In the late 19th century there was money to made in the bicycle and motorcycle business. Numerous bicycle manufacturers came and went. Just like manufacturers of today, many of the needed parts and components were outsourced. Many foundrys and machine shops cashed in on the opportunity, making the more complicated parts for companies trying to profit from the consumer demand for two-wheeled entertainment. The Aurora Machine and Tool Co., founded in Aurora, Illinois in 1886, was one such foundry. Maybe the largest.
Aurora had an extensive catalog of forgings and components available for the booming bicycle industry and held many patents on their own designs. Nationwide, they were well known as a large supplier for many manufacturers and were a common source. Aurora was a supplier for both Oscar Hedstrom's pacing machine and George Hendee's bicycle manufacturing company.
When Hendee and Hedstrom combined their efforts to build the Indian motorcycle, they turned to Aurora for help. In 1901 they had one of their prototype models shipped to Aurora to be studied, with Oscar Hedstrom accompanying for assistance. Hedstrom's engine design was prone to overheating with extended use. At Aurora's advice the cylinder was recast, adding more strength to the cylinder wall and more cooling fins, solving the problem.
In 1902, the name of the company was changed to the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company and a contract was signed with the Hendee Mfg. Co. to build the engines for the Indian motorcycle. Under the contract Aurora would be allowed to sell the engines to other manufacturers as well, as long as royalties were paid to Hendee and Hedstrom. Explicitly worded in the contract was the stipulation that Aurora was not allowed to build and sell a motorcycle to compete with the Indian.
Within a year the Aurora Automatic Machinery Co. founded the Thor Moto Cycle and Bicycle Company. Wait.... what? What about the contract with the Hendee Mfg. Co.? Aurora had conveniently found and exploited a loophole. Not building or selling a complete motorcycle, their catalog offered all the parts necessary to build a "motorcycle assembled from Thor components". They offered no frames for a motorcycle, but they did offer all the needed forgings to build your own frame. A Thor motorcycle assembled in 1903 was practically indistinguishable from it Indian counterpart, with only frame dimensions differing, having been built using different jigs.
There was a sudden shift in the consumer market in the early 1900s. The bicycle craze of the late 1800s was suddenly engine driven and motorcycles were the new thrill, and, as always in a free market, when the public has the money and the want, someone will provide the product. In 1903 several new motorcycle companies sprang into existence. At least a half dozen different brands were now available and, other than different names, it was hard to tell them apart. They were all assembled using the same blend of parts from the Thor catalog. At the 1905 trade shows, half of the new motorcycle companies represented were clones, with names like Thor-bred, Merkle, Apache, Raycycle, Manson, Sears, Reading Standard, Chicago, and Torpedo.
By 1906 the Hendee Mfg. Co. had it's own in-house foundry and ended it's partnership with Aurora. Aurora was now free from the stipulations of it contract with Hendee. By 1908 Thor dealerships offered completed Thor motorcycles for sale. Parts continued to be available to other companies through the Thor catalog and Thor continued to design and improve their own product.
In 1910 Thor marketed a V-twin, but far different from other companies designs. The Thor V-twin had its rear cylinder mounted vertically with the front cylinder angled forward. In 1912 a more contemporary twin was offered but with the cylinders set 50° apart, unlike Harley Davidson's 45° or the 48° twin of Indian.
From 1908 to 1912 Thor had some success on the racing circuit against the power houses of Harley Davidson and Indian, with their efforts led by Bill Ottaway. Ottaway left Thor in 1912 and went to work for rival Harley Davidson, where he led a team to the Champion's Circle in 1916.
By this time Thor was beginning to decline. It seems that motorcycle companies always live or die by their success on race day. The Thor motorcycles now available to the public were being assembled from surplus parts. There were no more design improvements offered, and by 1920, the end had come. The Aurora Company's board of directors chose to put an end to motorcycle production. The company turned its focus to the manufacturing of Thor branded pneumatic tools, power tools, and appliances, which were popular into the 1950s.
Despite a little bit of back handed (or possibly brilliant) marketing, and a history of just two decades, Thor motorcycles had left a large footprint. Throughout it's somewhat brief history, Thor had a large impact. Almost every brand prior to WW1 used something derived from the Aurora Automatic Machinery Co. inspired many pre WW1 brands, and improving the technology offered by others, forever cementing it's place in motorcycle history.
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