Flying Merkel W.S - Specifications & Review

Company History

The Flying Merkel is one of the most evocative names in early American motorcycling. Joseph Merkel’s machines, often finished in a striking orange, competed fiercely on dirt ovals and board tracks, earning the ‘Flying’ moniker and a reputation for quality castings, clever lubrication, and tidy engineering. Merkel’s spring fork—a leading-link design—was innovative for the era, improving control on primitive surfaces. Street twins translated track lessons into smooth, tractable power for riders upgrading from bicycles. Like many pioneers, Merkel faced consolidation pressures; after corporate transitions, the brand disappeared by the late 1910s, leaving behind a small population of treasured machines. Historically, Flying Merkel distills the romance of the brass era: speed as civic entertainment, engineering as theater, and motorcycles as both transport and marvel. Collectors covet them for rarity, color, and the way their mechanical clarity still shines—open valve gear, graceful frames, and controls that feel like instrument-making. To see one run today is to witness the moment motorcycles became modern: fast enough to demand skill, refined enough to hint at the long road of design evolution ahead.