Floyd Clymer and the Yale California

Young Floyd Clymer and the Yale-California

American readers will probably be familiar with the name of Floyd Clymer, dealer, rider and publisher. In July 1916, riding an 8-valve Harley-Davidson, Clymer set World's Dirt Track records for one hour (83.71 miles) an 100 miles (1 hour 11 min. 45 sec.), and in 1926 he set the record for the classic ascent of Pike's Peak. But Clymer is perhaps best known for his publishing efforts, among which were his "Historical Scrapbooks". First published in the early 1940's, these were among the first publications to deal with what we would now call "vintage" vehicles.

The young Floyd Clymer

From "Historical Motor Scrapbook Number 2", published by Clymer Motors in 1944, we learn about the young Floyd Clymer. The son of a country physician and surgeon, Floyd was touted as "The World's Youngest Automobile Dealer" when he began selling Maxwell cars in Berthoud, Colorado at the age of 11! It was in early 1905 that Clymer saw his first motorcycle - a Thomas Auto-Bi - and at the ripe-old-age of 11 caught "motorcycle fever". The following is his account of the first motorcycle to enter his life, a Yale-California.

That winter passed and, in the spring [of 1905], I attended the Denver Automobile Show, where several makes of motorcycles were on display, including Indian, Thor, N.S.U., and a Yale-California. I never figured out why California is part of the name, as it was made in Toledo, Ohio. At the time my dad was New York City at the Bellevue Hospital taking a post-graduate course, so I telephoned from Denver to my mother for permission to buy the Yale-California. The next day I received the money and, with an older chap named Carl Gooch, a garage man from a near by town, we started for home. It was a single cylinder machine, with a narrow belt drive and a fly wheel on the outside of the engine. After considerable trouble, we arrived at Berthoud. I had ridden on the gasoline tank most of the way, while Carl had driven the machine. We had pushed it up a few hills, and once the wind was so strong that we could hardly travel on the level. I was happy just the same when I got home with it.

However, my happiness did not last long because about four days later - in fact after my mother had written my father, who was still in New York, about the purchase of the new motorcycle - she received a telegram. He asked her not to allow me to ride the machine, but to store it in the garage until he got home. I did not know it at the time, but that telegram meant my last ride on my Yale-California. Dad arrived home in about two weeks and, to say that he was somewhat upset over the purchase of my motorcycle before I had secured his permission, is putting it mildly. He was furious that I had talked my mother into giving her permission.

He decided that the best way to get rid of the motorcycle would be to raffle it off. Raffles were in vogue then, and this was promptly done. Needless to say, I had no chances on it. That ended my first motorcycle purchase.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of Floyd with his Yale-California (hardly surprising, in view of the circumstances!), but here is Albert Mecham with his.

1907 Yale-California

The photo comes from "Historical Motor Scrapbook Number 2", and Clymer captions it as a 1907 Yale-California, "a duplicate of my first motorcycle". The lineage back to the first California is clear, with really only the cylindrical fuel tank and the trademark pennant on the battery box as distinctive Yale features.

The young Clymer was a remarkable lad, and at the age of 12 actually established a motorcycle dealership, gaining the rights to distribute Thomas Auto-Bis in Northern Colorado. Sad to relate, he never actually sold one! But the Yale-California - Thomas Auto-Bi link in Clymer's life is an interesting one, echoed elsewhere. When George Wyman crossed the continent in 1903, the maker of the Auto-Bi, Mr E.R. Thomas, kindly replaced the damaged front forks on his California with a set made especially for Wyman's bike. Thomas refused to accept payment.

Thus, when we look at a photo of Wyman's bike at the end of his transcontinental journey, we see his machine fitted with Auto-Bi forks, not the California forks he began with.

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