Editor’s Note: We are very fortunate to have access to some of the rarest motorcycles on the planet, and have the opportunity to bring them to our Cantina Members. Our connection is Don Whalen, a long time friend and the owner of a small restoration shop in Pasadena, California, which is currently retired. But Don owns a percentage is one of the largest collections of rare American motorcycle in the states, and he continues to broker the rarest antiques available. If you are serious about buying or selling a high end antique and want someone you can trust to handle the transaction, drop me a line.
The 1914 Limited was named after the “High speed Luxury Train.” The were expensive when new. They touted the smooth ride and the “innovative frame and fork design.” Cops loved them because they could overtake cars with the big inch engine and no shifting due to the torque available. Manly, you had to peddle them to start!! “Make’s my knee’s hurt thinking about it,” said Don Whalen of Sierra Madre Motorcycle Company, Pasadena, California, who currently ownes this 1914 Limited, but it may sell very soon to the tune of a quarter million.
Here’s the history of Feilbach Motorcycles and background on this Limited from Feilbach.org.
The Feilbach Motorcycle was manufactured from 1904 to 1914. Arthur Feilbach built his first motorcycle in 1904 from his small garage outside Milwaukee Wisconsin. It was a small (350cc or so) single cylinder belt drive model. The exact engine specifications have been lost over the years.
After the great success of his home made machine, he had to decide if he was going to produce and market this new motorcycle. Finally, in 1907 he produced the new Feilbach. In that same year the Feilbach Motor Co. was formalized in the city of Milwaukee. All of the bikes he made (a total of three) were all sold before they were finished. They all had a bore and stroke of 3 1/4 and 3 1/2.
In 1908 he produced five additional machines. In 1909 seven more machines were produced. In these two years 1907 though 1909 the design of the motorcycle was unchanged.
Then in the year 1910 Arthur Feilbach manufactured nine machines with many new improvements to the design. The engine bore was increased to 3 5/16 inches, and mechanically actuated inlet valves were added. Then in 1911 a spring fork was added, the gasoline tanks were made larger, and a magneto was installed. In 1911, 13 motorcycles were sold.
In late 1911 the Feilbach Motor Co. moved to a 7100 square foot plant and they produced 75 machines in 1912. This was a great increase over previous years. In 1913 the twin model was introduced and 158 machines placed on the road, 108 of these were twins. It is not known how many machines were made in 1914, but it is somewhere near 900 to 1000.
In 1914 the Feilbach Limited (twin) was the only Feilbach produced. Feilbach ceased production in late 1914. At that time the first Feilbach machine was still owned by Arthur Feilbach, and it was said to have 63,000 miles or so on it with no problems. Many Feilbach motorcycles were used by the Milwaukee Police. Ultimately Harley-Davidson used it’s then massive resources to put Feilbach out of business.
