a friend brought me this photo of his recently passed mom today asking if i knew what the bike was. the date is roughly '49, she called the bike the "enterprise" on the back of the photo. anyone know what it is...besides weird.

click for larger image

Edited for stupidity

garyb425 - 19 August 2008 10:10 PM

What the hell is that ON the bike??

Notice the part about his friend's "recently passed mom" in the post #######?

I was going to say Manx Norton but the whitewalls threw me.

no worries gary.

so are you thinking it's some sort of george barris special or an off make that didn't last?

are you recognizing the rim under the fender, anderson?

I'm thinkin' Indian but what do I know? Whst is weird is that its well done and if it was from manufacturer it should be well known. If only for its "unusuality". You should post this over in the vintage section of Cycleworld.com. That would drive the "experts" nuts!

Is that a flathead Sportster and a MKII Ariel square four in the background? If so would that not date the photo to the early 50s?

Alright, so here's what I've got so far...

It might be a Heinkel. Apparently it was a German manufacturer of sorts, although A) It seems like they only made scooters, and B) I find it very odd that someone in the late 40's would have purchased anything German if they could help it.

However, I am basing this guess off of a couple of things....

1) This picture...It seems like if they made something a bit bigger, it might look like the bike in Black and White.



2) It looks like the word on the right side of the B/W bike in question may in fact be "Heinkel"



.....OKAY..... Upon further investigation, this scooter isn't a Heinkel at all, it's called a Maico-Mobil. Oops. Oh well, I did find this website that seems to list about every single European manufacturer that ever gave it a go. I wasn't to keen on sifting through every single one, but it might be a starting point.

The website, BTW is...

http://www.cybermotorcycle.com/index.html

I'm thinking it's probably a "one off". By the looks of the spindly kicker, it would seem to have a small motor...Left side brake, right side shift.

I'd love to have that thing. It's got a nice funky look.

I have a friend with a couple of Heinkels and that doesn't remind me of them. Heinkels were dumpy, practical modes of transport. Sure wish I had an idea as to what it is.

Heinkel specialized in warplanes, most famously the HE-111 twin engined bomber.



After WW2 they were forbidden to make aircraft for a number of years and took the same route as BMW, that is making small motorcycles, scooters and mopeds to stay in business. After a few years they got back in the airplane business and were eventually acquired by a group that included Messerschmidt.

There's your history lesson for today.

The bike in question is not a Heinkel, methinks. I was thinking Cushman but can't find anything during a google search. Feelers have been put out at other sites so I may get lucky. What do I win if I come up with the correct answer?

Jeff N - 20 August 2008 02:24 AM

After WW2 they were forbidden to make aircraft for a number of years

Actually, before the war they were forbidden to make aircraft, too. You know. War ships, tanks...They were such bad listners,

As far as the bike, my guess is it was some sort of aftermarket kit for a V twin. Indian or Harley. I also think the picture is taken in America. The Europeans didn't have time or money for such things as whitewall tires for motorcycles at that time.