Ner-A-Car

The Ner-A-Car was a type of feet forwards motorcycle designed by Carl Neracher in 1918. About 10,000 of these motorcycles were manufactured in the United States by the Ner-A-Car Corporation under the Neracar name, while around 6,500 are believed to have been produced in England under licence in England by the Sheffield-Simplex company between 1921 and 1926 under the Ner-A-Car name.

Design

The design had several unusual features, including a friction drive transmission, and a low-slung perimeter frame chassis that was closer to those found on contemporary cars than other motorcycles. It also featured the first production example of hub-center steering on a motorcycle. The low-slung frame, front suspension, hub-center steering, and long wheelbase contributed to the cycle's exceptional stability.

While similar in concept to a continuously variable transmission, the friction drive transmission has five fixed indents corresponding to pre-set drive ratios.

Manufacture and promotion

Neracher licensed his design to Sheffield-Simplex to manufacture Ner-A-Cars for the British and Commonwealth markets before he could find any investors to manufacture them in the United States. Eventually, a group of investors, including King C. Gillette and Crouse-Hinds Company founder Huntington B. Crouse, funded the Ner-A-Car Corporation, which began production of Neracars in October 1921.