Description
Ner-a-Car 1924ca 255 cc two stroke frame # 6628 engine# B7675
During WW1 American Carl Neracher designed a motorcycle that should be clean, easy to operate, stable, comfortable and reliable. He came up with an unusual machine that was constructed more like a car than like a motorcycle; it had no frame but a chassis made of beams, 221 cc two stroke engine, friction drive and hub-centre steering. This rather unique means of transport was aptly named the Ner-a-Car.
Neracher had some trouble to find investors and manufacturers for his machine. In 1919 he signed an agreement with the British Sheffield Simplex firm to produce the Neracar for England and its Colonies, excepting Canada. Production started in 1921. Having found financial support in the USA as well, the Ner-a-Car Corporation started production in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1922. In November 1922 Cannonball Baker rode a Neracar from New York to Los Angeles, a distance of 5420 kilometres. He averaged 30 Km/h and used 2.7 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres. In less than 8 days he spent 179 hours in the saddle…
In 1923 the model B with larger front mudguard and 285 cc engine was brought out in England. A year later the model C came out, powered by a 350 cc Blackburne engine and fitted with a conventional clutch and gearbox. In 1924 the American Neracar saw its engine capacity increase to 255 cc. These engines usually carry a “B” prefix. In 1927 the curtain fell for the British Neracar, a year later the last machine left the Syracuse factory.
The lever on the right side of the machine operates the friction disc so the gearing can be adjusted; the left hand side hand grip enables the rider to disconnect the drive. The low centre of gravity and the hub-centre steering gives the machine excellent stability and the two-stroke engine is very economical. The wide front mudguard makes for extra protection from road dirt and the engine is neatly covered; the company used the slogan “The Automobile on Two Wheels”.
It takes some detail knowledge to distinguish USA models from GB models; an easy “at first sight” item is that American models have the front coil springs under an angle, while the British are mounted vertically. Also, American-made models are standard equipped with electric lighting with two small headlights and have a different rear carrier. The 255cc engines have vertical cooling fins on the cylinder head. This machine carries a brass dealer plate from a cycle and motorcycle agent in The Hague, The Netherlands. Dutch importer Ekker from Hengelo did business with the American manufacturer, so we can safely assume this older-restoration Neracar, a good runner and equipped with bulb horn, is American-made. (videoL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCKFCICUoxY)