Dynacyle
Bicycle Kit
St. Louis-based Dynacycle invented manufactured bike kits and motorbikes. A gasoline motor could be attached to any balloon-tired bicycle in place of the crank and peddles and then mounted to the frame. The company claimed to have the smoothest ride of all bike motors on the market due to its Dynamount suspension system, which included rubber rings in the crank housing. The four horsepower engine delivered speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
This bike has a custom-built side cart. It was used by a local grocery store to deliver goods to its customers. Approximately 200 bikes and kits were sold and it is believed only about 30 are still in existence.
Gyrodyne Company of America
XRON-1 Rotorcycle
In the mid-1950s, advancements in helicopter technology made a vehicle like this
possible. At the end of the Korean War, the U.S. Navy was looking for a small
sized helicopter that could be dropped to downed pilots stranded behind enemy
lines. Gyrodyne Company of America was awarded the contract and built
prototypes to demonstrate their new invention. Three different engines were
experimented with over the next few years and this model is equipped with a
Porsche 4-cylinder internal combustion engine. Demand by the Navy soon
switched to radio-controlled pilotless drones and in 1964 all XRON Rotorcycle
work ceased. Allan Barklage donated this 1957 Rotorcycle to the museum in 1984.
Number built 10
Max Speed 78 mph
Cruise Speed 60 mph
Cushman
Scooter
The Cushman Eagle was an attempt to copy real motorcycle design and it was by far Cushman’s most successful model. The 318CC 8 horsepower motor delivered top speed of nearly 50 MPH. The chrome models are unique because they were made almost exclusively for Shriners to ride in parades and other special events.
This 1957 scooter was donated in 1987 by the Daniel Hartnett Family.
Handcar
Velocipede
Velocipede is French for "swift-footed." Handcar used in 19th and early 20th centuries.
The most common early handcar was the four-wheel handcar which weighed about 600 lbs.
In addition, there was a far lighter 125-150 pound style of handcar called a velocipede or Irish Mail which was used by some railroads. The three-wheel velocipede could carry one or two people over the rail lines to perform short errands. It could attain a speed of up to 12 mph.
The actual inventor of this style handcar is unknown, but George S. Sheffield has been generally credited with the invention in 1877. This style of handcar was manufactured until approximately 1947.
The Buffalo-Springfield Roller Co., Springfield, Ohio
Steam roller
The Buffalo-Springfield Roller Co. of Springfield, Ohio, manufactured this vintage three-wheel steam roller. The company formed as a merger of the Buffalo Pitts Co. and the Kelly-Springfield Road Roller Co. (before to 1902 known as the O.S. Kelly Co.) Steam rollers of this sort were used to pave Fifth Avenue in New York City (see Buffalo-Springfield Roller Co.
documentation).
Wagon
Leudinghaus Wagon Company
Quality wagons, such as this 1905 wagon, were built by Luedinghaus Wagon Company.