Not really being a two-wheeler guy, I am unfamiliar with a lot of the older names in motorcycles...My daily spin through YouTube turned up this episode of Jay Leno's Garage in which he takes us on a ride with his unrestored 1931 Henderson police bike...I never even heard of Henderson, but it was apparently the premier choice for law enforcement until depression jitters caused the company's owner to shut down production, and concentrate instead on his other two-wheel company, Schwinn...

Far ahead of its time in engineering, it featured an 80 CI, overhead valve, five main bearing, four cylinder engine with a top speed of around 110 MPH...Jay says his has so much torque he can accelerate smoothly fro 10 MPH up to top speed in third gear...This one has a reverse gear for sidecar work...

Two fuel tanks, magneto ignition, springer front fork and a sprung seat made it reasonably comfortable and reliable for long-term riding, although Jay said the brake is a little dicey at times...It was the fastest production vehicle commonly seen on American roads, which made it very attractive for police work...Quite a machine...Jay says he's owned this one for 30 years without ever having to turn a wrench on it......Ben