Ride CT & Ride New England Serving New England, NYC and The Hudson Valley!
OLEAN, NY – The name of the Schickel Motor Company of Stamford, CT would have been long forgotten were it not for the persistence of Ken Anderson, who died Friday at 75. The company lasted for 13 years in the early 20th century and was one of more than 100 motorcycle manufacturers in the U.S.
Because of Anderson, who was the grandson of the company’s founder, Norbert Schickel was inducted posthumously into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, OH in November 2011. Two years later, Anderson released a self-published book “The History of the Schickel Motorcycle 1911-1924.”
The book offers a glimpse into motorcycling’s early days. ““It was kind of amazing. Once people started moving to the city, the horse became obsolete. Where were you going to keep a horse? The motorcycle made the most sense,” Anderson told RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland at the time of the book’s release.
Cars were too expensive for most people and roads were nothing like those of today; more enhanced paths than smooth slabs. As a result, motorcycles became popular and evolved from crude to complex in a span of a few years, and that includes those made by Schickel.
“Look at a 1912 and a 1915, you feel like there’s a 20-year difference in improvement and design,” said Anderson. “A lot of sophisticated design went into the early motorcycle industry.”
The Schickel brand was responsible for several innovations that were so useful or groundbreaking that other manufacturers, notably Harley-Davidson and Indian, stole them. Those competitors were later forced to pay damages for patent infringement and royalties for their subsequent use.
Indian swiped Schickel’s spring fork design and ended up paying 15 cents each for patent infringement on 10,000 motorcycles, plus $250 for a license to use the patent. Harley pilfered the brand’s rear fender design and ended up paying 10 cents each for 40,000 motorcycles, plus a $1,000 licensing fee.
Only about 1,000 Schickel motorcycles were ever produced, but thanks to Anderson the name wasn’t lost to history. The website’s 2013 interview with Anderson may be found here.
Anderson was born Dec. 8, 1942 in Bethesda, MD.
– By Bud Wilkinson
