Established in 1904 Phelon & Moore’s first effort was a single cylinder four stroke that not only used the motor as a stressed member of the frame but was a two speed and was the FIRST completely chain driven motorcycle. Their first Panther was launched in 1924, but the Brand became Panther in 1930. The Panther model 100 was launched in 1932 and carried on until the company failed in 1966.
By 1949 the Panther 100 had gone through multiple changes but still used the basic very long stroke motor that produced lots of torque. Hydraulic front suspension and Lucas electrical with huge brakes and lots of pulling power made it a great sidecar rig and the Model 100 had a great reputation. The most common failure of the Panther was the clutch. The sister Model 120 was, in fact, built to be sidecar specific.
The 1949 Panther Model 100 used a 598 CC air cooled long stroke inclined overhead valve single cylinder motor that produced 23 HP with a four speed transmission for a top speed of 70 MPH. The bike weighed over 425 LBS but the high torque motor made it a pretty good cruiser in it’s day.
This specific 1949 Panther Model 100 is in Dolores, Colorado and is listed as a 20k mile older restoration with a bad clutch. There are at least some parts available and a very active riders group that seems very supportive. The bike is currently bid at $7,500 with a Buy It Now price of $12,000