Classic Chrome

Special Guests: Brian Keating, Gary Keating, and Robert KeatingWhen looking at the market for pre-war motorcycles, it may seem that field was dominated by just a handful of manufacturers; Harley Davidson, Indian, Excelsior, Henderson. But, did you know that in these very early days of motorcycling, hundreds of motorcycle companies were in existence across the globe? Many of these manufacturers actually date back even earlier than American legends Harley Davidson and Indian! Dozens of these smaller companies were in existence here in the United States, with many of them located in the Northeast. While some of these companies were later purchased by the industry leaders, most of these early builders wound up closing their doors. The design elements of several of these defunct manufacturers still wound their way into the machines produced by the larger companies. Today, machines such as the Flying Merkel, Reading Standard, Minneapolis, Cyclone and several others are invaluable to cataloging the history of the sp