Powered by the 1.4 hp Evinrude engine.
Roadmaster Bicycle Co.
In 1938-1939 the Roadmaster bicycle company produced a Motor Bike called the Motor Master. I just found a rusty crusty Evinrude powered Motor Master in Southern California. Well I should say my Bicycle buddy (Jamie McCracken) did. It is just the rolling chassis and have been told it might be a long wait to find the engine because of there rarity. The good news is the Head Badge is there. The bad news is the rear gear and the engine is missing! I have just started the research on the Motor Master so keep your eyes peeled. Ole Evinrude died in 1934 so I wonder if he knew about the Motor Master? Evinrude merged with Johnson Outboards in 1936. In 1937 there was a Evinrude Outboard engine built with the same horsepower as the Motor Master at 1.4hp called the Evinrude Elto model 4205. I believe this is the engine the Roadmaster Motor Master is based on. Since the Motor Master rolled out in 1938.
Here is my 1938 Motor Master.I finally got it finished. They are very rare. There are only 6 of them known. The serial number on mine is very low. It was the 25th one built. They came in two colors. They were black and cream and maroon and cream. They were only built in 1938 and 1939.They were the only motorbike built with the bike tank being used for the gas tank. All other motor bikes had the gas tank added on. They were on a 24 inch Roadmaster chassis. They used Evenrude single cylinder motors. The standard one had a truss rod front fork, while the deluxe model had a Springer front fork and a New Departure front brake. This particular one had been hanging in a barn in the Boston area for over 50 years. It had not been altered in any way. I could not have completed this bike without the help of Dave Bagne for the rebuilding of the motor, Jeff Wilson for the paint work, and last but not certainly least Bill Salsbury who provided some critical motor parts. These guys are the best. Thanks, John Stansbury
This one was Sold at Davenport 2005 for $14K it is now owned by a collector from Florida.
