Driving report Excelsior-Henderson Super X

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Driving report Excelsior-Henderson Super X

Xtra cool

That’s it! A cruiser as if carved from the full. Martial, independent, steeped in history and genuinely American.

From the first moment it was clear: this wasn’t going to be a children’s birthday here. Excelsior-Henderson is extremely serious. I didn’t order the Ullu-Ullu party with touching in Daytona Beach, but to present a fully roadworthy, fully series-production cruiser.
His name is emblazoned on the tank like a declaration of war: Super X! Avenger of the Disinherited. Risen from the ruins to build on those glory days when Excelsior-Henderson was one of the “Big Three” in the American motorcycle business, along with Harley-Davidson and Indian. That was light years ago. But it doesn‘t matter. As is well known, anything goes in the West.
The spiritual fathers of this idea: David and Daniel Hanlon. Two motorcycle enthusiasts from Belle Plaine / Minnestota who one day got a certain Harley annoyance. “America needs an alternative,” mused the brothers. A year later they owned the naming rights to Excelsior-Henderson, and today we have this thoroughly humorless two-cylinder before us.
A sculpture of a cruiser. Nothing was left to chance. Every line has its meaning. Corresponds to the history. The front suspension, the huge horn, the swing of the frame tubes, the cutouts on the tank, the supposedly rigid rear – all reminiscences of the original Super X from 1925.
“When you jump on this motorcycle, you jump into the saddle of history,” says David. That’s the way it is. And you sit firmly in the saddle of history. The pronounced seat recess does not allow a millimeter of freedom of movement. Then the exciting moment: where is the ignition lock? For cruisers, a theme with infinite variations. Ah – right under the tank, between the two mighty cylinders. OK. Rotary switch to “On”. All control lights there. The thumb carefully feels its way to the starter button, presses it, and at the same time you almost knock you off your stool.
What an animal, this Vau-Two. 1387 cubic. 65 hp. Eight valves. Four camshafts. An injection. And every ignition a detonation. Handlebars, fork springs, running boards, everything shakes, rattles, shakes. The earth trembles, seismographs turn hollow, hands cramp on the thick handlebars. The throttle is difficult. Extremely difficult, actually. But the engine bites. Claps his performance just above idle with full force on the clutch. And from then on, Durchzug is celebrated. At an inhuman volume.
At 170 km / h, according to the speedometer, it is tattooed. But that’s enough. Wind pressure, vibrations, noise levels ?? merciless. A normal mortal cannot take this for long. Hangs from the broad handlebars with bulging eyes, face clenched in a fist, feet on the rear pegs to build up counter pressure. The landing gear, however, acts as if nothing is. Arrows unmoved across the track.
The coordination of the spring elements is on the hard side. There’s no such thing as comfort. But stability until you drop. In all situations. However, there are only a few outside the vertical. The Super X’s ground clearance is not particularly good. Without a major loss of material, you would never get over any Alpine passes. If this motorcycle is to actually find its way to Europe in three or four years, the friends from Minnesota have to come up with something else.
The brakes are good. Really good. This anti-dive story feels weird though. It’s nice if a fork like this doesn’t go to the diving station when it is delayed – but that nothing happens, not even a very small nap. There’s just something missing.
Otherwise, the Henderson is a complete cruiser, with a stylish toothed belt drive, heavy metal handling, stiff clutch and a huge lamp pot. The majestic speedometer rules on the tank, flanked by a small tachometer and a fuel gauge. Everything thickly and boldly embedded in chrome and still not a bit baroque. It has to be like that.
NNothing about the Super X is somehow embarrassing or playful or copied. And the devil would have to end if the 4,000 units that are to roll off the assembly line in Belle Plaine every year could not be brought to the public.

history

1876 ​​The Excelsior Supply Company is founded in Chicago. A bicycle and accessory kit that just barely stays afloat. After the turn of the century, the company entered the motorcycle business. 1911 The German immigrant Ignaz Schwinn bought the company, which was troubled by money. In the same year the X appears, the first two-cylinder from Excelsior. A year later, Lee Humiston cracked the 100 mph mark with his racing X. And over in Detroit, the newly formed Henderson Motorcycle Company presented their first four-cylinder. 1914 Excelsior moved to the newly built plant. The largest motorcycle factory in the world has its own test track on the roof. 1917 After a few failures, the Henderson Company is about to go bankrupt. Ignaz Schwinn buys the company and relocates production from Detroit to Chicago. 1925 There are over 200 motorcycle manufacturers on the American motorcycle market, Excelsior-Henderson is one of the largest. But you urgently need a product to compete with the increasingly popular Indian Scout and present it with the Super X, which has become the most successful bike of these days. 1931 Great Depression. Excelsior-Henderson is also stuck. One morning Schwinn enters the meeting room of his company and says: “Gentlemen, today we stop.” The gates are closed on March 31st. 1993 During their annual Sturgis trip, the brothers David and Daniel Hanlon are stricken with Harley fatigue. They decide to set up a new American motorcycle brand. There is roughly $ 50 million between them and their visions. They borrow coal, acquire the naming rights to Excelsior-Henderson and win over the engineers Allan Hurd and Neil Wright, who were already involved in the construction of Triumph. 1999 On January 30th, the first series-production Super X leaves the factory in Belle Plaine Minnesota.

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