Emil F. Hafelfinger

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Emil F. Hafelfinger (* 1866 in Weehawken  ?, New Jersey ; † unknown) was an American designer and inventor.

Career

On December 1, 1900, Hafelfinger filed one of the first US patents for a motorcycle (US Patent No. 682682), which was granted on September 17, 1901. In January 1901, Hafelfinger exhibited its SV valve control engine at the New York City Motorcycle Show . Oscar Hedstrom , co-founder of Indian , had obviously recognized the technical possibilities of the Hafelfinger motor at the exhibition. It is no wonder for Jerry Hatfield that Hedstrom "secretly" developed his first Indian engine and presented it in May 1901, as it was a 1: 1 copy of Hafelfinger's engine. Hafelfinger is also said to have found further copies of his engine from other leading manufacturers; did not complain, however, since his engine, according to Hatfield, was itself a scaled-down version of the De Dion Bouton engine .

From 1901 to 1908 Hafelfinger produced built-in engines and motorcycles under the Royal brand in his company Royal Motor Works in Worcester , Massachusetts . In 1909 the Royal brand was renamed Royal Pioneer . The engines had an OHV valve control and a hemispherical combustion chamber. In 1910 the production facilities were destroyed by a major fire and the company ceased to exist. On December 7, 1920, Hafelfinger received a US patent on string tensioners for violins .

Four Royal Pioneer motorcycles are said to still exist today. Bonhams auctioned a Royal Pioneer 30.50ci single for $ 92,000 in 2010 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Patent US 1361049
  2. ↑ Patent US 682682
  3. ↑ Jerry Hatfield: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981. Krause Publications 2006, ISBN 978-0-89689-949-0 , p. 114
  4. ^ "Four of the leading Motorcycle Motors are copys of this Motor ..." → Doug Mitchell: Harley Davidson Reader , Mbi Publishing 2006, ISBN 978-076032-591-9 , p. 67
  5. ↑ Jerry Hatfield: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981. Krause Publications 2006, ISBN 978-0-89689-949-0 , p. 114
  6. ↑ Jerry Hatfield: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981. Krause Publications 2006, ISBN 978-0-89689-949-0 , p. 424
  7. ↑ Patent US 1361049
  8. ↑ hemmings.com 1910 Royal Pioneer (accessed March 11, 2013)
  9. ↑ bonhams.com auction 18346, lot 167
personal data
SURNAME Hafelfinger, Emil F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hafelfinger, Emil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American inventor
DATE OF BIRTH 1866
PLACE OF BIRTH Weehawken , New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH 20th century