Rick Wolfe: Bicycles & Motor Cycles and the Waltham / Brockton Connection the Marsh – Metz Motorcycle

Waltham’s own innovator, designer and manufacturer and founder of the Waltham Manufacturing Co. Charles Herman Metz is known for the Metz Automobile along with manufacturing bicycles beginning in 1893 under the name Orient and creating the first production Motor Cycles in the United States later known as “Motorcycles” in 1898 named the Orient – Astor. Metz left Waltham Manufacturing in 1902 to start his own company exclusively to manufacture motorcycles on Whitney Ave. In 1905 Charles Metz partnered with the Marsh brothers manufacturers of the Marsh Motorcycle in Brockton, Ma. and produced the Marsh – Metz Motorcycle.

 The Waltham Museum welcomes Rick Wolfe a native of and resident of Canada, who has been collecting bicycles and motorcycles since he was 14 years old. Now at age 67 Rick travels the United States and Canada educating people on the history of both motorcycles and bicycles. He will be discussing his passion for collecting motorcycles and bicycles and displaying for us his Marsh – Metz Motorcycle and Orient Bicycles from his collection. Rick also owned a 1906 Orient Buckboard manufactured in Waltham. Rick has been featured on cbc.ca/news.

Rick’s taste for early machines began at an early age. He worked for the Ford Motor Co of Canada for over 30 years – eleven as an artist.  Rick is the Captain of The Wheelmen in Canada the organization, whose main purpose is to keep the history of bicycling alive and to promote the restoration and riding of early cycles manufactured before 1932. Rick advocates getting youth involved. He’s also a member of the American Automobile Club of America, American Motorcycle Club of America and the Horseless Carriage Club of America. Rick is quite active with these organizations and donates a lot of his time to charitable organizations.

 Metz Day is sponsored by the Village Bank