'Cold Case' research into the theft of the rarest motorcycle in the world

The Traub Motor Cycle

In 1967 a plumber was called to a house in a suburb of Chicago USA to repair a water leak. He had to remove part of a wall to do so and behind it he found a motorcycle.

It apparently had been there behind the wall since 1916 without any of the property owners knowing about it

The Traub turned out to be one of the rarest models of motorcycle ever made and it transpired that it is the only one in existence and likely the only one ever made.

Experts examined it and declared it was brilliantly engineered and that its construction was well ahead of its time. It also didn’t take much to get it running after half a century in the darkness and even its white tyres were still in good condition.  The engine seemed virtually new and there didn’t appear to be a spot of rust on the orange and butterscotch-brown paint leaving historians wondering who it was that had created this fabulous machine.

Researchers discovered that the son of a previous owner of the house had stolen the motor cycle from the machines owner in 1916.

The father was so outraged at the theft that he made his son enlist in the Army.

The son then hid the stolen machine behind the wall in the belief that he could uncover it after he returned from fighting for his country. Tragically he was sent to fight in the First World War battlefields where he perished.

Whilst the identity of the Traub's creator has been frustrating historians for years, we now believe the bike's creator had the name of Gottlieb Richard Traub and that he was born in America but was of German descent.

 Further research revealed a “Richard Traub” had sent a letter describing his homemade four-horsepower motorcycle to the editor of Motorcycle Illustrated which was a magazine of the time in July 1907; he gave his address as North Paulina St, Chicago, USA.

  “Dear Sir, Please find the enclosed picture and specifications of a motorcycle made by myself throughout engine and all. I worked on this cycle about one year, putting in the time only between 7 pm and 11 pm. I also worked on Sundays.

 Its specifications are – Wheelbase, 55 inches; tank capacity, 3 1/2 gallons gasoline, 1 gallon oil, sufficient for 125 miles; power, 4 horsepower; bore and stroke 3 1/4 by 4 inches; auxiliary gasoline tank, 1/2 gallon; speed, more than the roads will stand; perfect grip control; throttle and spark motor is geared 3 3/4 to 1; it has a cycle chain with washers and does good service; has never troubled me yet, and I rode all of 1,500 miles."

 Enquiries established that the 1910 Chicago census showed that a 27-year-old Gottlieb Richard Traub did live at 1520 North Paulina St., Chicago and he listed himself as a toolmaker in a factory. Interestingly his 1917/18 WWI Army draft registration card stated that he was a self-employed experimental machinist. The address turned out to be an attached garage located at the back of his residence at 1520 North Paulina Street and not far from where the bike was found walled up in 1967.

 The census records confirmed that a Gottlieb Richard Traub worked in an attached garage located at the back of his residence on North Paulina Street and not far from where the bike was found walled up in 1967. 

Experts suggest Traub's technology was decades ahead of other motorcycles produced at the time. The machine had a unique twin-brake/single-cam system that has not been seen on any other American motorcycle to this day.

Its 80 ci V-twin engine yielded a capacity of 1,278cc which took the hand built machine to 85mph.

Soon after the Traub Motorcycle’s discovery, a Chicago motorcycle dealer named Torello Tacchi exchanged his $700 Suzuki for the Traub which he restored to perfect condition.

In 1972 stunt rider Bud Ekins famous as movie star Steve McQueen’s stuntman purchased the Traub from Tacchi and later sold it to California bike collector Richard Morris. It was then sold to Dale Walksler to add to his ‘Wheels Through Time’ Museum collection of 240 classic American motorcycles The 105 year old Traub still gets ridden on a fairly regular basis and Walksler has even had the engine apart to cure a knocking noise that turned out to be a worn out connecting rod bushing.

The components inside the engine appeared magnificent stated Walksler, the pistons were handmade, and they have gap-less cast iron rings. The engineering and machining were simply years ahead of its time. During the reassembly process, the only parts he had to fabricate were the base gaskets. The bike didn’t use any other gasket anywhere in the engine. The few “off-the-shelf” parts were a Schebler carburetor, a Bosch magneto, a Troxel Jumbo seat and period wheel rims which allowed Walksler to determine an approximate date of build at 1916.

The Traub's technology was clearly decades ahead of other motorcycles produced at the time. Indeed the unique twin-brake/single-cam system has not been seen on any other American motorcycle to this day.

Its 80 ci V-twin engine yielded a capacity of 1,278cc which was absolutely huge compared to other motorcycles of the time. For example, the 1919 Indian Scout was 745cc and the 1919 Harley-Davidson Model W was 584cc The Traub could also easily reach 85 mph, a speed that was also years ahead of its time.

 Surprisingly no evidence of the Traub being reported stolen exists, nor are there any records or police reports that indicate Traub tried to locate the missing motorcycle, which is a mystery that Gottlieb Richard Traub took to the grave when he died in 1952.