Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
This October 1956 issue of Cycle Magazine arrives at a genuinely pivotal moment for Harley-Davidson, capturing the company in the midst of transitioning away from its longstanding K-series flathead motorcycles toward the all-new overhead-valve Sportster, the model that would debut for the 1957 model year and go on to become one of the longest continuously produced motorcycles in American history. By October 1956, Harley's K, KK, KH, and KHK models, in production since 1952, were reaching the end of their run, having served as the company's mid-weight answer to the flood of lighter, faster British motorcycles from Triumph, BSA, and Norton that had been capturing American riders throughout the decade. The new Sportster, introduced under the "XL" designation, replaced the K-series' flathead engine with a completely redesigned overhead-valve top end, a change that increased output by roughly forty percent while retaining much of the K-model's proven frame, fenders, and running gear. A Cycle Magazine feature covering this new model arriving in the fall of 1956, timed to the traditional industry practice of unveiling new model-year lineups, captures American motorcycle enthusiasts encountering what would become one of Harley-Davidson's most enduring and commercially significant models at the very moment of its introduction, well before its eventual decades-long production run and cultural significance had become apparent.
This issue's coverage of an NSU land speed record situates it within one of the most genuinely dramatic motorcycle stories of 1956: the German NSU factory's all-out assault on the world motorcycle speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah that August. NSU arrived at Bonneville with a full team of six streamlined motorcycles spanning multiple engine classes, backed by company executives, dedicated timing officials, and even a traveling machine shop shipped from Germany to handle any mechanical emergency. Rider Wilhelm Herz, competing in the fully streamlined "Delphin III" featuring a 500cc supercharged twin-cylinder engine, achieved a genuinely historic milestone on August 4, 1956, becoming the first person to exceed 200 miles per hour on a motorcycle, ultimately reaching 211.4 mph and shattering the previous record by more than 26 miles per hour. That record-breaking run occurred only about two months before this issue's publication, meaning Cycle Magazine's coverage arrives while the achievement was still a genuinely fresh and significant story within the motorcycling world. Cycle Magazine's own photographers and reporters were present at Bonneville during NSU's record attempts, meaning this issue's coverage likely draws on firsthand documentation of the event rather than secondhand reporting compiled after the fact.
The pairing of a new domestic Harley-Davidson model with an international land speed record within a single issue reflects the genuinely global scope of motorcycle enthusiasm and competition that Cycle Magazine documented throughout the 1950s. American riders following Harley-Davidson's gradual modernization toward overhead-valve engineering were, in the very same publication, reading about German engineers pushing the absolute limits of motorcycle speed using a completely different supercharged, streamlined approach to performance. That juxtaposition captures the genuinely varied technical directions the motorcycle industry was pursuing simultaneously during this period, from Harley's practical, rider-focused engineering evolution to NSU's specialized, record-chasing engineering ambition. For collectors and historians studying the broader landscape of mid-1950s motorcycle technology and competition, this issue offers a documented snapshot of both threads unfolding concurrently, presented to the same American readership within a single publication.
Taken as a whole, this issue offers collectors a genuinely significant artifact capturing two distinct and historically important motorcycle stories at nearly the exact moment of their unfolding: the introduction of what would become Harley-Davidson's most enduring model line, and the setting of a genuinely historic land speed record that broke the 200 mph barrier for the first time. For collectors specifically focused on Harley-Davidson Sportster history, this issue offers documented early coverage predating the model's now well-established decades-long legacy. For collectors interested in motorcycle land speed record history, this issue's NSU coverage, drawing on Cycle Magazine's own firsthand documentation of the event, offers a genuinely valuable primary source. This issue stands as a rich artifact connecting two significant and enduring threads of mid-1950s motorcycle history within a single publication.
About the Publication
Cycle Magazine was one of the standard-bearers of American motorcycle journalism in the mid-20th century, serving an audience of riders, racers, and mechanically-minded enthusiasts. Like most periodicals of its type and era, it followed a newsstand monthly format mixing race coverage, new-model reporting, technical features, and advertising from the manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers of the day. The magazine's reporters and photographers were often present at major motorcycle events, including international competitions and record attempts, giving Cycle Magazine's coverage of events like NSU's 1956 Bonneville runs a genuinely firsthand, documentary quality. Its readership would have included active competitors following developments in both domestic and international motorcycle racing and speed record attempts, casual riders keeping up with new domestic models, and dealers tracking the rapidly evolving American and European motorcycle markets. New-model coverage was a central feature of the magazine's editorial format, offering readers detailed introductions to machines entering the market at the traditional fall model-year transition point, exactly the kind of coverage this issue's Sportster feature represents. Because the sport was still relatively niche in the United States compared to Europe, publications like this played an outsized role in shaping how American riders understood both new domestic models and significant international motorcycle achievements. Advertising within the magazine during this period commonly reflected manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers courting the same American riders the magazine's editorial content served. This issue's coverage of both a landmark domestic model introduction and a historic international speed record exemplifies the magazine's core editorial function during this formative period of postwar American motorcycling.
