1931 Excelsior OHV Single Cylinder Engine

1931  21:35” Excelsior Single built by Joe Petrali

Joe Petrali worked at Excelsior from 1926 to 1931 when the company closed because of the depression.  In 1926 riding a 45 cu. in. Super X, he broke the board track record at Altoona, Pa. by averaging 107.65 mph for 100miles.

According to his Excelsior contract, Joe rode a 45” Super X in hill climbs and board track races.  Excelsior did not make a competition machine for dirt track racing where engines were restricted to 21:35” or 350cc.  At the direction of Ignatz Schwinn, Joe began developing a 21:35” overhead valve single racing engine of his own design to qualify for the dirt track class.  His life long friend, Gene Rhyne, former Indian racing department employee, teamed up with Joe at Excelsior to build the 21:35” dirt track racer.  The first and only 21:35” racing machine was assembled with this 21:35” OHV Dual Port Single racing engine by Joe and Gene at the Excelsior plant in Chicago.

When finished, the machine was prepped by Joe and Gene and taken by them to El Centro, Cal for race testing in April, 1931.  En route they received a telegram from Excelsior stating Schwinn had gone out of the motorcycle business.  Further, their services were no longer required.  In addition, they were not to race the machine, but to immediately demolish it.

Joe and Gene were not deterred in their victory quest by a telegram.  They continued to the El Centro race track where they beat the competition hands down establishing a new One-Mile Dirt Track-Solo class record for their efforts first and last time out. 

Gene Rhyne went to work for Al Crocker in Los Angeles building all the Crocker motorcycle engines; singles and twins.  Joe was hired back at Harley-Davidson and went on to build more racers and set more records.  In 1938 Joe retired from racing and returned to Los Angeles where he landed a job at Hughes Aircraft.  His engineering experience was rewarded with the flight engineer’s chair beside Howard Hughes at the controls of the “Spruce Goose” when it lifted off for its maiden flight in 1947 at Long Beach Harbor, Cal.