Excelsior-Henderson is looking to re-enter the market.
Excelsior-Henderson, once one of the world’s strongest motorcycle brands (read about that here), was revived in the 1990s, building heavy V-twins with proprietary engines (four-valve heads and EFI). Given that the brand’s revival coincided with the dawn of the Internet, you can still find reviews of the 1990s models online.
The reborn Excelsior-Henderson went out of business in 1999, after producing almost 2,000 motorcycles.
Now, Excelsior-Henderson has hired the Aaron, Bell International investment bank to help the brand make yet another comeback. And despite the recent streak of bad news for US-based motorcycle manufacturers, the company’s press release claims the time is right for the move, saying:
“The convergence of several market factors has created a unique opportunity to reignite the heritage-rich Excelsior-Henderson brand. Recent motorsports industry reconfiguration, with Polaris Industries ending production of Victory Motorcycles to focus on its historic Indian Motorcycles, and Arctic Cat’s sale to Textron, combined with the strength of American motorcycle manufacturing and sales worldwide, make the market ripe for the reemergence of the venerable “E-H” marque.”
The former Excelsior-Henderson factory now serves as the headquarters for a company that produces kitchen countertops. Despite this, Excelsior-Henderson’s press release goes on to say:
“Despite discontinuing production in late 1999, the business opportunity remains relatively turn-key due to its intellectual property and intensely-loyal, active customer base.”
The founder/president of the investment bank is then quoted as saying:
“An offering like this is extremely rare. An entrepreneur or investor can essentially pick up where the previous company left off, bypass the most difficult barriers to entry, and build upon the established success of this heritage-rich brand in a highly lucrative industry. It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Despite such optimism, the press release does not tell us several things. It doesn’t mention who the current owners of Excelsior-Henderson are, and it does not mention whether the plan is to develop new motorcycles, or resume production of the older bikes. It does not mention how much money the company is trying to raise, or specifically what it plans to do with the funds.
Hmmm John I do recall a long way back regarding the NHL/Motorcycle connection the Aquilini bunch owned Norton’s paperwork for a time….well if you have not heard a rumor by 3…start one!
Actually the group has been in contact with two Canadian investors ( think NHL)but it is a 4 cylinder bike that would be built. There are also at least two groups raising funds to purchase the Excelsior trademarks etc. The production would be very low numbers and hand-built. Last time they blew tens of millions on a facility that bled them dry. Could be interesting if they do this right.
I think investing in that company that makes kitchen countertops makes more financial sense than investing in an E-H comeback…
I think nobody in here would argue with that.
NO! Stop it! Fer da luv of Jeezus man, give it up wud ya! You can’t do. it can’t be done, nobody needs another shoddy built, too fat to carry it’s own weight, dead bike brand. Come up with an original idea. Fack.
Bullwinkle: Hey Rocky, watch me empty your bank account!
Rocky: Again?
Bullwinkle: Sure! And we’ll make a motorcycle that doesn’t work and no one wants, too!
“And now for something we hope you’ll really like…”
Bullwinkle: “Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.”
Rocky: “A-gain?”
Bullwinkle: “Presto!”
Lion: “ROAR!”
Bullwinkle: “Oops, wrong hat.”