Bajaj Auto has recently filed a trademark for the Excelsior-Henderson name in Europe. Read on to know what that means.
What is Excelsior-Henderson?
Excelsior-Henderson is not a moniker that we’ve heard a lot about, especially in the recent past. The company’s roots can be traced way back to the late 19th century – 1876 to be exact – when it was just the Excelsior Supply Company that manufactured cycles and cycle parts. Henderson, on the other hand, started life in 1911, and focused mainly on inline-four engines. The two were, soon, acquired by bicycle firm Schwinn, and merged into Excelsior-Henderson.
However, the company had to cease production in 1931 owing to struggles brought on by the Great Depression. Much later, in the early-90’s, Minnesota-based Hanlon Manufacturing Company bought the rights to both the Henderson and Excelsior names and produced an 1,386cc S&S V-twin powered motorcycle called the Super X. Only a couple thousand units of the Super X motorcycles were sold and the company soon ceased production. Despite never restarting operations, the Excelsior-Henderson company has remained in existence since. The company was up for grabs at an auction in 2018, but found no takers, until now.
Bajaj and Excelsior-Henderson
Later in 2018, Bajaj filed a trademark for the Excelsior-Henderson name, under the motorcycle design class, which includes vehicles, service, and parts. More recently, on December 15, 2020, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) registered a second Excelsior-Henderson trademark, this time in the clothing class – which includes apparel and motorcycle gear. While there has been no official word on Bajaj reviving the Excelsior-Henderson name, the trademarks seem to suggest that it will.
Nearly every top Indian motorcycle manufacturer has partnered with a classic, old-school motorcycle manufacturer. TVS acquired Norton last year, and last month, Hero MotoCorp saved Harley-Davidson from the clutches of extinction in India. If these trademarks are of substance, then a revival of the Excelsior-Henderson brand could possibly see the production of larger capacity cruisers that will take on the likes of Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Rishaad Mody
Azaman Chothia
