Curtiss historian and a master machinist, but an engineering pioneer who will one day be regarded in the history books right alongside Glenn. He is currently recreating the beautiful and historic 1907 Curtiss 8-cylinder experimental motor­cycle that set the world land speed record of 137 MPH in exacting detail. It has been rumored that upon completion, this vehicle could be worth between $500,000 and $1 million.

Advert­ise­ment for the Curtiss Carburetor, 1907, as seen in Curtiss Motor­cycles 1902-1912

“Carburetor
Price, $8
Capacity. For engines having dimensions not exceeding 3 ½ x 3 ½, 8/4” pipe con­struc­tion

This carburetor is central draft with a central gasolene supply. Perfectly auto­matic. Has an adjustable auto­matic air supply, and is better adapted for motor­cycle use than any other carburetor

It will not shake up and give bad mixture while going over rough places; will not flood, slop gasolene, and will not freeze in cold weather

This carburetor is not only very neat in appearance, but is light and compact. It weighs but 15 ounces, and embodies all the most up-to-date features of scientific carburetor con­struc­tion” (Pg. 105)

Check out master machinist and Curtiss historian Dale Stoner reflect on Glenn Hammond Curtiss’s motor­cycles and show off his 1907 Curtiss V-8 land-speed-record-setting replica on Jay Leno’s Garage: “The Fastest Man on Earth: 1907 Curtiss V8 Motor­cycle.”