Key Highlights Inside
- Coverage of the new Harley-Davidson Sportster, introduced for the 1957 model year with an all-new overhead-valve engine replacing the K-series flathead design. The new XL-designated model increased output by roughly forty percent over its K-model predecessor. This issue captures the Sportster at the very beginning of what became one of the longest continuously produced motorcycle model lines in American history.
- Coverage of NSU's historic land speed record, set by rider Wilhelm Herz at Bonneville Salt Flats in August 1956. Herz became the first person to exceed 200 mph on a motorcycle, ultimately reaching 211.4 mph. Cycle Magazine's own photographers and reporters were present at the event, lending this coverage a genuinely firsthand documentary quality.
- Technical evaluation of the Sportster's engineering changes, reflecting the model's transition from Harley's proven K-series chassis to a new overhead-valve top end. This combination of established running gear and new engine technology defined the Sportster's initial design approach. A period feature offers a contemporary account of how the motorcycle press first received this new machine.
- Additional motorcycle industry coverage likely present, consistent with Cycle Magazine's standard issue structure during this period. Issues typically combined new-model coverage with race reports and technical features. Specific additional article titles for this issue are unconfirmed beyond the featured Sportster and NSU content.
- Period advertising from motorcycle manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers active in the mid-1950s American market. These pages offer useful secondary context for researchers studying the postwar motorcycle industry. Specific advertisers appearing in this issue are not detailed in available records.
Condition & Rarity
This issue is classified in good condition, a grade reflecting a periodical with visible age and minor wear typical for its era. At this grade, collectors can typically expect some marks and signs of age throughout, consistent with a magazine that has survived nearly seven decades since its original publication. None of these characteristics are unusual for a periodical of this vintage, and most surviving motorcycle magazines from the same era show comparable signs of handling given their practical, working readership. It is a copy issued without an accompanying label, a variant collectors often value for its unobstructed cover presentation. Surviving copies of Cycle Magazine from 1956 are generally scarce in high grade, as vintage motorcycle periodicals saw heavy handling and low survival rates compared to more broadly collected genres, since readers frequently referenced technical content and race reports repeatedly rather than archiving issues for preservation. That scarcity is often compounded for issues covering especially significant developments, such as this one's coverage of both a landmark new Harley-Davidson model and a historic land speed record, since collector demand for historically notable content can exceed that for more routine coverage. A plastic protective covering, when present, is a standard archival measure intended to stabilize a copy's current condition rather than a factor that changes its underlying grade. Collectors evaluating any surviving copy of this issue should examine the binding and page integrity closely, since these are typically the first points of wear in periodicals of this age and format. Given the combination of general genre scarcity and this issue's connection to two genuinely landmark motorcycle stories, a good-grade surviving copy represents a meaningful find for collectors of vintage motorcycle journalism.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Issues of Cycle Magazine covering landmark new motorcycle models and historic speed record achievements, particularly one combining the debut of the Harley-Davidson Sportster with NSU's historic 200 mph land speed record, are genuinely hard to come by given how heavily these practical, working publications were used by their original readers. For collectors and Harley-Davidson enthusiasts drawn to this particular issue, our Cycle Magazine collection is a good place to keep browsing, since it gathers other surviving issues from across the publication's run covering the broader postwar motorcycle scene. That collection offers a wider look at how American motorcycle journalism covered both the evolving domestic manufacturer landscape and significant international competition and record-setting throughout the 1950s and beyond. Collectors with a specific interest in Harley-Davidson Sportster history, NSU's racing and record-setting legacy, or the broader history of motorcycle land speed records may find related material of particular interest scattered throughout that same collection. Beyond the publication itself, our 1956 magazines collection covers the broader publishing landscape of the same year for collectors interested in the period more generally, spanning titles well outside motorcycle journalism. Browsing by year can be especially valuable for researchers interested in a specific cultural or historical moment rather than one particular publication. Given how scarce well-preserved issues covering landmark developments like these tend to be once found, we'd encourage anyone interested in this era to browse both collections at their own pace. There is always more of this history available than a single issue can represent on its own. We hope these collections help round out whatever corner of vintage motorcycle history you're most drawn to.