Editor’s note: Welcome to National Treasures, where we’ll be featuring many of the amazing vintage motorcycles on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. Of course, nothing beats viewing the museum’s amazing vintage motorcycle collection with your own eyes, so be sure to visit the National Motorcycle Museum website  and plan your trip today. 

 
1909 Reading Standard on display at the National Motorcycle Museum,
Anamosa, Iowa. 

Located in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, Reading Standard built some of the most interesting American motorcycles between 1903 and 1922. Its advertising slogan was "Tested in the Hills."

Early Reading models had side valve engines designed by Charles F. Gustafson before he transferred to the Indian Motorcycle Co., and when the Readings appeared they were little more than Indian copies with a Thor motor.

The company began building its own design of single-cylinder motorcycles in 1906. These were the first flathead motorcycle engines offered by an American motorcycle manufacturer. V-twins like the museum's example arrived in 1908. Early examples sported a more conventional F-head (overhead intake, side exhaust) configuration with the valves on the left side of the front cylinder, but on the right side of the rear cylinder. These Reading Standard V-twins displaced 722cc.

Editor’s note: Welcome to National Treasures, where we’ll be featuring many of the amazing vintage motorcycles on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. Of course, nothing beats viewing the museum’s amazing vintage motorcycle collection with your own eyes, so be sure to visit the National Motorcycle Museum website  and plan your trip today. 

 
This 1939 BMW R12 is one of several classic BMW motorcycles on display
at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.  

This 1939 BMW R12 featured a new 750cc engine that was the largest and most powerful engine produced by BMW up to that time. Two versions of the engine were built: a 16 HP side valve and a 28 HP overhead valve.

The front suspension on the R12 was a trailing link unit with stamped metal forward-sweeping forks and linkage rods to a leaf spring, which extended over the front fender.

The R12 went on to be BMW's most produced model until the R75/5 of the early 1970s. Nearly 20,000 were made for civilian use with another 10,000 specifically built for the Wermacht.

Editor’s note: Welcome to National Treasures, where we’ll be featuring many of the amazing vintage motorcycles on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. Of course, nothing beats viewing the museum’s amazing vintage motorcycle collection with your own eyes, so be sure to visit the National Motorcycle Museum website  and plan your trip today. 

 
1903 Indian motorcycle on display at the National Motorcycle Museum
in Anamosa, Iowa. 

This 1903 Indian motorcycle was one of the first bikes to carry the Indian name. The Hendee Mfg. Co. of Springfield, Mass., built the first Indian motorcyle in 1903.

These early motorcycles, as Indian originally coined its pioneering machines, were actually bicycles with single-cylinder engines bolted onto the diamond frames. George Hendee was a high-wheel bicycle racing champion, and the Indian motorcyles were created to pace bicycle races. Indian competition successes continued in 1903 and in July, Indian won the only gold medal in the second endurace run held in the United States.

This 1903 Indian is graciously on loan to the National Motorcycle Museum by John Parham, Anamosa, Iowa.