1913 Henderson 4

• ENGINE: Four-Cylinder 965 cc
• ENGINE NO: 2140
• HP: 7
• WHEELBASE: 65”
• WEIGHT: 310 LB.
• MAGNETO: Bosch #MJB4
• SEAT: Persons

In 1897, Alexander Winton expanded from the Winton Bicycle Com­pany to the Winton Motor Carriage Com­pany and In 1897, Alexander Winton expanded from the Winton Bicycle Com­pany to the Winton Motor Carriage Com­pany and began producing and selling some of the first American automobiles. Guided and inspired by his grandfather Alexander, in 1911, William G. Hender­son and his brother Tom W. Hender­son combined their respective motor­cycle enthusiasm and financial knowledge to form the American Hender­son Motor­cycle Co. in Detroit, Michigan. Together, they constructed a single prototype, and by 1912, they were producing their first motor­cycle, the Hender­son 4. It was elegant and built to the highest standards—a 57-cu.-in., 934-cc, 7-hp four-cylinder bike with the engine mounted inline with the frame and a single-speed chain drive. It featured a long chassis and wheelbase for stability, a folding hand-crank starter handle, a short leading-link suspension on the front fork, and a long “torpedo” tank. Carl Stearns Clancy completed the first-ever round-the-world 18,000-mile motor­cycle journey on the Hender­son 4 by 1913, catapulting the Hender­son reputation into the spotlight.

The model year 1913 was not only Hender­son’s second year of production but also the first year for the new “square tank” after the first-year torpedo-tank models. The chassis remained very long, which provided much-needed stability for the terrible roads of the day. It proved to be so well-built that the Hender­son 4 was the first motor­cycle to circle the globe in 1912–13 under Carl Stearns Clancy.

In 1917, the Hendersons sold the com­pany to Ignaz Schwinn of Schwinn bicycles and Excel­sior motor­cycles, and production was moved to Chicago, Illinois. Hender­son motor­cycles became known as the largest and fastest in the industry, becoming the favorite of police departments until the Great Depression. Despite the success of Schwinn’s motor­cycle production, after the stock market crashed in 1929, motor­cycle sales plummeted, and by 1931, with a full order book, Ignaz ordered production to cease. His words, “Gentlemen, today we stop,” may have saved the com­pany, as focusing on bicycles was a far more cost-effective endeavor, leaving surviving relics as a piece of American history.

In 1998, the Hender­son brothers were inducted into the Motor­cycle Hall of Fame. The Hender­son name also saw a brief revival from 1998–2000 when Dan Hanlon secured the rights, founded the Excel­sior-Hender­son Motor­cycle Com­pany in Minn­esota, and produced around 2,000 Super-X 1,386-cc V-twin motor­cycles before the com­pany went bankrupt.

Hender­son motor­cycles were renowned for their smooth-running inline-four engines, which were powerful, quiet, and offered exceptional torque and consistent power delivery—a significant technological advancement at the time. They were considered the “Cadillacs of motor­cycles,” known for their luxury, high performance, and durability. These features made them popular for speed and endurance, and they were favored by police for their speed and ability to provide a smoother, more comfortable ride compared to the thumping of single- and twin-cylinder bikes. They featured a long wheelbase, comfortable seating, and floorboards for added rider comfort. Founded by the Hender­son brothers, the com­pany quickly established a reputation for quality and high performance in the early days of motorcycling. This success led William Hender­son to found the Ace Motor Corporation, which also focused on powerful four-cylinder machines, further cementing his legacy.