09-18-2018, 07:39 PM
This past weekend my wife and I visited the Portland Art Museum to catch an exhibit just before it ended. I'm really glad that we went. The exhibit titled "The Shape Of Speed", featured 19 vehicles that were part of the Streamline Design movement of the 1930s and early 1940s. Two of those vehicles happened to be motorcycles so I thought that I would post a few photos.
The first motorcycle is a modified 1930 Henderson KJ that was constructed in 1935. This creation was dubbed a Henderson KJ Streamline. It's powered by a 1200 cc inline four that produced 40 hp and featured a 3-speed manual transmission. The standard wheels were replaced with a pair of 10" wheels. The front and rear suspension were both heavily modified to accept the custom bodywork. The bodywork, created out of steel, was shaped by hand using a power hammer. The Streamline weighs in at an estimated 500 lbs. This bike was just one of one produced. This concept machine was obviously quite impractical.
![[Image: a3b9594a15045f2b46e4e1ba00712841.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201809/a3b9594a15045f2b46e4e1ba00712841.jpg)
The second motorcycle was a 1934 BMW R7. This is another one-of-a-kind concept motorcycle and I found it to be rather stunning. BMW showed this concept machine just a few times following its construction. But they realized that it would be simply too expensive to produce at that point in time. At some point it was crated it back up and forgotten, only to be rediscovered almost 70 years later in 2005 when it was restored by BMW themselves.
The R7 featured an 800cc twin cylinder boxer engine that made 35 hp. The transmission was a 4-speed manual. The estimated weight is a spry 350 lbs.
![[Image: 19b0cf747028c0b10f2f23db2c783535.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201809/19b0cf747028c0b10f2f23db2c783535.jpg)
![[Image: 92daa30c1fd54c84f95210100188f8e4.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201809/92daa30c1fd54c84f95210100188f8e4.jpg)
![[Image: 92d3f230b5f392a1b43b4c6b87de041e.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201809/92d3f230b5f392a1b43b4c6b87de041e.jpg)
![[Image: abb0bf3a673f5e7dac424378fa42aea6.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201809/abb0bf3a673f5e7dac424378fa42aea6.jpg)
The cars that were on display were even more mind boggling. I'm sure that there are plenty of other photos of this exhibit floating around elsewhere on the web.
The first motorcycle is a modified 1930 Henderson KJ that was constructed in 1935. This creation was dubbed a Henderson KJ Streamline. It's powered by a 1200 cc inline four that produced 40 hp and featured a 3-speed manual transmission. The standard wheels were replaced with a pair of 10" wheels. The front and rear suspension were both heavily modified to accept the custom bodywork. The bodywork, created out of steel, was shaped by hand using a power hammer. The Streamline weighs in at an estimated 500 lbs. This bike was just one of one produced. This concept machine was obviously quite impractical.
The second motorcycle was a 1934 BMW R7. This is another one-of-a-kind concept motorcycle and I found it to be rather stunning. BMW showed this concept machine just a few times following its construction. But they realized that it would be simply too expensive to produce at that point in time. At some point it was crated it back up and forgotten, only to be rediscovered almost 70 years later in 2005 when it was restored by BMW themselves.
The R7 featured an 800cc twin cylinder boxer engine that made 35 hp. The transmission was a 4-speed manual. The estimated weight is a spry 350 lbs.
The cars that were on display were even more mind boggling. I'm sure that there are plenty of other photos of this exhibit floating around elsewhere on the web.
